Sprig Muslin

‘Besides, she saved your life,’ said Hester. ‘We have not liked to talk very much about the accident, but I do think you should know that if Amanda hadn’t acted with the greatest presence of mind, you would have bled to death, Gareth. And she had no one to turn to, either, because poor Hildebrand swooned from the shock, and the sight of the blood. Indeed, you are very much obliged to her.’

He was surprised, and a good deal touched, but Amanda would have none of his gratitude. She stopped crying, however, and raised her head from his shoulder. ‘Well, I had to do something, and, besides, it was very good practice, in case Neil should be wounded again. I didn’t mean to cry, and if only you had looked vexed when I came into the room, instead of smiling at me, and holding out your hand, I shouldn’t have.’

‘It was most inconsiderate of me, and I can only beg your pardon,’ he responded gravely. He watched her dry her cheeks, and then said: ‘Will you do something to oblige me?’

‘Yes, to be sure I – at least, I might!’ she said suspiciously. ‘What is it?’

‘Write immediately to your grandfather, telling him that you are here, and in Lady Hester’s care!’

‘I thought you were trying to trick me!’ she exclaimed.

‘My child, it must be a week since you ran away, and all that time he has been in the greatest anxiety about you! Think! You cannot wish him –’

‘You are perfectly right!’ she interrupted. ‘What a fortunate thing it is that you should have put me in mind of it, for so many things have happened that it went out of my head! Good gracious, he may have put the advertisement in the Morning Post days ago! I must find Hildebrand!’

She jumped up from her knees, and sped forth, leaving the door opened. Lady Hester went to shut it, saying, with mild curiosity: ‘I wonder what she wants Hildebrand to do.’

‘Of all the heartless little wretches!’ Sir Gareth said.

She looked rather surprised. ‘Oh, no, not heartless! Only she is so passionately devoted to Neil, you see, that she doesn’t care a button for anyone else.’

‘Ruthless, then. Hester, can’t you prevail upon her to put that unfortunate old man out of his suspense?’

‘I am afraid I can’t,’ she said. ‘Of course, one can’t help feeling very sorry for him, but I do think she should be allowed to marry Neil. Don’t tease yourself about her, Gareth! After all, she is quite safe while she remains with us.’

‘You are as bad as she is,’ said Sir Gareth severely.

‘Yes, but not so resourceful,’ she agreed. ‘And you are very tired, so you will have a sleep now, and no more visitors.’

There did not seem to be any more to be said. Until he was on his feet again, Sir Gareth knew that he was powerless to restore Amanda to her family; and since he was too weak to exert himself even in argument, he abandoned the struggle, and gave himself up to lazy convalescence, accepting the fantastic situation in which he found himself, and deriving a good deal of amusement from it. His adopted family cosseted him jealously, appealed to him to settle disputes, or decide knotty problems, and made his room, as he grew stronger, their headquarters. Amanda had from the outset regarded him much in the light of an uncle. Hildebrand had thought that, so far from doing the same, he would never be able to confront him without being crushed by a sense of guilt. Once Sir Gareth was himself again, it had taken much courage to enter his room. But as Hildebrand was his chief attendant, the awful moment had to be faced. He had gone in, braced to endure whatever might be in store for him. ‘Well, nephew?’ had said Sir Gareth. ‘And what have you to say for yourself?’ He had had an abject apology all prepared, but it had been cut short. ‘Only wait until I am on my feet again!’ had said Sir Gareth. ‘I’ll teach you to brandish loaded pistols!’

After that, there had been no difficulty at all in looking upon Sir Gareth as an uncle. Indeed, it very soon seemed to Sir Gareth that neither Amanda nor Hildebrand remembered that he was not their uncle.

Hildebrand’s chief preoccupation was how to regain possession of his horse, but since he could not bring himself to let some heavy-handed post-boy or ostler ride Prince, and spurned indignantly a suggestion that he should hire a chaise to carry him to St Ives, so that he could himself bring Prince to Little Staughton, there seemed to be no solution to the problem. ‘As though I should think of leaving you for all those hours!’ he said. ‘Besides, only consider what it would cost, sir!’

‘What, is it low tide with us?’

‘Good God, no! But you can’t think I would first shoot you, Uncle Gary, and then make you pay for me to get my horse back! And in any event, I don’t think I should go, because if I don’t keep an eye on Amanda, the lord only knows what she’ll do next!’

> ‘Then for God’s sake do keep your eye on her!’ said Sir Gareth. ‘What fiendish plot is she hatching now?’

‘Well, you know how she disappeared yesterday, and was gone for hours? – Oh, no, Aunt Hester thought we shouldn’t tell you! I beg your pardon, Aunt Hester, but it don’t signify, because she hadn’t run away after all! Well, do you know what she did? She went to Eaton Socon in Farmer Upwood’s gig, just to discover where she could get her hands on the Morning Post!’

‘But I think that was such a sensible thing to do!’ said Lady Hester. ‘And she did discover it, too, which I’m sure I should never have done.’

‘Yes, you would, ma’am! She discovered it at the receiving office, and anyone would have known that was the place to go to!’

‘Not Aunt Hester,’ said Sir Gareth, his eyes quizzing her. ‘Who does take the Morning Post in these rural parts?’

‘Oh, some old fellow, who lives near Colmworth, which is about four miles from here! He is an invalid, and never stirs out of his house, so Chicklade says. The thing is that if I don’t go for her, Amanda swears she will go herself, to ask the old man to let her look at every Morning Post he has received this week!’

‘You know, I have suddenly thought of something very discouraging!’ said Hester. ‘I shouldn’t wonder at it if they had been used for lighting the kitchen-fire! Now, that would be too bad, but exactly the sort of thing that is bound to happen!’

‘If you think there is any chance that Amanda’s grandfather may have yielded, we had better send to the office of the Morning Post immediately,’ said Sir Gareth. ‘In his place, I had rather have gone to Bow Street, but one never knows.’

‘Well, do you think I should try first at this old fellow’s house, sir?’ Hildebrand asked.

‘By all means – if you can think of a sufficiently plausible excuse for wishing to see so many copies of his newspaper. I daresay you will be thought insane, but if you don’t regard that, why should I?’