The Quiet Gentleman
‘Good gracious!’ exclaimed Mrs Morville, much amused. ‘Are we to conclude that you have not made Drusilla an offer, St Erth?’
‘Not yet, ma’am,’ he replied, smiling at her. ‘But I assure you I mean to do so at the earliest opportunity!’
‘Well, by the Lord Harry – !’ said Martin, who had walked into the Hall in time to hear this interchange. ‘Do you mean St Erth is to marry Drusilla? I must say, I think that’s a devilish good notion! And the best of it is it will be a famous set-down for Louisa! She told me she had quite made up her mind to it that you and her particular friend, Miss Capel, would make a match of it, Gervase! I’m dashed if I won’t write to Louisa this very evening!’
‘Silence, Martin!’ commanded the Dowager regally. ‘This must not be! I have a great regard for Drusilla: indeed, I should be glad to have her to live with me, for she is a very obliging girl, and I shall miss her sadly when she leaves me, but I do not consent to her alliance with my son-in-law!’
‘And nor do I consent to it!’ said Mr Morville unexpectedly. ‘In fact, I forbid it!’
‘I have other plans for my son-in-law!’ said the Dowager, glaring at him.
‘I have other plans for my daughter, ma’am!’
‘Nonsense, Mr Morville!’ said his wife briskly.
‘No use making plans for Ger, ma’am!’ said the Viscount. ‘Always does as he chooses! Assure you!’
‘Besides, if you mean Selina Daventry, Mama, we can’t have her at Stanyon!’ said Martin.
‘Daventry!’ ejaculated Mr Morville, deriving some obscure pleasure from this disclosure. ‘Ha!’
‘What, not one of Arun’s daughters?’ exclaimed the Viscount. ‘Not the red-headed one who makes such a figure of herself in the Park?’
‘Ay! Drives a team of showy bone-setters! Lord, she’d lame every horse in the stables! Gervase, you can’t offer for that girl!’
‘No, no, I won’t!’ said Gervase, interrupting a low-toned conversation with Miss Morville to respond to this appeal.
‘The Duke of Arun’s daughter,’ stated the Dowager, ‘would make St Erth a very eligible wife! I do not say that I have made up my mind to the match, for I do not approve of deciding such matters hastily, and I know of several other young females whom I should not object to see at Stanyon.’
‘Well, well!’ said Mr Morville, refreshing himself with a pinch of snuff. ‘Arun’s girl, eh? I should not like the connection for either of my sons, but I daresay it will do very well!’
‘Don’t think m’father would either,’ said the Viscount reflectively. ‘Bad blood there, devilish bad blood!’
‘Your father, Ulverston, is a sensible man!’ said Mr Morville.
As much confounded as it was possible for her to be, the Dowager said, with finality: ‘I do not desire to discuss Lady Selina. I must decline to enter upon any argument. I cannot think that St Erth will refuse to be guided by my advice, for although I do not deny he has behaved very selfishly to me upon more than one occasion I do not consider that his disposition is bad.’
‘How can you? How can you, ma’am,
say such a thing of him?’ uttered Miss Morville, moved to sit up. ‘When he has behaved to you with such forbearance – such patience!’
‘Hush, my love! This is not like you!’ expostulated the Earl, startled.
‘Because I have not spoken, do not imagine that I have not felt!’ said Miss Morville. ‘I had no right to speak, but I have very often burned to do so!’ She added, with resolution: ‘I trust I shall always behave with propriety towards the members of St Erth’s family, but I will not allow him to be scolded, and slighted, and beset, which is something I viewed with the strongest disapprobation, even when I felt no decided partiality for him! Or, at any rate,’ she amended conscientiously, ‘not very much!’
‘My dear sir, I wish you will give me leave to address your daughter at once!’ said the Earl, quite entranced by this sudden and unexpected declaration of war on the part of his chosen bride.
‘Certainly not!’ replied Mr Morville. ‘I consider the alliance wholly unsuitable. My daughter has been reared in accordance with principles which I do not doubt are repugnant to you. Even were you to assure me that you regard with sympathy the ideals to the promulgation of which I have devoted my life, I should remain adamant!’
‘But I don’t regard them with sympathy!’ said the Earl.
‘You don’t?’ repeated Mr Morville, looking at him very hard.
‘No, how should I? I have not the smallest desire to live in a Republican state, and if an attempt were made to strip me of my possessions I should resist it to the utmost of my power.’
‘You would, eh? Well, at all events, you seem to have some ideas in your head!’ said Mr Morville.
‘Upon my word!’ said the Dowager. ‘I do not know what the world is coming to! I can scarcely believe that my ears have not deceived me! That is not very likely, however, for I have very good hearing: it is a thing I pride myself upon. I should have supposed that if there were no objection to this match on our side, there could be none on yours, my dear sir!’