Part 37 (2/2)
”Methinks he should make the maid a good husband?” remarked Sir Thomas interrogatively.
”Better than she shall make him a wife,” said Rachel grimly.
”Rachel!”
”Brother, I have ne'er said this to thee aforetime; but my true conviction is that Lucrece is a mischief-maker, and until she be hence, there is like to be little peace for any. I saw not all things at the first; but I can tell thee now that she hath won Arthur Tremayne into her toils, and methinks she tried hard to compa.s.s Don Juan. If she will wed with Sir Piers (and he dare venture on her!) let it be so: he is old enough to have a care of himself; and she is less like to wreck his life than she should be with a younger man. In good sooth, there is all the less of it to wreck.”
”Yet, Rachel, if the maid be entangled with Arthur--”
”Make thy mind easy, Tom. 'Tis Arthur is entangled, not she. Trust her for that! She hath good enough scissors for the cutting of a like knot.”
”Arthur ne'er spake word to me,” said Sir Thomas, with a perplexed, meditative air.
”That is it which I would know, Tom. Ne'er spake word, quotha? So much the better. Well! I reckon thou shalt be like to tell Orige; but leave her not persuade thee to the contrary course. Yet I think she is scarce like. A knighthood and Feversham Hall shall go down very sweetly with her.”
”But there is yet another matter, Rachel. Sir Piers maketh offer to set Jack in good place about the Court, for the which he saith he hath power. What sayest to that, trow?”
”I say that Jack is safe to go to wrack some whither, and may be 'twere as well hence as. .h.i.ther.”
”It shall be mighty chargeable, I fear,” said Sir Thomas thoughtfully.
”Jack shall be that any whither.”
”Wouldst have me, then, say Ay to both offers?”
”Nay, think well touching Jack first. I meant not that. Good sooth! I sorely mis...o...b..--”
”Well, I will see what saith Orige unto both, and Jack and Lucrece to either.”
”If I be a prophet,” answered Rachel, ”one and all shall say, Ay.”
If that were the criterion, Rachel proved a prophet One and all did say ay. Lady Enville was enchanted with both schemes. Jack averred that life at home was a very humdrum kind of thing, and life might be worth having in London, and at Court. And Lucrece, in her demure style, softly declared that she was thankful for Sir Piers' goodness, and would gladly accept his offer, though she felt that her merits were not equal to the kind estimate which he had formed of her.
”But, Lucrece,” said her father gravely, ”one told me that Arthur Tremayne had made suit unto thee.”
If he expected the mask to drop for an instant from the soft, regular features of Lucrece, he was sadly disappointed. Not a look, nor a gesture, showed that she felt either surprised or disconcerted.
”'Tis true, Father. The poor lad did say some like words unto me. But I gave him no encouragement to seek you.”
”Thou wouldst have me to conceive, then, that thou art wholly free from any plight whatsoe'er unto Arthur?”
”Wholly free, Father. I ne'er gave him to wit otherwise.”
Sir Thomas believed her; Rachel did not. The next thing, in the squire's honest eyes, was to let Arthur know that Lucrece was about to marry Sir Piers,--not directly, since Arthur himself had made no open declaration; but he proposed to go down to the parsonage, and mention the fact, as if incidentally, in Arthur's presence. He found Lucrece rather averse to this scheme.
”It should but trouble the poor lad,” she said. ”Why not leave him discover the same as matters shall unfold them?”
”Tom!” said Rachel to her brother apart, ”go thou down, and tell Arthur the news. I am afeared Lucrece hath some cause, not over good, for wis.h.i.+ng silence kept.”
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