Part 18 (1/2)
ANOTHER FUNERAL.
Septimus Hardon leaped to his feet, as suddenly a key turned and the bedroom-door opened; there was a sharp scuffling noise, as of a swarm of rats leaping hurriedly from the bed, and tearing over one another, in their haste to reach the hole; a wild shriek from a woman, a heavy fall, and then all was again silent.
As soon as he could recall his scattered energies, Septimus Hardon raised the woman's head and bathed her face, when she soon opened her eyes and sat up, gazing at him with a horrified aspect.
”Hus.h.!.+” he said softly; ”don't be alarmed. My name is Hardon; I came to see my father for the last time. I think I used to know you in the town?”
”O, yes; I remember you now, sir,” stammered the woman; ”but you gave me a dreadful turn.”
”Hus.h.!.+ Come down-stairs now,” whispered Septimus, and he motioned her to follow him to the door.
The woman was about to obey, but, glancing round the room, she pointed to the freshly-gnawed wood and the heap of chips.
Septimus shuddered, and they went together and closed the coffin-lid.
”Stop a minute, sir, please,” said the woman--a poor cottager's wife from the town, who followed the same road in Somesham adopted by Mrs Sims of Lincoln's-inn,--”stop a minute, sir, please, and I'll be back directly.” The poor thing trembled so that her teeth chattered, as she hurried away; but she returned in a few minutes with a huge black cat, which struggled from her arms and ran, with dilated eyes, towards the rats' hole, where it softly couched, motionless but for the writhings of its lithe tail, as it sat there watching for the coming of its enemies.
There were funeral cake and wine upon the table below, and an extra supply of the former was cut up and sealed in squares of paper, bearing a couple of verses of a psalm, and the pastrycook's name and address as a serious advertis.e.m.e.nt.
After waiting a couple of hours, most of which he spent wandering about the old house, Septimus Hardon took his old place in the little dining-room, opposite to the sealed-up bureau and cupboards. The undertaker and his man had arrived, and soon after came Doctor Hardon's rival, who had been called in to the deceased. The undertaker knew Septimus and bowed; the surgeon, too, knew him again and shook hands, not being at all surprised to see him there; while he invited him to dinner before he should leave the town. But although Doctor Hardon, who came soon after, well knew Septimus Hardon, he _was_ surprised to see him there, and did not shake hands, but started as though someone had struck him a violent blow. Mr Keening--Keening and Keening--then entered the room, when the gentlemen all took wine in a heavy, impressive way, and talked in a low tone about matters as far removed as possible from the purpose for which they had met together.
Then came the undertaker to ask in a subdued way if any gentleman wished to go up-stairs; but no gentleman save the son wished to go; and he stole away to stand and gaze for a few moments upon the calm pale features, and then returned to where the undertaker was distributing gloves of the best black kid, asking the size each gentleman took with a smooth oily courtesy. Scarves were then produced of the richest and stiffest corded-silk, cloaks were tied on, and as each mourner was dressed for his part of the performance, he was inspected all round, and from top to toe, by the undertaker before he was allowed to reseat himself. Then more wine, and more subdued conversation followed, interrupted by the grating of wheels upon the gravel drive. Heavy footsteps overhead now; trampling; someone slipping upon the stairs, and the bal.u.s.trade heard to creak loudly as an exclamation was heard; a shuffling noise; more footsteps heavily descending; a sharp pattering of feet on the pa.s.sage oilcloth, and much rustling past the room-door, followed by an interval of a few minutes, and the noise of wheels going and wheels coming; and then the undertaker stood bowing in the open door, and motioned Septimus Hardon to follow.
This was almost too much for Doctor Hardon, who had ordered that everything possible to make the funeral impressive should be done. The large hea.r.s.e and two mourning-coaches had been hired expressly from the county-town; velvet and ostrich plumes were in plenty; and, as chief mourner, the doctor had reckoned upon a very imposing spectacle, one that should to a certain extent erase the horrors of his brother's end, and help to raise him, the doctor, in the estimation of the inhabitants of Somesham. But now this was spoiled by the coming of the shabby, worn son, towards whom the undertaker had leaned in the belief, in his ignorance, that he was the chief mourner.
Septimus rose, and moved towards the door, while Doctor Hardon hesitated to obey the beckoning finger of the undertaker; but the dread of drawing attention to his tremor made him more himself, and, putting a white-cambric kerchief to his face, he followed his nephew, to be directly after shut up with him in the mourning-coach. But Septimus noticed him not, as he sat stern and with knitted brow, no muscle betraying the wild emotions struggling within.
The surgeon and solicitor followed in the next coach; and then the funeral procession moved slowly off towards the town, making as great a show as the undertaker's strict adherence to his employer's orders could effect. Doctor Hardon said he wished to keep up appearances for his dear brother's sake; but he had not reckoned upon the presence of the stern, careworn man by his side, and he shrank into his corner of the mourning-coach, angry, but at the same time fearful lest a scene might ensue which should damage his reputation in the good town of Somesham; besides, it would have been so painful to the feelings of his three daughters--he only thought of three, even though one was married and two resided at a distance. Nothing could have been more unfortunate than the appearance of Septimus at such a time, and during the silent ride the doctor's wishes were anything but loving towards his nephew; while upon reaching the church the gall of bitterness was made more bitter, for the doctor again found himself made of secondary importance by Septimus, who seemed to have roused himself into action for the time, and strode on in front, close behind the coffin, to take his place in the church so crowded with familiar recollections. There, bowed down in the same pew, but with very different thoughts, uncle and nephew listened to the service ere they stood together by the bricked vault prepared for the remains of old Octavius, and here again the doctor seemed to have shrunk into a nonent.i.ty, for every eye was fixed upon the shabby mourner by his side.
The clergyman had concluded, and, closing his book, was slowly walking away; the clerk had followed, and at the church-gate the foremost mourning-coach stood waiting, with a crowd of children and idlers around, the hea.r.s.e being drawn up at a distance, already half denuded of its plumes by one of the deputies of the furnisher. There was a crowd, too, thickly cl.u.s.tered amidst grave and tombstone in the churchyard, for plenty of interest attached to the death of old Octavius Hardon, and the people of Somesham seemed bound to see the matter to the end.
Nothing now remained for the mourners but to take a last glance at the coffin and come away. Septimus had stood for a few moments looking down into the vault, with the stern aspect of resolution fading from his face, to give way to one of helpless misery, when, turning to leave, he encountered the mourning brother advancing with drooping head and raised handkerchief to take his farewell look.
Septimus Hardon shrank back as from a serpent, and made room for his uncle to pa.s.s; but the next moment a sudden rage possessed him, and, stepping forward, he laid a hand upon the doctor's shoulder, whispering a few words in his ear.
Hastily confronting his nephew, the doctor turned, when, shaking a threatening finger in his face, Septimus exclaimed: ”Hypocrite! I know--” But before he could finish the sentence, the doctor started back as if to avoid the threatening hand; his foot slipped upon the very edge of one of the boards, and the next moment, before a hand could be stretched out to save him, he fell with a crash into the vault.
For a while no one moved, a thrill of horror running through the a.s.sembled crowd; but soon help in plenty was there to raise the fallen man from the coffin upon which he lay, apparently senseless, and amidst a buzz of suggestions the s.e.xton nimbly descended, rope in hand, and, slipping the strong cord around the doctor's chest, he was dragged out and borne to the waiting coach.
Septimus, shocked, and almost paralysed at the effect of his threatening gesture, stood for a few minutes looking on, till, seeing relief afforded to the fallen man, he turned slowly away, people giving place right and left to allow him to pa.s.s. On reaching the second coach, he hastily disenc.u.mbered himself of his trappings of woe, and threw them to the astonished man at the door, who had never before witnessed such unseemly conduct at a funeral. Then, after another hasty glance towards the crowd around his uncle, Septimus strode off in the direction of the County Arms; while, gaping, talking, and wondering, the people slowly dispersed, saving such as followed the coach to the doctor's residence in the High-street, where they hung about, clinging helplessly to the iron railings, and staring at the dining-room windows, until Mr Brande, the surgeon, and Mr Keening, the solicitor, came out together, looking very important, and walked down the street; when several of the railing barnacles followed at a distance, as if the gentlemen had brought out a printed account of the gossip-engendering scene in their pockets ready for distribution.
With his mourning habiliments Septimus Hardon seemed to have cast off the interest the crowd might be supposed to have taken in him; for no one followed the thin shabby man in dusty clothes and battered hat, as he strode on, till abreast of the old inn, where he paused, as if about to enter; but the next moment, shaking his head wearily, he walked on, and was soon past the first mile-stone on his way to the great city.
Volume Two, Chapter IV.
AFTER A LAPSE.
”Do, sir?” exclaimed old Matt, pausing in his occupation of pulling the string to make a lathen figure throw out arms and legs for the delectation of little Tom,--”do, sir? Why, what I've always told you, and you say the parson's told you,--go in for it, you've nothing to lose; so if anything happens, you must win. A year last spring now since I come running in here with that para thinking I'd made your fortune for you, sir; and now--Look there, what you've done, you've pulled one of his legs off!”--This in a parenthesis to the little boy between his knees.--”And where are you? Certainly, you get on a bit with the writing, sir; but if it was me I couldn't have settled down without making him prove his words.”
”But, you see,” said Septimus, looking up from his copying, ”I'm not clever, I'm not a business man; and what could I do without money for legal advice? It's a sad life this; and ours is, and always was, a miserable family, and my uncle's too. Look at him: his children are always away, while Agnes came to us through some love-affair with the a.s.sistant, and soon after I came away she disappeared, and has never been heard of since. Did you speak?”