Part 11 (1/2)
”Oh, Jock!” Lucy cried; and said no more.
”That throws very little light on the question,” said Jock. ”You are thinking of the difference, I suppose. Well, there is no doubt it's a great difference. I was a little idiot in those days. I recollect I thought the circus boy was a sort of little prince, and that it was grand to ride along like that with all the people staring--the grandest thing in the world----”
”Poor little circus boy! What a pretty child he was,” said Lucy. And then she sighed to relieve the oppression on her breast, and said, ”Do you ever wonder, Jock, why people should have such different lots? You and I driving along here in what we once would have thought such state, and look, these people that are crossing the road in the mud are just as good as we are----”
Jock looked at his sister with a philosophical eye, in which for the moment there was some contempt. ”It is as easy as a, b, c,” said Jock; ”it's your money. You might set me a much harder one. Of course, in the way of horses and carriages and so forth, there is nothing that money cannot buy.”
This matter-of-fact reply silenced Lucy. She would have asked, perhaps, why did I have all this money? being in a questioning frame of mind; but she knew that he would answer shortly because her father made it, and this was not any more satisfactory. So she only looked at him with wistful eyes that set many much harder ones, and was silent. Jock himself was too philosophical to be satisfied with his own reply.
”You see,” he said condescendingly, ”Money is the easiest explanation.
If you were to ask me why Sir Tom should be Sir Tom, and that man sweep a crossing, I could not tell you.”
”Oh,” cried Lucy, ”I don't see any difficulty about that at all, for Tom was born to it. You might as well say why should baby be born to be the heir.”
Jock did not know whether to be indignant or to laugh at this feminine begging of the question. He stared at her for a moment uncertain, and then went on as if she had not spoken. ”But money is always intelligible. That's political economy. If you have money, as a matter of course you have everything that money can buy; and I suppose it can buy almost everything?” Jock said, reflectively.
”It cannot buy a moment's happiness,” cried Lucy, ”nor one of those things one wishes most for. Oh Jock, at your age don't be deceived like that. For my part,” she cried, ”I think it is just the trouble of life.
If it was not for this horrible money----”
She stopped short, the tears were in her eyes, but she would not betray to Jock how great was the difficulty in which she found herself. She turned her head away and was glad to wave her hand to a well known face that was pa.s.sing, an acquaintance of old times, who was greatly elated to find that Lady Randolph in her grandeur still remembered her. Jock looked on upon all this with a partial comprehension, mingled with disapproval. He did not quite understand what she meant, but he disapproved of her for meaning it all the same.
”Money can't be horrible,” he said, ”unless it's badly spent: and to say you can't buy happiness with it is nonsense. If it don't make _you_ happy to save people from poverty it will make them happy, so somebody will always get the advantage. What are you so silly about, Lucy? I don't say money is so very fine a thing. I only say it's intelligible.
If you ask me why a man should be a great deal better than you or me, only because he took the trouble to be born----”
”I am not so silly, though you think me so silly, as to ask that,” said Lucy; ”that is so easy to understand. Of course you can only be who you are. You can't make yourself into another person; I hope I understand that.”
She looked him so sweetly and seriously in the face as she spoke, and was so completely unaware of any flaw in her reply, that Jock, argumentative as he was, only gasped and said nothing more. And it was in this pause of their conversation that they swept up to Mr. Rushton's door. Mr. Rushton was the town-clerk of Farafield, the most important representative of legal knowledge in the place. He had been the late Mr.
Trevor's man of business, and had still the greater part of Lucy's affairs in his hands. He had known her from her childhood, and in the disturbed chapter of her life before her marriage, his wife had taken a great deal of notice, as she expressed it, of Lucy: and young Raymond, who had now settled down in the office as his father's partner (but never half such a man as his father, in the opinion of the community), had done her the honour of paying her his addresses. But all that had pa.s.sed from everybody's mind. Mrs. Rushton, never very resentful, was delighted now to receive Lady Randolph's invitation, and proud of the character of an old friend. And if Raymond occasionally showed a little embarra.s.sment in Lucy's presence, that was only because he was by nature awkward in the society of ladies, and according to his own description never knew what to say.
”And what can I do for your ladys.h.i.+p this morning?” Mr. Rushton said, rising from his chair. His private room was very warm and comfortable, too warm, the visitors thought, as an office always is to people going in from the fresh air. The fire burned with concentrated heat, and Lucy, in her furs and suppressed agitation, felt her very brain confused. As for Jock, he lounged in the background with his hands in his pockets, reading the names upon the boxes that lined the walls, and now that it had come to the crisis, feeling truly helpless to aid his sister, and considerably in the way.
”It is a very serious business,” said Lucy, drawing her breath hard. ”It is a thing you have never liked or approved of, Mr. Rushton, nor any one,” she added, in a faint voice.
”Dear me, that is very unfortunate,” said the lawyer, cheerfully; ”but I don't think you have ever been much disapproved of, Lady Randolph. Come, there is nothing you can't talk to me about--an old friend. I was in all your good father's secrets, and I never saw a better head for business. Why, this is Jock, I believe, grown into a man almost! I wonder if he has any of his father's talent? Is it about him you want to consult me? Why, that's perfectly natural, now he's coming to an age to look to the future,” Mr. Rushton said.
”Oh, no! it is not about Jock. He is only sixteen, and, besides, it is something that is much more difficult,” said Lucy. And then she paused, and cleared her throat, and put down her m.u.f.f among Mr. Rushton's papers, that she might have her hands free for this tremendous piece of business. Then she said, with a sort of desperation, looking him in the face: ”I have come to get you to--settle some money for me in obedience to papa's will.”
Mr. Rushton started as if he had been shot. ”You don't mean----” he cried, ”You don't mean---- Come, I dare say I am making a mountain out of a mole-hill, and that what you are thinking of is quite innocent. If not about our young friend here, some of your charities or improvements? You are a most extravagant little lady in your improvements, Lady Randolph.
Those last cottages you know--but I don't doubt the estate will reap the advantage, and it's an outlay that pays; oh, yes, I don't deny it's an outlay that pays.”
Lucy's countenance betrayed the futility of this supposition long before he had finished speaking. He had been standing with his back to the fire, in a cheerful and easy way. Now his countenance grew grave. He drew his chair to the table and sat down facing her. ”If it is not that, what is it?” he said.
”Mr. Rushton,” said Lucy, and she cleared her throat. She looked back to Jock for support, but he had his back turned to her, and was still reading the names on the lawyer's boxes. She turned round again with a little sigh. ”Mr. Rushton, I want to carry out papa's will. You know all about it. It is codicil F. I have heard of some one who is the right kind of person. I want you to transfer ten thousand pounds----”
The lawyer gave a sort of shriek; he bolted out of his chair, pus.h.i.+ng it so far from him that the substantial mahogany s.h.i.+vered and tottered upon its four legs.
”Nonsense!” he said, ”Nonsense!” increasing the firmness of his tone until the word thundered forth in capitals, ”NONSENSE!--you are going out of your senses; you don't know what you are saying. I made sure we had done with all this folly----”