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It was not many weeks after this departure of Lord Ravenel's the pain of which was almost forgotten in the comfort of Guy's first long home letter, which came about this time that John one morning, suddenly dropping his newspaper, exclaimed: "Lord Luxmore is dead." Yes, he had returned to his dust, this old bad man; so old, that people had begun to think he would never die.
But the father objected; he was clearly determined that all the hospitalities between Luxmore and Beechwood should be on the Beechwood side. Lord Ravenel apparently perceived this. "Luxmore is not Compiegne," he said to me, with his dreary smile, half-sad, half-cynical. "Mr. Halifax might indulge me with the society of his children."
"Steam power once obtained, I can apply it in any way I choose. My people will not hinder; they trust me, they like me." "And, perhaps, are just a little afraid of you. No matter, it is wholesome fear. I should not like to have married a man whom nobody was afraid of." John smiled; he was looking at the horseman riding towards us along the high road. "I do believe that is Lord Luxmore.
Guy's countenance brightened at the notion of "lots of shooting and fishing" about Enderley, especially at Luxmore; and Maud counted on the numerous visitors that would come to John Halifax, Esquire, of Beechwood Hall. "Neither of which excellent reasons happen to be your father's," said Mrs. Halifax, shortly.
"I think so, unless you will consent to let me go alone to Enderley." She shook her head. "What, with those troubles at the mills? How can you speak so lightly?" "Not lightly, love only cheerfully. The troubles must be borne; why not bear them with as good heart as possible? They cannot last let Lord Luxmore do what he will.
"And I do believe, by common patience and skill, a man might make his fortune with it at those Enderley cloth-mills." "Suppose you try!" I said in half jest, and was surprised to see how seriously John took it. "I wish I could try if it were only practicable. Once or twice I have thought it might be. The mill belongs to Lord Luxmore. His steward works it.
Halifax could have taken him to law; but, instead of that, he set up a strange, new-fangled thing, called a steam-engine; and his mills did better than ever. Finding it useless to fight against the resourceful Halifax, Luxmore went abroad, and left his son, Lord Ravenel, alone at Luxmore Hall.
"Poor people!" he added, "how can I blame them? I was actually dumb before them to-night, when they said I must take the cost of what I do they must have bread for their children. But so must I for mine. Lord Luxmore is the cause of all." Here I heard or fancied I heard out of the black shadow behind the loom, a heavy sigh. John and Ursula were too anxious to notice it.
If you will not consent to support your daughter, I shall be constrained to place that lady behind my counter, where I doubt not she would prove a great attraction; and your son-in-law shall have a livery and run the errands. With such young blood my business might be doubled, and I might be bound in common gratitude to place the name of Luxmore beside that of Godall.
Any mother in England would have shrank from the thought that her best-beloved son especially a young man of Guy's temperament, and under Guy's present circumstances was thrown into the society which now surrounded the debauched dotage of the too-notorious Earl of Luxmore. "My son did not mention it.
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