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Perhaps after so many years of silence a sudden longing for sympathy and confidence seized the elder lady, for she let her work fall from her hands, and smiling sadly, said: "Twenty-seven years ago I was standing one afternoon by the gate at Ryelands. All the work had been finished early, and my mother and two elder sisters had gone to the village to see a friend.
Miss Merry immediately rose and went out, though Gwendolen said, "Oh, no, a piece of bread, or one of those hard biscuits. I can't think about eating. I am come to say good-bye." "What! going to Ryelands again?" said Mr. Gascoigne. "No, we are going to town," said Gwendolen, beginning to break up a piece of bread, but putting no morsel into her mouth. "It is rather early to go to town," said Mrs.
James's Square would content old Mel, and he must have a Marquis for his father. I needn't be more particular. Before ladies ahem! But Burley was the shrewd hand of the two. Oh-h-h! such a card! He knew the way to get into company without false pretences. Well, I told you, he had lots more than L100,000 some said two and he gave up Ryelands; never asked for it, though he won it.
I had done something then. I could not tell you that. It was the only thing I did toward carrying out my thoughts. They went about over everything; but they all remained like dreadful dreams all but one. I did one act and I never undid it it is there still as long ago as when we were at Ryelands.
The housekeeper had passed into this boudoir from the adjoining dressing-room and seemed disposed to linger, Gwendolen thought, in order to look at the new mistress of Ryelands, who, however, being impatient for solitude said to her, "Will you tell Hudson when she has put out my dress to leave everything? I shall not want her again, unless I ring."
One would have thought that the young lady had all her life had more family seats than she cared to go to. "Ah! it will not do after Ryelands," said Sir Hugo, well pleased. "Grandcourt, I know, took it for the sake of the hunting. But he found something so much better there," added the baronet, lowering his voice, "that he might well prefer it to any other place in the world."
But if there were some pretty cottage near the park at Ryelands we might live there without much expense, and I should have you most of the year, perhaps." "We must leave that to Mr. Grandcourt, mamma." "Oh, certainly. It is exceedingly handsome of him to say that he will pay the rent for Offendene till June. And we can go on very well without any man-servant except Crane, just for out-of-doors.
I dare say you 've heard of him Burley Bennet him that won Ryelands Park of one of the royal dukes died worth upwards of L100,000; and old Mel swore he ought to have had it, and would if he hadn't somehow offended him. He left the money to Admiral Harrington, and he was a relation of Mel's. 'But are we then utterly mixed up with tailors? exclaimed Mrs. Barrington.
"You can have three hundred a year. But you must live in town and be ready to look after things when I want you. I shall be rather hard up." "If you are not going to be at Ryelands this winter, I might run down there and let you know how Swinton goes on." "If you like. I don't care a toss where you are, so that you keep out of sight."
Melissa and Jane both married, and went west with their husbands; I lived on at Ryelands, a faded little old maid, until my uncle Joshua sent for me to come to New York and keep his fine house for him. You know that he left me all he had when he died, nearly two years ago. Then I sent for you. I remembered my own lonely youth, and thought I would give you a fair chance, dear."
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