’I don’t mean that; but if I were married,
which I never shall be, for I shall never attain to
the respectability of a fixed income, I fancy I shouldn’t
look after my wife at all. It seems to me that
women hate to be told about their duties.’
’But if you saw your wife, quite innocently,
falling into an improper intimacy, taking up with
people she ought not to know, doing that in ignorance,
which could not but compromise yourself, wouldn’t
you speak a word then?’
’Oh! I might just say, in an off-hand way,
that Jones was a rascal, or a liar, or a fool, or
anything of that sort. But I would never caution
her against Jones. By George, I believe a woman
can stand anything better than that.’
‘You have never tried it, my friend.’
’And I don’t suppose I ever shall.
As for me, I believe Aunt Stanbury was right when
she said that I was a radical vagabond. I dare
say I shall never try the thing myself, and therefore
it’s very easy to have a theory. But! must
be off. Good night, old fellow. I’ll
do the best I can; and, at any rate, I’ll let
you know the truth.’
There had been a question during the day as to whether
Stanbury should let his sister know by letter that
he was expected; but it had been decided that he should
appear at Nuncombe without any previous notification
of his arrival. Trevelyan had thought that this
was very necessary, and when Stanbury had urged that
such a measure seemed to imply suspicion, he had declared
that in no other way could the truth be obtained.
He, Trevelyan, simply wanted to know the facts as they
were occurring. It was a fact that Colonel Osborne
was down in the neighbourhood of Nuncombe Putney.
That, at least, had been ascertained. It might
very possibly be the case that he would be refused
admittance to the Clock House, that all the ladies
there would combine to keep him out. But, so
Trevelyan urged, the truth on this point was desired.
It was essentially necessary to his happiness that
he should know what was being done.
‘Your mother and sister,’ said he, ’cannot
be afraid of your coming suddenly among them.’
Stanbury, so urged, had found it necessary to yield,
but yet he had felt that he himself was almost acting
like a detective policeman, in purposely falling down
upon them without a word of announcement. Had
chance circumstances made it necessary that he should
go in such a manner he would have thought nothing
of it. It would simply have been a pleasant joke
to him.
As he went down by the train on the following day,
he almost felt ashamed of the part which he had been
called upon to perform.
SHEWING HOW COLONEL OSBORNE WENT TO COCKCHAFFINGTON
