‘You shall tell him.’
’No, dearest, you must tell him. And you
must say to him that if he is not good to my girl,
and does not love her always, and cling to her, and
keep her from harm, and be in truth her loving husband,
I will hold him to be the most ungrateful of human
beings.’ And before Brooke came, she spoke
again. ’I wonder whether he thinks you as
pretty as I do, Dolly?’
‘He never said that he thought me pretty at
all.’
’Did he not? Then he shall say so, or he
shall not have you. It was your looks won me
first, Dolly, like an old fool as I am. It is
so pleasant to have a little nature after such a deal
of artifice.’ In which latter remarks it
was quite understood that Miss Stanbury was alluding
to her enemies at Heavitree.
THE LIONESS AROUSED
Brooke Burgess had been to Exeter and had gone, for
he only remained there one night, and everything was
apparently settled. It was not exactly told through
Exeter that Miss Stanbury’s heir was to be allowed
to marry Miss Stanbury’s niece; but Martha knew
it, and Giles Hickbody guessed it, and Dorothy was
allowed to tell her mother and sister, and Brooke
himself, in his own careless way, had mentioned the
matter to his uncle Barty. As Miss Stanbury had
also told the secret in confidence to Mrs MacHugh,
it cannot be said that it was altogether well kept.
Four days after Brooke’s departure the news reached
the Frenches at Heavitree. It was whispered to
Camilla by one of the shopmen with whom she was still
arranging her marriage trousseau, and was repeated
by her to her mother and sister with some additions
which were not intended to be good-natured. ’He
gets her and the money together as a bargain of course,’
said Camilla. ’I only hope the money won’t
be found too dear.’
‘Perhaps he won’t get it after all,’
said Arabella.
‘That would be cruel,’ replied Camilla.
’I don’t think that even Miss Stanbury
is so false as that.’
Things were going very badly at Heavitree. There
was war there, almost everlastingly, though such little
playful conversations as the above shewed that there
might be an occasional lull in the battle. Mr
Gibson was not doing his duty. That was clear
enough. Even Mrs French, when she was appealed
to with almost frantic energy by her younger daughter,
could not but acknowledge that he was very remiss as
a lover. And Camilla, in her fury, was very imprudent.
That very frantic energy which induced her to appeal
to her mother was, in itself, proof of her imprudence.
She knew that she was foolish, but she could not control
her passion. Twice had she detected Arabella in
receiving notes from Mr Gibson, which she did not
see, and of which it had been intended that she should
know nothing. And once, when she spent a night
away at Ottery St. Mary with a friend, a visit which
was specially prefatory to marriage, and made in reference
to bridesmaids’ dresses, Arabella had had—so
at least Camilla was made to believe—a secret
meeting with Mr Gibson in some of the lanes which
lead down from Heavitree to the Topsham road.
