第36章 BEATRICE MAKES AN APPOINTMENT(1)

Lady Honoria leaned back in the cab， and sighed a sigh of satisfaction.

"That is a capital idea，" she said. "I was wondering what arrangements you could make for the next three weeks. It is ridiculous to pay three guineas a week for rooms just for you and Effie. The old gentleman only wants that for board and lodging together， for I asked him.""I daresay it will do，" said Geoffrey. "When are we to shift？""To-morrow， in time for dinner， or rather supper： these barbarians eat supper， you know. I go by the morning train， you see， so as to reach Garsington by tea-time. I daresay you will find it rather dull， but you like being dull. The old clergyman is a low stamp of man， and a bore， and as for the eldest daughter， Elizabeth， she's too awful--she reminds me of a rat. But Beatrice is handsome enough， though I think her horrid too. You'll have to console yourself with her， and Idaresay you will suit each other."

"Why do you think her horrid， Honoria？"

"Oh， I don't know； she is clever and odd， and I hate odd women. Why can't they be like other people？ Think of her being strong enough to save your life like that too. She must have the muscle of an Amazon--it's downright unwomanly. But there is no doubt about her beauty. She is as nearly perfect as any girl I ever saw， though too independent looking. If only one had a daughter like that， how one might marry her. I would not look at anything under twenty thousand a year. She is too good for that lumbering Welsh squire she's engaged too--the man who lives in the Castle--though they say that he is fairly rich.""Engaged，" said Geoffrey， "how do you know that she is engaged？""Oh， I don't know it at all， but I suppose she is. If she isn't， she soon will be， for a girl in that position is not likely to throw such a chance away. At any rate， he's head over ears in love with her. Isaw that last night. He was hanging about for hours in the rain， outside the door， with a face like a ghost， till he knew whether she was dead or alive， and he has been there twice to inquire this morning. Mr. Granger told me. But she is too good for him from a business point of view. She might marry anybody， if only she were put in the way of it."Somehow， Geoffrey's lively interest in Beatrice sensibly declined on the receipt of this intelligence. Of course it was nothing to him；indeed he was glad to hear that she was in the way of such a comfortable settlement， but it is unfortunately a fact that one cannot be quite as much interested in a young and lovely lady who is the potential property of a "lumbering Welsh squire，" as in one who belongs to herself.

The old Adam still survives in most men， however right-thinking they may be， and this is one of its methods of self-assertion.

"Well，" he said， "I am glad to hear she is in such a good way； she deserves it. I think the Welsh squire is in luck； Miss Granger is a remarkable woman.""Too remarkable by half，" said Lady Honoria drily. "Here we are， and there is Effie， skipping about like a wild thing as usual. I think that child is demented."On the following morning--it was Friday--Lady Honoria， accompanied by Anne， departed in the very best of tempers. For the next three weeks， at any rate， she would be free from the galling associations of straightened means--free to enjoy the luxury and refined comfort to which she had been accustomed， and for which her soul yearned with a fierce longing that would be incomprehensible to folk of a simpler mind. Everybody has his or her ideal Heaven， if only one could fathom it. Some would choose a sublimated intellectual leisure， made happy by the best literature of all the planets； some a model state (with themselves as presidents)， in which (through their beneficent efforts)the latest radical notions could actually be persuaded to work to everybody's satisfaction； others a happy hunting ground， where the game enjoyed the fun as much as they did； and so on， /ad infinitum/.

Lady Honoria was even more modest. Give her a well appointed town and country house， a few powdered footmen， plenty of carriages， and other needful things， including of course the /entrée/ to the upper celestial ten， and she would ask no more from age to age. Let us hope that she will get it one day. It would hurt nobody， and she is sure to find plenty of people of her own way of thinking--that is， if this world supplies the raw material.

She embraced Effie with enthusiasm， and her husband with a chastened warmth， and went， a pious prayer on her lips that she might never again set eyes upon Bryngelly.

It will not be necessary for us to follow Lady Honoria in her travels.

That afternoon Effie and her father had great fun. They packed up.

Geoffrey， who was rapidly recovering from his stiffness， pushed the things into the portmanteaus and Effie jumped on them. Those which would not go in they bundled loose into the fly， till that vehicle looked like an old clothes ship. Then， as there was no room left for them inside， they walked down to the Vicarage by the beach， a distance of about three-quarters of a mile， stopping on their way to admire the beautiful castle， in one corner of which Owen Davies lived and moved.

"Oh， daddy，" said the child， "I wish you would buy a house like that for you and me to live in. Why don't you， daddy？""Haven't got the money， dear，" he answered.

"Will you ever have the money， daddy？"

"I don't know， dear， perhaps one day--when I am too old to enjoy it，"he added to himself.

"It would take a great many pennies to buy a house like that， wouldn't it， daddy？" said Effie sagely.

"Yes， dear， more than you could count，" he answered， and the conversation dropped.

Presently they came to a boat-shed， placed opposite the village and close to high-water mark. Here a man， it was old Edward， was engaged in mending a canoe. Geoffrey glanced at it and saw that it was the identical canoe out of which he had so nearly been drowned.

"Look， Effie，" said he， "that is the boat out of which I was upset."Effie opened her wide eyes， and stared at the frail craft.