第164章

'I have promised to go up to town with Tregear for a day or two.

After that I will stick to my purpose of going to Matching again.

I will be there about the twenty-second, and then will stay over Christmas. After that I am going to the Brake country for some hunting. It is such a shame to have a lot of horses and never to ride them!

'Your most affectionate Son, 'SILVERBRIDGE.'

The last sentence gave rise in the Duke's mind to the necessity of a very elaborate memorandum on the subject of amusements generally.

By the same post another letter went from Polpenno to Matching which also gave rise to some mental memoranda. It was as follows;

'MY DEAR MABEL, I am a Member of the British House of Commons! I have sometimes regarded myself as being one of the most peculiarly unfortunate men in the world, and yet now I have achieved that which all commoners in England think to be the greatest honour within their reach, and have done so at an age at which very few achieve it but the sons of the wealthy and the powerful.

'I now come to my misfortunes. I know that as a poor man I ought not to be a Member of Parliament. I ought to be earning my bread as a lawyer or a doctor. I have no business to be what I am, and when I am forty I shall find that I have eaten up all my good things instead of having them to eat.

'I have once chance before me. You know very well what it is. Tell her that my pride in being a Member of Parliament is much more on her behalf than on my own. The man who dares to love her ought at any rate to be something in the world. If it might be,--if ever it may be,--I should wish to be something for her sake. I am sure you will be glad of my success yourself, for my own sake.

'Your affectionate Friend and Cousin, 'FRANCIS TREGEAR.'

The first mental memorandum in regard to this came from the writer's assertion that he at forty would have eaten up all his good things. No! He being a man might make his way to good things though he was not born to them. But what good things were in store for her? What chance of success was there for her? But the reflection on which the most bitter to her of all came from her assurance that his love for that other girl was so genuine. Even when he was writing to her there was no spark left of the old romance! Some hint of a recollection of past feelings, some half-concealed reference to the former passion might have been allowed to him! She as a woman,--as a woman all whose fortune must depend on marriage,--could indulge in so such allusion; but surely he need not have been so hard!

But still there was another memorandum. At the present moment she would do all that he desired as far as it was in her power. She was anxious that he should marry Lady Mary Palliser, though so anxious also that something of his love should remain with herself! She was quite willing to convey that message,--if it might be done without offence to the Duke. She was there with the object of ingratiating herself with the Duke. She must not impede her favour with the Duke by making herself the medium of any secret communications between Mary and her lover.

But how should she serve Tregear without risk of offending the Duke? She read the letter again and again, and thinking it to be a good letter she determined to show it to the Duke.

'Mr Tregear has got in at Polpenno,' she said on the day on which she and the Duke had received the letters.

'So I hear from Silverbridge.'

'It will be a good thing for him I suppose.'

'I do not know,' said the Duke coldly.

'He is my cousin, and I have always been interested in his welfare.'

'That is natural.'

'And a seat in Parliament will give him something to do.'

'Certainly it ought,' said the Duke.

'I do not think he is an idle man.' To this the Duke made no answer. He did not wish to be made to talk about Tregear. 'May I tell you why I say all this?' she asked softly, pressing her hand on the Duke's arm every so gently. To this the Duke assented, but still coldly. 'Because I want to know what I ought to do. Would you mind reading that letter? Of course you will remember that Frank and I have been brought up almost as brother and sister.'

The Duke took the letter in his hand and read it, very slowly.

'What he says about young men without means going into Parliament is true enough.' This was not encouraging, but as the Duke went on reading, Mabel did not think it necessary to argue the matter.

He had to read the last paragraph twice before he understood it.

He did read it twice, and then folding the letter very slowly gave it back to his companion.

'What ought I to do?' asked Lady Mabel.

'As you and I, my dear, are friends, I think that any carrying of a message to Mary would be breaking confidence. I think that you should not speak to Mary about Mr Tregear.' Then he changed the subject. Lady Mabel of course understood that after that she could not say a word to Mary about the election at Polpenno.