Mrs. Oliphant

“ Scudamore's breeding say: "He is not a gentleman." He might have been much poorer, less educated, lower in the social scale, and yet not have called forth that verdict; he was himself so conscious of the fact, and so determined to screen it with audacity and pretension, that he saw the words on everybody's lips and resented them to begin with. When the lady turned from him, and with her own hand gave the insignificant little woman a chair before she herself sat down, he felt already that there was some plot against him. ”

“ Scudamore's maid, hastily called by Jasper, following the butler into the room. They lifted her upon a sofa,—the visitor taking command of the situation, as if it had been natural to her. This little weeping woman, so helpless before, was at once elevated into a rational being by the emergency. "Lay her head down flat; take away the pillow, poor dear, poor dear!" she murmured, keeping her place beside the sufferer. "Give me the water—oh, quickly, quickly—give it to me."
"Aunt, come away, this is not your place—let her come to herself," said the man. ”

“ He was a young man, though Amy did not think so; he was not bad-looking, and his natural air of audacity and assumption had vanished in her presence. He stood softened almost into a gentleman by her side. Amy looked at him doubtfully. She had thought she saw him resisting her mother; the had heard him begin to say words that he ought not to have said. But he had stopped short, and he was injured, or seemed so, had been left here alone and neglected, and looked as if he wanted some notice to be taken of him. All the natural instincts of courtesy were strong in the girl ”

“ Scudamore looked from him to his aunt, and then at him again. The cloud returned to her with a vague gloom, and yet it seemed impossible that any serious evil, any real harm could come to her from the homely little personage sobbing under her breath in the chair beside her, or from this underbred man. The woman even, she felt sure, had no evil intention; and as for the man, what power could he have? ”

“ They strolled out arm in arm by the open window upon the green terrace. Charlie had a book in his hand, the last new poem he had fallen into enthusiasm with, and Amy read it over his shoulder with both her arms clasped through his. It would have been difficult to find a prettier picture. The boy was very slight and tall, not athletic as his father wished, but fond of poetry and talk, and full of enthusiasm after a fashion which has almost died out, the fashion of a time before athletics had begun to reign. The girl was slim and straight too, as a girl ought to be? ”

“ This is the last offense of which a woman is capable towards a man—that she should find him otherwise than personally agreeable whenever he chooses to come back from whatsoever scenes he comes, is a sin with which the best-tempered of sinners could scarcely be expected to put up.
And Mr. Scudamore was not good-tempered. His wife did all that a high-spirited woman could do to conceal the impression he had made upon her, but he discerned it, and though not a word was said between them on the subject, it filled him with a sort of frenzy. ”

“ They were standing thus when they attracted the notice of some people in a carriage which was driving up the avenue. There was no door in the terrace front of the house, but the avenue ran past it under the lime-trees, giving a passing peep of the house. Two people were in this carriage, one a lady in deep mourning, the other a man with a keen sharp face. The sound of their passage did not disturb the young people, but the travelers looked out at them with eager interest. The lady was a pale little woman between forty and fifty, wearing a widow's cap like Mrs. Scudamore ”

“ Should she ask him to stay to dinner?—what should she do? perhaps her mother would not like it—perhaps Charlie——
"Look here, Miss Amy, you have been very kind and nice to me," he said suddenly, "for your sake I'll go away. Tell your mother for me that I've gone away for your sake. I'll wait till I hear from her. If I don't hear from her I shall take my own way; but in the mean time I am not a worse man than other men, and I am going away for your sake."
"Oh that is very kind," Amy said unawares, and then she recollected that what she was saying sounded uncivil. ”

“ Amy talking eagerly, with her animated face bent forward—her brother putting up his hands laughingly, as if to put her away; they were disarming the poem which he held open in his hand. Never was there a prettier picture of the sweet idleness and peacefulness of youth. Mrs. Scudamore looked at them a full minute, and then she turned slowly and went to her visitors. ”

“ In the same mesmeric fashion a thrill of wonder and sharp curiosity had run through the entire house. Half the servants in it made furtive expeditions through the hall to see Mr. Tom Furness marching about with his hat on his head and a scowl on his face, looking at the various ornaments, the hunting trophy hung up on one wall, the pictures on another, the bits of old armor which Charlie had furbished up and arranged with his best skill, and of which he was so proud—all these things Mr. Furness scowled at ”

“ Scudamore's face.
"Might I ask you to tell me what the business is," said that lady politely. "I need not say that in my present circumstances I refer to my lawyer everything that does not require my immediate attention."
"I am quite willing to refer it to your lawyer," said the man. "Perfectly willing—indeed, he is the proper person. We don't come as beggars, ma'am, I assure you. Our rights are very clear indeed. ”

“ Scudamore said quickly, feeling that her sight and voice began to fail her. "What have you come here for? "You must feel that we cannot remain under one roof if your story is true—not even for an hour. ”

“ Scudamore which does happen much oftener than the world wots of—she had become disgusted with her husband. Love can support a great deal, but love in the mind of a woman car rarely support that vast contempt of love which lies at the bottom of systematic immorality. ”

“ The man with his underbred air, his pretension and audacity, became to her like one of the terrible Fates. After the first flush of instinctive rage and indignation with which she refused to believe, the certainty that, horrible as it was, it was the truth, sunk into her very soul and overpowered her. ”

“ CHAPTER I. Scudamore Park is in Berkshire, in the heart of one of the leafiest and greenest of English counties. There is nothing very beautiful in the house itself It is of the time of Queen Anne, with red birch gables and gleaming lines of windows straight and many. The center of the corps de logis is crowned with a pediment, and the house stands upon a broad green terrace broken by flights of white stone steps. ”

“ Amy knew very well that something was wrong, and her heart was aching with curiosity and pain. But she had forgotten that she was rushing into the heart of the mystery by thus following her mother. She was suddenly recalled to herself by hearing Mrs. Scudamore's voice in such a tone as she had never heard before—very low and passionate, almost too low to be audible, and yet with a force in it which could (it seemed to Amy) have extended the sound for miles.
"I put myself out of the question. For myself I can brave anything ”

“ But Woods, who was the butler, was a very serious and indeed alarming person, and I have always thought that the sharp stranger took him for the moment for a clergyman visiting at the house, which subdued him at once. Woods received their message very gravely, and then without a word, with only a move of his majestic hand, put them into a little room off the hall and shut the door upon them.
His gesture and look were so serious that the lady shook more than ever; she turned about in alarm when Woods shut the door. "Oh," she said with a start, "he has locked us in ”

“ By Jove, though——"
"Mamma can never mean you to—to feel that there has been no courtesy, no—hospitality at Scudamore," said Amy. "I am sure that must be a mistake; she has been ill and something has agitated her. Would you mind staying here one moment till I—till I—call my brother?" said Amy.
To call her brother was the last thing to do, she felt convinced, but it was the first thing that it occurred to her to say. She ran into the great library where Charlie was sitting, rushed past him, paying no attention to his languid "What's the row, Amy?" ”

“ Scudamore put out her hand imperiously and pushed him away. "You will touch her again at your peril," she said. "There are men enough in the house to turn you out——"
At this the man grew furious. "To turn you out, you mean," he said, "you impostor—you——"
Here Amy appeared, pale and scared, with her hand held up as if to stop the words, whatever they might be. He stopped short, struck silent as by magic. His eyes fell before the bright, innocent, indignant eyes. Say it to her! How could he? for when all was said that could be said against him, he was still a man.—He stopped short, and Mrs. ”