Chandos

“ Chandos had lost sword and battle-ax, but drawing his dagger, he held with one hand his opponent's sword-arm, and at last, after repeated strokes with his dagger, he found an undefended part of his armor and pierced him with his dagger to the hilt. The Spaniard relaxed his hold, and Chandos, throwing him off, struggled to his feet and rejoined his friends, who had thought him dead. They now fought with more enthusiasm than ever, and at last, driving back the main body of the French knights, isolated a body of some sixty strong, and forced them to surrender. ”

“ But I am saying more than I ought," she suddenly added. "We get led on unconsciously in talking, and one word brings out another."
I could have boxed her ears in my vexation. Never, never had the idea of marrying Mr. Chandos crossed my mind; no, not in the wildest dream of dreams. I was a poor dependent governess; he was the presumptive heir to Sir Thomas Chandos.
"To return to what I was saying of Lady Chandos," resumed Mrs. Penn. "Rely upon it, I am right: that she has been suddenly afflicted with insanity. There is no other way of accounting for the mystery attaching to that west wing." ”

“ Chandos," I took courage to say, "I am very sorry to be in this position—an intruder here."
"And but for one thing I should be very glad of it," was his ready answer. "It is a pleasant in-break on our monotonous life."
"And that one thing, sir?"
"Ah! I cannot tell you all my secrets," he said, with a light laugh. "Do you make yourself at home, young lady. But for your book, that I know you are longing to be reading again, I should have compunction at leaving you alone." ”

“ Chandos,—It is rumoured that you have some trouble in your house, and are suspecting your servants. The probability is that they are honest; they have been with you long enough to be proved. There are two strangers under your roof: the companion to Mrs. Chandos, and the younger lady, Miss Hereford. Please just reflect that all the misfortunes have occurred since these ladies entered Chandos. ”

“ Chandos.
"Look you here, sir. That woman, whoever she might have been, was trying to do you an injury; to cause you to lose your life, I should say; and the chances are that she's concealed somewhere about here still. Look at the opportunities for hiding there are here! Why a whole regiment of gipsies and murderers and thieves might be skulking amid the trees, and us none the wiser till they showed themselves out with guns and knives. That woman—which I'll be bound was a man—may be watching to come out upon you, sir, if you can be caught by yourself." ”

“ Chandos was in it nearly as soon.
"Hill said I was wanted. Who is it, Anne? Do you know?"
"You must forgive me for having ventured to call you Mr. Chandos. I have been the cause of some unhappy mischief, and how I shall make the confession to you I hardly know. But, made it must be, and there's no time to be lost."
"Sit down and don't excite yourself," he returned. "I daresay it is nothing very formidable."
"When we were speaking of the gentleman I saw before dinner in the west wing, you warned me that his being there was a secret which I must take care not to betray." ”

“ Chandos's face was a little paler than common; it was stern, haughty, and its nostrils were working; but otherwise he looked cool and collected. And Mr. Edwin Barley stood gazing at him, a strange look of conscious power in his eye and lip.
"How dare you presume to molest this young lady?" were the first words of Mr. Chandos. "What do you mean by it?"
"As to 'molesting,' I do not understand the term, as applied to Miss Hereford," returned Mr. Edwin Barley, with cool equanimity. "I possess the right to talk to her, and touch her; you don't. Neither possess you the right to protect her: I do. ”

“ No candles yet in Lady Chandos's rooms, but a great flood of light in those of Mrs. Chandos. The commotion in the ironing-room, that followed on the discovered presence of Hill, had given me the opportunity to come away, and so exchange (not willingly) the gossiping cheerfulness of the back, for the dreary front of the house. I had nearly laughed aloud at those foolish servant-girls; nevertheless, in what they had said there was food for speculation. For when Harry Chandos was abed, sick with fever ”

“ They lie under enough disgrace as it is: they will lie under far greater then."
"They appear to be just those quiet, unpretending, honourable people who could not invoke disgrace. They—surely you cannot be alluding to Miss Chandos's runaway marriage!" I broke off, as the thought occurred to me.
"Tush! Runaway marriages are as good as others for what I see," avowed Mrs. Penn, with careless creed. "I question if Miss Chandos even knows of the blow that fell on them. I tell you, child, it was a fearful one. It killed old Sir Thomas; it must be slowly killing Lady Chandos. ”

“ Chandos! Are your thoughts glancing to a second murder?"
I borrowed the word from Mrs. Penn's mysterious communication—winch I had not believed. It was very bad of me to say it; I know that; but when in a passion of confusion one does not wait to choose words.
"Anne, you might have spared me that reproach," he rejoined, in a subdued tone of pain.
"How have you spared me?"
"It may end brightly yet; it may indeed. What's that?"
A rustling amidst the dense shrubs on the right caused the question. Possibly with an idea that it might be Edwin Barley, Mr. Chandos quitted me to look. ”

“ I remained silent: in my shock and perplexity.
"Fever seems to be busy this autumn," he remarked, carelessly. "It is in this neighbourhood; it is in Paris; it is in Nulle: and probably in a great many more places."
"But, Mr. Chandos! what am I to do?"
"There is only one thing that you can do—or that Lady Chandos would allow you to do: and that is, stay here. Not another word, Miss Hereford. You can't help yourself, you know," he added, laughing; "and we are happy to have you."
"But the objection that Lady Chandos feels to having any one?"
"Ah well—you will not be a dangerous visitor. ”

“ These servants are searched: they are proved innocent; at least nothing is found upon them to imply guilt. They may turn round and say—why don't you search these two strangers?—and talk of injustice. However—of course Mr. Chandos must do as he pleases: he seems sole master here."
"Do not fear that he will suspect either you or me, Mrs. Penn. And Lady Chandos, as I gather, knows nothing of the matter."
The search and the commotion had the effect of delaying dinner. It was late when the men departed, and I got tired of being alone in the oak-parlour. Mr. Chandos had gone out somewhere. ”

“ A vast deal more like the figure of a man, thought I, as I gazed. Not a tall slender man like Mr. Chandos; more of the build of Mr. Edwin Barley.
Why the idea of the latter should have occurred to me, or whether the man (it certainly was one!) bore him any resemblance, I could not tell. The fancy was quite enough for me, and I sped away as quickly as Mrs. Chandos had done. She had whisked silently through the hall towards her rooms, and met her maid on the stairs; who had probably just discovered her absence.
"Are you ready to make tea, Miss Hereford? I have come to have some." ”

“ He examined his lineaments, in the hopes of detecting a likeness to the Chandos portrait, with a particularity that much abashed the object of his scrutiny, and even tried to get him to accompany him to the church, that he might compare his features with those of the bust of the bard in the chancel. ”

“ He is quite a second-rate sort of Frenchman, and she is Miss Chandos of Chandos. He is a bit of a jackanapes too, vain and silly."
"Ellen Roper, I am within hearing, I beg to inform you," said Miss Chandos, from half way up the desk, her face in a lovely glow.
"That is just why I said it," returned Ellen Roper, who, however, had not known Emily was near, and started at the sound of her voice. "I daresay he has not above a thousand pounds or two a year; a very fair patrimony for a Frenchman, you know; but only fancy it for one in the position of Miss Chandos." ”

“ A Miss Hereford. She came here with Madame de Mellissie as travelling companion."
"But she is a stranger to Lady Chandos?"
"Entirely so."
"Then why does Lady Chandos permit her to be here? Is it well, in this house of misfortune? Is it prudent?"
"Scarcely so. Of course Lady Chandos can only hope—how you are squeezing that kitten, my dear!"
"Pretty little thing! it likes to be squeezed," responded Mrs. Chandos. "It is hiding itself from you; from that ugly bonnet. You do wear frightful bonnets, Mrs. Freeman; as ugly as the black ones of Lady Chandos." ”

“ Sir Harry Chandos waited for him to speak, never inviting him to sit.
"Good morning, Mr. Chandos."
"Good morning," coldly returned Sir Harry. "To what am I indebted for the honour of this visit?"
"I will tell you. One object of it is to demand an explanation of your treatment of Mrs. Penn. She has brought her wrongs to me; her only living relative, as she puts it. I suppose, as such it lies with me to ask it. Mrs. Penn was engaged by Lady Chandos; engaged as a lady: and you have turned her away as a menial, subjecting her to gross indignity." ”

“ I followed, for it was the luncheon hour, and I was not on a sufficient footing at Chandos to keep meals waiting. Hill was in the oak-parlour, inquiring after the state of Mrs. Freeman.
"Her state is this, Hill—that it admits no probability whatever of her returning here," said Mr. Chandos, throwing back his velveteen coat, for he was in sporting clothes. And well he looked in them! as a tall, handsome man generally does.
"There's a bother!" was Hill's retort. "Then some one else must be seen about, Mr. Harry, without loss of time." ”

“ Chandos, in his quiet tone of command. "Lock the doors and keep the keys; and suffer no person to go out on any pretence whatsoever. No person that the house contains, you understand, myself excepted. Neither Mrs. Chandos nor Mrs. Penn; Miss Hereford"—turning to me with a half smile—"or the servants. Should any one of them present themselves at the door, and, finding it fast, ask to be let out, say you have my orders not to do it."
"Very well, sir," replied the amazed Hickens. "There's two of the maids out on an errand now, sir; are they to be let in?" ”

“ Chandos.
"That book-case."
"What next, Harry! As if I should do anything of the sort!"
"You had the keys last night. And no one opens that book-case but yourself."
"I did open that book-case, I remember, and undraw the curtains; I thought they were dusty, but I'm sure I thought I drew them again. I'm very sorry."
"Be more cautious for the future, Ethel. Lady Chandos is vexed. You see, while this young lady is in the house——"
"But I cannot see what business she has in the library," interrupted Mrs. Chandos, in a quick complaining tone. "A stranger has no right to the run of the house. ”

“ Madam Hill's act and deed, that was."
"Indeed!" was my reply, not choosing to tell her that I had heard the order given by Mr. Chandos.
"Hill takes a vast deal too much upon herself. I thought it could be no one else, and taxed her with it, asking how she could presume to lock up me. She coolly replied that she had never thought of me at all in the affair, but of Mrs. Chandos, who was of a timid nature, and would not like the sight of policemen inside the house. Poor thing! she has cause," added Mrs. Penn, in a sort of self-soliloquy. ”

“ He, poor fellow, is no longer in existence."
"As I hear: and I am sorry for it. Your servant wished to assure me that you had succeeded to the honours; he calls you 'Sir Harry.' I told him better," concluded Mr. Edwin Barley, with a cough that said much.
"I do succeed to them—more's the pity. I wish Thomas had lived to bear them to a green old age."
"Let me advise you not to assume them, at any rate, Harry Chandos the time has not come for it, and the world might laugh at you. George Chandos, fugitive-criminal though he has been, would succeed until proved guilty. Wait." ”

“ Since the departure of Emily de Mellissie we had sat in the oak-parlour, and all the meals were taken there. In fact, there was nobody to sit but myself. Lady Chandos had been mostly in the west wing; Mr. Chandos out, or in his study; Mrs. Chandos I never saw. The servants were placing the soup on the table. In another moment Mr. Chandos came in.
"A small company this evening, Miss Hereford; only you and I," he laughed, as we took our seats.
"Is Lady Chandos not sufficiently well to dine, sir?" I asked.
"She will eat something, no doubt. Hill takes care of her mistress. ”

“ I cried, as they flew away. "Does he find Mr. Chandos dangerously ill?"
"There's a change for the better," she answered. "Mr. Chandos will be about again to-morrow or next day. For goodness sake don't keep me with questions now, Miss Hereford!"
Not I. I did not care to keep her after that good news; and I ran away as light as a bird.
The carriage drew up to the portico and Dr. Amos came down to it attended by Hickens and Hill. After he passed the parlour-door, I looked out of it, and saw Mr. Dexter come up. He had heard the news of Mr. Chandos's illness, and had come to inquire after him. ”

“ Besides, the rooms have been fully searched by the housekeeper."
"Would you like a watch placed in the house, sir, unknown to the servants?"
"No, no," said Mr. Chandos. "It——"
The appearance of Mrs. Penn caused the pause. She came in, after knocking quietly at the door. Mr. Chandos rose; the officer rose.
"I beg your pardon for my interruption, Mr. Chandos. Will it not be better that the police"—slightly bowing to the one present—"should come up now? Mrs. Chandos has gone into my lady's rooms: if they can come up at once, she will be spared the sight."
"Come up for what?" asked Mr. Chandos. ”