Mr. Chandos

“ 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." ”

“ 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." ”

“ Miss Barlieu saw Mr. Chandos in her chamber; the affair had made her really ill. Afterwards, as I was passing down the stairs, he came forth from the drawing-room from an interview with Miss Annette. She was talking very fast, her eyes streaming with grief, and Mr. Chandos strove to soothe her.
"It all comes of that indiscriminate visiting, sir, that was allowed to Mademoiselle Chandos," she said, with bitter tears. "I told my sister ten times that Miladi Chandos was wrong to permit it. Ah! sir, we shall not ever get over the blow. Nothing of the kind has ever happened to us." ”

“ 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. ”

“ Edwin Barley's object was me. That it was himself who had been in the pine-walk, and again now at the window, I felt a positive conviction. He must have recognised me; this stealthy intrusion at odd times, seasonable and unseasonable, must be to watch me, to take note of my movements, not of those of the owners of Chandos. But for his motive I searched in vain.
"I cannot see or hear any one about," said Mr. Chandos, when he returned; "all seems to be quite free and still. I fancy you must have been mistaken, Miss Hereford." ”

“ Chandos knows he may trust me."
Whether Mrs. Penn thought this remark seemed to reflect on herself; to shift the imputation on her, failing me, I could not tell; certainly no such thing had been in my mind. Her eyes grew angry: she rose from the chair, and shook her finger in my face.
"Anne Hereford, I have warned you once not to allow yourself to grow attached to Mr. Chandos; I now warn you again. There are reasons—I may not speak them—why it could bring you nothing but misery. Misery! It is but a faint word for it: disgrace, shame; more than you in your inexperience can imagine of evil. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ But ah! as he neared us, remembrance, with its cold chill of terror, struck upon my heart. I knew him instantly. It was Mr. Edwin Barley. Mr. Edwin Barley, and not in the least altered.
"Do you want anything, sir?" demanded Mr. Chandos. For the intruder was passing us without ceremony, and turning his head about from side to side as curiously and freely as he might have done on the public road.
"I don't want anything," was the independent answer, and Mr. Edwin Barley stood and faced Mr. Chandos as he spoke it, looking at him keenly. "The open air is free to walk in, I believe." ”

“ Mr. Chandos made no reply. I thought he looked puzzled.
"We have hitherto placed great trust in our servants," he observed, presently. "But the disappearance of these things is unaccountable."
"There does seem some mystery about it," returned the policeman. "You say, sir, that you are sure of the housekeeper."
"As sure as I am of myself."
"Shall we search the rooms in the front, above here, sir? Thieves have a trick of hiding things, you know."
"No," decisively replied Mr. Chandos. "My mother might hear you; I could not risk the annoyance to her in her sick state. ”

“ She turned round, haughty pride stamped on every line of her countenance, rebuke on her tongue: though the rebuke lay in the tone, rather than in the words.
"Miss Hereford! the gentleman to whom you speak is Mr. Chandos."
Had I again omitted the sign of my dependent situation, the "sir?" I, who had resolved, with my then burning face (burning again now) , never so to offend for the future—I supposed that that was the meaning of Madame de Mellissie; I suppose so still, to this hour. I had spoken as though I were the equal of Mr. Chandos: I must not—I would not—so offend again. ”

“ He seemed very savage."
"Harry, this is just what I have feared," Lady Chandos observed to her son, in a peculiar significant tone. "A fierce, powerful dog, like that, is liable to break his chain and get loose; and I have said so to you over and over again. He would attack a stranger—any one he did not know, and might cause a fearful disturbance. You know why I have feared this."
"The stables are safely closed at night, mother," was the somewhat curious reply of Mr. Chandos. ”

“ In these awful moments, which have on occasion come to people in real life far more certainly and terribly than anything ever represented in fiction, believe me, God is ever at hand to send relief. The overstrung mind is not abandoned to itself: very, very rarely indeed are our guardian angels absent, or unready to work by an earthly instrument.
It came to me in the person of Mr. Chandos. Ascending the stairs, a candle in his hand, softly whistling in unconcern, he came. ”

“ 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. ”

“ There's no getting anything out of anybody: they 'can't tell me how my lady is, save from hearsay;' they 'never see her,' they 'see nearly as little of Mr. Chandos.' You and I can be more confidential."
"No, we cannot, sir. I never see Lady Chandos, any more than others do."
"Which you cannot say of Mr. Harry; you see rather much of him," retorted Mr. Edwin Barley, with a parting of the lips that showed the subject vexed him. "You and he are together always—as the news is brought to me."
"Did Mrs. Penn tell you that?" I asked, my colour and my anger rising together. ”

“ I went over to a side table to get something out of my workbox; and, not to disturb him by going back again, I softly pulled aside the muslin window-curtain to look out for a minute on the dusky, still night.
What was it made me spring back with a sudden movement of terror and a half-cry? Surely I could not be mistaken! That was a face close to the window, looking in; the dark face of a man; and, unless I was much mistaken, bearing a strong resemblance to that of Mr. Edwin Barley.
"What is it?" asked Mr. Chandos, coming forward. "Has anything alarmed you?"
"Oh, sir! ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ Chandos went to the west wing after dinner, I sat near the lights, working at my bag, when Mrs. Penn came into the oak-parlour, not having troubled herself to knock for admittance.
"It's fine to be you, Anne Hereford," she said, putting herself into Mr. Chandos's chair by the fire. "I wish I had this room to sit in."
"Are the rooms upstairs not comfortable?"
"I don't know about comfort: they are wretchedly dull. I'd as soon be cooped up in a prison. Not a soul to speak to from morning to night, but Mrs. Chandos. Here you have Mr. Chandos ”

“ The singular thing is, how it could have disappeared from my locked desk."
"You must have left your keys out," she quickly said.
"That is more than likely. Having honest people about me at Chandos, I have not been over-particular."
"It is a bad practice to leave keys where they may be picked up and used; it gives opportunities that otherwise might never have been seized upon," observed Mrs. Penn, in a dreamy tone.
"Not a bit of it, madam. Unless dishonest people are at hand to take advantage of the opportunities."
"Then how do you think your book can have gone, Mr. Chandos?" ”

“ I am no great scholar. And what good would they do me?"
The argument seemed all conclusive; at least to Mr. Chandos. I suspected the girl more and more.
"Well, Harry, I must leave you to your investigation, if I am to have a walk this afternoon," concluded Mrs. Chandos.
She went out and turned down the broad walk. Lizzy resumed her work in the dining-room, I and Mr. Dexter went back to the oak-parlour and stood at the window: and then I became aware that Mrs. Penn had lingered in the portico, talking with Mr. Chandos. ”