Within the home circle a great difference of opinion obtained, yet it was impossible to argue the matter out, because it referred to Lovey Lee. Grace felt positive that the miser1 had returned to her hiding-place; the master expressed an opinion equally strong that John Lee had abstracted the fortune and hastened with it for safety to the Continent. His reasons he would not give; but that made no uncommon2 difficulty, for he was not used to offer reasons. His daughter marvelled3 at his obstinacy4, for her heart well knew that John was incapable5 of such an act. He understood the significance of the amphora, and would have gloried to restore it at any personal risk. The matter slowly ceased to be a subject of conversation, not that Malherb forbade it, for he longed to discuss the possibility, and welcomed any shadow of hope; but now rumours6 of peace had grown into a promise. It seemed to Grace Malherb as though her ambitions for John Lee and Cecil Stark7 were to be realised; because while peace with America was soon to be declared, Bonaparte had left Elba, and Europe awakened8 from her brief respite9.
Malherb sank into a settled but a gentle melancholy10. Gloom folded him like a garment; yet he was kindly11 and even considerate to all. He ceased to hunt, a circumstance that brought more tears to his wife's eyes than any other, for she appreciated its full force. A thousand times he had dreaded12 the day when his passion for sport could be gratified no more. She had heard him desire to die before infirmity should keep him from riding to hounds. Now he abandoned his delight without a murmur13; at a wrench14 he tore twenty years out of his book of life and performed the operation with indifference15. In secret he marvelled at himself and at the tremendous operations of chance that could thus alter the whole ingrained tenour and bent16 of his existence.
Christmas came, and Grace with her mother rode to worship at Holne. Harvey Woodman was responsible for Annabel's safety, since she sat on a pillion behind him; while Grace rode 'C?sar.'
"Peace comes to us through every sense," said Mrs. Malherb as they returned homeward. "It is in the air to feel, on men's tongues to hear, in their eyes to see. 'Peace on earth,' too, I pray. Peace everywhere, but——"
She broke off with a sigh. To speak further was not possible before Mr. Woodman. But now Harvey made a diversion. They were at the top of Ter Hill, half a mile distant from home, when his keen eyes caught sight of a small black object afar off on the Moor17. He watched a while, then spoke18.
"If there ban't that baggering sow as got out a week ago an' master thought was stolen! 'Tis her for sartain."
The wandering beast was a distinguished19 matron, and her loss had caused annoyance20.
"How glad the master will be!" cried Mrs. Malherb. "Don't lose sight of her on any account, Woodman. Indeed, you will do well to follow her at once. I can easily walk home from here."
She alighted, and Harvey galloped21 off to secure the pig.
"Send Bickford or one of 'em after me!" he shouted back to the ladies.
The day was fine and the Moor dry and frozen, but Bickford grumbled22 not a little at his duty, for the Christmas dinner only waited to be eaten when Mrs. Malherb and her daughter returned. The servants' hall was full of grateful savours; the peat blazed in a pure, still heart of red-hot fire under a purple corona23 of flame; the walls were decked with holly24 and fir; it was a scene painful to leave. But the labourer soon returned, for he had not gone far when he met Harvey riding homeward at a great pace.
"Where's the pig to?" he asked.
"'Twas no pig at all, but a message from Heaven," gasped25 Mr. Woodman.
"If I didn't know, I should say you was drunk," answered Bickford; "but you wouldn't have dared get in liquor, having to ride back with missis. Be you mazed26 or pixy-led in daylight?"
"Mazed I be—to think—but five mile from our very doors—that awful—my flesh be creaming to my bones with the sight, an' my scalp's crawling down my back."
"You've catched the small-pox, I reckon. I'd best walk to windward of 'e."
"I can say nought27 till I stand afore the company. Then I'll properly terrify the whole pack of 'e."
As they entered the servants' hall Maurice Malherb was already standing28 over a great sirloin at one end of the table, while Mr. Beer carved two turkeys at the other. Threads of holly berries glittered against the shining green. There was a smell of gravy29 and evergreens30 in the air, and bright sunshine poured through the windows. On Christmas Day the family dined with their men and women, for it was an old custom of the Malherbs to do so.
Now appeared Harvey Woodman, and conscious that perhaps the greatest moment of his life had come, he determined31 to make the most of it.
"For the love of charity a drop of brandy, souls!" he cried. "Oh, your honour's goodness—such a shock as I've had—such a thing! I failed away in my middle when I seed it an' nigh dropped off the hoss."
"Fegs!" said Bickford, "when I comed to un, the man looked as if he'd been drawed through a brimble hedge backwards32!"
Mrs. Woodman rushed to her husband's side, and Malherb, putting down the carvers, also approached.
"Speak," he said. "What has happened? Are you ill?"
"The pig, the pig, your honour. To the Beam her went—straight as any Christian33; an' me after her. Then, far beyond, in they gashly bogs34 where the Jacky-twoads dance on moony summer nights, I seed the horridest sight ever these eyes rested on. I knowed there was a dead thing there very soon, an' thought 'twas a pony35. But when I comed nearer—there—let me have another drink—my inward organs turn to vinegar when I think upon it."
"Speak on," said Malherb. He stood before Mr. Woodman with his eyes fixed36 upon him.
"First I seed a great patch of rotted turf; for a dead body decays the grass under it, your honour; then I seed a litter of bones lying on the stones around about, where the crows an' buzzards had carried 'em for cleaner picking; an' then—lor-amercy! a human face-bone staring at me with hollow eyes an' grinning like Death! I plucked up courage, however, an' got off my hoss an' went up to the rames of the poor soul. An' next thing I knowed was that I'd found out the secret of that old mullygrubs, Lovey Lee! To hell the old vixen went; not to France as was thoughted, for there was an awful crack in her skull37 upon the brow. All rags an' bones she was; an' I seed her old petticoat made of stolen sacks, an' her sun-bonnet, catched in a thorn bush an' black wi' blood yet; an' the long white hair of her shed round about in locks hither an' thither38, like the cotton grass that waves on the bogs. Let me drink, for the picture of that unholy masterpiece do cleave39 to my brain like moss40 to a rock."
A great hum of excitement followed upon this news. Then Malherb spoke.
"Let us eat our dinner with what appetite we may," he said, in a dull and hollow voice. "Forget what we have heard until to-morrow. Then we will go with a sledge41 and a pair of oxen and gather up her dust and coffin42 it."
"Don't let the old varmint lie beside that American gentleman, your honour's goodness," said Dinah Beer; "for 'twould be an unseemly thing that such evil earth should rise, come Judgment43, so near his clay."
Malherb stared round the table and spoke again in the heavy accents of one who talks in sleep.
"She shall lie at Widecombe in holy ground; and when we bury her I will tell you something concerning her."
They supposed that he spoke of Lovey Lee's rumoured44 treasures. Then the meal began, but no joy accompanied it. The men whispered, and Woodman repeated his story again and again, adding some particulars with each recital45.
The banquet had turned into a funeral feast, whereat nobody loved the dead. This tragedy, indeed, added a zest46 to their food; they could not leave the subject, but returned to it between every mouthful. Then, like thunder upon their whisperings and excited speculations47, burst the master's voice.
"Have done, ghouls! Cease to speak of this matter any more. Do you not remember that the house honours your board to-day? Sweeten your speech, I pray you."
Everybody lapsed48 into uneasy silence and soon afterwards Malherb, his wife and daughter, rose and left the company.
Then the voices broke loose and this rare business was turned and twisted and tasted by many tongues.
That night Maurice Malherb told his wife the thing he had done; and she thrust her meek49 disposition50 behind her and derided51 the crime as nothing, even while her teeth chattered52 with terror to hear him tell it.
"We are the ministers of God," she said. "To you fell this dreadful duty. It is well, because you had to do it. Forget it—pray God to let you forget it. None else must know but your wife."
"The sin—the sin. You are blind to that, or pretend to be. Heaven forces no man into sin. To say so is to deny free will. I have ever been on the side of freedom."
"She was doomed53 to die."
"Her death was the hangman's work—not mine. Murder! A Malherb a common murderer."
"Sins are forgiven before they are committed. The Lord was born and died to forgive this deed."
"Vain comfort. What is forgiveness to me? 'Tis a bribe54 for women and children. Can it make a reasonable man easy? God may forgive me; can I forgive myself? There lies the poison of evil-doing. This awful climax55 to my life of wrath56 has brought about such a thing as—— The Everlasting57 cannot give me yesterday, or bridle58 the sun and lead it back into the East. The thing done—the thing done—what will banish59 that? It lies frozen in Time for all eternity60. God's own voice is vain to heal; His own hand powerless to take this sword from my heart—the sword I have planted there myself. The thing done. Yesterday! yesterday! That's the prayer that such as I am pray, and know, even while we pray, that it is in vain. She was a woman with hidden good in her, because she was human and made in the image of God; and when we put those ashes under the earth—I shall tell all that stand beside the pit that 'twas I slew61 her."
"You never shall!" she cried, leaping from her bed and striking flint on steel. "I have not thwarted62 your life until this night. I have yielded to every wish, trusted your wisdom in all things, never rebelled even in unspoken thoughts—questioned nothing. But upon this I'll speak, and struggle, and weary the air, and weep till I madden you into sense. I've done your will for near five-and-twenty years; and please God will do it for five-and-twenty more; but to-night, I'm a maiden63 again—a maid of the Carews; and you shall obey me, as you obeyed when you came a-courting."
"Hide that light and come to bed. You will be cold. I have spoken. At least let there be peace between us."
"There shall be no peace. You forget that you have a wife and a daughter."
"'Tis the part of sin to make us egoists—as all suffering does. And 'tis the part of sin not to stop at the sinner. God grants that interest on wickedness to the devil: that the ill deed done should strike more than he who does it."
But his wife poured out a flood of alternate entreaties64 and commands; and he marvelled even in that hour that the helpmate of many years had hidden so much from him.
"There is a greatness of purpose in you that I had not guessed," he said. "Maybe no man knows all of his wife until he comes before her a master sinner as I do now. She smiles on his fair hour, content to see him happy; but with storm—— It is my glory in this agony to know—— And yet no woman was ever born to lead me. To bury the dead without confession65 would be to act a lie. She shall have her rights and her revenge."
"We are not bound to trumpet66 our sins. And the rights of the dead are in the hand of the Lord. If it is His will that you suffer more than you have suffered, it will happen so. By making this unhappy thing known, you throw all into disorder67, and strew68 many paths with difficult problems."
"What then? Difficulty is the road that every man walks."
Until dawn of day they spoke together; and then Maurice Malherb fell asleep and his wife, fancying that she had conquered, crept out of bed and knelt and thanked God for victory.
Yet her husband's waking words shattered Annabel's hope.
"I'm fixed and bate69 no jot70 of my intention," he said. "All shall know the thing I have done. I clung to the shadow of doubt like a coward. Now there is not even a shadow of doubt to cling to. Come what may to me, I'll speak. And for you—you who have shown what courage lies in you at a bad cause, now let it be your part to support a good one."
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1
miser
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| n.守财奴，吝啬鬼 (adj.miserly) | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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marvelled
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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obstinacy
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| n.顽固；（病痛等）难治 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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8
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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11
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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12
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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13
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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wrench
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| v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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22
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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corona
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| n.日冕 | |
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holly
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| n.[植]冬青属灌木 | |
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25
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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26
mazed
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| 迷惘的，困惑的 | |
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nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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29
gravy
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| n.肉汁；轻易得来的钱，外快 | |
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30
evergreens
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| n.常青树，常绿植物，万年青( evergreen的名词复数 ) | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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34
bogs
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| n.沼泽，泥塘( bog的名词复数 )；厕所v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的第三人称单数 )；妨碍，阻碍 | |
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pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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38
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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39
cleave
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| v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋 | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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41
sledge
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| n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往 | |
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coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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43
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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44
rumoured
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| adj.谣传的；传说的；风 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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46
zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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48
lapsed
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| adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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49
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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50
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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51
derided
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| v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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53
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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54
bribe
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| n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通 | |
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55
climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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56
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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57
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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58
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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59
banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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60
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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61
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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62
thwarted
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| 阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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63
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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64
entreaties
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| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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65
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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66
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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67
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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68
strew
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| vt.撒；使散落；撒在…上，散布于 | |
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69
bate
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| v.压制；减弱；n.（制革用的）软化剂 | |
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70
jot
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| n.少量；vi.草草记下；vt.匆匆写下 | |
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