It will be understood that, such being her mood and such her character, she would hardly make herself happy in her father's house,—or make others happy. And then, added to all this, there was the terrible question of money! When last at Hereford, she had told her father that, though her uncle had revoked15 his grand intention in her favour, still there would be coming to her enough to prevent her from being a burden on the resources of her family. Now that was all changed. If her father should be unable or unwilling16 to support her, she would undergo any hardship, any privation; but would certainly not accept bounty17 from the hands of her cousin. Some deed had been done, she felt assured,—some wicked deed, and Cousin Henry had been the doer of it. She and she alone had heard the last words which her uncle had spoken, and she had watched the man's face narrowly when her uncle's will had been discussed in the presence of the tenants19. She was quite sure. Let her father say what he might, let her stepmother look at her ever so angrily with her greedy, hungry eyes, she would take no shilling from her Cousin Henry. Though she might have to die in the streets, she would take no bread from her Cousin Henry's hand.
She herself began the question of the money on the day after her arrival. "Papa," she said, "there is to be nothing for me after all."
Now Mr Apjohn, the lawyer, like a cautious family solicitor20 as he was, had written to Mr Brodrick, giving him a full account of the whole affair, telling him of the legacy21 of four thousand pounds, explaining that there was no fund from which payment could be legally exacted, but stating also that the circumstances of the case were of such a nature as to make it almost impossible that the new heir should refuse to render himself liable for the amount. Then had come another letter saying that the new heir had assented22 to do so.
"Oh, yes, there will, Isabel," said the father.
Then she felt that the fighting of the battle was incumbent23 upon her, and she was determined to fight it. "No, papa, no; not a shilling."
"Yes, my dear, yes," he said, smiling. "I have heard from Mr Apjohn, and understood all about it. The money, no doubt, is not there; but your cousin is quite prepared to charge the estate with the amount. Indeed, it would be almost impossible for him to refuse to do so. No one would speak to him were he to be so base as that. I do not think much of your Cousin Henry, but even Cousin Henry could not be so mean. He has not the courage for such villainy."
"I have the courage," said she.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, papa, do not be angry with me! Nothing,—nothing shall induce me to take my Cousin Henry's money."
"It will be your money,—your money by your uncle's will. It is the very sum which he himself has named as intended for you."
"Yes, papa; but Uncle Indefer had not got the money to give. Neither you nor I should be angry with him; because he intended the best."
"I am angry with him," said the attorney in wrath24, "because he deceived you and deceived me about the property."
"Never; he deceived no one. Uncle Indefer and deceit never went together."
"There is no question of that now," said the father. "He made some slight restitution25, and there can, of course, be no question as to your taking it."
"There is a question, and there must be a question, papa. I will not have it. If my being here would be an expense too great for you, I will go away."
"Where will you go?"
"I care not where I go. I will earn my bread. If I cannot do that, I would rather live in the poor-house than accept my cousin's money."
"What has he done?"
"I do not know."
"As Mr Apjohn very well puts it, there is no question whatsoever26 as to gratitude27, or even of acceptance. It is a matter of course. He would be inexpressibly vile28 were he not to do this."
"He is inexpressibly vile."
"Not in this respect. He is quite willing. You will have nothing to do but to sign a receipt once every half-year till the whole sum shall have been placed to your credit."
"I will sign nothing on that account; nor will I take anything."
"But why not? What has he done?"
"I do not know. I do not say that he has done anything. I do not care to speak of him. Pray do not think, papa, that I covet29 the estate, or that I am unhappy about that. Had he been pleasant to my uncle and good to the tenants, had he seemed even to be like a man, I could have made him heartily30 welcome to Llanfeare. I think my uncle was right in choosing to have a male heir. I should have done so myself—in his place."
"He was wrong, wickedly wrong, after his promises."
"There were no promises made to me: nothing but a suggestion, which he was, of course, at liberty to alter if he pleased. We need not, however, go back to that, papa. There he is, owner of Llanfeare, and from him, as owner of Llanfeare, I will accept nothing. Were I starving in the street I would not take a crust of bread from his fingers."
Over and over again the conversation was renewed, but always with the same result. Then there was a correspondence between the two attorneys, and Mr Apjohn undertook to ask permission from the Squire31 to pay the money to the father's receipt without asking any acknowledgement from the daughter. On hearing this, Isabel declared that if this were done she would certainly leave her father's house. She would go out of it, even though she should not know whither she was going. Circumstances should not be made so to prevail upon her as to force her to eat meat purchased by her cousin's money.
Thus it came to pass that Isabel's new home was not made comfortable to her on her first arrival. Her stepmother would hardly speak to her, and the girls knew that she was in disgrace. There was Mr Owen, willing enough, as the stepmother knew, to take Isabel away and relieve them all from this burden, and with the ￡4000 Mr Owen would, no doubt, be able at once to provide a home for her. But Mr Owen could hardly do this without some help. And even though Mr Owen should be so generous,—and thus justify32 the name of "softie" which Mrs Brodrick would sometimes give him in discussing his character with her own daughters,—how preferable would it be to have a relation well-provided! To Mrs Brodrick the girl's objection was altogether unintelligible33. The more of a Philistine34 Cousin Henry was, the more satisfaction should there be in fleecing him. To refuse a legacy because it was not formal was, to her thinking, an act of insanity35. To have the payment of one refused to her because of informality would have been heart-breaking. But the making of such a difficulty as this she could not stomach. Could she have had her will, she would have been well pleased to whip the girl! Therefore Isabel's new home was not pleasant to her.
At this time Mr Owen was away, having gone for his holiday to the Continent. To all the Brodricks it was a matter of course that he would marry Isabel as soon as he came back. There was no doubt that he was "a softie." But then how great is the difference between having a brother-in-law well off, and a relation tightly constrained36 by closely limited means! To refuse,—even to make a show of refusing,—those good things was a crime against the husband who was to have them. Such was the light in which Mrs Brodrick looked at it. To Mr Brodrick himself there was an obstinacy37 in it which was sickening to him. But to Isabel's thinking the matter was very different. She was as firmly resolved that she would not marry Mr Owen as that she would not take her cousin's money;—almost as firmly resolved.
Then there came the angry letter from Cousin Henry, containing two points which had to be considered. There was the offer to her to come to Llanfeare, and live there as though she was herself the owner. That, indeed, did not require much consideration. It was altogether out of the question, and only dwelt in her thoughts as showing how quickly the man had contrived38 to make himself odious39 to every one about the place. His uncle, he said, had made the place a nest of hornets to him. Isabel declared that she knew why the place was a nest of hornets. There was no one about Llanfeare to whom so unmanly, so cringing40, so dishonest a creature would not be odious. She could understand all that.
But then there was the other point, and on that her mind rested long.
"I think you ought to be ashamed of what you said to me,—so soon after the old man's death."
She sat long in silence thinking of it, meditating41 whether he had been true in that,—whether it did behove her to repent42 her harshness to the man. She remembered well her words;—"We take presents from those we love, not from those we despise."
They had been hard words—quite unjustifiable unless he had made himself guilty of something worse than conduct that was simply despicable. Not because he had been a poor creature, not because he had tormented43 the old man's last days by an absence of all generous feeling, not because he had been altogether unlike what, to her thinking, a Squire of Llanfeare should be, had she answered him with those crushing words. It was because at the moment she had believed him to be something infinitely44 worse than that.
Grounding her aversion on such evidence as she had,—on such evidence as she thought she had,—she had brought against him her heavy accusation45. She could not tell him to his face that he had stolen the will, she could not accuse him of felony, but she had used such quick mode of expression as had come to her for assuring him that he stood as low in her esteem3 as a felon46 might stand. And this she had done when he was endeavouring to perform to her that which had been described to him as a duty! And now he had turned upon her and rebuked47 her,—rebuked her as he was again endeavouring to perform the same duty,—rebuked her as it was so natural that a man should do who had been subjected to so gross an affront48!
She hated him, despised him, and in her heart condemned49 him. She still believed him to have been guilty. Had he not been guilty, the beads50 of perspiration51 would not have stood upon his brow; he would not have become now red, now pale, by sudden starts; he would not have quivered beneath her gaze when she looked into his face. He could not have been utterly52 mean as he was, had he not been guilty. But yet,—and now she saw it with her clear-seeing intellect, now that her passion was in abeyance,—she had not been entitled to accuse him to his face. If he were guilty, it was for others to find it out, and for others to accuse him. It had been for her as a lady, and as her uncle's niece, to accept him in her uncle's house as her uncle's heir. No duty could have compelled her to love him, no duty would have required her to accept even his friendship. But she was aware that she had misbehaved herself in insulting him. She was ashamed of herself in that she had not been able to hide her feelings within her own high heart, but had allowed him to suppose that she had been angered because she had been deprived of her uncle's wealth. Having so resolved, she wrote to him as follows:—
My dear Henry,
Do not take any further steps about the money, as I am quite determined not to accept it. I hope it will not be sent, as there would only be the trouble of repaying it. I do not think that it would do for me to live at Llanfeare, as I should have no means of supporting myself, let alone the servants. The thing is of course out of the question. You tell me that I ought to be ashamed of myself for certain words that I spoke18 to you. They should not have been spoken. I am ashamed of myself, and I now send you my apology.
Yours truly,
Isabel Brodrick.
The reader may perhaps understand that these words were written by her with extreme anguish53; but of that her Cousin Henry understood nothing.
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1
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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4
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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8
sedulous
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| adj.勤勉的，努力的 | |
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attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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10
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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giggle
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| n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说 | |
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15
revoked
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| adj.[法]取消的v.撤销，取消，废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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bounty
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| n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与 | |
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18
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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19
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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solicitor
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| n.初级律师，事务律师 | |
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21
legacy
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| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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incumbent
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| adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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25
restitution
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| n.赔偿；恢复原状 | |
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26
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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27
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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28
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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29
covet
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| vt.垂涎；贪图(尤指属于他人的东西) | |
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30
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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31
squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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32
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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33
unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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philistine
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| n.庸俗的人；adj.市侩的，庸俗的 | |
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insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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obstinacy
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| n.顽固；（病痛等）难治 | |
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38
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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40
cringing
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| adj.谄媚，奉承 | |
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41
meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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42
repent
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| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
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43
tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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44
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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45
accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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46
felon
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| n.重罪犯；adj.残忍的 | |
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47
rebuked
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
affront
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| n./v.侮辱，触怒 | |
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49
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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50
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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51
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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52
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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53
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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