What chafed8 him most, probably, was that the chief offender9 was practically beyond the reach of his rage. A general is a great man within the limits of his own command, but his powers are professional merely, and scarcely extend to life and limb. General Prioleau was really able to inflict10 upon Herbert no stronger mark of his displeasure than to cut him, and snub[154] him, and refuse to grant him leave. He might report unfavourably upon him in the next confidential11 returns, but only by subordinating his sense of duty to personal pique12, a line of conduct abhorrent13 to an officer and an English gentleman, such as General Prioleau undoubtedly14 was. What would have pleased him best would have been to order Herbert at once to leave the Rock. Could not Colonel Greathed be persuaded to send this pestilent young fellow to the depot15, and keep him out of the way? Then the general remembered that Mr. Larkins was adjutant—and a right good adjutant—and that he could not be transferred to the depot unless he voluntarily resigned the appointment, which he was little likely to do.
‘There is only one way out of it,’ he said at last to his wife. ‘We must send[155] Edith away. She shall go to England, to her aunts, by the very next mail.’
‘You will be the chief sufferer by that. You know you cannot bear to part with the girl, even for an hour. But for that she would have gone to school. I always wished it. If she had, perhaps—’
‘You always wish things when it’s too late to get them,’ replied the general, testily16. ‘However she shall go now. I am angry with her and can spare her.’
All arrangements were laid accordingly, and Edith was duly prepared for her journey home. She did not quite object to go away, but she consented with a very bad grace. If this did not tend to mollify the general, he was presently made far more angry by what appeared to be the most audacious pertinacity17 on the part of her lover.
Just within a day or two of Edith’s[156] departure, Herbert Larkins also applied18 for leave of absence to proceed to England on very urgent private affairs.
The application had come before the general in the usual way, presented to him as a matter of course with a number of other documents.
‘It’s the most exasperating19 piece of presumption20 I ever heard of in all my life. He shall not have it—not an hour!’
‘The commanding officer recommends it, sir; a substitute is named; I really don’t think—’ said the brigade-major, expostulating. It is so unusual a thing for a general officer to refuse leave which is properly backed up and all according to form.
‘What do I care about the colonel? Does he command the brigade, or do I?’
‘Oh, of course it rests with you, sir;[157] still, to refuse it peremptorily21 and without apparent reasons—’
‘Without reasons, man? Don’t you know that—?’ the general stopped short. His brigade-major probably did not know the family trouble, nor was there reason why he should.
‘Telegraph up for Colonel Greathed to come and see me, as soon as possible,’ the general said, abruptly22. ‘I will speak to him personally on the subject.’
The general had cooled down a little by the time Colonel Greathed arrived. He was quite cautious and diplomatic too, speaking first of certain routine matters before he approached the matter he had really at heart.
‘I see your adjutant is asking for leave. Are you sure you can spare him?’
‘Oh, I think so, sir.’
[158]
‘I don’t quite like it, colonel. I have really some hesitation23 about granting this leave. I should be loth to find fault, but your men are at their spring drills, they want plenty of “setting-up;” they don’t stand to their arms quite as I should like altogether. I’m not finding fault, remember, nothing is further from my mind. Still, the adjutant’s eye is wanted just now, and I don’t feel that it ought to be withdrawn24.’
‘He is most anxious to go, sir. Private affairs of some urgency require his personal attention.’
‘He rose from the ranks, I believe; what private affairs could he possibly have?’
‘Perhaps you are not aware, general, of Mr. Larkins’ history—that he is the adopted son of an old lady of rank—’
‘Surely there is no truth in that cock-and-bull story?’
[159]
‘Pardon me, sir, it is perfectly25 true. I have the pleasure of knowing the old lady—Lady Farrington. Diggle, you may remember, married a Farrington, but of another branch.’
‘But this Mr. Larkins has no claim, I suppose, to the name—nothing more than a left-handed claim, I mean?’
‘I am not so sure. It may be difficult to prove his case; but he has a case, and a good one. At any rate, the old lady is devotedly26 attached to him, and likes to see him now and again. She has now written pressing him most earnestly to pay her a visit, thinking, I believe, that something of importance is likely to turn up.’
‘Is this why he asks leave? Has he no other reasons?’
‘None that I am aware of, except that he thinks of competing at the next Staff[160] College final examination, and wishes to see what it is like, so as to prepare in good time.’
The general could not well withhold27 his consent any longer; but he was resolved now to keep Edith by his side. There was, of course, no reason why she should leave the Rock; on the contrary, the chances of meeting Mr. Larkins on board the steamer or in England must be as far as possible avoided. The man was a forward fellow, as reckless as he was presuming; who, it was quite likely, would make opportunities for prosecuting28 his suit. General Prioleau was little less bitter against Herbert, in spite of what Greathed had told him; he could not possibly bring himself to think of our hero as otherwise than an ineligible29 and unsatisfactory parti.
Herbert himself was also greatly excited[161] by what had occurred. He had only seen Edith twice since the ball. She was riding on the beach, closely guarded, the general on one side, his aide-de-camp on the other. Herbert had raised his hat, as in duty bound, to his official superior, who returned the salute30 formally. Captain Mountcharles looked straight to his front, and Edith bowed gravely and sadly, he thought, in the short glimpse he caught of her face. It was war, of course—to the knife. The general’s animosity was all the more plainly shown by his attitude about the leave, for Colonel Greathed had given Herbert an outline of his interview with the chief.
‘I have a very shrewd notion what is wrong with him,’ Greathed said; ‘I don’t want you to tell me more than you choose, Larkins, but I have eyes and ears, and I[162] know pretty well what has been going on.’
‘There is no secret in the matter, sir,’ and Herbert told his colonel exactly what had happened at the ball.
‘You are evidently in earnest, Larkins, and I wish you luck,’ said Greathed, laughing. ‘But I’m not surprised the general was a little put out. And now what do you mean to do?’
‘Stick to it to the last, sir. If I could be only sure that she would wait. But in a place like this, and with a man like Mountcharles always close by,—I shouldn’t be in the least afraid but for that.’
‘It’s a long lane that has no turning. You must make your way in the service; get upon the staff; lose no opportunity of employment. Everything comes to the man who is determined31 to win. Perhaps[163] that other affair may turn up trumps32. Lady Farrington, you say, thinks that some important evidence will soon be forthcoming?’
‘The dear old lady is always thinking that, sir,’ said Herbert with a smile. ‘She’s a little like the boy that cried wolf. There have been so many false alarms that I shan’t believe the real thing if it ever comes to pass.’
‘Have you any idea what she is expecting now?’
‘Not in the least. She gives me only the vaguest hints. I half fancy it is only an affectionate ruse33 to get me back to England for a time.’
But it was something more than that, as the reader will now see.
Some eleven months had elapsed since the last advertisement had been published,[164] offering a large reward for information concerning the marriage of Herbert Farrington and Annie Orde, but no satisfactory answer had been received. Hope was already failing all but the sanguine34 old Lady Farrington, who kept on declaring persistently35 that the right would certainly prosper36 in the end. As she was the only person who stoutly37 maintained that proofs of the marriage must certainly be forthcoming, so she was the only one who was not surprised, when one morning a mysterious letter arrived from no one knew where, and sent by no one knew whom.
It was addressed to Mr. Bellhouse, who had long been the family’s solicitor38, as well as Lady Farrington’s, and consisted of only a few lines scribbled39, on the back of an old invoice40 for goods:—
‘Those who seek find. Search the[165] registers of the parish of Stickford-le-Clay, in the county of ——. He who was once Herbert Farrington sends this.’
A communication which drove Lady Farrington nearly frantic41. It revived, and indeed supported, all her old fancies, that her injured son was still alive. She declared that she recognised his handwriting; she began once more, although a long interval42 had elapsed, to hear his voice and to see his beloved form in her dreams. She talked incessantly43 about him and his probable return. Had she not been carefully tended and watched by her own servants, she might have had a very serious relapse.
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1
ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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2
vilest
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| adj.卑鄙的( vile的最高级 )；可耻的；极坏的；非常讨厌的 | |
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3
vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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4
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5
heinous
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| adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的 | |
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6
omission
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| n.省略，删节；遗漏或省略的事物，冗长 | |
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7
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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8
chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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9
offender
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| n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者 | |
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10
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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11
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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12
pique
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| v.伤害…的自尊心，使生气 n.不满，生气 | |
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13
abhorrent
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| adj.可恶的，可恨的，讨厌的 | |
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14
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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15
depot
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| n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站 | |
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16
testily
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| adv. 易怒地, 暴躁地 | |
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17
pertinacity
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| n.执拗，顽固 | |
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18
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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19
exasperating
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| adj. 激怒的 动词exasperate的现在分词形式 | |
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20
presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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21
peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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22
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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23
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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24
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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25
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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26
devotedly
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| 专心地； 恩爱地； 忠实地； 一心一意地 | |
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27
withhold
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| v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡 | |
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28
prosecuting
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| 检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师 | |
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29
ineligible
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| adj.无资格的，不适当的 | |
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30
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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31
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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32
trumps
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| abbr.trumpets 喇叭；小号；喇叭形状的东西；喇叭筒v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去式 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造 | |
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33
ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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34
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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35
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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36
prosper
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| v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣 | |
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37
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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38
solicitor
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| n.初级律师，事务律师 | |
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39
scribbled
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| v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
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40
invoice
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| vt.开发票；n.发票，装货清单 | |
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41
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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42
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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43
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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