Middlemarch, Page 49

  CHAPTER XLIX.

  A task too strong for wizard spells This squire had brought about; 'T is easy dropping stones in wells, But who shall get them out?"

  "I wish to God we could hinder Dorothea from knowing this," said SirJames Chettam, with a little frown on his brow, and an expression ofintense disgust about his mouth.

  He was standing on the hearth-rug in the library at Lowick Grange, andspeaking to Mr. Brooke. It was the day after Mr. Casaubon had beenburied, and Dorothea was not yet able to leave her room.

  "That would be difficult, you know, Chettam, as she is an executrix,and she likes to go into these things--property, land, that kind ofthing. She has her notions, you know," said Mr. Brooke, sticking hiseye-glasses on nervously, and exploring the edges of a folded paperwhich he held in his hand; "and she would like to act--depend upon it,as an executrix Dorothea would want to act. And she was twenty-onelast December, you know. I can hinder nothing."

  Sir James looked at the carpet for a minute in silence, and thenlifting his eyes suddenly fixed them on Mr. Brooke, saying, "I willtell you what we can do. Until Dorothea is well, all business must bekept from her, and as soon as she is able to be moved she must come tous. Being with Celia and the baby will be the best thing in the worldfor her, and will pass away the time. And meanwhile you must get ridof Ladislaw: you must send him out of the country." Here Sir James'slook of disgust returned in all its intensity.

  Mr. Brooke put his hands behind him, walked to the window andstraightened his back with a little shake before he replied.

  "That is easily said, Chettam, easily said, you know."

  "My dear sir," persisted Sir James, restraining his indignation withinrespectful forms, "it was you who brought him here, and you who keephim here--I mean by the occupation you give him."

  "Yes, but I can't dismiss him in an instant without assigning reasons,my dear Chettam. Ladislaw has been invaluable, most satisfactory. Iconsider that I have done this part of the country a service bybringing him--by bringing him, you know." Mr. Brooke ended with a nod,turning round to give it.

  "It's a pity this part of the country didn't do without him, that's allI have to say about it. At any rate, as Dorothea's brother-in-law, Ifeel warranted in objecting strongly to his being kept here by anyaction on the part of her friends. You admit, I hope, that I have aright to speak about what concerns the dignity of my wife's sister?"

  Sir James was getting warm.

  "Of course, my dear Chettam, of course. But you and I have differentideas--different--"

  "Not about this action of Casaubon's, I should hope," interrupted SirJames. "I say that he has most unfairly compromised Dorothea. I saythat there never was a meaner, more ungentlemanly action than this--acodicil of this sort to a will which he made at the time of hismarriage with the knowledge and reliance of her family--a positiveinsult to Dorothea!"

  "Well, you know, Casaubon was a little twisted about Ladislaw.Ladislaw has told me the reason--dislike of the bent he took, youknow--Ladislaw didn't think much of Casaubon's notions, Thoth andDagon--that sort of thing: and I fancy that Casaubon didn't like theindependent position Ladislaw had taken up. I saw the letters betweenthem, you know. Poor Casaubon was a little buried in books--he didn'tknow the world."

  "It's all very well for Ladislaw to put that color on it," said SirJames. "But I believe Casaubon was only jealous of him on Dorothea'saccount, and the world will suppose that she gave him some reason; andthat is what makes it so abominable--coupling her name with this youngfellow's."

  "My dear Chettam, it won't lead to anything, you know," said Mr.Brooke, seating himself and sticking on his eye-glass again. "It's allof a piece with Casaubon's oddity. This paper, now, 'SynopticalTabulation' and so on, 'for the use of Mrs. Casaubon,' it was locked upin the desk with the will. I suppose he meant Dorothea to publish hisresearches, eh? and she'll do it, you know; she has gone into hisstudies uncommonly."

  "My dear sir," said Sir James, impatiently, "that is neither here northere. The question is, whether you don't see with me the propriety ofsending young Ladislaw away?"

  "Well, no, not the urgency of the thing. By-and-by, perhaps, it maycome round. As to gossip, you know, sending him away won't hindergossip. People say what they like to say, not what they have chapterand verse for," said Mr Brooke, becoming acute about the truths thatlay on the side of his own wishes. "I might get rid of Ladislaw up toa certain point--take away the 'Pioneer' from him, and that sort ofthing; but I couldn't send him out of the country if he didn't chooseto go--didn't choose, you know."

  Mr. Brooke, persisting as quietly as if he were only discussing thenature of last year's weather, and nodding at the end with his usualamenity, was an exasperating form of obstinacy.

  "Good God!" said Sir James, with as much passion as he ever showed,"let us get him a post; let us spend money on him. If he could go inthe suite of some Colonial Governor! Grampus might take him--and Icould write to Fulke about it."

  "But Ladislaw won't be shipped off like a head of cattle, my dearfellow; Ladislaw has his ideas. It's my opinion that if he were topart from me to-morrow, you'd only hear the more of him in the country.With his talent for speaking and drawing up documents, there are fewmen who could come up to him as an agitator--an agitator, you know."

  "Agitator!" said Sir James, with bitter emphasis, feeling that thesyllables of this word properly repeated were a sufficient exposure ofits hatefulness.

  "But be reasonable, Chettam. Dorothea, now. As you say, she hadbetter go to Celia as soon as possible. She can stay under your roof,and in the mean time things may come round quietly. Don't let us befiring off our guns in a hurry, you know. Standish will keep ourcounsel, and the news will be old before it's known. Twenty things mayhappen to carry off Ladislaw--without my doing anything, you know."

  "Then I am to conclude that you decline to do anything?"

  "Decline, Chettam?--no--I didn't say decline. But I really don't seewhat I could do. Ladislaw is a gentleman."

  "I am glad to hear it!" said Sir James, his irritation making himforget himself a little. "I am sure Casaubon was not."

  "Well, it would have been worse if he had made the codicil to hinderher from marrying again at all, you know."

  "I don't know that," said Sir James. "It would have been lessindelicate."

  "One of poor Casaubon's freaks! That attack upset his brain a little.It all goes for nothing. She doesn't _want_ to marry Ladislaw."

  "But this codicil is framed so as to make everybody believe that shedid. I don't believe anything of the sort about Dorothea," said SirJames--then frowningly, "but I suspect Ladislaw. I tell you frankly,I suspect Ladislaw."

  "I couldn't take any immediate action on that ground, Chettam. Infact, if it were possible to pack him off--send him to NorfolkIsland--that sort of thing--it would look all the worse for Dorotheato those who knew about it. It would seem as if we distrustedher--distrusted her, you know."

  That Mr. Brooke had hit on an undeniable argument, did not tend tosoothe Sir James. He put out his hand to reach his hat, implying thathe did not mean to contend further, and said, still with some heat--

  "Well, I can only say that I think Dorothea was sacrificed once,because her friends were too careless. I shall do what I can, as herbrother, to protect her now."

  "You can't do better than get her to Freshitt as soon as possible,Chettam. I approve that plan altogether," said Mr. Brooke, wellpleased that he had won the argument. It would have been highlyinconvenient to him to part with Ladislaw at that time, when adissolution might happen any day, and electors were to be convinced ofthe course by which the interests of the country would be best served.Mr. Brooke sincerely believed that this end could be secured by his ownreturn to Parliament: he offered the forces of his mind honestly to thenation.