Dr Thorne - Anthony Trollope [294]
And then Patience Oriel came. ‘My fine, young, darling, magnificent, overgrown heiress,’ said Patience, embracing her. ‘My breath deserted me, and I was nearly stunned when I heard of it. How small we shall all be, my dear! I am quite prepared to toady you immensely; but pray be a little gracious to me, for the sake of auld lang syne.’
Mary gave her a long, long kiss. ‘Yes, for auld lang syne, Patience; when you took me away under your wing to Richmond.’ Patience also had loved her when she was in her trouble, and that love, too, should never be forgotten.
But the great difficulty was Lady Arabella’s first meeting with her. ‘I think I’ll go down to her after breakfast,’ said her ladyship to Beatrice, as the two were talking over the matter while the mother was finishing her toilet.
‘I am sure she will come up if you like it, mamma.’
‘She is entitled to every courtesy – as Frank’s accepted bride, you know,’ said Lady Arabella. ‘I would not for worlds fail in any respect to her for his sake.’
‘He will be glad enough for her to come, I am sure,’ said Beatrice. ‘I was walking with Caleb this morning, and he says –’
The matter was of importance, and Lady Arabella gave it her most mature consideration. The manner of receiving into one’s family an heiress whose wealth is to cure all one’s difficulties, disperse all one’s troubles, give a balm to all the wounds of misfortune, must, under any circumstances, be worthy of much care. But when that heiress has been already treated as Mary had been treated!
‘I must see her, at any rate, before I go to Courcy,’ said Lady Arabella.
‘Are you going to Courcy, mamma?’
‘Oh, certainly; yes, I must see my sister-in-law now. You don’t seem to realise the importance, my dear, of Frank’s marriage. He will be in a great hurry about it, and, indeed, I cannot blame him. I expect that they will all come here.’
‘Who, mamma? the De Courcys?’
‘Yes, of course. I shall be very much surprised if the earl does not come now. And I must consult my sister as to asking the Duke of Omnium.’
Poor Mary!
‘And I think it will perhaps be better,’ continued Lady Arabella, ‘that we should have a larger party than we intended at your affair. The countess, I’m sure, would come now. We couldn’t put it off for ten days; could we, dear?’
‘Put it off for ten days!’
‘Yes; it would be convenient.’
‘I don’t think Mr Oriel would like that at all, mamma. You know he has made all his arrangements for his Sundays –’
Pshaw! The idea of the parson’s Sundays being allowed to have any bearing on such matter as Frank’s wedding would now become! Why, they would have – how much? Between twelve and fourteen thousand a year! Lady Arabella, who had made her calculations a dozen times during the night, had never found it to be much less than the larger sum. Mr Oriel’s Sundays, indeed!
After much doubt, Lady Arabella acceded to her daughter’s suggestion, that Mary should be received at Greshamsbury instead of being called on at the doctor’s house. ‘If you think she won’t mind the coming up first,’ said her ladyship, ‘I certainly could receive her better here. I should be more – more – more able, you know, to express what I feel. We had better go into the big drawing-room today, Beatrice. Will you remember to tell Mrs Richards?’
‘Oh, certainly,’ was Mary’s answer, when Beatrice, with a voice a little trembling, proposed to her to walk up to the house. ‘Certainly, I will, if Lady Arabella will receive me; – only one thing, Trichy.’
‘What’s that, dearest?’
‘Frank will think that I come after him.’
‘Never mind what he thinks. To tell you the truth, Mary, I often call upon Patience for the sake of finding Caleb. That’s all fair now, you know.’
Mary very quietly put on her straw bonnet, and said she was ready to go up to the house. Beatrice was a little fluttered, and showed it. Mary was, perhaps, a good deal fluttered,