The Last Chronicle of Barset [301]
She had predicted that Grace Crawley would 'make havoc', and could not, therefore, be altogether surprised at the idea that some gentleman should have fallen in love with her; but she had never suspected that the havoc might be made so early in her days, or on so great a quarry. 'You don't mean to tell me that Henry Grantly is in love with Grace Crawley?' she replied.
'I mean to say that he says he is.'
'Dear, dear, dear! I'm sure, archdeacon, that you will believe me when I say that I knew nothing about it.'
'I am quite sure of that,' said the archdeacon dolefully.
'Or I certainly should not have been glad to see him here. But the house, you know, is not mine, Dr Grantly. I could have done nothing if I had known of it. But only to think--; well, to be sure. She has lost no time, at any rate.'
Now this was not at all the light in which the archdeacon wished that the matter should be regarded. He had been desirous that Lady Lufton should be horror-stricken by the tidings, but it seemed to him that she regarded the iniquity as a good joke. What did it matter how young or how old the girl might be? She came of poor people--of people who had no friends--of disgraced people; and Lady Lufton ought to feel that such a marriage would be a terrible crime. 'I need hardly tell you, Lady Lufton,' said the archdeacon, 'that I shall set my face against it as far as it is in my power to do so.'
'If they both be resolved I suppose you can hardly prevent it.'
'Of course I cannot prevent it. Of course I cannot prevent it. If he will break my heart and his mother's--and his sister's--of course I cannot prevent it. If he will ruin himself he must have his own way.'
'Ruin himself, Dr Grantly!'
'They will have enough to live upon--somewhere in Spain or France.' The scorn expressed in the archdeacon's voice as he spoke of Pau as being somewhere in Spain or France' should have been heard to be understood. 'No doubt they will have enough to live upon.'
'Do you mean to say that it will make a difference as to your own property, Dr Grantly?'
'Certainly it will, Lady Lufton. I told Henry when I first heard of the thing--before he had definitely made any offer to the girl--that I should withdraw from him altogether the allowance that I now make him, if he married her. And I told him also that if he persisted in his folly I should think it my duty to alter my will.'
'I am sorry for that, Dr Grantly.'
'Sorry! And am I not sorry? Sorrow is no sufficient word. I am broken-hearted. Lady Lufton, it is killing me. It is indeed. I love him; I love him;--I love him as you have loved your son. But what is the use? What can he be to me when he shall have married the daughter of such a man as that?'
Lady Lufton sat for a while silent, thinking of a certain episode in her own life. There had been a time when her son was desirous of making a marriage which she had thought would break her heart. She had for a time moved heaven and earth--as far as she knew how to move them--to prevent the marriage. But at last she had yielded--not from lack of power, for the circumstances had been such that at the moment of yielding she had still the power in her hand of staying the marriage--but she had yielded because she had perceived that her son was in earnest. She had yielded, and had kissed the dust; but from the moment in which her lips had so touched the ground, they had taken great joy in the daughter in whom her son had brought into the house. Since that she had learned to think that young people might perhaps be right, and that old people might perhaps be wrong. This trouble of her friend the archdeacon's was very like her own trouble. 'And he is engaged to her now?' she said, when those thoughts had passed through her mind.
'Yes;--that is, no. I am not sure. I do not know how to make myself sure.'
'I am sure Major Grantly will tell you all the truth as it exists.'
'Yes; he'll tell me the truth--as far as he knows it. I do not see that there is much anxiety to spare me in that matter. He is desirous rather of
'I mean to say that he says he is.'
'Dear, dear, dear! I'm sure, archdeacon, that you will believe me when I say that I knew nothing about it.'
'I am quite sure of that,' said the archdeacon dolefully.
'Or I certainly should not have been glad to see him here. But the house, you know, is not mine, Dr Grantly. I could have done nothing if I had known of it. But only to think--; well, to be sure. She has lost no time, at any rate.'
Now this was not at all the light in which the archdeacon wished that the matter should be regarded. He had been desirous that Lady Lufton should be horror-stricken by the tidings, but it seemed to him that she regarded the iniquity as a good joke. What did it matter how young or how old the girl might be? She came of poor people--of people who had no friends--of disgraced people; and Lady Lufton ought to feel that such a marriage would be a terrible crime. 'I need hardly tell you, Lady Lufton,' said the archdeacon, 'that I shall set my face against it as far as it is in my power to do so.'
'If they both be resolved I suppose you can hardly prevent it.'
'Of course I cannot prevent it. Of course I cannot prevent it. If he will break my heart and his mother's--and his sister's--of course I cannot prevent it. If he will ruin himself he must have his own way.'
'Ruin himself, Dr Grantly!'
'They will have enough to live upon--somewhere in Spain or France.' The scorn expressed in the archdeacon's voice as he spoke of Pau as being somewhere in Spain or France' should have been heard to be understood. 'No doubt they will have enough to live upon.'
'Do you mean to say that it will make a difference as to your own property, Dr Grantly?'
'Certainly it will, Lady Lufton. I told Henry when I first heard of the thing--before he had definitely made any offer to the girl--that I should withdraw from him altogether the allowance that I now make him, if he married her. And I told him also that if he persisted in his folly I should think it my duty to alter my will.'
'I am sorry for that, Dr Grantly.'
'Sorry! And am I not sorry? Sorrow is no sufficient word. I am broken-hearted. Lady Lufton, it is killing me. It is indeed. I love him; I love him;--I love him as you have loved your son. But what is the use? What can he be to me when he shall have married the daughter of such a man as that?'
Lady Lufton sat for a while silent, thinking of a certain episode in her own life. There had been a time when her son was desirous of making a marriage which she had thought would break her heart. She had for a time moved heaven and earth--as far as she knew how to move them--to prevent the marriage. But at last she had yielded--not from lack of power, for the circumstances had been such that at the moment of yielding she had still the power in her hand of staying the marriage--but she had yielded because she had perceived that her son was in earnest. She had yielded, and had kissed the dust; but from the moment in which her lips had so touched the ground, they had taken great joy in the daughter in whom her son had brought into the house. Since that she had learned to think that young people might perhaps be right, and that old people might perhaps be wrong. This trouble of her friend the archdeacon's was very like her own trouble. 'And he is engaged to her now?' she said, when those thoughts had passed through her mind.
'Yes;--that is, no. I am not sure. I do not know how to make myself sure.'
'I am sure Major Grantly will tell you all the truth as it exists.'
'Yes; he'll tell me the truth--as far as he knows it. I do not see that there is much anxiety to spare me in that matter. He is desirous rather of