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And your father?
My father behaved splendidly; as no other man in England in his position and in that position would have behaved. He told her at once, when she said she had not seen it was he, that he quite understood that; that, in fact, he had seen it for himself from the first. Then he told her to get up that instant; then he smiled actually smiled; and then you will hardly believe this, but it is a fact he gave his arm to Mistress Gladys and took her in to breakfast!
Lady Bligh sighed, but made no remark.
It was more than she deserved; even Alfred admitted that.
Lady Bligh did not answer.
Even Alfred was knocked out of time. I never saw a fellow look more put out than he did at breakfast. He had warned us to prepare for mannerisms, but
Granville made a tempting pause. Lady Bligh, however, refused to fill it in. She was engrossed in thought. Her line of thought suddenly flashed across Granville, and he caught it up dexterously.
As for the Judge, said he, what the Judge feels no one can say. As I said, he behaved as only he could have behaved in the infamous circumstances. But I did see him steal a quiet glance at Alfred; and that glance said plainer than words: Youve done it, my boy; this is irrevocable!
Lady Bligh was drawn at last.
This is very painful, she murmured; this is too painful, Granville!
Painful? cried Granville. I grant you its painful; but its the fact; its got to be faced.
That may be, said Lady Bligh, sadly; that may be. But we ought not to be hasty; and we certainly ought not to make too much of this one escapade.
Granville shook his head wisely, and smiled.
I dont think there is much fear of that . On the contrary, I doubt if our eyes are even yet fully open to the enormity of this mornings work. I dont think we any of us realise the hideous indignity to which my father has been subjected. But we should. We should think of it and of him. Here we have one of the oldest and ablest of Her Majestys judges a man of the widest experience and of the fairest fame, whose name is a synonym for honour and humanity, not only in the Profession, but throughout every section of the community a man, my dear mother, with whom the very smartest of us I tell you frankly would fight shy of a tilt in court, yet whom we all respect and honour; in very truth, a wise and upright judge, though I say it who am his son. And what has happened to him? How has he been treated? cried Granville. Well, we know. No need to go into that again. Only try to realise it, dear mother; try to realise it. To me there is, I confess, something almost epic in this business!
I dont wish to realise it; and I dont know, I am sure, why you should wish to make me.
For no reason, said Granville, shrugging his shoulders, and also looking hurt; for no kind of reason, except that it did strike me that my fathers character had never never, that is, in his home life come out more strongly or more generously. Why, I should like to lay ruinous odds that he never refers to the matter again, even to you; while, you shall see, his manner to her will not suffer the slightest change in consequence of what has happened.
It would be a terrible thing if it did, said Lady Bligh; and she added after a pause: She is so beautiful!
Granville drummed with his fingers upon the chimney-piece. His mother wanted a reply. She wanted sympathy upon this point; it was a very insignificant point, the Brides personal beauty; but as yet it seemed to be the only redeeming feature in Alfreds unfortunate marriage.
You cant deny that , Gran? she persisted.
Deny what? The young womans prepossessing appearance? Certainly not; nobody with
eyes to see could deny that.
And after all, said Lady Bligh, brought up as she evidently has been, it would be astonishing indeed if her ways were not wild and strange. Consequently, Gran, there is every hope that she will fall into our ways very soon; is there not?
Oh, of course there is hope , said Gran, with an emphasis that was the reverse of hopeful; and there is hope, too, that she will ultimately fall into our way of speaking: her own mannerisms, in that respect, are just a little too marked. Oh, yes, there is hope; there is hope.
Lady Bligh said no more; she seemed to have no more to say. Observing this, Granville consulted his watch, said something about an engagement in town, and went to the door.
Going to London? said Lady Bligh. You might have gone with them, I think.
I think not, said Granville. I should have been out of place. They were going to Madame Tussauds, or the Tower of London, or the Zoological Gardens I dont know which perhaps to all three. But the Bride will tell us all about it this evening and how the sights of London compare with the sights of Melbourne; we may look forward to that; and, till then good-bye.
So Lady Bligh was once more alone. She did not at once resume her correspondence, however. Leaning back in her chair, she gazed thoughtfully through the open window at her side, and across the narrow lawn to where the sunlit river was a silver band behind the trunks and nether foliage of the trees. Lady Bligh was sad, and no wonder; but in her heart was little of the wounded pride, and none of the personal bitterness, that many mothers would feel and do feel every day under similar circumstances. What were the circumstances? Simply these: her eldest son had married a wife who was beautiful, it was true, and good-tempered, it appeared; but one who was, on the other hand, both vulgar and ignorant, and, as a daughter, in every way impossible. These hard words Lady Bligh pronounced deliberately in her mind. She was facing the fact, as Granville had said that it should be faced. Yet Granville had used no such words as these; if he had, he would have been given reason to regret them.