01 The Building of Jalna (27 page)

Philip came behind her chair, put his hands beneath her arms and raised her to her feet.

“Now,” he said, “you dress for dinner or I’ll take a stick to you!”

She leant back against his shoulder and sighed. “I’m tired,” she said. “If only you knew the day I’ve had!”

She did not wear the green dress to dinner but a much simpler dress of maize-coloured India muslin, and had time only to twist her hair into a sleek knot. But she was able to show off a little with long yellow diamond earrings and a late yellow rose in her hair.

Wilmott was extraordinarily lively at table. He was always either more or less animated than those about him. His mood never quite fitted into the mood of the moment. When his eyes met Adeline’s they would exchange a look of understanding. The image of Henrietta flashed between them. Mrs. Vaughan intercepted one of these glances and she had a disconcerting sense of being surrounded by intrigue. The behaviour of her niece did not make her any happier. Daisy so obviously was straining to capture the attention of Dr. Ramsey. She had made up for the simplicity of her dress by an elaborate arrangement of her hair that hung in a glossy dark waterfall to her shoulders. Mrs. Vaughan had a dreadful suspicion that Daisy had rouge on her cheeks. She laughed too much, showing too many teeth. She leaned too far across the table to attract the young doctor’s eye. He had just returned from a hunting trip and Philip was eager to hear its details. He planned next year, when he had his family installed at Jalna, to join the party. Daisy cried out to hear of the hazards endured by the hunters, and the magnificence of the quarry. Deer, a moose, and a bear, had been killed. Wilmott maintained that no man had a right to kill more than he could eat and he also maintained that, sitting in his own boat on his own river, he had as good sport as any man needed. Daisy took sides almost fiercely with the doctor and declared
that, if she were a man, she would go to India and shoot tigers as Captain Whiteoak had. She had a mind to marry some big-game hunter and accompany him on his expeditions.

“You would very soon get enough of it, Miss Daisy,” said Philip.

“It would depend entirely on the man,” she returned. “With the right man, I would face any danger.”

“You had better come with us on our hunting trip next year, as a preparation,” said Dr. Ramsey.

“Ah, but would the right man be there to give me the moral support I need?”

“At any rate, Dr. Ramsey could attend to your physical injuries,” said her uncle.

This turned the conversation to arduous journeys the doctor had had to make in his profession, to remote places in the depth of winter. When the ladies had left the room he was encouraged to enlarge on these. Colonel Vaughan again circulated the decanter of port.

“You would be surprised,” said Ramsey, “to see what shift I can make when I am put to it. A few weeks ago I was visiting a patient, when a neighbor came in a great excitement to fetch me. Her husband had given his foot a great gash with an axe. Well, when I reached their little farm, there was the man looking pretty weak. It was a bad wound. I had nothing with me for sewing it up. There was no linen thread in the house. So I just went to the barn and pulled a few good white hairs from the tail of one of their nags and they did the trick. Not very sanitary, of course, but that gash healed as well as any I’ve seen.”

He told other experiences which were shocking to Wilmott. He bolstered himself with the port. No one noticed that he walked rather unsteadily when they returned to the parlor, or that he had become very quiet. He went and sat beside Adeline. Rain was beginning to fall. They could hear it beating against the windows.

“I am glad to hear that rain,” said Colonel Vaughan. “It is badly needed.”

“I wish it had waited till I reached home,” said Dr. Ramsey. “It will be an uncomfortable ride. My mare never fails to step in every
hole and puddle. Just listen how it’s coming down!” He turned to Wilmott. “Were you on horseback, sir?”

Wilmott looked bewildered. “Yes — yes,” he began slowly. “I hope to buy a good horse. A team — yes — and in time — a saddle horse.”

“I asked,” returned Dr. Ramsey, irritably, “if you rode here.”

“No — no — I never ride.”

Philip, seated on the other side of the room on a sofa beside Daisy, knew that she wanted to be urged to play on the piano. He said to Mrs. Vaughan: —

“I wish you could persuade your niece to play for us. She’s adamant to my implorings.”

“I think it would be very nice,” said Mrs. Vaughan. “Do play something, Daisy.”

“Oh, Aunt. I perform so horribly! Please don’t insist.”

“I don’t wish to insist, Daisy, but I think it would be agreeable to everyone.”

“Not to Dr. Ramsey, I’m sure. I am positive he hates the piano-forte.”

“I don’t know how I gave that impression,” said the doctor. “I myself can play ‘The Bluebells of Scotland’ with one finger and take great pride in it.”

“Oh, please do! I should so love to hear you.”

“After your performance.”

“Come, Miss Daisy,” urged Philip, “ don’t be obstinate. It’s not becoming in a young girl.”

She rose, gracefully reluctant, and went to the instrument. It required some twirlings of the piano stool to make it of the height to suit her. Philip assisted in this and also in the finding of her music.

Adeline said in an undertone to Wilmott — “If the creature didn’t pose so, I could tolerate her.”

“I hate all women but you.”

There was something uncontrolled in his voice that made Adeline turn to him quickly.

“What is the matter with you, James?”

“Nothing,” he answered. “Except that I’ve had a little too much to drink.”

Daisy was sailing brightly through a Strauss waltz, while Philip turned the pages for her.

“Oh, to waltz!” sighed Adeline. “What wouldn’t I give to waltz?”

“Why not waltz then? I should like nothing better.”

“In this room! On this carpet! Come, be sensible … I mean in a real ballroom and to a waltz played sensitively — languorously.”

There was a murmur of approbation as the music ceased. Daisy refused to play another piece.

“My heart is set,” she said, “on hearing Mrs. Whiteoak and Mr. Wilmott sing together from
The Bohemian Girl
. I know they do it excessively well because Captain Whiteoak has told me. Do command them to do it, Captain Whiteoak.”

“It is impossible,” said Philip, “for my wife to keep on the tune. But I’ll engage to make her sing, if the company demands it.”

“I demand it,” said Dr. Ramsey.

“What about it, Wilmott?” asked Philip. “Do you think you can keep Adeline to the tune?”

Wilmott rose with sudden alacrity.

“Come,” he said to Adeline, “we’ll show them what a really finished performance is.” He held out his hand to her.”

She allowed herself to be led to the piano but she gave Wilmott a look askance. She was a little mistrustful of him. However he sat down before the keyboard with an air of confidence. He knew the accompaniment by heart. He played the opening chords. But his first vocal note was a kind of discordant groan. He looked up at her in astonishment.

“Is anything wrong?” asked Colonel Vaughan.

“No, no,” said Adeline. She bent over Wilmott. “Are you going to shame us both,” she whispered, “or are you going to sing?”

“Going to sing,” he muttered.

Philip beat a tattoo with his heels. He would have liked to be a little rowdy, but was afraid of Mrs. Vaughan.

Wilmott struck the opening bars afresh. Then, abruptly he took his hands from the keys, crossed his arms on the music rack and laid his head on them. Mrs. Vaughan sprang up.

“Is Mr. Wilmott ill?” she asked.

“No,” answered Adeline, “not really ill, just a little faint.”

“I’ll get my smelling salts.” She hurried down from the room.

Philip came and looked down into that part of his friend’s face which was visible. Dr. Ramsey also bent over him.

“Are you aware what is wrong with him?” asked the doctor.

“Yes. I’ve been suspicious of him ever since dinner. We’d better get him out in the air before Mrs. Vaughan comes back.”

Philip turned to Adeline. “You and Daisy must go to Mrs. Vaughan and tell her we’ve taken Wilmott outside. Hadn’t you the wit to see that he was tipsy? You should not have attempted to sing with him.”

She stood abashed for once. Then she murmured — “He’s had such a day — the poor man!”

“You can tell me about that later.”

He and Dr. Ramsey got Wilmott to his feet and steered him across the room. The two young women went to find Mrs. Vaughan. Colonel Vaughan followed the other men. The rain was beating in on the verandah. He said: —

“You can’t take him out there.”

“It will do him good,” said the doctor.

They placed Wilmott in a rocking chair. It swayed with him so that his head rolled against his shoulder. Philip winked at the doctor.

“He looks pretty seedy, doesn’t he?”

Dr. Ramsey nodded grimly. “He’ll not go home tonight.”

Wilmott opened his eyes and looked at them. “I’m afraid I can’t sing,” he said.

“We’ll excuse you, old man,” said Philip. He went to the Colonel. “Do you think you could put him up for the night?” he asked apologetically.

Colonel Vaughan replied coldly — “Certainly. He may have Robert’s room. We must keep this from my wife. Her feelings would be outraged.”

“Upon my word,” said Philip to Adeline, as they were getting ready for bed, “I shall be glad when we are in our home. I like to be able to put a friend to bed when he needs it, without all this secrecy. Vaughan has thoroughly spoiled his wife. But why did that fool, Wilmott, choose this house, of all places, to get tight in?”

“He was so tired, poor man.”

Philip turned his full blue eyes on her. “Tired of what? Sitting in a punt fishing? Or teaching young Tite to make pothooks?”

“Ah, he has worries you will never know.”

“What worries?”

“I’m not at liberty to tell them.”

“Now, look here, Madam,” said Philip, “I don’t want you to be made the confidante for Wilmott’s past. If his past is such as to make him drink too much at the mere thought of it, let him keep it to himself or confide in another man.”

“True,” said Adeline mildly. “True.” Then with a long-drawn breath she added — “I feel ailing tonight. D’ye think I am perhaps going to have a miscarriage?” She crept into the deep feather bed.

Philip’s expression became one of concern but he said stoutly — “I think you are tired and a bit worried about Wilmott’s behaviour. What you need is a good night’s rest.” He drew the blankets snugly about her. “There now, isn’t that cozy? I’ll be beside you in a jiffy. Egad, listen to the rain! It’s coming down in a torrent

T
HE RAINS WERE
heavy in November. Often they were joined by winds, mostly from east and northeast. These swept the last of the leaves from the trees, leaving the conifers in dark possession of the woods. On the roads, wheels sank in the deep mud, carpenters were forced to wait for the material to work with but still the building of Jalna proceeded at a satisfactory speed. The workmen built themselves a log weather-proof shelter with bunks, and a stove was installed in the shed where they took their meals. They were healthy and, on the whole, jolly, for they had months of well-paid work ahead of them. Several of them played on mouth organs, one on a flute. Then there was Fiddling Jock who had more music in him than many a concert musician. There were the two French Canadians who could dance, and others had good voices for a song, so their evenings passed cheerfully and, on Saturday nights when they had had a good deal to drink, noisily. There were a few quite bloody fights among them.

The wind veered to the north, the wet weather turned to frosty brightness. There were snow flurries. Nero, the Newfoundland dog, grew a tremendously thick coat and bounded in riotous health over the estate which he considered to be his to guard. He knew
all the carpenters, masons, and bricklayers. He was hail fellow with the woodcutters but, to a stranger looking for work, he was fierce and formidable. The foreman fed him many a heaping tin plate of potatoes and pork in addition to the regular meal he had at Vaughanlands, so that he grew rather more stout than he should have been. He also devoured the bones of wild fowl which the men threw him. Some canine Providence must have had him in mind for, though he occasionally was very sick, it was only for a few minutes. Neither did splinters of bone pierce his vitals. He was robust, he was good-tempered, he was as happy as a lark. He was bounding. He was rough.

Adeline had contracted whooping cough from Augusta and coughed with frightening violence up to Christmas time. Indeed the cough never really left her till the following spring. Dr. Ramsey dosed her with flaxseed tea. Mrs. Vaughan gave her large quantities of honey and rum. Mr. Pink, the rector, brought her a bottle of Radway’s Ready Relief. Mrs. Lacey a bottle of Pine and Tar Syrup. Philip never went into town without returning with some new tablets or lozenges for her relief. These multiple remedies had little effect on her except to spoil her appetite. She consequently grew thin and, because of this, would have shown her condition of pregnancy more but for the way she laced. By means of long French stays and a wide crinoline she continued to look graceful and even elegant. It is true that Mrs. Vaughan counselled her otherwise. She would injure the health of the infant, Mrs. Vaughan said, but she sympathized with Adeline’s desire to conceal her state, especially with Robert coming home for his holidays. It would have been embarrassing indeed to have had a bulky Adeline about, with Robert and Daisy in the house. She was so kind to Adeline in these days that Adeline never forgot it.

The various cough medicines of which Gussie partook, along with her mother, had a worse effect on the little girl. She not only lost her appetite but could ill digest the little she did eat. Her eyes looked enormous with the dark rings about them, her lips had a bluish colour except after a bout of coughing when her whole
face would become almost purple. Nicholas on the other hand flourished like a weed. He weighed more than Gussie and, though he had not begun to walk, he crept everywhere with surprising strength and speed. He had a temper when things went wrong and would fill the house with his roars of rage. He slept like a top but woke at sunrise shouting and chuckling his pleasure in the new day. He was a pet with everyone and promised to be a spoilt and headstrong boy but he had great charm, and his smile could not be resisted by anyone in that house.