Chapter 25

JEALOUSY.

Miss Linisfarne recovered from her swoon to find that her machinations had proved unsuccessful. She had lied in saying that Meg was engaged to be married, and she had humiliated herself at the feet of a man who scorned her. These things were sufficient in themselves to cause her to repent of her folly, but, in place of learning a lesson from such rebuffs, she became still more inflamed against the girl whom she professed to love. Enraged by her failure and humiliation, she cast about for some means whereby to punish Meg, whom she unjustly regarded as the cause of her sufferings. No one was more prone than Miss Linisfarne to lay the burden of her follies on others.

The reference by Dan to her lover of twenty years before, led her to fancy that he knew more about her life than was actually the case. She began to believe that this unknown man was well acquainted with the shameful history which had led to her retirement, and had come down to Farbis for the express purpose of recalling it to her mind. Ignorant of the identity of Dr. Merle with Mallard, she could not conceive how Dan had learned her secret, since she had confided it to no one in Farbis. Yet it was known to him, as was apparent from his utterance of the name, and he had used it in order to humiliate her to the dust. Her mad love for him gave place to rage and resentment, and she longed to find an opportunity to punish him for his disdain and knowledge.

On calm reflection, she saw that, by parting him from Meg, she could render him miserable, and so resolved to see the girl, and, by lying to her as she had to Dan, to effectually prevent their marriage. Well aware that by her own acts she had prevented Meg from visiting at the Court, she resolved to go in person to Dr. Merle's house and see her rival. Her plan of action was not clear in her mind, but all she wanted was to achieve a lifelong separation between the pair. With this amiable object she repaired that same afternoon, alone and on foot, to the house of the doctor.

It had been Dan's intention to speak personally to Meg; to demand from her own lips a refutation of the lies uttered by Miss Linisfarne. But on arriving at his camp he found a messenger from the vicar, requesting him to come down to the village on that evening, and this invitation Dan readily obeyed, as he was anxious to make a confidant of the vicar, and to ask his advice with regard to the revelations made by Tinker Tim, by Dr. Merle, and by Miss Linisfarne. He, therefore, deemed it politic to postpone his visit to Meg until he had seen the vicar, as in his future course he thought it would be wise to be guided by the strong common sense of Jarner. Had he suspected Miss Linisfarne's intention of poisoning the mind of Meg, he might have altered his plans; but, as it was, he was ignorant of her schemes and quite unprepared to counteract her wiles. So far Fortune declared itself in favour of the enemy.

When Miss Linisfarne was announced as waiting for an interview, Meg was in the dark room with her father. She was astonished at the visit, as she could not think what reason her benefactress could have for calling on her. Dr. Merle was also surprised and very much alarmed, as he thought that this unexpected appearance of the woman he loved was due to a use made of his indiscreet revelations to Dan. With much agitation he implored Meg not to let Miss Linisfarne see him, though, with characteristic feebleness, he assigned merely selfish reasons for this strange request.

"I am ill--very ill; she will only disturb me," he reiterated peevishly. "Why does she come here?"

"It is impossible to say, father," said Meg, reflectively. "Perhaps she is sorry she has treated me so ill, and wants me to return to the Court."

"Go, if she asks you, Meg; consent to anything, but do not let her see me."

"Don't trouble yourself, father! I shall not let her enter this room."

"She may force her way in," replied Merle, in a terrified whisper; "keep her away. Go and stop her."

Meg departed as desired, not without some wonderment at the anxiety displayed by her father. She put it down to his retiring disposition; for, strange as it may appear, she knew nothing of Merle's indulgence in laudanum-drinking. He was ashamed to exhibit this vice before his only child, and always locked himself in his room when indulging in a debauch. Meg only knew these frequent retirements as caused by a mysterious illness, and never for a moment suspected that they were due to his own vices. Indeed, had she been told she would have been none the wiser, as she was unacquainted with even the name of laudanum. Merle's refusal to see Miss Linisfarne was quite in keeping with his usual habits; so, after a momentary wonder at his agitation, Meg dismissed the subject from her mind, and went into the next room to see her visitor.

Miss Linisfarne, arrayed in black, and thickly veiled, arose to meet her, but did not come forward with any greeting. On the contrary, she stood still as any statue, and looked steadily at the splendid beauty of the young girl. It was so undeniable that she recognized the inferiority of her faded charms at once, and sank back in her chair with a sigh. This Meg interpreted as a sign of sorrow that they had been parted, and with great tenderness took the hand of--as she deemed her to be--her friend. The situation was not without a suspicion of irony.

"I am so glad to see you, Miss Linisfarne," she said, kissing the elder woman. "I was afraid you were angry with me, and so kept away from the Court."

"It was for your own good, Meg, that I was angry."

"For my own good!" repeated Meg, rather astounded at this assertion. "What do you mean, Miss Linisfarne? Did I disobey you in anyway, that you banished me from Farbis Court? Was my conduct distasteful to you, that you so reproved me? What do you mean by saying your anger was for my own good?"

Miss Linisfarne smiled under her veil at the indignation of the girl, and uttered only one word in reply. It had not the effect she anticipated.

"Dan!" she said, with much significance.

"What about Dan?" demanded Meg, in a puzzled tone.

"It was on his account I wished you to keep away from the Court."

"I don't understand!"

"No, poor child!" said Miss Linisfarne, in a pitying tone. "How can you, with your youth and innocence and provincial education, be expected to understand the baseness of man?"

"If you mean that Dan is base," replied Meg, bluntly, "I don't believe it. He is as good a man as Mr. Jarner."

"I am afraid not, Meg."

"You need not be afraid, Miss Linisfarne. I have seen Dan daily for the last three months, and every day I have grown to like him better."

"Are you in love with him?" sneered Miss Linisfarne.

Meg laughed heartily. Such an idea had never entered her mind, and she thought Miss Linisfarne was joking.

"Of course I am not in love with him," she said, smiling; "why, we are like brother and sister."

"You think so, but he does not. I tell you, Meg, he is a dishonourable man."

"And I tell you he is not!"

"He has a brave defender, I see! But what do you say of a man who professes to love two women at the same time?"

"I should call him a scoundrel. But such a thing is impossible. No one can love two women at once."

"Dan can," retorted Miss Linisfarne, in a taunting manner; "he loves you, and professes to love me."

"Stop, stop!" cried Meg, with a bewildered expression of countenance. "What do you say? Dan loves me?"

"Yes!"

"That is impossible! He has never, in any way, hinted at such a thing."

"No! Because he was afraid of my anger."

"Of your anger!"

"Yes! He came to Farbis Court yesterday and declared that he loved me--that he wished to make me his wife."

"Oh, I cannot believe it," said Meg, jealously.

"Nevertheless, it is true! He proposed to marry me; but I refused his offer with scorn."

"Why did you do that?"

Miss Linisfarne raised her veil, and showed a face inflamed with anger. Having once committed herself, she did not measure her words, and raged on without considering the harm she was doing. The belief Meg had in Dan enraged her, and she was determined to blacken his character in the girl's eyes, so that any tenderness Meg might have towards him should be crushed in its infancy.

"Why did I do that?" she cried, with rapid speech. "Because his offer was an insult. He said that he loved you; in every action he has shown that he loved you. Fool that you are, do you think a man would stay in this place for weeks and weeks had he not been influenced by your presence? He was in love with me also--the base, dishonourable villain!"

"If so, why did he ask you to be his wife?" said Meg, calmly, though her heart was beating wildly.

"Because he is a base and dishonourable man. He loved you for your looks, child, but he wished to marry me for my money."

"No, no!"

"I tell you it is true," resumed Miss Linisfarne, vehemently. "Why should I, who have been a mother to you, tell a falsehood? This man has insulted us both. Now that I have repelled him he will come to you with loving words, and you--what will you say?"

"If he has done what you say, I shall treat him with scorn."

"Do you not believe me?"

"No, Miss Linisfarne, I do not," replied Meg, facing round with great indignation. "I do not believe your story. If Dan proposed to you he does not love me. If he loves me as you say, he did not propose to you. I shall know the truth from his own lips."

"Will you ask him?" demanded Miss Linisfarne, rather alarmed at the turn affairs had taken.

"Of course I shall ask him. And, what is more, I shall believe his answer."

"You love him, girl--you love him!"

"I do. Until you spoke I only felt like a sister to him, but now you have put his conduct in a new light, and I feel what I never felt before. I do love him, and on his answer shall depend the happiness or the misery of my life."

Thus Miss Linisfarne, by her jealousy, had brought about the very catastrophe she desired to avoid. She recognized that her wiles were worse than useless before the honest character of the girl, and silently admitted that she was again beaten. She had failed with Dan, now she failed with Meg. Only retreat remained.

"You fool!" she said cruelly. "Ask him, and believe his lies. Your misery dates from that moment."

She swept from the room with a haughty carriage, and left Meg bewildered and afraid.