Guy drew a long breath, and the convulsive grasp of his fingers relaxed.

"I cannot thank you enough!" said he to his uncle; then to Mr.

Edmonstone, "how is Charles?"

"Better--much better, you shall see him to-morrow--eh, Guy?"

"But I cannot explain about the one thousand pounds."

"Never mind--you never had it, so you can"t have misspent it. That"s neither here nor there."

"And you forgive my language respecting you?"

"Nonsense about that! If you never said anything worse than that Philip was a meddling c.o.xcomb, you haven"t much to repent of; and I am sure I was ten old fools when I let him bore me into writing that letter."

"No, no; you did right under your belief; and circ.u.mstances were strong against me. And is it clear? Are we where we were before?"

"We are--we are in everything, only we know better what you are worth, Guy. Shake hands once more. There"s an end of all misunderstanding and vexation, and we shall be all right at home again!"

The shake was a mighty one. Guy shaded his face for a moment or two, and then said--

"It is too much. I don"t understand it. How did you know this matter wanted explanation?" said he, turning to his uncle.

"I learnt it from Mr. Markham, and you will do me the justice to believe, that I was greatly shocked to find that your generosity--"

"The truth of the matter is this," said Markham. "You sent me to Miss Wellwood"s, at St. Mildred"s. The princ.i.p.al was not within, and while waiting for her to make the payment, I got into conversation with her sister, Miss Jane. She told me that the child, Mr. Dixon"s daughter, was always talking of your kindness, especially of a morning at St.

Mildred"s, when you helped him in some difficulty. I thought this threw some light on the matter, found out Mr. Dixon this morning, and you see the result."

"I do, indeed," said Guy; "I wish I could attempt to thank you all."

"Thanks enough for me to see you look like yourself," said Markham. "Did you think I was going to sit still and leave you in the mess you had got yourself into, with your irregularity about keeping your accounts?"

"And to you," said Guy, looking at his uncle, as if it was especially pleasant to be obliged to him. "You never can guess what I owe to you!"

"Nay, I deserve no thanks at all," said Sebastian, "since I was the means of bringing the imputation on you; and I am sure it is enough for a wretch like me, not to have brought only misery wherever I turn--to have done something to repair the evil I have caused. Oh, could I but bring back your father to what he was when first I saw him as you are now!"

He was getting into one of those violent fits of self-reproach, at once genuine and theatrical, of which Guy had a sort of horror, and it was well Mr. Edmonstone broke in, like comedy into tragedy.

"Come, what"s past can"t be helped, and I have no end of work to be done, so there"s speechifying enough for once. Mr. Dixon, you must not be going. Sit down and look over the newspaper, while we sign these papers. You must dine with us, and drink your nephew"s health, though it is not his real birthday."

Guy was much pleased that Mr. Edmonstone should have given this invitation, as well as with the consideration Markham had shown for Dixon in his narration. Mr. Dixon, who had learnt to consider parents and guardians as foes and tyrants, stammered and looked confused and enraptured; but it appeared that he could not stay, for he had a professional engagement. He gave them an exhortation to come to the concert where he was employed, and grew so ardent in his description of it, that Guy could have wished to go; but his companions were in haste to say there was far too much to do. And the next moment Guy told himself, that Mr. Edmonstone"s good-natured face and joyous "eh, Guy?"

were more to him than any music he could hear nearer than Hollywell.

He went down-stairs with his uncle, who all the way raved about the music, satisfied to find ears that could comprehend, and was too full of it even to attend or respond to the parting thanks, for his last words were something about a magnificent counter-tenor.

Guy walked up slowly, trying to gather his thoughts: but when it came back to him that Amy was his again, his brain seemed to reel with ecstasy, and it would have taken far more time than he could spare to recall his sober senses, so he opened the door, to convince himself at least of Mr. Edmonstone"s presence, and was received with another shake of the hand.

"So here you are again. I was afraid he was carrying you off to his concert after all! I believe you have half a mind for it. Do you like to stay in London for the next? Eh, Guy?" and it was good to hear Mr.

Edmonstone"s hearty laugh, as he patted his ward on the shoulder, saw his blushing, smiling shake of the head, and gave a knowing look, which let in a fresh light on Markham, and luckily was unseen by Guy.

"Well," continued Mr. Edmonstone, "the man is more gentlemanlike than I expected. A good sort of fellow at the bottom, I dare say. He was pretty considerably shocked to find he had brought you into such a sc.r.a.pe."

"He is very generous," said Guy. "Oh, there is much of a n.o.ble character in him."

"n.o.ble! humph!" put in Markham. "He has gone down-hill fast enough, since I used to see him in your father"s time; but I am glad he had the decency not to be the undoing of you."

"His feeling is his great point," said Guy, "when you can once get at it. I wish--" But breaking off short, "I can"t make it out. What did little Marianne tell you? Or was it Miss Wellwood?"

"It was first the youngest sister," said Markham. "I sat there talking to her some little time; she said you had been very kind to the family, and the child was very grateful to you--was always talking of some morning when you and your dog came, and helped her mother. Her father had been out all night, and her mother was crying, she said, and declaring he would be sent to prison, till you came and helped them."

"Yes, that"s it," said Guy.

"Well, I remembered what you had told me of the mystery of the draft, and guessed that this might be the clue to it. I begged to see the child, and in she came, the very image of your mother, and a sharp little thing that knew what she meant, but had not much idea of the shame, poor child, about her father. She told me the story of his coming home in the morning, and her mother being in great distress, and saying they were ruined, till you came and talked to her mother, and gave her something. I asked if it was money, and she said it was paper. I showed her a draft, and she knew it was like that. So then I made her tell me where to find her father, whom I used to know in old times, and had to write to, now and then. I hunted him up, and a creditable figure he was, to be sure; but I got the truth out of him at last, and when he heard you had got into disgrace on his account, he raved like a tragedy hero, and swore he would come and tell your guardian the whole story. I put him into a cab for fear he should repent, and he had just got to the end of it when you came in."

"It is of no use to thank you again, Markham!"

"Why, I have been getting your family out of sc.r.a.pes these forty years or thereabouts," said Markham; ""tis all I am good for; and if they had been no worse than this one it would be better for all of us. But time is getting on, and there is enough to do."

To the accounts they went at once. There was a good deal to be settled; and though Guy had as yet no legal power, according to his grandfather"s will, he was of course consulted about everything. He was glad that, since he could not be alone to bring himself to the realization of his newly-recovered happiness, he should have this sobering and engrossing occupation. There he sat, coolly discussing leases and repairs, and only now and then allowing himself a sort of glimpse at the treasury of joy awaiting him whenever he had time to dwell on it. The Coombe Prior matters were set in a better train, the preliminary arrangements about the curacy were made, and Guy had hopes it would be his friend Mr.

Wellwood"s t.i.tle for Orders.

There was no time to write to Hollywell, or rather Mr. Edmonstone forgot to do so till it was too late, and then consoled himself by observing that it did not signify if his family were taken by surprise, since joy killed no one.

His family were by no means of opinion that it did not signify when the next morning"s post brought them no letter. Mrs Edmonstone and Charles had hoped much, and Amy did not know how much she hoped until the melancholy words, "no letter," pa.s.sed from one to the other.

To make it worse, by some of those mismanagements of Mr. Edmonstone"s which used to run counter to his wife"s arrangements, a dinner-party had been fixed for this identical Wednesday, and the prospect was agreeable to no one, especially when the four o"clock train did not bring Mr.

Edmonstone, who, therefore, was not to be expected till seven, when all the world would be arrived.

Laura helped Amy to dress, put the flowers in her hair, kissed her, and told her it was a trying day; and Amy sighed wearily, thanked her, and went down with arms twined in hers, whispering, "If I could help being so foolish as to let myself have a little hope!"

Laura thought the case so hopeless, that she was sorry Amy could not cease from the foolishness, and did not answer. Amy sat down at the foot of the sofa, whither Charles was now carried down every day, and without venturing to look at him, worked at her netting. A carriage--her colour came and went, but it was only some of the guests; another--the Brownlows. Amy was speaking to Miss Brownlow when she heard more greetings; she looked up, caught by the arm of the sofa, and looked again. Her father was pouring out apologies and welcomes, and her mother was shaking hands with Guy.

Was it a dream? She shut her eyes, then looked again. He was close to her by this time, she felt his fingers close on her white glove for one moment, but she only heard his voice in the earnest "How are you, Charlie?" Her father came to her, gave her first his usual kiss of greeting, then, not letting her go, looked at her for a moment, and, as if he could not help it, kissed her on both cheeks, and said, "How d"ye do, my little Amy?" in a voice that meant unutterable things. All the room was swimming round; there was nothing for it but to run away, and she ran, but from the ante-room she heard the call outside, "Sir Guy"s bag to his room," and she could not rush out among the servants. At that moment, however, she spied Mary Ross and her father; she darted up to them, said something incoherent about Mary"s bonnet, and took her up to her own room.

"Amy, my dear, you look wild. What has come to you?"

"Papa is come home, and--" the rest failed, and Amy was as red as the camellia in her hair.

"And?" repeated Mary, "and the mystery is explained?"

"Oh! I don"t know; they are only just come, and I was so silly, I ran away,--I did not know what to do."

"_They_ are come, are they?" thought Mary. "My little Amy, I see it all."

She made the taking off her bonnet and the settling her lace as elaborate an operation as she could, and Amy flitted about as if she did not by any means know what she was doing. A springy, running step was heard on the stairs and in the pa.s.sage, and Mary, though she could not see her little friend"s face, perceived her neck turn red for a moment, after which Amy took her arm, pressed it affectionately, and they went down.

Mrs. Edmonstone was very glad to see Amabel looking tolerably natural.

"Mamma" was of course burning to hear all, but she was so confident that the essentials were safe, that her present care was to see how her two young lovers would be able to comport themselves, and to be on her guard against attending to them more than to her guests.