One of Our Conquerors - World eBook Library

One of Our Conquerors
and after Dudley Sowerby’s defection? For such it was: the
Rev. Stuart Rem had declared the union between the almost
designated head of the Cantor family and a young person of
no name, of worse than no birth, impossible: ‘absolutely and
totally impossible,’ he, had said, in his impressive fashion,
speaking from his knowledge of the family, and an acquaintance
with Dudley. She must necessarily have learnt why
Dudley Sowerby withdrew. No parents of an attractive daughter
should allow her to remain unaware of her actual position
in the world. It is criminal, a reduplication of the criminality!
Yet she had not spoken as one astonished. She was
mysterious. Women are so: young women most of all. It is
undecided still whether they do of themselves conceive principles,
or should submit to an imposition of the same upon
them in terrorem. Mysterious truly, but most attractive! As
Lady Bountiful of a district, she would have in her maturity
the majestic stature to suit a dispensation of earthly good
things. And, strangely, here she was, at this moment, rivalling
to excelling all others of her sex (he verified it in the
crowd of female faces passing), when they, if they but knew
the facts, would visit her very appearance beside them on a
common footing as an intrusion and a scandal. To us who
know, such matters are indeed wonderful!
Moved by reflective compassion, Mr. Barmby resumed the
wooer’s note, some few steps after he had responded to the
salutation of Dartrey Fenellan and Colonel Sudley. She did
not speak. She turned her forehead to him; and the absence
of the world from her eyes chilled his tongue.
He declined the pleasure of the lunch with the Duvidney
ladies. He desired to be alone, to question himself fasting, to
sound the deed he had done; for he had struck on a suspicion
of selfishness in it: and though Love must needs be an
egoism, Love is no warrant for the doing of a hurt to the
creature beloved. Thoughts upon Skepsey and the tale of his
Matilda Pridden’s labours in poor neighbourhoods, to which
he had been inattentive during the journey down to the sea,
invaded him; they were persistent. He was a worthy man,
having within him the spiritual impulse curiously ready to
take the place where a material disappointment left vacancy.
The vulgar sort embrace the devil at that stage. Before the
day had sunk, Mr. Barmby’s lowest wish was, to be a light, as
the instrument of his Church in her ministrations amid the
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