Complete Works of Bram Stoker (130 page)

Nor doubt I then my weary

Heart Shall find him right good company!”

Despite Rafe’s resolute bearing and the strong, masculine roundness of his voice, which is so comforting to a woman, Betty felt full of sadness as the last note of her lover’s song died away. Looking at him through the dimness of her own eyes, she saw that some subtle emotion had so wrought upon him that his eyes too were full of tears. So she tried to comfort him  —  and succeeded. The rest of the evening was very sweetly and peacefully happy.

When he had said good-night, not in the ceremonious but in the usual fashion, Rafe Otwell took himself back to his chambers in the Temple, a man of about as desperate fortunes, in so far as the present and the immediate future were concerned, as any between London and Westminster.

It was still nearly two years to Betty’s majority, and how Rafe was to live in the interim he did not know. The Law was ever a waiting profession, and the Services were denied him as he had no money and he could therefore only join in the humblest ranks; moreover such would take him from Betty, the mere thought of which he could not endure. He had no knowledge of Commerce and no capital to embark in it. He had thoughts, desperate though they seemed, of asking the advice of the Alderman; but the remembrance of the stern bearing of the latter made them seem chimerical, for the old gentleman had thought it right, as Betty’s trustee, to always assume an additional gravity in his intercourse with the younger man. Moreover, the thought that if the trustees should know how really penniless he was they might forbid the marriage altogether, created a new fear. Rafe was not a fortune-hunter. He loved Betty dearly and truly, and he only regarded her fortune in so far that it might become a help or a bar to his happiness. Having turned in his mind over and over again every means of earning at least a living, and having brooded on the difficulty, day by day and through sleepless nights, he made up his mind that he would once more consult his kinsman.

When he made known to the great man his wish to see him, he received a courteous though curt summons, and on the afternoon of the same day was ushered into the spacious apartment where Sir Robert controlled the destinies of England. He had evidently given some special orders, for on Rafe’s entrance the two secretaries, who sat before masses of State papers, withdrew silently.

Sir Robert looked after them till he saw that the door was shut; then he bowed to Rafe, smiled, and pointed to a chair and sat down himself. For a moment or two he eyed Rafe keenly, and then, leaning over, to his intense astonishment laid his hand on his shoulder  —  a piece of condescension and familiarity which he had never before even approached.

“Courage, kinsman,” he said kindly; “it is not so bad as this. You look quite woebegone! ‘Fore Gad, Lady Mary will want to see more sunshine, or the matter may not be so easy as I thought.”

Rafe felt a sort of paralysis creeping over him. Sir Robert had evidently taken it for granted that he had made up his mind to fall in with his scheme of marriage. He did not know how to get out of the difficulty, and so remained silent; his want of moral courage had never stood him in worse stead. Walpole went on  — 

“You see, I have sent away my secretaries. This matter concerns you and me alone; and let me tell you this: With such an alliance your fortune may yet be a greater one than you think. You and I will be brought into very close relations, and many secrets of State, hidden  —  and of necessity most carefully  —  from men so young as you are, must become known to you. Knowledge is power, young man; and nowhere is it more patent than in the world of politics. I feared from the first that you had not sufficient ambition for public life; but I am glad to find that my fears were false. Moreover, I am personally well pleased that you have fallen in with my views, for there is none other of my kinsmen, distant or near, that I could count on for such an alliance. Without you one of the greatest strokes of my life cannot be accomplished. You see I speak frankly  —  more frankly perhaps than a statesman in my position should speak; but inasmuch as you are to fill, and very shortly, a high office and one in close confidence with myself, it is well that you should know it at once.”

Here Rafe, who found that every word uttered was putting him in a more difficult position, tried to speak. He felt that a confidence so given and unjustified by facts would turn a useful friend into an implacable enemy.

“Oh! sir,” he began, “your ideas of me are not correct; indeed they are not.”

Sir Robert smiled. “The ingenuousness of your youth palliates the folly of your selfdepreciation. When you enter the political world, my dear young friend, you must put such modesty in the lumber-room with your childish toys. Take all you can get, and ask for more. Never thank any one as though you were satisfied. Be willing to assume the responsibility of the whole Government. That is the statesman’s attitude in these troublesome times! Now to business. Here is your appointment to a secretaryship of State subject to his Majesty’s approval, and only waiting to be dated. For this you must have a seat in the House. This shall be done within the week, and then, Mr. Secretary, I shall have the honour of introducing to the Lady Mary, under the best auspices, my young kinsman Rafe Otwell, Member of Parliament  —  the rising hope of the Whig party. Thenceforward your fortune rests in your own hands!” Having so spoken Sir Robert leaned back in his chair, holding his finger-tips together with an indescribable air of friendly patronage.

Rafe now began to grow desperate  —  in fact so desperate that he straightway abandoned the idea of asking for a more modest post He grew red and stammered, and altogether so bore himself that the shrewd statesman guessed his conclusion, though not the reason of it. Standing up he said, with withering sarcasm  — 

“Have I then been so mistaken in you that I have told you what I would have told no other living man? I thought there was better metal in you than I find there is!”

As a matter of fact he had not been mistaken as to the metal of the man. Rafe had, like other young men, his ambitions and adaptability; and but for the fact of his engagement to Betty, Sir Robert would have had little difficulty in engaging him to such an enterprise, as he contemplated. His very lack of moral courage would have been an aid to the ambitious statesman, who would have moulded him to his will. For answer Rafe blurted out the truth straightway  — 

“Sir, I have every desire to meet your wishes in all ways I can. Indeed I am in a desperate plight, and unless I can get some place soon I am ruined; but I cannot marry the lady you had destined for me, as already I am betrothed to another lady.”

Without a word Sir Robert rang the bell that stood on his table and a servant appeared. But in the instant a new thought had come to the statesman, and instead of ordering him to show Rafe out he simply gave a trivial direction as to the time at which his chair was to be in waiting. Sir Robert’s idea was a wise one enough, for it struck him that he had to a degree placed himself in the young man’s power, and he knew well how, had the circumstances been his own, he would have availed himself of such a knowledge. This young gentleman should perhaps be dealt with gently! He should be encouraged to hope for awhile, so that his intentions should have time to manifest themselves harmlessly; and then, if need be, he could be shelved by presentation to some minor appointment It was not for nothing that the English Minister had fixed the Civil List on the occasion of the Hanoverian succession at £700,000 per annum.

Sir Robert walked up and down the room two or three times, and then stopping opposite Rafe again regarded ‘him intently. This scrutiny seemed in some measure to satisfy him, for his face cleared. After some more turns he stopped and said, with a seeming geniality  — 

“I will not deny that this unexpected attitude of yours has thwarted my plans gravely. However, we must see what can be done. You said that without office you would be a ruined man; I presume therefore that you are without friends  —  of course I mean friends able to help you!”

“That is so.”

“Then you must in the meantime let me arrest the impending ruin  —  from this cause at any rate.” And then and there he wrote an order on his banker for the sum of one hundred guineas. As he handed this to Rafe, he said  — 

“Now, of course, it is understood between us that your acceptance of the money binds you, were you not already bound in honour, to keep absolutely secret the plan of your advancement which I broached to you in ignorance of your inability to concur with my views. I shall try if I can obtain for you some post to meet your permanent wants; but I need not tell you that such posts as suit quite neutral persons who can receive from a party but yield nothing to it are few in number and are much sought after. You must husband the sum I have had the pleasure of lending you, for months must elapse before you can be suited. Indeed, I fear that there is little hope within a year.” Then he rang the bell again; the servant appeared and Rafe was dismissed with a wave of the hand.

As the door closed Sir Robert sank into his seat with a smile upon his face such as is not as a rule calculated, if seen by those causing it, to beget confidence, and murmured to himself  —  “We shall see! we shall see! A little pinching of the shoe, my dear young kinsman! A few jovial friends now and then, just to ensure a fair amount of debt, and these I shall make it my care to have provided for you; a proper spell of waiting and hoping  —  just long enough to make the existing young lady, whoever she may be  —  and for my part I don’t want to know for I am freer to act without such knowledge  —  seem a rock ahead in life. And then another chance. Lady Mary need not despair of a young husband yet!”

That day Rafe went down to Chelsea and found Betty sweeter and more amiable than ever. She was very grave and evidently had something on her mind. When it was growing towards the twilight she asked him to come for a walk by the river bank, and then, when they were quite away from the possibility of interruption, she opened the subject at heart.

“Rafe dear, you know that you and I are to be husband and wife.” With a man’s, and especially a young man’s, wish to seize the occasion for an amatory episode, he made as though to kiss her; but she motioned such an idea aside and took his hand in hers and looked him in the face.

“No, Rafe!” she said, “I don’t mean that; that is all true already. I mean that whatever affects me affects you, and whatever troubles you troubles me.”

“Yes, Betty, that is so.”

“I have been thinking, Rafe, that you may have many expenses to meet. You will forgive me, I know dear, for speaking of such matters, but they must be spoken of sometimes! Must they not?”

“There is nothing, Betty, that you may not speak of to me.”

“I feel that, dear. Now, of course, when we are married”  —  here he squeezed her hand; she blushed but did not withdraw it  —  ”all I have will be yours; and then I shall be easy in my mind, for I shall know that you have all that you want. But I sometimes think that until then you may have occasion for more money than you have at your command. I know, dear, that you are expecting a place, but until that place comes you must live, and living is expensive for young men. Oh yes, I know. Robert proves that to me pretty well; and I want you to feel how glad I should be, and how proud, if you will let me do as I wish. You know my guardians allow me ever so much more money than I can use. Oh, Rafe, won’t you help me out? Don’t let me have to say such things all myself. You know what I mean.”

“I do know what you mean, Betty, and I know that you are a little angel and that I shall never be able to be good enough for you. Now let me tell you something. To-day I saw Sir Robert, and he has promised me a post as soon as he can get one for me; and in earnest of it he has given me this”  —  and opening his pocket-book he showed her Sir Robert’s order on his bankers.

Rafe’s weakness was here again manifested. He hoped and intended to make the money last till his marriage; and strong in the security of his self-belief, wished to hide from Betty the disagreeable truth of Sir Robert’s proposal. After a pause Betty said  — 

“But,, dear, this will not last for ever; and indeed, Rafe, I feel almost jealous of Sir Robert. He can give you what he likes ‘‘

“But, sweetheart, this is an advance.”

“And that is all that I propose.”

“But, dear, how can I explain? I cannot take a gift. I am a gentleman! This is a loan, and must be returned. It is to last me if needs be a whole year, until I get my place.” Betty’s logical power was not sufficient to see the fine distinction which her lover drew. One part of it only was to her as clear daylight  —  ”I am a gentleman, and cannot take a gift!” This touched some subtle chord of honour in her own breast, and she was glad and proud that her lover had so spoken. So she simply said  — 

“I am so glad, Rafe, that my fears were groundless. But you will forgive, will you not? It was because I love you that I spoke.”

For answer Rafe simply lifted her hand and kissed it. Then they went back to supper, and Rafe was in his heart glad that he did not have any occasion to say more of his interview with the great Minister, or he would have had to keep a secret from Betty.

Thus he persuaded himself; for he kept the secret from her all the same. It was the appearance of keeping a secret from her that he dreaded, and not the fact Time went on happily enough with both the young people for a few months. They both had hope and they loved each other; and under such conditions life goes smoothly enough and evils that are not vital are not hard to bear. It was at this time of quiet, easygoing prosperity that the difference of the two natures became most apparent. Betty developed new and finer phases of character. Always thoughtful, she now became blessed with a sweet gravity  —  that gravity which so becomes the wife potential, the one whose self is forgotten in the needs of others. She also became more tolerant. True the stern rule of right and wrong which she had set for herself was never relaxed, and the standard of Duty was ever before her, her pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. She more than once sent money unasked to Robert, and when his brief career was cut short by the rapier of his antagonist she had all the debts which he owed, and they were many, paid without ever even appearing in the matter. At this sad time Rafe was of much comfort to her, and the truly generous and manly side of his character never came out better than in the way he spoke of the dead man and did all in his power to mitigate the grief of his half-sister.