Miss Betty by Bram Stoker - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)

Bram Stoker, Delphi Classics

• Publisher: Delphi Classics (Parts Edition)
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781788772303
• Topic: Littérature
• Subtopic: Classiques

This eBook features the unabridged text of 'Miss Betty by Bram Stoker - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)' from the bestselling edition of 'The Complete Works of Bram Stoker'.

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CHAPTER I

GRANDFATHER’S STORY

OF all the incidents of her early life none had so great or lasting an effect on Betty Pole as those of that evening in Cheyne Walk on which she had been accused of breaking the blue china jar. This was one of those beautiful pieces, brought from Holland, which had been given to her grandfather by the Dutch Minister when on some diplomatic mission to King William III. Great store had been set on it by the household generally, and Betty’s mother had often, during her lifetime, enjoined on the children special care of the beautiful piece of oriental china. She always said that it was to be looked upon as a sort of heirloom in the family.

The charge against Miss Betty was made by Abigail, she coming right into the back sitting-room after supper, when the dusk was beginning to fall through the trees in the garden of the King’s House in Chelsea. Abigail’s manner was at all times a pronounced one, for all her kindness of heart; but she was not feared so much by the children, who knew the softness as well as the weight of her hand, as by the two men whom she controlled in the despotic manner which purely domestic women assume to lonely men — men who have not wives to protect them. Abigail had in the motherless household the honour and privileges of one whom the mother had trusted, and who by faithful service had earned the trust. As a rule she was a just woman, but on this occasion the violence of her demeanour almost implied to those who knew her that she was herself not quite blameless in the matter. They all knew that she would not wilfully and deliberately lie, but they felt that the occasion was a grave one, and one in which no one would willingly be under the imputation of guilt if it could be avoided. Some of them, face to face with the charge, would have held it justifiable to have deflected the current of public thought if they could not on such an occasion have stemmed it. The young people, one and all, with wonderful unanimity, denied the charge which had at first been made in the general form of ‘ one of the children.’ The two men were concerned, as men ever are regarding the breakages of things they value. Betty’s father, Charles Pole, was as near anger as his gentle nature and the sorrow of his too recent loss would let him be. He spoke severely of the need of care, and reminded the children that their dear mother had ever told them to be careful of this thing that she loved; and then the sight of their little black clothes seemed to smite him and he stopped speaking, for he knew that to that mother’s heart one moment of any of his children’s happiness was dearer than all the vessels which had ever grown under the potter’s hand. She had accepted on her marriage the motherhood of the four children of her husband’s first wife, and treated them all just as she afterwards treated her own little Betty, her only child.

After a spell of silence Betty’s grandfather, Dudley Stanmore, spoke —

“I am sorry that the jar, which had for me very dear memories, has been broken; but we must not forget to be just. Tell me, children; which of you broke it?”

There was no answer. Then the old man spoke again, this time more sternly; his voice was grave and strong, despite his ninety and odd years —

“Let whoever did this, own to it!” All were still silent. For a few seconds the old man’s face looked very stem; but then came a smile and a sigh of relief, and he said quietly —

“Well, Mistress Abigail, that is all right! I am glad that none of the children did it.” This was more than Abigail could brook, so she answered hotly —

“Oh yes! saving your presence, but they did;” and turning to the children added: “Ye know, children, that God hates a liar, and that liars stand without the Gates and go into the burning Pit. Now, tell me, which done it?” Marjory, who though not the eldest had pertness beyond the level of her years, answered— “None of us did it, Abigail! Did you?”

“Me! Me? you wicked Miss. You! Miss Betty. You were last in the room — what do you say to it?”

Betty, who was sitting in her usual place on a little stool at her grandfather’s knee, said gently, in her sweet, old-fashioned way —

“I know nothing of it, Abigail! When I was in the room I was reading.”

“Take care, Miss Betty, take care! now take care!” said Abigail hotly, as she raised a warning finger. “Tell the truth.”

“But I am telling the truth,” said the child. Here her grandfather joined in:

“My word for Betty’s truth! She would not speak falsely! Would you, dear?” The child looked up, turning her head so that the wrinkled hand which he had laid on it slipped down on her shoulder.

“Oh no, grandfather!” she answered quietly; “how could I?”

“Old master always sticks up for Miss Betty,” said Abigail tartly, “just because she is his kin, I suppose — and so like him!” she added, with a touch of feminine causticity.

The likeness was remarkable, despite the gulf of more than fourscore years that lay between them. The old man’s face was wrinkled, his hair fell in thin, straggling flakes of snow, his eyes were dim, and his tall form was bowed with years, whilst the child’s hair was golden-brown, her eyes were sapphire, and her skin had the freshness and the warm glow of youth. But there was in each the same inward calm, the same line of profile, the same delicacy of nostril, the same resolution of mouth; and, beyond all else, that something which can hardly be put in words — the capacity of exaltation.

Betty’s father now spoke reprovingly— “Abigail Hood, you forget yourself when you so address Mr. Stanmore. Greater respect is due to him! And beside, he would say nothing but what is true. If Betty is like him, then I thank God that it is so; for her life should be pure and strong and true, like that of her dear mother.”

Abigail was prepared to do battle only up to a certain point, and as there was nothing here to be argued she used with deadly effect her purely feminine arms. Taking up the corner of her apron and holding it to her eyes, she withdrew. Mr. Stanmore then rose, and taking Betty’s hand in his, said —

“Come! We will go and see the broken jar and find out, if we can, what is the cause of it.”

The other children followed, and they all passed up the wide staircase into the drawingroom overhead. At the back of the house the dusk was now more marked, and the trees and i their shadows were mixed; but in the front the sunset still struck the summer clouds high overhead and made a sort of after-glow which gave light enough to survey the damage.

Truly the jar was broken, but it had evidently been lifted from its place and had been overturned. When the old man saw it he said —

“Why, Betty could not have done it. She could not have lifted it if she had tried. We must find out something more about it.”

As he spoke there was a sound of sobbing outside. The door opened and Abigail entered, pushing before her a maidservant who held her apron to her eyes.

“Here she is! Here is the hussy what broke the jar. I taxed her with it, and she can’t deny!”

“If you please, master, I am main sorry, but the jar was on the floor where Mrs. Abigail put it for me to put out the old popery and put the new rose-leaves in; and then I was called away. When I came back I forgot all about it, and when I was dusting round knocked it over.” Here she made a vain effort to fall on her knees to her master, and her further utterances became undistinguishable.

“Get up, girl! Get up!” said the old man. “Don’t insult the Creator by kneeling to men. There, run away now, and be more careful in future. Your crying won’t mend broken china!” and, still sobbing, she was incontinently hustled out of the room by Abigail. The old man lifted the broken jar and put it again in its old place, and then taking Betty by the hand, led the way back to the room below.

When they had resumed their old places, the room being now in a deep twilight, one of the boys said: “Tell us a story, grandfather.” The old man paused, and then said —

“I will tell you something, my dears, which comes back vividly to my mind tonight. Mrs. Abigail said how like my dear little Betty is to her grandfather, and I said myself that I knew she was true. Perhaps it is these two things together that take my mind back seventy years and more — further than the span of a man’s life. It was when I was brought before the great, Cromwell, not long after the King had been martyred.”

As he spoke the last words the old man’s voice was instinct with reverence, and he stood ( up. As he paused one of the boys said —

“‘ Great Cromwell! ‘ He wasn’t great. He was a traitor.” The old man answered —

“Traitor or no traitor, he was a great man. K Sometimes when I look back through the dimness of my age I wonder where, in time to come, the measure of his greatness shall |be set. But we will not talk of this now. Suffice it that in the days I speak of the world called him great. He was the victorious general of a conquering army. He was the head of the State — in the eyes of some; the head of the Parliament and the general of the Parliament’s forces, and his iron will was felt throughout the land. I had been an officer of the King’s household, and had some knowledge of usage in foreign matters; but when the Parliament slew the King I refused to serve longer under those who made him a martyr, and so I went away from London and stayed in Much Hadam, where my great-aunt had her home. Not very many days had passed when a letter came demanding my presence in London. To this I replied, respectfully but still firmly, that inasmuch as my services and my faith had been those of my King, I could not now give to others the fealty which had been his.”

“And was there any answer?” said Betty, nestling closer to his knee and looking up into his face with her earnest eyes.

“Any answer! My faith, child, but there was an answer! Before another day had passed it came in the shape of a troop of soldiers, who arrived covered with dust and with their horses foaming, for they had ridden from London during the night. They had a warrant for my arrest, signed by Cromwell himself; and they, only waiting to bait their horses before starting, took me back to London. They treated me civilly enough. They said their orders were to show me all due respect, and they were a fine set of fellows, I warrant — tall men and strong, and earnest and grave in their ways and bearing. Aye, children, they were earnest men, those old Ironsides, whatever any one may tell you now; and, my faith! but they spoke and fought as though they believed in the righteousness of their cause.”

“Oh fie! grandfather,” said Marjory, in her pert way, “to speak for traitors — and you a King’s man!”

“Nay, child,” said the old man gravely, “it is no shame to speak truly of any man. The truth is a purging fire that cleanses all it touches, and it would be shame to me, and you might well cry ‘ Fie! ‘ upon me if any malice on my part bore down truth. And moreover, my dear, I was a King’s man then, and a King’s man when his son came to his own again, and a King’s man in the old succession till James, tampered with our faith, and made me a King’s man to Dutch William and his English Queen. And a Queen’s man am I now — and shall be whilst good Queen Anne is spared to rule. All these be different Kings, and there be many who iold that the Crown of England should rest on another head; yet you cry not ‘ Fie! ‘ upon those who bled with the King when he fought against the King. But there! these things are beyond you, I fear. You will know more and understand better hereafter.” “Well, but go on, grandfather! Tell us of the soldiers,” said one of the boys. “Go on! Don’t mind Marjory; she’s always interrupting. Keep quiet, you Marjory, and don’t trouble us!” he added, in the dictatorial way of brothers.

“Well, we never drew rein till we rode into Whitehall, and then and there, all booted and spurred as I was and white with the summer dust, I was taken before Cromwell himself. He received me standing, and put his questions simply and directly. I listened in silence, and after a pause spoke —

‘“Sir, I may not answer. When the evil time came and my King was butchered, I who held loyal service as his due, resigned my place and sought that solitude which should be the right of every Englishman-if England is, as you boast her to be, free. Whereat the hands of the grim Ironside around me instinctively sought their sword and I tell you that for all my brave words — and I meant to die for them if need were — my heart beat quick and heavy. But Cromwell looked me steadily in the face and spoke out —

“‘ Well said, young sir! That is the speech of a true Englishman, and God forbid that I or those who hold with me should deem it ill on thy part to do thy] duty boldly — even though our duty to follow! it were to send thee to the gallows for it. But think, young sir! mayest thou not have d higher duty than even the loyalty of doing nothing in memory of a dead man? Hath England no claim upon thee? Hast thou no duty to her? Is there no work in the present to which the hand of a loyal Englishman can be turned? It is a grave question that thou hast to answer; and yet thou thinkest it meet to be silent. Thou hast, much knowledge of certain matters; and even earnest men, for lack of such help as thine, may blunder into rougher ways of statecraft than were needed. Nevertheless thou shalt go free, for I cannot see in thy eye other than the look of a true man. Stand back there, and let him pass! I am Essex stock myself, and know his home and lineage. There is naught but truth in his blood; and England never needed true men more than now. Bethink thee, in the future, sir, when the time comes for other grave choice, that thou hast chosen blind obedience to a dead fancy rather than the call of living England — that England for whom men like these have shed their blood!’ and with a grave sweep of his arm he took in the whole ranks of soldiers and statesmen who stood around him. I turned to the door, feeling of such small worth that though I had risked my very life in the boldness of my words, I knew that my going was without dignity. No one else moved to the extent of a hair; I opened the door, passed out, and closed it again.

“And then, hardly had I crossed the threshold, than there came over me such an overwhelming sense of duty undone that I almost reeled. Who and what was I that I should hold my hand or my tongue, when England, in the very throes and stress of civil war, might need me? What was duty that I should deny its call? What was truth? And, my dears, in that instant the answer rose before me as if, like Belshazzar’s doom, it had been written in fire upon the wall — that truth and duty were one, and that both must be obeyed at all sacrifice of self. My duty seemed then a simple thing enough. I had no more right to hold back my doing than to refuse to risk my life. The duty must be done, whatever the risk, whatever the pang.

“And then I turned and opened the door again, and walked in silence into that room with head erect — I had left it with downcast head. And then the great Captain stepped forward to meet me, and took me by the hand and said: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant! ‘ and it seemed to me that truth and duty, though strong together, were imperfect, but that with faith the perfect trinity appeared. But this is all over your heads. Run away to bed now, children! Good-night!” And the old man sank back into his chair, as though the full weight of his ninety years had come upon him all at once.

As she gave her good-night kiss Betty murmured in her grandfather’s ear —

“I think I know, grandfather! Faith and!

Duty and Truth are like three candles with but one light,” and she walked gravely away, whilst the old man’s eyes followed her lovingly. When the children were all in bed and Betty’s father had go...