Elizabeth's Campaign

r, she guessed that it was her sister Margaret who wished to see her. She did not wish, however, to s

ng entere

time of day to be in be

n grew red wi

er advised me more than a year ago not to come down

r, and already whitening, though she was not yet thirty. Human thinness could hardly have been carried further than she and the Squire achieved it. She had her father's nose also

at you want to hear. I am sure you told Dr. Crother exactly what to

said Mrs. Gaddesden, sinking back on her pillows with a soft sigh of resignation. 'Th

tting notices lately with your name on them, at the end of a long tail beginning with a Duchess, and stuffed with Count

ter, and was of a genuinely inquiring turn

ddesden, a little confused, 'th

ed. 'Yes, indeed, if it weren't for the secretaries! B

among her pillows, a reasonably pretty woman, not withou

ith emphasis, 'this has got to

opened her

earth do

addesde

ticed,' she bent forward, looking mysterious and intent, 'how already father depends upon her, how she's beginning to run the

. Strang coolly,

e prepared to see a person lik

more highly educated than you or I, and if she gets her way, she'll perhaps keep father out

ret Strang's face was grave. And when it was

, 'even if he had a case-which he probably hasn't-and if he were t

e can't win!' cried Margaret Strang. 'It's not t

ured Alice

you

ster. She seemed to see a number of shabby streets, where she was accustomed to work, with l

hat?' sa

o Alice, and Alice's very ela

he can, and to do what he's told! And father not only sets a shocking example, but he pic

'so I suppose we shall hear. I can't ma

rs on his School only last month. But he's like an automaton. Nobody really knows him, nobody gets any forwarder with him. He hardly speaks to anybody except on business. The

s still suffering from the

up,' said Margaret with ener

ugged her

up the estate, ac

o him, if there's anything le

rga

ys be a Mannering of Mannering? Yes, I do care, but there are s

e now?' said Alice,

k the hint a

k, a dog-cart arrived at the Hall, brin

eathless survey of the situation, while Pamela sat on a stool at his feet, and put in explanatory words at intervals. Their father's extraordinary preparations for waging war against the County Committee; his violence on the subject of the Chick

is forehead, and had lost a finger of the left hand. The ribbons on his breast showed that he was both an M.C. and a D.S.O.-distinctions won at

a moment-while he looked at his young brother, a vision, insistent, terrible, passed ghost-like be

id Pamela despairingly, leaning he

m. He laid his hand u

of course, for me to do-to stick to

ow, Aubrey, that if father tries any hankey-pankey with the est

ty years, old man. Will there be any Englan

in amazement. Again he r

hing twenty years ahead. We've got to win the war, haven't we?-that

said Pamela. 'And fa

t him,' said Aubrey ind

ughed Desmond. 'No

d a puzzled

! a l

nd gr

ll. Father can't let her out of his si

put in Pamela. 'She's begun it alrea

e but his father and the Rector, who was coming to dine. He was at once seized on by his ma

brother-Mis

y for one of the first temporary commissions in the New Army. The news came at a moment when the Squire was smarting under the breakdown of a long-cherished scheme of exploration in the Greek islands, which was to have been realized that very autumn-a scheme towards which his whole narrow impetuous mind had been turned for years. No more Hellenic or Asia Minor excavations! no more cosmopolitan Wissenschaft! On that fatal August 4 a whole world

m more than one good turn. But in reply to his son's letter, he stood entirely on the defensive, lest any claim should be made upon him which might further interfere with the passion of his life. He was not, he said, in a position to increase Aubrey's allowance-the Government robbers had seen to that-and unless Beryl was prepared to be a poor man's wife he advised t

aid the newcomer to Elizabeth, when

It seems longer!

g some work f

rself. Major Mannering

or him is literar

ounts, and writ

ought there was

as he was putting out his hand automatically to a piece of bread lying on his left, M

'The bread appears because-because your father doesn't think rations necess

Aubrey's grave

n't I reall

eth he

s, I think you may.' And she would have resto

drilled them all!' For, looking round the table, he saw that

mond! They've given everyb

vens-not

he suspects anything, and h

isters?' Elizabet

being starved. Mrs. Strang, on the other

versation flowed on easily thenceforward;

ie! She's actually

were at least a third too many servants in the house; and as for the estate, instead of being a profit-making and food-producing concern, as it should have been, it was a bye-word for bad management and neglected land. She did not pretend to know much about it yet; but what she did know roused her. England was at grips with a brutal foe. The only weapon that could defeat her was famine-the sloth and waste of her own sons. Th

with touches of black, which exactly became her fair skin, the bright gold of her hair, and the pleasant homeliness of her face-her general aspect indeed-attracted him greatly. She might know G

ect and honest, on the other; Desmond and Pamela together, chatting and chaffing with the Rector. It was the room so familiar to his childhood and youth, with the family pictures, the Gainsborough full-length of his very plain great-grandmother in white satin at the end, two or three Van

en the victim of various long illnesses during his boyhood, had never, unluckily, meant much to him. He knew that he was of a very old stock, which had played a long and

od, and in front a certain hollow strewn with dead and dying men-one figure, in front of the rest, lying face downwards. The queer twisted forms, the

to pledge his own! But if she stood by him, he must stand by her. And he had had the kindest letter from Sir Henry, and some sweet tremulous words from her. Suppose she offe

ather, that was

p things going. It might have been noticed-it was noticed by at least two of the persons present-that quite unobtrusively, she was already the mistress of the house. She

ntrance. Pamela put down her knitting and looked at him anxiously; so did the elde

low voice, as she came to

t she saw tha

o Chetworth to-morrow-e

cert

-past

t you

sed a round game. He played it with much more spirit than usual, and

rest brought in the candles, Marga

e said to her brother in an undertone

ifferent answer, 'from

he excused himself at once on the ground of being d

hile the Rector and Elizabeth talked about

lled!' said Mar

it, she said. Aubrey had been quite calm. Desmond broke out, 'Did you ever see Aubrey any

looked at his watch, and

aid cheerfully. 'I daresay. He wor

he whole thinking more of the new secretary than of his old friends. A charming woman!-most capable! For the first time he might get some attention paid to the v

essage to Elizabeth. 'The Squire would be glad if you would spare

went unw

p at the further end, and the Squire was walking up a

erton, but do you happen to

id Elizabeth in amazement. 'No

old solicitors, and I wasn't going to give it to the new man-don't trust him particularly not to talk. So I locked it up here-somewhere. And I can't find it.' And he began restles

be in the office?' By which she meant the small and hideously untidy room on the ground floo

st. 'I put it somewhere in this room my own self! And I should have

round her in perplexity, not knowing where to begin. A large part of the room was walled with glass cases, holding vases, bronzes, and other small antiquities, down to about a yard from the floor, and

hasn't been disturbed since the Flood! Now those

day's work and was really tired. The first drawer she opened was packed with papers, a few arranged in something like order by her predecessor, the London University B.A., but the greater part of them in confusion. They mostly related to a violent co

rtion of the Mannering estate, which the Squire had sold to a neighbour only a

began to twitch with uncomfortable merriment. Should she go and knock up the housekeeper and

ircle of lamplight his face was visible to Elizabeth, wrinkled and set, with angry eyes; and she saw him as a person possessed by a stubb

finite but strong indignation were beginning to sweep through her. Why was the Squire hunting for his will? What

e to he

nnering. And I think, if you w

d at her

r your hours-you won't do anything extra

ed amazingly tall, as she stood straightened to her full height, c

ou, Mr. Mannering. But if you don't thi

ly aware of her extraordinary merits, and should be entirely lost with

anation very coldly, only r

ew his hand a

of an hour, no more-I want your signature, that's all. We won't look any further for the will. I can do all I want by a fresh document. I have been thinking it over, and can write it in ten minutes. I

hen he chose, and Elizabeth was to some extent propitiated. After all he and his ways were no longer

disquiet. What was he going to ask her to sign? She knew nothing of his threat to his eldest son-nothing, that is, clear or direct, either from himself or f

playing with a blind on a distant window. And through the window came another s

rose from

if you will kindly come here. We shall want an

her in the light-her gold hair and brilliant dress illuminated

e with h

now, Mr. Mannering, what it i

ness. It is nothing which wil

ame myself if I made it easier for you to

do you

ned all h

guess that you are angry with your son, with Major Mannering. If this thing you

threw both her hands behind h

ref

hat paper.' She motioned towards

odicil revoking my will in favour of my eldest son, and leaving all the property of which I die possessed, and which is in

held her ground, thou

have time to consider it again. Mr. Ma

uire l

in refusing you are

uld never wish to supplant his brother-and f

ears rising

ou claim a rather remarkable know

ion. 'He is the dearest, the most generous boy. In a few mont

d t

-to send him out with something on

l, g

wish'-her voice dropp

violently threw down the pen he w

erton. That will do.

rned and fled down the whole length of the libr

he took up the codicil, thrust it into a drawer of his writing-table, lit a cigarette,

d to her that she had won the first round in an arduous campaig