An Eye for an Eye | Page 7

He might travel,--not, however, going very far afield. He might
get into Parliament; as to which, if such were his ambition, his uncle
would give him every aid. He might have his friends at Scroope
Manor,--Carnaby and all the rest of them. Every allurement was offered
to him. But he had commenced by claiming a year of grace, and to that
claim he adhered.
Could his uncle have brought himself to make the request in person, at
first, he might probably have succeeded;--and had he succeeded, there
would have been no story for us as to the fortunes of Scroope Manor.

But the Earl was too proud and perhaps too diffident to make the
attempt. From his wife he heard all that took place; and though he was
grieved, he expressed no anger. He could not feel himself justified in
expressing anger because his nephew chose to remain for yet a year
attached to his profession. "Who knows what may happen to him?" said
the Countess.
"Ah, indeed! But we are all in the hands of the Almighty." And the Earl
bowed his head. Lady Scroope, fully recognizing the truth of her
husband's pious ejaculation, nevertheless thought that human care
might advantageously be added to the divine interposition for which, as
she well knew, her lord prayed fervently as soon as the words were out
of his mouth.
"But it would be so great a thing if he could be settled. Sophia Mellerby
has promised to come here for a couple of months in the winter. He
could not possibly do better than that."
"The Mellerbys are very good people," said the Earl. "Her grandmother,
the duchess, is one of the very best women in England. Her mother,
Lady Sophia, is an excellent creature,--religious, and with the soundest
principles. Mr. Mellerby, as a commoner, stands as high as any man in
England."
"They have held the same property since the wars of the roses. And
then I suppose the money should count for something," added the lady.
Lord Scroope would not admit the importance of the money, but was
quite willing to acknowledge that were his heir to make Sophia
Mellerby the future Lady Scroope he would be content. But he could
not interfere. He did not think it wise to speak to young men on such a
subject. He thought that by doing so a young man might be rather
diverted from than attracted to the object in view. Nor would he press
his wishes upon his nephew as to next year. "Were I to ask it," he said,
"and were he to refuse me, I should be hurt. I am bound therefore to ask
nothing that is unreasonable." Lady Scroope did not quite agree with
her husband in this. She thought that as every thing was to be done for
the young man; as money almost without stint was to be placed at his

command; as hunting, parliament, and a house in London were offered
to him;--as the treatment due to a dear and only son was shown to him,
he ought to give something in return; but she herself, could say no more
than she had said, and she knew already that in those few matters in
which her husband had a decided will, he was not to be turned from it.
It was arranged, therefore, that Fred Neville should join his regiment at
Limerick in October, and that he should come home to Scroope for a
fortnight or three weeks at Christmas. Sophia Mellerby was to be Lady
Scroope's guest at that time, and at last it was decided that Mrs. Neville,
who had never been seen by the Earl, should be asked to come and
bring with her her younger son, John Neville, who had been successful
in obtaining a commission in the Engineers. Other guests should be
invited, and an attempt should be made to remove the mantle of gloom
from Scroope Manor,--with the sole object of ingratiating the heir.
Early in October Fred went to Limerick, and from thence with a
detached troop of his regiment he was sent to the cavalry barracks at
Ennis, the assize town of the neighbouring County Clare. This was at
first held to be a misfortune by him, as Limerick is in all respects a
better town than Ennis, and in County Limerick the hunting is far from
being bad, whereas Clare is hardly a country for a Nimrod. But a young
man, with money at command, need not regard distances; and the
Limerick balls and the Limerick coverts were found to be equally
within reach. From Ennis also he could attend some of the Galway
meets,--and then with no other superior than a captain hardly older than
himself to interfere with his movements, he could indulge in that