Recollections of Geoffrey Hamlyn | Page 8

love. You never could love John as I
did; yet I know you felt for him as your brother, as he soon would have
been, if he had lived."
"What can I say to you, my own?" she replied, "save to tell you that he
fell as your brother should fall, amongst the foremost, fighting for his
country's existence. And, James, if you must go before me, and leave
me a widow before I am a bride, it would render more tolerable the
short time that would be left me before I followed you, to think that
you had fallen like him."
"There will be a chance of it, Agnes," said James, "for Stuart, they say,
is going to Italy, and I go with him. There will be a long and bloody
war, and who knows how it will end? Stay you here quiet with the old
man, my love, and pray for me; the end will come some day. I am only
eighteen and an ensign; in ten years I may be a colonel."
They parted that night with tears and kisses, and a few days afterwards
James went from among them to join his regiment.
From that time Agnes almost lived with old Marmaduke. Her father's
castle could be seen over the trees from the windows of Clere, and
every morning, wet or dry, the old man posted himself in the great
north window of the gallery to watch her coming. All day she would
pervade the gloomy old mansion like a ray of sunlight, now reading to
him, now leading him into the flower-garden in fine weather, till he
grew quite fond of flowers for her sake, and began even to learn the
names of some of them. But oftenest of all she would sit working by
his side, while he told her stories of times gone by, stories which would
have been dull to any but her, but which she could listen to and applaud.
Best of all she liked to hear him talk of James, and his exploits by flood
and field from his youth up; and so it was that this quiet couple never
tired one another, for their hearts were set upon the same object.
Sometimes her two sisters, noble and beautiful girls, would come to see
him; but they, indeed, were rather intruders, kind and good as they were.
And sometimes old Talbot looked round to see his old friend, and
talked of bygone fishing and hunting, which roused the old man up and

made him look glad for half a day after. Still, however, Agnes and the
old curate were company enough for him, for they were the only two
who loved his absent son as well as he. The love which had been
divided between the two, seemed now to be concentrated upon the one,
and yet this true old Briton never hinted at James' selling out and
coming home, for he said that the country had need of every one then,
more particularly such a one as James.
Time went on, and he came back to them from Corunna, and spending
little more than a month at home, he started away once more; and next
they heard of him at Busaco, wounded and promoted. Then they
followed him in their hearts along the path of glory, from Talavera by
Albuera and Vittoria, across the Pyrenees. And while they were yet
reading a long-delayed letter, written from Toulouse at midnight--after
having been to the theatre with Lord Wellington, wearing a white
cockade--he broke in on them again, to tell them the war was well-nigh
over, and that he would soon come and live with them in peace.
Then what delightful reunions were there in the old gallery window,
going over all the weary campaigns once more; pleasant rambles, too,
down by the river-side in the sweet May evenings, old Marmaduke and
the curate discreetly walking in front, and James and Agnes loitering
far behind. And in the succeeding winter after they were married, what
pleasant rides had they to meet the hounds, and merry evenings before
the bright wood-fire in the hall. Never were four people more happy
than they. The war was done, the disturber was confined, and peace had
settled down upon the earth.
Peace, yes. But not for long. Spring came on, and with it strange
disquieting rumours, growing more certain day by day, till the terrible
news broke on them that the faithless tyrant had broke loose again, and
that all Europe was to be bathed in blood once more by his insane
ambition.
James had sold out of the army, so that when Agnes first heard the
intelligence she thanked God that her husband at least would be safe at
home during the storm. But she