The Magnificent Montez | Page 7

young
loveliness becoming his, he declared himself ready to change his
condition, and discussed handsome settlements.
With everything thus cut and dried, as she considered, Mrs. Craigie
took the next step in her programme. This was to leave India for
England, during the autumn of 1836, and tell Lola of the "good news"
in store for her. She was then to bring her back to Calcutta and the
expectant arms of Sir Abraham.
Honest Captain Craigie looked a little dubious when he was consulted.
"Perhaps she won't care about him," he suggested.
"Fiddlesticks!" retorted his wife. "Any girl would jump at the chance of
being Lady Lumley. Think of the position."
"I'm thinking of Lola," he said.
CHAPTER II
"MARRIED IN HASTE"
I
Among the passengers accompanying Mrs. Craigie on the long voyage
to Southampton was a Lieutenant Thomas James, a debonair young
officer of the Bengal Infantry, who made himself very agreeable to her
and with whom he exchanged many confidences. He was going home
on a year's sick leave; and at the suggestion of his ship-board
acquaintance he decided to spend the first month of it in Bath.
"It's time I settled down," he said. "Who knows, but I might pick up a
wife in Bath and take her back to India with me."
"Who knows," agreed Mrs. Craigie, her match-making instincts
aroused. "Bath is full of pretty girls."

The meeting between mother and daughter developed very differently
from the lines on which she had planned it. Contrary to what she had
expected, Lola did not evince any marked readiness to fall in with them.
Quite undazzled by the prospects of becoming Lady Lumley, and
reclining on Sir Abraham's elderly bosom, she even went so far as to
dub the learned judge a "gouty old rascal," and declared that nothing
would induce her to marry him. Neither reproaches nor arguments had
any effect. Nor would she exhibit the smallest interest in the trousseau
for which (but without her knowledge) lavish orders had been given.
Poor Mrs. Craigie could scarcely believe her ears. For a daughter to run
counter to the wishes of her mother, and to snap her fingers at the
chance of marrying a "title," was something she had considered
impossible. What on earth were girls coming to, she wondered. Either
the Paris "finishing school" or the Bath air had gone to her head. The
times were out of joint, and the theory that daughters did what they
were told was being rudely upset. It was all very disturbing.
In her astonishment and annoyance, Mrs. Craigie took to her bed.
However, she did not stop there long, for prompt measures had to be
adopted. As it was useless to tackle Sir Jasper Nicolls (whom she held
responsible for the upset to her plans) she sought counsel of somebody
else. This was her military friend, who, as luck would have it, was still
lingering in Bath, where he had evidently discovered some special
attraction. After all, he was a "man of the world" and would know what
to do. Accordingly, she summoned him to a consultation, and
unburdened her mind on the subject of Lola's "oddness."
"Of course, the girl's mad," she declared. "Nothing else would account
for it. Can you imagine any girl in her senses turning up her nose at
such a match? I never heard such rubbish. I'm sure I don't know what
Sir Abraham will say. He expects her to join him in Calcutta by the end
of the year. As a matter of fact, I've already booked her passage. The
wedding is to be from our house there. Something will have to be done.
The question is, what?"
"Leave it to me," was the airy response. "I'll talk to her."

Thomas James did "talk." He talked to some effect, but not at all in the
fashion Mrs. Craigie had intended. Expressing sympathy with Lola, he
declared himself entirely on her side. She was much too young and
pretty and attractive, he said, to dream for an instant of marrying a man
who was old enough to be her grandfather, and bury herself in India.
The idea was ridiculous. He had a much better plan to offer. When Lola,
smiling through her tears, asked him what it was, he said that she must
run away with him and they would get married. Thus the problem of
her future would be solved automatically.
The luxuriant whiskers and dashing air of Lieutenant Thomas James
did their work. Further, the suggestion was just the sort of thing that
happened to heroines in novels. Lola Gilbert, young and romantic and
inexperienced, succumbed. Watching her opportunity, she slipped out
of the house early the next morning. Her lover had a post-chaise in
readiness, and they set off in it for Bristol.