Chesney Wold is shut up, carpets are rolled into great scrolls incorners of comfortless rooms, bright damask does penance in brownholland, carving and gilding puts on mortification, and the Dedlockancestors retire from the light of day again. Around and aroundthe house the leaves fall thick, but never fast, for they comecircling down with a dead lightness that is sombre and slow. Letthe gardener sweep and sweep the turf as he will, and press theleaves into full barrows, and wheel them off, still they lie ankle-deep. Howls the shrill wind round Chesney Wold; the sharp rainbeats, the windows rattle, and the chimneys growl. Mists hide inthe avenues, veil the points of view, and move in funeral-wiseacross the rising grounds. On all the house there is a cold, blanksmell like the smell of a little church, though something dryer,suggesting that the dead and buried Dedlocks walk there in the longnights and leave the flavour of their graves behind them.
But the house in town, which is rarely in the same mind as ChesneyWold at the same time, seldom rejoicing when it rejoices ormourning when it mourns, expecting when a Dedlock dies--the housein town shines out awakened. As warm and bright as so much statemay be, as delicately redolent of pleasant scents that bear notrace of winter as hothouse flowers can make it, soft and hushed sothat the ticking of the clocks and the crisp burning of the firesalone disturb the stillness in the rooms, it seems to wrap thosechilled bones of Sir Leicester's in rainbow-coloured wool. And SirLeicester is glad to repose in dignified contentment before thegreat fire in the library, condescendingly perusing the backs ofhis books or honouring the fine arts with a glance of approbation.
For he has his pictures, ancient and modern. Some of the FancyBall School in which art occasionally condescends to become amaster, which would be best catalogued like the miscellaneousarticles in a sale. As '"Three high-backed chairs, a table andcover, long-necked bottle (containing wine), one flask, one Spanishfemale's costume, three-quarter face portrait of Miss Jogg themodel, and a suit of armour containing Don Quixote." Or "One stoneterrace (cracked), one gondola in distance, one Venetian senator'sdress complete, richly embroidered white satin costume with profileportrait of Miss Jogg the model, one Scimitar superbly mounted ingold with jewelled handle, elaborate Moorish dress (very rare), andOthello."Mr. Tulkinghorn comes and goes pretty often, there being estatebusiness to do, leases to be renewed, and so on. He sees my Ladypretty often, too; and he and she are as composed, and asindifferent, and take as little heed of one another, as ever. Yetit may be that my Lady fears this Mr. Tulkinghorn and that he knowsit. It may be that he pursues her doggedly and steadily, with notouch of compunction, remorse, or pity. It may be that her beautyand all the state and brilliancy surrounding her only gives him thegreater zest for what he is set upon and makes him the moreinflexible in it. Whether he be cold and cruel, whether immovablein what he has made his duty, whether absorbed in love of power,whether determined to have nothing hidden from him in ground wherehe has burrowed among secrets all his life, whether he in his heartdespises the splendour of which he is a distant beam, whether he isalways treasuring up slights and offences in the affability of hisgorgeous clients--whether he be any of this, or all of this, it maybe that my Lady had better have five thousand pairs of fashionahleeyes upon her, in distrustful vigilance, than the two eyes of thisrusty lawyer with his wisp of neckcloth and his dull black breechestied with ribbons at the knees.
Sir Leicester sits in my Lady's room--that room in which Mr.
Tulkinghorn read the affidavit in Jarndyce and Jarndyce--particularly complacent. My Lady, as on that day, sits before thefire with her screen in her hand. Sir Leicester is particularlycomplacent because he has found in his newspaper some congenialremarks bearing directly on the floodgates and the framework ofsociety. They apply so happily to the late case that Sir Leicesterhas come from the library to my Lady's room expressly to read themaloud. "The man who wrote this article," he observes by way ofpreface, nodding at the fire as if he were nodding down at the manfrom a mount, "has a well-balanced mind."The man's mind is not so well balanced but that he bores my Lady,who, after a languid effort to listen, or rather a languidresignation of herself to a show of listening, becomes distraughtand falls into a contemplation of the fire as if it were her fireat Chesney Wold, and she had never left it. Sir Leicester, quiteunconscious, reads on through his double eye-glass, occasionallystopping to remove his glass and express approval, as "Very trueindeed," "Very properly put," "I have frequently made the sameremark myself," invariably losing his place after each observation,and going up and down the column to find it again.
Sir Leicester is reading with infinite gravity and state when thedoor opens, and the Mercury in powder makes this strangeannouncement, "The young man, my Lady, of the name of Guppy."Sir Leicester pauses, stares, repeats in a killing voice, "Theyoung man of the name of Guppy?"Looking round, he beholds the young man of the name of Guppy, muchdiscomfited and not presenting a very impressive letter ofintroduction in his manner and appearance.
"Pray," says Sir Leicester to Mercury, "what do you mean byannouncing with this abruptness a young man of the name of Guppy?""I beg your pardon, Sir Leicester, but my Lady said she would seethe young man whenever he called. I was not aware that you werehere, Sir Leicester."With this apology, Mercury directs a scornful and indignant look atthe young man of the name of Guppy which plainly says, "What do youcome calling here for and getting ME into a row?""It's quite right. I gave him those directions," says my Lady.
"Let the young man wait.""By no means, my Lady. Since he has your orders to come, I willnot interrupt you." Sir Leicester in his gallantry retires, ratherdeclining to accept a bow from the young man as he goes out andmajestically supposing him to be some shoemaker of intrusiveappearance.
Lady Dedlock looks imperiously at her visitor when the servant hasleft the room, casting her eyes over him from head to foot. Shesuffers him to stand by the door and asks him what he wants.
"That your ladyship would have the kindness to oblige me with alittle conversation," returns Mr. Guppy, embarrassed.
"You are, of course, the person who has written me so manyletters?""Several, your ladyship. Several before your ladyship condescendedto favour me with an answer.""And could you not take the same means of rendering a Conversationunnecessary? Can you not still?"Mr. Guppy screws his mouth into a silent "No!" and shakes his head.
"You have been strangely importunate. If it should appear, afterall, that what you have to say does not concern me--and I don'tknow how it can, and don't expect that it will--you will allow meto cut you short with but little ceremony. Say what you have tosay, if you please."My Lady, with a careless toss of her screen, turns herself towardsthe fire again, sitting almost with her back to the young man ofthe name of Guppy.
"With your ladyship's permission, then," says the young man, "Iwill now enter on my business. Hem! I am, as I told your ladyshipin my first letter, in the law. Being in the law, I have learntthe habit of not committing myself in writing, and therefore I didnot mention to your ladyship the name of the firm with which I amconnected and in which my standing--and I may add income--istolerably good. I may now state to your ladyship, in confidence,that the name of that firm is Kenge and Carboy, of Lincoln's Inn,which may not be altogether unknown to your ladyship in connexionwith the case in Chancery of Jarndyce and Jarndyce."My Lady's figure begins to be expressive of some attention. Shehas ceased to toss the screen and holds it as if she werelistening.
"Now, I may say to your ladyship at once," says Mr. Guppy, a littleemboldened, "it is no matter arising out of Jarndyce and Jarndycethat made me so desirous to speak to your ladyship, which conduct Ihave no doubt did appear, and does appear, obtrusive--in fact,almost blackguardly."After waiting for a moment to receive some assurance to thecontrary, and not receiving any, Mr. Guppy proceeds, "If it hadbeen Jarndyce and Jarndyce, I should have gone at once to yourladyship's solicitor, Mr. Tulkinghorn, of the Fields. I have thepleasure of being acquainted with Mr. Tulkinghorn--at least we movewhen we meet one another--and if it had been any business of thatsort, I should have gone to him."My Lady turns a little round and says, "You had better sit down.""Thank your ladyship." Mr. Guppy does so. "Now, your ladyship"--Mr. Guppy refers to a little slip of paper on which he has madesmall notes of his line of argument and which seems to involve himin the densest obscurity whenever he looks at it--"I--Oh, yes!--Iplace myself entirely in your ladyship's hands. If your ladyshipwas to make any complaint to Kenge and Carboy or to Mr. Tulkinghornof the present visit, I should be placed in a very disagreeablesituation. That, I openly admit. Consequently, I rely upon yourladyship's honour."My Lady, with a disdainful gesture of the hand that holds thescreen, assures him of his being worth no complaint from her.
"Thank your ladyship," says Mr. Guppy; "quite satisfactory. Now--I--dash it!--The fact is that I put down a head or two here of theorder of the points I thought of touching upon, and they're writtenshort, and I can't quite make out what they mean. If your ladyshipwill excuse me taking it to the window half a moment, I--"Mr. Guppy, going to the window, tumbles into a pair of love-birds,to whom he says in his confusion, "I beg your pardon, I am sure."This does not tend to the greater legibility of his notes. Hemurmurs, growing warm and red and holding the slip of paper nowclose to his eyes, now a long way off, "C.S. What's C.S. for? Oh!
C.S.! Oh, I know! Yes, to be sure!" And comes back enlightened.
"I am not aware," says Mr. Guppy, standing midway between my Ladyand his chair, "whether your ladyship ever happened to hear of, orto see, a young lady of the name of Miss Esther Summerson."My Lady's eyes look at him full. "I saw a you............