Outlaw and Lawmaker/Chapter 16
CHAPTER XVI.
"TRANT'S WARNING."
Every one said that this was going to be one of the gayest winters there had ever been in Leichardt's Town. The Birthday Ball was heralded by several smaller entertainments. The Garfits gave an impromptu dance, to which they were compelled to invite Elsie, though before Ina's marriage she had not been asked to the Garfits' less formal entertainments. The Prydes had a picnic, which wound up with a dance, and the arrival of the new Governor was an occasion for social functions of a public character. Lord Horace and Ina came down and established themselves in an hotel boarding-house on Emu Point, and Blake found it convenient also to take up his temporary abode there, though he had to cross the river to get to the Houses of Parliament. A great many gentlemen lodged at Fermoy's, as it was called, its proprietor being a certain widowed Mrs. Fermoy, who took a motherly interest in her lodgers and carefully made it known that she had no matrimonial intentions. Mr. and Mrs. Jem Hallett did not patronize Fermoy's. They took a small furnished house on the North Side, and Mrs. Jem at once made it evident that she intended to belong to the Government House set, she was so ultra-English in all her ways. Frank Hallett naturally stayed with them, but very few days passed on which he did not on some pretext or other find his way across the river to Emu Point. Indeed, at this time Miss Valliant's admirers were a small source of revenue to the proprietors of the Emu Point ferry, there were so many of them, and even if they did not actually call at Riverside they haunted the Point in the hope of meeting Elsie on her way to and from the North Side. They were certainly a great worry to Mrs. Valliant, who thought that the detrimentals kept off desirable suitors, and who was afraid that Frank Hallett's constancy would give way under the strain to which Elsie subjected it. She consoled herself by the reflection, since Elsie gave her the assurance, that the two understood each other. In any case it was useless to try and curb Elsie's humour.
The girl was in a wild mood. She had never before rushed so eagerly into excitement. She seemed to live for amusement, getting through her household duties by dint of rising at an unearthly hour, in order that she might rush over to the North Side on pretence of shopping, and stroll about the streets and the gardens with Minnie Pryde, seeking whom she might entrap into her toils. It was not a very dignified or a very womanly manner of proceeding, and, as Elsie sometimes told herself, a nice girl, like Rose Garfit, for instance, would have behaved very differently. "But I'm not a nice girl," Elsie said passionately one day to Ina, who had been remonstrating with her upon her conduct." A nice girl would never have done the things I've done. And what does it matter, Ina? If I disgust Frank Hallett—well, so much the better. I think that is why I do it."
But Frank Hallett was always the same, always devoted, always timid of obtruding his devotion, very quiet sometimes, often sad, but ready at any moment to answer at Elsie's beck.
He was a good deal occupied just now with his new duties. There was a great measure coming—a great measure for Leichardt's Land, involving the destinies, so its opponents said, of that promising young colony, and if it were carried—indeed so also its opponents said, involving the immediate ruin and destruction of the colony's best interests. The question was one of a loan to which Sir James Garfit's Ministry had pledged themselves, and it was whispered loudly that Sir James Garfit's Ministry would be defeated.
Elsie was not at the Opening of the Assembly, which was performed in all manner of state by the new Governor, a prosy, rather pompous old man, with a wife who had set herself the difficult task of reforming the morals and manners of the Leichardtstonians. Elsie listened to the salvo of guns which announced the conclusion of the ceremony while she ironed a white frock to wear at a concert the next evening, to which she was going with the Prydes. She felt a little out of things and cross because Minnie Pryde was more favoured than she was—to say nothing of Rose Garfit. The thought flashed across her mind that perhaps next year she might be taking her place as the wife of one of the ministers in that august pageant, and that Minnie Pryde would be nowhere, and even Hose Garfit obliged to give way to her.
"I wonder if he will do anything," she said to herself. "He is certain to be asked to join the ministry, if Sir James Garfit keeps in, and Mr. Leeke really resigns for him."
Mr. Leeke was the Minister for Mines, and he was in precarious health and anxious to get to England, and it was generally supposed among the squatting politicians that he was keeping his post only till Frank Hallett was ready to step into his shoes.
Elsie put the iron back on the stove, and took up another, testing its heat against her delicate face. Her eyes took a far away look, as she stood for a moment or two with the iron in her hand. "I wonder if he will remember the violets," she murmured, but it was not of Frank Hallett she was thinking.
She was to go with Ina to the House that afternoon, when Frank Hallett would move the debate on the Speech. It had been said that Blake would speak also. Ina and her husband had asked her to lunch with them at Fermoy's, and she wondered whether there was any likelihood of Blake being there also. She knew that there was no chance of either Blake or Frank Hallett calling that forenoon, but she expected Minnie Pryde, and perhaps some of her various admirers, who would give her the news of the opening.
Minnie Pryde came early. She came fortified with banana candy, and sat down on the verandah steps prepared for what she called a "jabber."
"The Garfits have fastened on to Lady Stukeley," she announced, "and so has Mrs. Jem Hallett. I think she must have got her dress from England."
"Who, Mrs. Jem—yes, I know she did—why?"
"It was the very cut of Lady Stukeley's. Oh, Elsie, why can't we have our things from England? I declare I'd marry anybody who would let me have a box every year from London. ... There were a lot of new men there," continued Minnie, " several new Western members, and then the private secretary and aide-de-camp, only he is married, and his wife is a dowdy, I can tell you. Well, I can tell you too, that I was rather glad you weren't at the Opening," said Miss Pryde, with an air of fine candor. "The new men wouldn't have paid so much attention to me. You always cut us poor things out. As it was, I rather enjoyed myself." Just now there was a truce between Elsie and Minnie Pryde. Minnie thought it more diplomatic, on the whole, to be good friends with her rival.
"Well, I'm glad of that," said Elsie, a little disdainfully: "I don't know why you should say that I cut you out."
"With a certain sort of man," replied Miss Pryde, weighing her words as though she were mentally discriminating. "There are some men who might like a girl like me best. But the English sort—and some of the Australian, for of course the Halletts are Australian—and men of a mysterious kind—heroes of romance—such as Mr. Blake—go in for you. You are more—more, well, I don't know how to put it—more like a girl in a book."
Elsie laughed, not ill-pleased. "And Mr. Blake?—he was there, of course?"
"Of course. He came in with the rest when they were sent for, like a lot of school boys, and stood at the Bar of the House. How funny it seems! I don't know why they shouldn't have been there all the time. And then the Governor read his speech, with the aide-de-camp in a tight red coat and the private secretary in another on each side of him, and Captain Briggs, of the surveying schooner, in a blue uniform—to represent the Naval forces of the colony I suppose—and Captain Macpherson for the military! Oh, it was funny, I can tell you. I felt inclined to call out to Macpherson 'What about Moonlight'—and Lady Stukeley, who was in green velvet, and such a diamond star fastening her bonnet, nodded when the Governor came to anything impressive. And afterwards, when all the swells had gone, we went over the House. And Mr. Blake came and spoke to me, and asked me where you were."
"And you told him, I suppose, that since I didn't happen to have a father or brother or cousin or very great friend in the Cabinet, I was naturally not invited. Are you going to hear the speeches this evening, Minnie?"
"Well, I will, if Ina will let me go with her," said Miss Pryde, "though I'm not as a rule keen on speeches. But somebody said that both Mr. Blake and Frank Hallett are going to speak, and that there's to be ruction over the Loan Clause. I should like to see Rose Garfit's face if Sir James is beaten."
It was settled that Minnie Pryde should walk with Elsie to Fermoy's, and see Lady Horace, about five o'clock, and in the meantime Mrs. Valliant went on with the ironing, and Elsie consulted Minnie about her dress for the May ball and other festivities. They were in the middle of their finery when Mr. Dominic Trant appeared, and he was followed by several other of Elsie's and Miss Pryde's admirers. On this afternoon, when the Public Offices closed early, there were always sure to be some young gentlemen at Riverside.
Mr. Trant attached himself at once to Elsie. He had puzzled her a little by his manner of late. Sometimes he had been sullen, even morose, sometimes tragic, sometimes he was ardent, and his dark eyes glowed with a sort of fierce excitement which was almost alarming. But Elsie had been a good deal taken up with other thoughts, and had not paid much attention to Mr. Trant. He amused and distracted her, and fed her vanity, and that was all.
To day he was in a tragic mood.
"When are you going back to Baròlin?" Elsie asked.
"You can answer that question better than I," he said.
"How?"
"It is you who keep me in Leichardt's Town. Do you suppose I care in the least for this fooling about hotel billiard rooms and tea-parties, and for philandering up and down Victoria-street? And yet I hang about Grandoni's half the morning, and eat ices and drink sherry cobblers in a way that plays the deuce with my digestion, on the chance of your turning up anywhere about; and I haunt the ferry steps, and I parade up and down the bunya walk in the Botanical Gardens—all for you."
"That is very foolish of you, Mr. Trant."
"Is it foolish?" He bent towards her. They were sitting on the boat-house steps in the banana grove, whither Elsie had gone on pretext of finding some still ungathered lady's fingers which had ripened on the stem. Elsie was now daintily peeling one of the bananas, and Trant watched her with fixed eyes. "I don't think it is so foolish, though it may seem so to you now, Miss Valliant, because you don't care for me. Do you suppose that I am not aware of that? If you care for any one in the world it is for Blake"
"Mr. Trant!" Elsie half rose. "You have no right to say such a thing."
He put out his hand to detain her. "No, don't go, don't be indignant. After all, it is only what everybody else is saying, and I know of two chaps who have a bet on as to whether you will marry Blake or Frank Hallett within the year. I'm out of the running altogether, you see, but for all that I'm not afraid to enter the lists, and I think I've as good a chance as either of them; though you won't let me tell you how fond I am of you."
"Oh, please go on, Mr. Trant. It is very interesting. I don't think anybody ever, ever made love to me quite in this way."
"I'm not making love to you just now. That will come later, and when I do make love to you I warn you that I shall be a tornado. I shall sweep you off your feet; you'll have to listen to me. I'm only stating facts now. Of course I know very well that Blake is much more the kind of fellow for a girl to fall in love with than I am. I don't imagine for a moment that you will ever fall in love with me. I shall make my coup in a different way. I shall carry you off."
Elsie laughed outright. "Oh! really, Mr. Trant! Like a Border knight, or Moonlight?"
"Yes," he said, grimly, "like Moonlight."
"And how shall you manage it? Will you appear booted and spurred at one of the Leichardt's Town tennis parties and seize me—gallop off with me in front of you? Or will you waylay our jingle when we are going to the Government House ball? Or will you wait till we are on the Luya again, and imprison me in some stronghold in one of the gorges?"
"That would probably be the wisest thing to do," answered Trant, still grimly. "We shall see, Miss Valliant. Many a true word is spoken in jest, you know. In the meantime I don't mean to bother you except for a dance or two now and then, and there's no occasion for me to leave Leichardt's Town just yet. I shall wait and watch the game. Only listen to this, I've warned you once, remember, and it's disinterested of me to warn you again. Don't let Blake fool you. He will never marry anyone; he has got other things to think about. He only cares about women for the sake of amusement; but is quite capable of making you believe that he is madly in love with you just to cut out Frank Hallett, or for the excitement of the thing, and then he will throw you over as he has thrown over other women before you."
Elsie turned quite pale. "Mr. Trant, you amuse me rather when you talk like that, it is unlike other people. But there are limits even to amusement, and I beg that you will not speak to me of either Mr. Blake or Mr. Frank Hallett in that way again."
"Very well," said Trant, doggedly, "I have warned you, remember. As I said, it is against my own interest. My game is to let Blake have his way. After that will come my turn, and then I shall clear the course by sheer strength of will. It will be a coup d'état. You know I told you that I always succeeded in what I had set my mind on."
"I congratulate you."
"I don't intend to live this sort of life for much longer, Miss Valliant. I don't mean to bury myself at Baròlin. I have done that for a purpose; I wanted to make money. When I marry, my wife will be in a position to enjoy herself, and to see the world."
"That will be very nice for your wife, Mr. Trant, when you have one." Elsie got up. "Do you know I think it is time for me to get ready to walk to Mrs. Fermoy's. I am going to have tea there, and afterwards Ina is to take me to hear the speeches."