THERE MUST BE TIME.
At the end of the third week in July, when the Session was still sitting, and when no day had been absolutely as yet fixed for the escape of members, Mr Wharton received a letter from his friend Arthur Fletcher which certainly surprised him very much, and which left him for a day or two unable to decide what answer ought to be given.It will be remembered that Ferdinand Lopez destroyed himself in March, now three months since.The act had been more than a nine days' wonder, having been kept in the memory of many men by the sedulous efforts of Quintus Slide, and by the fact that the name of so great a man as the Prime Minister was concerned in the matter.But gradually the feeling about Ferdinand Lopez had died away, and his fate, though it had outlived the nominal nine days, had sunk into general oblivion before the end of the ninth week.The Prime Minister had not forgotten the man, nor had Quintus Slide.The name was still common in the columns of the "People's Banner", and was ever mentioned without being read by the unfortunate Duke.But others had ceased to talk about Ferdinand Lopez.
To the mind, however, of Arthur Fletcher the fact of the man's death was always present.A dreadful incubus had come upon his life, blighting all his prospects, obscuring all his sun by a great cloud, covering up all his hopes, and changing for him all his outlook into the world.It was not only that Emily Wharton should not have become his wife, but that the woman whom he loved with so perfect a love, should have been sacrificed to so vile a creature as this man.He never blamed her,--but looked upon his fate as Fate.Then on a sudden he heard that the incubus was removed.The man who had made him and her wretched had by a sudden stroke been taken away and annihilated.There was nothing between him and her,--but a memory.He could certainly forgive, if she could forget.
Of course he had felt at the first moment that time must pass by.
He had become certain that her mad love for the man had perished.
He had been made sure that she had repented her own deed in sackcloth and ashes.It had been acknowledged to him by her father that she had been anxious to be separated from her husband if her husband would consent to such a separation.And then, remembering as he did his last interview with her, having in his mind as he had every circumstance of that caress which he had given her,--down to the very quiver of the fingers he had pressed,--he could not but flatter himself that at last he had touched her heart.But there must be time! The conventions of the world operate on all hearts, especially on the female heart, and teach that new vows, too quickly given, are disgraceful.The world has seemed to decide that a widow should take two years before she can bestow herself on a second man without a touch of scandal.But the two years is to include everything, the courtship of the second as well as the burial of the first,--and not only the courtship, but the preparation of the dresses and the wedding itself.And then this case was different from all the others.Of course there must be time, but surely not here a full period of two years! Why should the life of two young persons be so wasted, if it were the case that they loved each other! There was horror here, remorse, pity, perhaps pardon; but there was no love,--none of that love which is always for a little time increased in its fervour by the loss of the loved object; none of that passionate devotion which must at first make the very idea of another man's love intolerable.There had been a great escape,--an escape which could not but be inwardly acknowledged, however little prone the tongue might be to confess it.Of course there must be time,--but how much time? He argued it in his mind daily, and at each daily argument the time considered by him to be appropriate was shortened.Three months had passed and he had not yet seen her.He had resolved that he would not even attempt to see her till her father would consent.
But surely a period had passed sufficient to justify him in applying for that permission.And then he bethought himself that it would be best in applying for that permission to tell everything to Mr Wharton.He well knew that he would be telling no secret.Mr Wharton knew the state of his feelings as well as he knew it himself.If ever there was a case in which time might be abridged, this was one; and therefore he wrote his letter,--as follows:
3,--Court Temple, 24th July, 187-
MY DEAR MR WHARTON, It is a matter of great regret to me that we should see so little of each other,--especially of regret that Ishould never see Emily.
I may as well rush into the matter at once.Of course this letter will not be shown to her, and therefore I may write as I would speak if I were with you.The wretched man whom she married is gone, and my love for her is the same as it was before she had ever seen him, and as it has always been from that day to this.I could not address you or even think of her as yet, did I not know that that marriage had been unfortunate.But it has not altered her to me in the heart.It has been a dreadful trouble to us all--to her, to you, to me, and to all connected with us.But it is over, and I think that it should be looked back upon as a black chasm which we have bridged and got over, and to which we never cast back our eyes.
I have no right to think that, though she might some day love another man, she would therefore, love me, but Ithink that I have a right to try, and I know that Ishould have your good-will.It is a question of time, but if I let time go by, someone else may slip in.Who can tell? I would not be thought to press indecently, but I do feel that here the ordinary rules which govern men and women are not to be followed.He made her unhappy almost from the first day.She had made a mistake which you and she and all acknowledged.She has been punished, and so have I,--very severely I can assure you.Wouldn't it be a good thing to bring all this to an end as soon as possible,--if it can be brought to an end in the way I want?