Wilfrid Cumbermede by George MacDonald (desktop ebook reader txt) 📕

wool behind it; all was hard and bare. The glaciers lay like the skins of cruel beasts, with the green veins yet visible, nailed to the rocks to harden in the sun; and the little streams which ran down from their claws looked like the knife-blades they are, keen and hard and shining, sawing away at the bones of the old mountain. But although the mountain looked so silent, there came from it every now and then a thunderous sound. At first I could not think what it was, but gazing at its surface more steadily, upon the face of a slope I caught sight of what seemed a larger stream than any of the rest; but it soon ceased to flow, and after came the thunder of its fall: it was a stream, but a solid one-an avalanche. Away up in the air the huge snow-summit glittered in the light of the Afternoon sun. I was gazing on the Maiden in one of her most savage moods-or to speak prose-I was regarding one of the wildest aspects of the many-sided Jungfrau.

Half way down the hill, almost right under my feet, rose a slender column of smoke, I could not see whence. I hastened towards it, feeling as strong as when I started in the morning. I zig-zagged down the slope, for it was steep and slippery with grass, and arrived at length at a good-sized cottage, which faced the Jungfrau. It was built of great logs laid horizontally one above the other, all with notches half through near the end, by which notches, lying into each other, the sides of the house were held together at the corners. I soon saw it must be a sort of roadside inn. There was no one about the place, but passing through a dark vestibule, in which were stores of fodder and various utensils, I came to a room in which sat a mother and her daughter, the former spinning, the latter making lace on a pillow. In at the windows looked the great Jungfrau. The room was lined with planks; the floor was boarded; the ceiling, too, was of boards-pine-wood all around.

The women rose when I entered. I knew enough of German to make them understand my story, and had learned enough of their patois to understand them a little in return. They looked concerned, and the older woman passing her hands over my jacket, turned to her daughter and commenced a talk much too rapid and no doubt idiomatic for me to follow. It was in the end mingled with much laughter, evidently at some proposal of the mother. Then the daughter left the room, and the mother began to heap wood on the fire. In a few minutes the daughter returned, still laughing, with some garments, which the mother took from her. I was watching everything from a corner of the hearth, where I had seated myself wearily. The mother came up to me, and, without speaking, put something over my head, which I found to be a short petticoat such as the women wore; then told me I must take off my clothes, and have them dried at the fire. She laid other garments on a chair beside me.

'I don't know how to put them on,' I objected.

'Put on as many as you can,' she said laughing, 'and I will help you with the rest.'

I looked about. There was a great press in the room. I went behind it and pulled off my clothes; and having managed to put on some of the girl's garments, issued from my concealment. The kindly laughter was renewed, and mother and daughter busied themselves in arranging my apparel, evidently seeking to make the best of me as a girl, an attempt favoured by my pale face. When I seemed to myself completely arrayed, the girl said to her mother what I took to mean, 'Let us finish what we have begun;' and leaving the room, returned presently with the velvet collar embroidered with silver and the pendent chains which the women of most of the cantons wear, and put it on me, hooking the chains and leaving them festooned under my arms. The mother was spreading out my clothes before the fire to dry.

Neither was pretty, but both looked womanly and good. The daughter had the attraction of youth and bright eyes; the mother of goodwill and experience; but both were sallow, and the mother very wrinkled for what seemed her years.

'Now,' I said, summoning my German, 'you've almost finished your work. Make my short hair as like your long hair as you can, and then I shall be a Swiss girl.'

I was but a boy, and had no scruple concerning a bit of fun of which I might have been ashamed a few years later. The girl took a comb from her own hair and arranged mine. When she had finished, 'One girl may kiss another,' I said; and doubtless she understood me, for she returned my kiss with a fresh laugh. I sat down by the fire, and as its warmth crept into my limbs, I rejoiced over comforts which yesterday had been a matter of course.

Meantime they were busy getting me something to eat. Just as they were setting it on the table, however, a loud call outside took them both away. In a few moments two other guests entered, and then first I found myself ashamed of my costume. With them the mother re-entered, calling behind her, 'There's nobody at home; you must put the horses up yourself, Annel.' Then she moved the little table towards me, and proceeded to set out the meal.

'Ah! I see you have got something to eat,' said one of the strangers, in a voice I fancied I had heard before.

'Will you please to share it?' returned the woman, moving the table again towards the middle of the room.

I thought with myself that, if I kept silent, no one could tell I was not a girl; and, the table being finally adjusted, I moved my seat towards it. Meantime the man was helping his companion to take off her outer garments, and put them before the fire. I saw the face of neither until they approached the table and sat down. Great was my surprise to discover that the man was the same I had met in the wood on my way to Moldwarp Hall, and that the girl was Clara-a good deal grown-in fact, looking almost a woman. From after facts, the meeting became less marvellous in my eyes than it then appeared.

I felt myself in an awkward position-indeed, I felt almost guilty, although any notion of having the advantage of them never entered my head. I was more than half inclined to run out and help Annel with the horses, but I was very hungry, and not at all willing to postpone my meal, simple as it was-bread and butter, eggs, cheese, milk, and a bottle of the stronger wine of the country, tasting like a coarse sherry. The two-father and daughter evidently-talked about their journey, and hoped they should reach the Grindelwald without more rain.

'By the way,' said the gentleman, 'it's somewhere not far from here young Cumbermede is at school. I know Mr Forest well enough-used to know him, at least. We may as well call upon him.'

'Cumbermede,' said Clara; 'who is he?'

'A nephew of Mrs Wilson's-no, not nephew-second or third cousin-or something of the sort, I believe.-Didn't somebody tell me you met him at the Hall one day?'

'Oh, that boy-Wilfrid. Yes; I told you myself. Don't you remember what a bit of fun we had the night of the ball? We were shut out on the leads, you know.'

'Yes, to be sure, you did tell me. What sort of a boy is he?'

'Oh! I don't know. Much like other boys. I did think he was a coward at first, but he showed some pluck at last. I shouldn't wonder if he turns out a good sort of fellow! We were in a fix!'

'You're a terrible madcap, Clara! If you don't settle down as you grow, you'll be getting yourself into worse scrapes.'

'Not with you to look after me, papa dear,' answered Clara, smiling. 'It was the fun of cheating old Goody Wilson, you know!'

Her father grinned with his whole mouthful of teeth, and looked at her with amusement-almost sympathetic roguery, which she evidently appreciated, for she laughed heartily.

Meantime I was feeling very uncomfortable. Something within told me I had no right to overhear remarks about myself; and, in my slow way, I was meditating how to get out of the scrape.

'What a nice-looking girl that is!' said Clara, without lifting her eyes from her plate-'I mean for a Swiss, you know. But I do like the dress. I wish you would buy me a collar and chains like those, papa.'

'Always wanting to get something out of your old dad, Clara! Just like the rest of you, always wanting something-eh?'

'No, papa; it's you gentlemen always want to keep everything for yourselves. We only want you to share.'

'Well, you shall have the collar, and I shall have the chains.-Will that do?'

'Yes, thank you, papa,' she returned, nodding her head. 'Meantime, hadn't you better give me your diamond pin? It would fasten this troublesome collar so nicely!'

'There, child!' he answered, proceeding to take it from his shirt. 'Anything else?'

'No, no, papa dear. I didn't want it. I expected you, like everybody else, to decline carrying out your professed principles.'

'What a nice girl she is,' I thought, 'after all!'

'My love,' said her father, 'you will know some day that I would do more for you even than give you my pet diamond. If you are a good girl, and do as I tell you, there will be grander things than diamond pins in store for you. But you may have this if you like.'

He looked fondly at her as he spoke.

'Oh no, papa!-not now at least. I should not know what to do with it. I should be sure to lose it.'

If my clothes had been dry, I would have slipped away, put them on, and appeared in my proper guise. As it was, I was getting more and more miserable-ashamed of revealing who I was, and ashamed of hearing what the speakers supposed I did not understand. I sat on irresolute. In a little while, however, either the wine having got into my head, or the food and warmth having restored my courage, I began to contemplate the bolder stroke of suddenly revealing myself by some unexpected remark. They went on talking about the country, and the road they had come.

'But we have hardly seen anything worth calling a precipice,' said Clara.

'You'll see hundreds of them if you look out of the window,' said her father.

'Oh! but I don't mean that,' she returned. 'It's nothing to look at them like that. I mean from the top of them-to look down, you know.'

'Like from the flying buttress at Moldwarp Hall, Clara?' I said.

The moment I began to speak, they began to stare. Clara's hand was arrested on its way towards the bread, and her father's wine-glass hung suspended between the table and his lips. I laughed.

'By Jove!' said Mr Coningham-and added nothing, for amazement, but looked uneasily at his daughter, as if asking whether they had not said something awkward about me.

'It's Wilfrid!' exclaimed Clara, in the tone of one talking in