Chapter 10

A BOLD ATTEMPT.

During the next ten or eleven months poor Mrs. Trevennack had but one
abiding terror--that a sudden access of irrepressible insanity might
attack her husband before Cleer and Eustace could manage to get
married. Trevennack, however, with unvarying tenderness, did his best
in every way to calm her fears. Though no word on the subject passed
between them directly, he let her feel with singular tact that he
meant to keep himself under proper control. Whenever a dangerous topic
cropped up in conversation, he would look across at her
affectionately, with a reassuring smile. "For Cleer's sake," he
murmured often, if she was close by his side; "for Cleer's sake,
dearest!" and his wife, mutely grateful, knew at once what he meant,
and smiled approval sadly.

Her heart was very full; her part was a hard one to play with fitting
cheerfulness; but in his very madness itself she couldn't help loving,
admiring, and respecting that strong, grave husband who fought so hard
against his own profound convictions.

Ten months passed away, however, and Eustace Le Neve didn't seem to
get much nearer any permanent appointment than ever. He began to tire
at last of applying unsuccessfully for every passing vacancy. Now and
then he got odd jobs, to be sure; but odd jobs won't do for a man to
marry upon; and serious work seemed always to elude him. Walter Tyrrel
did his best, no doubt, to hunt up all the directors of all the
companies he knew; but no posts fell vacant on any line they were
connected with. It grieved Walter to the heart, for he had always had
the sincerest friendship for Eustace Le Neve; and now that Eustace was
going to marry Cleer Trevennack, Walter felt himself doubly bound in
honor to assist him. It was HE who had ruined the Trevennacks' hopes
in life by his unintentional injury to their only son; the least he
could do in return, he thought, and felt, was to make things as easy
as possible for their daughter and her intended husband.

By July, however, things were looking so black for the engineer's
prospects that Tyrrel made up his mind to run up to town and talk
things over seriously with Eustace Le Neve himself in person. He hated
going up there, for he hardly knew how he could see much of Eustace
without running some risk of knocking up accidentally against Michael
Trevennack; and there was nothing on earth that sensitive young squire
dreaded so much as an unexpected meeting with the man he had so
deeply, though no doubt so unintentionally and unwittingly, injured.
But he went, all the same. He felt it was his duty. And duty to Walter
Tyrrel spoke in an imperative mood which he dared not disobey, however
much he might be minded to turn a deaf ear to it.