"I said you would talk like that," jeered Mrs Jeal. "A lucky thing I
have the notes. Good-day, Miss Haverleigh!" And with this last insulting
speech, which she knew was untrue, Mrs Jeal went away. What became of
her no one ever heard. But creatures like Mrs Jeal always fall on their
feet like cats, perhaps because they have so much of the cat nature in
them. Mrs Gabriel, rejoicing in her freedom, returned to Colester, and
became more domineering than ever. Whether Pratt guessed that his wife
would tell her the truth, it is impossible to say. But he never came
near Mrs Gabriel again, nor did he write to her. If he had, she would
have set to work to trace him out and have him arrested. With the
certificate of marriage it was easy for Mrs Gabriel to prove that she
had been deceived by a villain, and she would have had no hesitation in
making the affair public. Pratt knew this, and knew her savage nature.
He therefore kept away, and Mrs Gabriel, unrestrained by any fear,
became more of a tyrant than ever.
She refused to come to Leo's wedding, or even to see him, intimating to
Sybil, who called upon her to entreat her to be reconciled to the new
Lord Morven, that she hated both of them. Mrs Gabriel went away to
London for six months, and amused herself by hunting for Pratt. In the
meantime, Lord Morven and Sybil were married. Also Raston was united to
his Peggy on the same day--Mrs Bathurst bore up heroically. Only she
regretted that she had not known of Leo's true parentage. He might have
married Peggy. "She would grace a title," said Mrs Bathurst.
"And now," said Lord Kilspindie, when the wedding was at an end, "we
will go to our own place and take the cup with us."
So it came about that the Pagan Cup, which was the luck of the Grants,
was replaced in Kilspindie Castle. There was a brave home-coming for the
long-lost son and his bride. And there Lord and Lady Morven lived
beloved by all. It was a happy ending to Leo's troubles.
After a time Mr Tempest found that he could not live without his
daughter, so he took up his residence in Kilspindie Castle as a kind of
chaplain. Pearl was already established at the castle, and constituted
herself the guardian of the cup, which in her mad fancy she still called
the Holy Grail. No one tried to undeceive her. But there is no danger of
the cup being lost again while Pearl looks after it. And that is a good
thing for the Grants, since their luck is wound up in its possession.
"And who would doubt the truth of the tradition!" said Kilspindie,
"seeing that three times the legend has come true."
Raston succeeded Mr Tempest as vicar of Colester, as Mrs Gabriel rather
approved of him. Thus it was that Mrs Bathurst came to think herself
entitled to interfere in parish affairs as the mother-in-law of the
vicar. She and Mrs Gabriel fought bitterly, and still fight over the
affairs of the kingdom. Raston and Peggy take no notice. They are
perfectly happy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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