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diff --git a/7481-h/7481-h.htm b/7481-h/7481-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..01f1ad6 --- /dev/null +++ b/7481-h/7481-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,26840 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> + <head> + <meta content="pg2html (binary v0.17)" name="linkgenerator" /> + <title> + The Three Clerks, by Anthony Trollope + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .75em; margin-bottom: .75em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%; text-align: justify; font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;} + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + .xx-small {font-size: 60%;} + .x-small {font-size: 75%;} + .small {font-size: 85%;} + .large {font-size: 115%;} + .x-large {font-size: 130%;} + .indent5 { margin-left: 5%;} + .indent10 { margin-left: 10%;} + .indent15 { margin-left: 15%;} + .indent20 { margin-left: 20%;} + .indent25 { margin-left: 25%;} + .indent30 { margin-left: 30%;} + .indent35 { margin-left: 35%;} + .indent40 { margin-left: 40%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {position: absolute; right: 1%; font-size: 0.6em; + font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; + text-align: right; background-color: #FFFACD; + border: 1px solid; padding: 0.3em;text-indent: 0em;} + .side { float: left; font-size: 75%; width: 15%; padding-left: 0.8em; + border-left: dashed thin; text-align: left; + text-indent: 0; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; + font-weight: bold; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border: solid 1px;} + .head { float: left; font-size: 90%; width: 98%; padding-left: 0.8em; + border-left: dashed thin; text-align: center; + text-indent: 0; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; + font-weight: bold; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border: solid 1px;} + p.pfirst, p.noindent {text-indent: 0} + span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 0.8 } + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Three Clerks, by Anthony Trollope, +et al. + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost +no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use +it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this +eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Three Clerks + +Author: Anthony Trollope + + +Release Date: May 8, 2003 [eBook #7481] +Last Updated: October 13, 2018 + + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THREE CLERKS*** + + +E-text prepared by Charles Franks, Delphine Lettau, Mark Sherwood, and +the people at Distributed Proofreading + +HTML file produced by David Widger + + + +</pre> + <div style="height: 8em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h1> + THE THREE CLERKS + </h1> + <h2> + By Anthony Trollope + </h2> + <h3> + With an Introduction by W. Teignmouth Shore + </h3> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <p> + <b>CONTENTS</b> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> ANTHONY TROLLOPE </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_INTR"> INTRODUCTION </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I. — THE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II. — THE INTERNAL NAVIGATION </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III. — THE WOODWARDS </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV. — CAPTAIN CUTTWATER </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V. — BUSHEY PARK </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI. — SIR GREGORY HARDLINES </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII. — MR. FIDUS NEVERBEND </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII. — THE HON. UNDECIMUS SCOTT + </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX. — MR. MANYLODES </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X. — WHEAL MARY JANE </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI. — THE THREE KINGS </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII. — CONSOLATION </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII. — A COMMUNICATION OF + IMPORTANCE </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV. — VERY SAD </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV. — NORMAN RETURNS TO TOWN </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI. — THE FIRST WEDDING </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII. — THE HONOURABLE MRS. VAL AND + MISS GOLIGHTLY </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII. — A DAY WITH ONE OF THE + NAVVIES.—MORNING </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER XIX. — A DAY WITH ONE OF THE + NAVVIES.—AFTERNOON </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX. — A DAY WITH ONE OF THE + NAVVIES.—EVENING </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI. — HAMPTON COURT BRIDGE </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER XXII. — CRINOLINE AND MACASSAR; OR, + MY AUNT'S WILL </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER XXIII. — SURBITON COLLOQUIES </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER XXIV. — MR. M'BUFFER ACCEPTS THE + CHILTERN HUNDREDS </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER XXV. — CHISWICK GARDENS </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER XXVI. — KATIE'S FIRST BALL </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0027"> CHAPTER XXVII. — EXCELSIOR </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0028"> CHAPTER XXVIII. — OUTERMAN <i>v</i> TUDOR + </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0029"> CHAPTER XXIX. — EASY IS THE SLOPE OF HELL + </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0030"> CHAPTER XXX. — MRS. WOODWARD'S REQUEST </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0031"> CHAPTER XXXI. — HOW APOLLO SAVED THE NAVVY + </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0032"> CHAPTER XXXII. — THE PARLIAMENTARY + COMMITTEE </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0033"> CHAPTER XXXIII. — TO STAND, OR NOT TO STAND + </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0034"> CHAPTER XXXIV. — WESTMINSTER HALL </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0035"> CHAPTER XXXV. — MRS. VAL'S NEW CARRIAGE + </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0036"> CHAPTER XXXVI. — TICKLISH STOCK </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0037"> CHAPTER XXXVII. — TRIBULATION </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0038"> CHAPTER XXXVIII. — ALARIC TUDOR TAKES A + WALK </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0039"> CHAPTER XXXIX. — THE LAST BREAKFAST </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0040"> CHAPTER XL. — MR. CHAFFANBRASS </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0041"> CHAPTER XLI. — THE OLD BAILEY </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0042"> CHAPTER XLII. — A PARTING INTERVIEW </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0043"> CHAPTER XLIII. — MILLBANK </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0044"> CHAPTER XLIV. — THE CRIMINAL POPULATION IS + DISPOSED OF </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0045"> CHAPTER XLV. — THE FATE OF THE NAVVIES </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0046"> CHAPTER XLVI. — MR. NOGO'S LAST QUESTION + </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0047"> CHAPTER XLVII. — CONCLUSION </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + ANTHONY TROLLOPE + </h2> + <h3> + Born London, April 24, 1815 + </h3> + <h3> + Died London, December 6, 1882 + </h3> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2H_INTR" id="link2H_INTR"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + INTRODUCTION + </h2> + <p> + There is the proper mood and the just environment for the reading as well + as for the writing of works of fiction, and there can be no better place + for the enjoying of a novel by Anthony Trollope than under a tree in + Kensington Gardens of a summer day. Under a tree in the avenue that + reaches down from the Round Pond to the Long Water. There, perhaps more + than anywhere else, lingers the early Victorian atmosphere. As we sit + beneath our tree, we see in the distance the dun, red-brick walls of + Kensington Palace, where one night Princess Victoria was awakened to hear + that she was Queen; there in quaint, hideously ugly Victorian rooms are to + be seen Victorian dolls and other playthings; the whole environment is + early Victorian. Here to the mind's eye how easy it is to conjure up + ghosts of men in baggy trousers and long flowing whiskers, of prim women + in crinolines, in hats with long trailing feathers and with ridiculous + little parasols, or with Grecian-bends and chignons—church-parading + to and fro beneath the trees or by the water's edge—perchance, even + the fascinating Lady Crinoline and the elegant Mr. Macassar Jones, whose + history has been written by Clerk Charley in the pages we are introducing + to the 'gentle reader'. As a poetaster of an earlier date has written:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Where Kensington high o'er the neighbouring lands + 'Midst green and sweets, a royal fabric, stands, + And sees each spring, luxuriant in her bowers, + A snow of blossoms, and a wild of flowers, + The dames of Britain oft in crowds repair + To gravel walks, and unpolluted air. + Here, while the town in damps and darkness lies, + They breathe in sunshine, and see azure skies; + Each walk, with robes of various dyes bespread, + Seems from afar a moving tulip bed, + Where rich brocades and glossy damasks glow, + And chintz, the rival of the showery bow. +</pre> + <p> + Indeed, the historian of social manners, when dealing with the Victorian + period, will perforce have recourse to the early volumes of Punch and to + the novels of Thackeray, Dickens, and Trollope. + </p> + <p> + There are certain authors of whom personally we know little, but of whose + works we cannot ever know enough, such a one for example as Shakespeare; + others of whose lives we know much, but for whose works we can have but + scant affection: such is Doctor Johnson; others who are intimate friends + in all their aspects, as Goldsmith and Charles Lamb; yet others, who do + not quite come home to our bosoms, whose writings we cannot entirely + approve, but for whom and for whose works we find a soft place somewhere + in our hearts, and such a one is Anthony Trollope. His novels are not for + every-day reading, any more than are those of Marryat and Borrow—to + take two curious examples. There are times and moods and places in which + it would be quite impossible to read <i>The Three Clerks</i>; others in + which this story is almost wholly delightful. With those who are fond of + bed-reading Trollope should ever be a favourite, and it is no small + compliment to say this, for small is the noble army of authors who have + given us books which can enchant in the witching hour between waking and + slumber. It is probable that all lovers of letters have their favourite + bed-books. Thackeray has charmingly told us of his. Of the few novels that + can really be enjoyed when the reader is settling down for slumber almost + all have been set forth by writers who—consciously or unconsciously—have + placed character before plot; Thackeray himself, Miss Austen, Borrow, + Marryat, Sterne, Dickens, Goldsmith and—Trollope. + </p> + <p> + Books are very human in their way, as what else should they be, children + of men and women as they are? Just as with human friends so with book + friends, first impressions are often misleading; good literary coin + sometimes seems to ring untrue, but the untruth is in the ear of the + reader, not of the writer. For instance, Trollope has many odd and + irritating tricks which are apt to scare off those who lack perseverance + and who fail to understand that there must be something admirable in that + which was once much admired by the judicious. He shares with Thackeray the + sinful habit of pulling up his readers with a wrench by reminding them + that what is set before them is after all mere fiction and that the + characters in whose fates they are becoming interested are only + marionettes. With Dickens and others he shares the custom, so irritating + to us of to-day, of ticketing his personages with clumsy, descriptive + labels, such as, in <i>The Three Clerks</i>, Mr. Chaffanbrass, Sir Gregory + Hardlines, Sir Warwick West End, Mr. Neverbend, Mr. Whip Vigil, Mr. Nogo + and Mr. Gitemthruet. He must plead guilty, also, to some bad ways + peculiarly his own, or which he made so by the thoroughness with which he + indulged in them. He moralizes in his own person in deplorable manner: is + not this terrible:—'Poor Katie!—dear, darling, bonnie Katie!—sweet, + sweetest, dearest child! why, oh, why, has that mother of thine, that + tender-hearted loving mother, put thee unguarded in the way of such perils + as this? Has she not sworn to herself that over thee at least she would + watch as a hen over her young, so that no unfortunate love should quench + thy young spirit, or blanch thy cheek's bloom?' Is this not sufficient to + make the gentlest reader swear to himself? + </p> + <p> + Fortunately this and some other appalling passages occur after the story + is in full swing and after the three Clerks and those with whom they come + into contact have proved themselves thoroughly interesting companions. + Despite all his old-fashioned tricks Trollope does undoubtedly succeed in + giving blood and life to most of his characters; they are not as a rule + people of any great eccentricity or of profound emotions; but ordinary, + every-day folk, such as all of us have met, and loved or endured. Trollope + fills very adequately a space between Thackeray and Dickens, of whom the + former deals for the most part with the upper 'ten', the latter with the + lower 'ten'; Trollope with the suburban and country-town 'ten'; the three + together giving us a very complete and detailed picture of the lives led + by our grandmothers and grandfathers, whose hearts were in the same place + as our own, but whose manners of speech, of behaviour and of dress have + now entered into the vague region known as the 'days of yore'. + </p> + <p> + <i>The Three Clerks</i> is an excellent example of Trollope's handiwork. + The development of the plot is sufficiently skilful to maintain the + reader's interest, and the major part of the characters is lifelike, + always well observed and sometimes depicted with singular skill and + insight. Trollope himself liked the work well:— + </p> + <p> + 'The plot is not so good as that of <i>The Macdermots</i>; nor are any + characters in the book equal to those of Mrs. Proudie and the Warden; but + the work has a more continued interest, and contains the first + well-described love-scene that I ever wrote. The passage in which Kate + Woodward, thinking she will die, tries to take leave of the lad she loves, + still brings tears to my eyes when I read it. I had not the heart to kill + her. I never could do that. And I do not doubt that they are living + happily together to this day. + </p> + <p> + 'The lawyer Chaffanbrass made his first appearance in this novel, and I do + not think that I have cause to be ashamed of him. But this novel now is + chiefly noticeable to me from the fact that in it I introduced a character + under the name of Sir Gregory Hardlines, by which I intended to lean very + heavily on that much loathed scheme of competitive examination, of which + at that time Sir Charles Trevelyan was the great apostle. Sir Gregory + Hardlines was intended for Sir Charles Trevelyan—as any one at the + time would know who had taken an interest in the Civil Service. 'We always + call him Sir Gregory,' Lady Trevelyan said to me afterwards when I came to + know her husband. I never learned to love competitive examination; but I + became, and am, very fond of Sir Charles Trevelyan. Sir Stafford + Northcote, who is now Chancellor of the Exchequer, was then leagued with + his friend Sir Charles, and he too appears in <i>The Three Clerks</i> + under the feebly facetious name of Sir Warwick West End. But for all that + <i>The Three Clerks</i> was a good novel.' + </p> + <p> + Which excerpt from Trollope's <i>Autobiography</i> serves to throw light + not only upon the novel in question, but also upon the character of its + author. + </p> + <p> + Trollope served honestly and efficiently for many a long year in the Post + Office, achieving his entrance through a farce of an examination:— + </p> + <p> + 'The story of that examination', he says, 'is given accurately in the + opening chapters of a novel written by me, called <i>The Three Clerks</i>. + If any reader of this memoir would refer to that chapter and see how + Charley Tudor was supposed to have been admitted into the Internal + Navigation Office, that reader will learn how Anthony Trollope was + actually admitted into the Secretary's office of the General Post Office + in 1834.' + </p> + <p> + Poe's description of the manner in which he wrote <i>The Raven</i> is + incredible, being probably one of his solemn and sombre jokes; equally + incredible is Trollope's confession of his humdrum, mechanical methods of + work. Doubtless he believed he was telling the whole truth, but only here + and there in his <i>Autobiography</i> does he permit to peep out touches + of light, which complete the portrait of himself. It is impossible that + for the reader any character in fiction should live which has not been + alive to its creator; so is it with Trollope, who, speaking of his + characters, says, + </p> + <p> + 'I have wandered alone among the rooks and woods, crying at their grief, + laughing at their absurdities, and thoroughly enjoying their joy. I have + been impregnated with my own creations till it has been my only excitement + to sit with the pen in my hand, and drive my team before me at as quick a + pace as I could make them travel.' + </p> + <p> + There is a plain matter-of-factness about Trollope's narratives which is + convincing, making it difficult for the reader to call himself back to + fact and to remember that he has been wandering in a world of fiction. In + <i>The Three Clerks</i>, the young men who give the tale its title are all + well drawn. To accomplish this in the cases of Alaric and Charley Tudor + was easy enough for a skilled writer, but to breathe life into Harry + Norman was difficult. At first he appears to be a lay-figure, a priggish + dummy of an immaculate hero, a failure in portraiture; but toward the end + of the book it is borne in on us that our dislike had been aroused by the + lifelike nature of the painting, dislike toward a real man, priggish + indeed in many ways, but with a very human strain of obstinacy and + obdurateness, which few writers would have permitted to have entered into + the make-up of any of their heroes. Of the other men, Undy Scott may be + named as among the very best pieces of portraiture in Victorian fiction; + touch after touch of detail is added to the picture with really admirable + skill, and Undy lives in the reader's memory as vividly as he must have + existed in the imagination of his creator. There are some strong and + curious passages in Chapter XLIV, in which the novelist contrasts the + lives and fates of Varney, Bill Sykes and Undy Scott; they stir the blood, + proving uncontestibly that Undy Scott was as real to Trollope as he is to + us: 'The figure of Undy swinging from a gibbet at the broad end of Lombard + Street would have an effect. Ah, my fingers itch to be at the rope.' + </p> + <p> + Trollope possessed the rare and beautiful gift of painting the hearts and + souls of young girls, and of this power he has given an admirable example + in Katie Woodward. It would be foolish and cruel to attempt to epitomize, + or rather to draw in miniature, this portrait that Trollope has drawn at + full length; were it not for any other end, those that are fond of all + that is graceful and charming in young womanhood should read <i>The Three + Clerks</i>, so becoming the friend, nay, the lover of Katie. Her sisters + are not so attractive, simply because nature did not make them so; a very + fine, faithful woman, Gertrude; a dear thing, Linda. All three worthy of + their mother, she who, as we are told in a delicious phrase, 'though + adverse to a fool' 'could sympathize with folly '. + </p> + <p> + These eight portraits are grouped in the foreground of this 'conversation' + piece, the background being filled with slighter but always live figures. + </p> + <p> + Particularly striking, as being somewhat unusual with Trollope, is the + depiction of the public-house, 'The Pig and Whistle', in Norfolk Street, + the landlady, Mrs. Davis, and the barmaid, Norah Geraghty. We can almost + smell the gin, the effluvia of stale beer, the bad tobacco, hear the + simpers and see the sidlings of Norah, feel sick with and at Charley:—he + 'got up and took her hand; and as he did so, he saw that her nails were + dirty. He put his arms round her waist and kissed her; and as he caressed + her, his olfactory nerves perceived that the pomatum in her hair was none + of the best ... and then he felt very sick'. But, oh, why 'olfactory + nerves'? Was it vulgar in early Victorian days to call a nose a nose? + </p> + <p> + How far different would have been Dickens's treatment of such characters + and such a scene; out of Mrs. Davis and Norah he would have extracted fun, + and it would never have entered into his mind to have brought such a man + as Charley into contact with them in a manner that must hurt that young + hero's susceptibilities. Thackeray would have followed a third way, + judging by his treatment of the Fotheringay and Captain Costigan, partly + humorous, partly satirical, partly serious. + </p> + <p> + Trollope was not endowed with any spark of wit, his satire tends towards + the obvious, and his humour is mild, almost unconscious, as if he could + depict for us what of the humorous came under his observation without + himself seeing the fun in it. Where he sets forth with intent to be + humorous he sometimes attains almost to the tragic; there are few things + so sad as a joke that misses fire or a jester without sense of humour. + </p> + <p> + Of the genius of a writer of fiction there is scarce any other test so + sure as this of the reality of his characters. Few are the authors that + have created for us figures of fiction that are more alive to us than the + historic shadows of the past, whose dead bones historians do not seem to + be able to clothe with flesh and blood. Trollope hovers on the border line + between genius and great talent, or rather it would be more fair to say + that with regard to him opinions may justly differ. For our own part we + hold that his was not talent streaked with genius, but rather a jog-trot + genius alloyed with mediocrity. He lacked the supreme unconsciousness of + supreme genius, for of genius as of talent there are degrees. There are + characters in <i>The Three Clerks</i> that live; those who have read the + tale must now and again when passing Norfolk Street, Strand, regret that + it would be waste of time to turn down that rebuilt thoroughfare in search + of 'The Pig and Whistle', which was 'one of these small tranquil shrines + of Bacchus in which the god is worshipped with as constant a devotion, + though with less noisy demonstration of zeal than in his larger and more + public temples'. Alas; lovers of Victorian London must lament that such + shrines grow fewer day by day; the great thoroughfares know them no more; + they hide nervously in old-world corners, and in them you will meet + old-world characters, who not seldom seem to have lost themselves on their + way to the pages of Charles Dickens. + </p> + <p> + Despite the advent of electric tramways, Hampton would still be recognized + by the three clerks, 'the little village of Hampton, with its + old-fashioned country inn, and its bright, quiet, grassy river.' Hampton + is now as it then was, the 'well-loved resort of cockneydom'. + </p> + <p> + So let us alight from the tramcar at Hampton, and look about on the + outskirts of the village for 'a small old-fashioned brick house, abutting + on the road, but looking from its front windows on to a lawn and garden, + which stretched down to the river'. Surbiton Cottage it is called. Let us + peep in at that merry, happy family party; and laugh at Captain Cuttwater, + waking from his placid sleep, rubbing his eyes in wonderment, and asking, + 'What the devil is all the row about?' But it is only with our mind's eye + that we can see Surbiton Cottage—a cottage in the air it is, but + more substantial to some of us than many a real jerry-built villa of red + brick and stucco. + </p> + <p> + Old-fashioned seem to us the folk who once dwelt there, old-fashioned in + all save that their hearts were true and their outlook on life sane and + clean; they live still, though their clothes be of a quaint fashion and + their talk be of yesterday. + </p> + <p> + Who knows but that they will live long after we who love them shall be + dead and turned to dust? + </p> + <h4> + W. TEIGNMOUTH SHORE. + </h4> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER I. — THE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES + </h2> + <p> + All the English world knows, or knows of, that branch of the Civil Service + which is popularly called the Weights and Measures. Every inhabitant of + London, and every casual visitor there, has admired the handsome edifice + which generally goes by that name, and which stands so conspicuously + confronting the Treasury Chambers. It must be owned that we have but a + slip-slop way of christening our public buildings. When a man tells us + that he called on a friend at the Horse Guards, or looked in at the Navy + Pay, or dropped a ticket at the Woods and Forests, we put up with the + accustomed sounds, though they are in themselves, perhaps, indefensible. + The 'Board of Commissioners for Regulating Weights and Measures', and the + 'Office of the Board of Commissioners for Regulating Weights and + Measures', are very long phrases; and as, in the course of this tale, + frequent mention will be made of the public establishment in question, the + reader's comfort will be best consulted by maintaining its popular though + improper denomination. + </p> + <p> + It is generally admitted that the Weights and Measures is a well-conducted + public office; indeed, to such a degree of efficiency has it been brought + by its present very excellent secretary, the two very worthy + assistant-secretaries, and especially by its late most respectable chief + clerk, that it may be said to stand quite alone as a high model for all + other public offices whatever. It is exactly antipodistic of the + Circumlocution Office, and as such is always referred to in the House of + Commons by the gentleman representing the Government when any attack on + the Civil Service, generally, is being made. + </p> + <p> + And when it is remembered how great are the interests entrusted to the + care of this board, and of these secretaries and of that chief clerk, it + must be admitted that nothing short of superlative excellence ought to + suffice the nation. All material intercourse between man and man must be + regulated, either justly or unjustly, by weights and measures; and as we + of all people depend most on such material intercourse, our weights and + measures should to us be a source of never-ending concern. And then that + question of the decimal coinage! is it not in these days of paramount + importance? Are we not disgraced by the twelve pennies in our shilling, by + the four farthings in our penny? One of the worthy assistant-secretaries, + the worthier probably of the two, has already grown pale beneath the + weight of this question. But he has sworn within himself, with all the + heroism of a Nelson, that he will either do or die. He will destroy the + shilling or the shilling shall destroy him. In his more ardent moods he + thinks that he hears the noise of battle booming round him, and talks to + his wife of Westminster Abbey or a peerage. Then what statistical work of + the present age has shown half the erudition contained in that essay + lately published by the secretary on <i>The Market Price of Coined Metals</i>? + What other living man could have compiled that chronological table which + is appended to it, showing the comparative value of the metallic currency + for the last three hundred years? Compile it indeed! What other secretary + or assistant-secretary belonging to any public office of the present day, + could even read it and live? It completely silenced Mr. Muntz for a + session, and even <i>The Times</i> was afraid to review it. + </p> + <p> + Such a state of official excellence has not, however, been obtained + without its drawbacks, at any rate in the eyes of the unambitious tyros + and unfledged novitiates of the establishment. It is a very fine thing to + be pointed out by envying fathers as a promising clerk in the Weights and + Measures, and to receive civil speeches from mammas with marriageable + daughters. But a clerk in the Weights and Measures is soon made to + understand that it is not for him to— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Sport with Amaryllis in the shade. +</pre> + <p> + It behoves him that his life should be grave and his pursuits laborious, + if he intends to live up to the tone of those around him. And as, sitting + there at his early desk, his eyes already dim with figures, he sees a + jaunty dandy saunter round the opposite corner to the Council Office at + eleven o'clock, he cannot but yearn after the pleasures of idleness. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Were it not better done, as others use? +</pre> + <p> + he says or sighs. But then comes Phoebus in the guise of the chief clerk, + and touches his trembling ears— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + As he pronounces lastly on each deed, + Of so much fame, in Downing Street—expect the meed. +</pre> + <p> + And so the high tone of the office is maintained. + </p> + <p> + Such is the character of the Weights and Measures at this present period + of which we are now treating. The exoteric crowd of the Civil Service, + that is, the great body of clerks attached to other offices, regard their + brethren of the Weights as prigs and pedants, and look on them much as a + master's favourite is apt to be regarded by other boys at school. But this + judgement is an unfair one. Prigs and pedants, and hypocrites too, there + are among them, no doubt—but there are also among them many stirred + by an honourable ambition to do well for their country and themselves, and + to two such men the reader is now requested to permit himself to be + introduced. + </p> + <p> + Henry Norman, the senior of the two, is the second son of a gentleman of + small property in the north of England. He was educated at a public + school, and thence sent to Oxford; but before he had finished his first + year at Brasenose his father was obliged to withdraw him from it, finding + himself unable to bear the expense of a university education for his two + sons. His elder son at Cambridge was extravagant; and as, at the critical + moment when decision became necessary, a nomination in the Weights and + Measures was placed at his disposal, old Mr. Norman committed the not + uncommon injustice of preferring the interests of his elder but faulty son + to those of the younger with whom no fault had been found, and deprived + his child of the chance of combining the glories and happiness of a double + first, a fellow, a college tutor, and a don. + </p> + <p> + Whether Harry Norman gained or lost most by the change we need not now + consider, but at the age of nineteen he left Oxford and entered on his new + duties. It must not, however, be supposed that this was a step which he + took without difficulty and without pause. It is true that the grand + modern scheme for competitive examinations had not as yet been composed. + Had this been done, and had it been carried out, how awful must have been + the cramming necessary to get a lad into the Weights and Measures! But, + even as things were then, it was no easy matter for a young man to + convince the chief clerk that he had all the acquirements necessary for + the high position to which he aspired. + </p> + <p> + Indeed, that chief clerk was insatiable, and generally succeeded in making + every candidate conceive the very lowest opinion of himself and his own + capacities before the examination was over. Some, of course, were sent + away at once with ignominy, as evidently incapable. Many retired in the + middle of it with a conviction that they must seek their fortunes at the + bar, or in medical pursuits, or some other comparatively easy walk of + life. Others were rejected on the fifth or sixth day as being deficient in + conic sections, or ignorant of the exact principles of hydraulic pressure. + And even those who were retained were so retained, as it were, by an act + of grace. The Weights and Measures was, and indeed is, like heaven—no + man can deserve it. No candidate can claim as his right to be admitted to + the fruition of the appointment which has been given to him. Henry Norman, + however, was found, at the close of his examination, to be the least + undeserving of the young men then under notice, and was duly installed in + his clerkship. + </p> + <p> + It need hardly be explained, that to secure so high a level of information + as that required at the Weights and Measures, a scale of salaries equally + exalted has been found necessary. Young men consequently enter at £100 a + year. We are speaking, of course, of that more respectable branch of the + establishment called the Secretary's Department. At none other of our + public offices do men commence with more than £90—except, of course, + at those in which political confidence is required. Political confidence + is indeed as expensive as hydraulic pressure, though generally found to be + less difficult of attainment. + </p> + <p> + Henry Norman, therefore, entered on his labours under good auspices, + having £10 per annum more for the business and pleasures of life in London + than most of his young brethren of the Civil Service. Whether this would + have sufficed of itself to enable him to live up to that tone of society + to which he had been accustomed cannot now be surmised, as very shortly + after his appointment an aunt died, from whom he inherited some £150 or + £200 a year. He was, therefore, placed above all want, and soon became a + shining light even in that bright gallery of spiritualized stars which + formed the corps of clerks in the Secretary's Office at the Weights and + Measures. + </p> + <p> + Young Norman was a good-looking lad when he entered the public service, + and in a few years he grew up to be a handsome man. He was tall and thin + and dark, muscular in his proportions, and athletic in his habits. From + the date of his first enjoyment of his aunt's legacy he had a wherry on + the Thames, and was soon known as a man whom it was hard for an amateur to + beat. He had a racket in a racket-court at St. John's Wood Road, and as + soon as fortune and merit increased his salary by another £100 a year, he + usually had a nag for the season. This, however, was not attained till he + was able to count five years' service in the Weights and Measures. He was, + as a boy, somewhat shy and reserved in his manners, and as he became older + he did not shake off the fault. He showed it, however, rather among men + than with women, and, indeed, in spite of his love of exercise, he + preferred the society of ladies to any of the bachelor gaieties of his + unmarried acquaintance. He was, nevertheless, frank and confident in those + he trusted, and true in his friendships, though, considering his age, too + slow in making a friend. Such was Henry Norman at the time at which our + tale begins. What were the faults in his character it must be the business + of the tale to show. + </p> + <p> + The other young clerk in this office to whom we alluded is Alaric Tudor. + He is a year older than Henry Norman, though he began his official career + a year later, and therefore at the age of twenty-one. How it happened that + he contrived to pass the scrutinizing instinct and deep powers of + examination possessed by the chief clerk, was a great wonder to his + friends, though apparently none at all to himself. He took the whole + proceeding very easily; while another youth alongside of him, who for a + year had been reading up for his promised nomination, was so awe-struck by + the severity of the proceedings as to lose his powers of memory and forget + the very essence of the differential calculus. + </p> + <p> + Of hydraulic pressure and the differential calculus young Tudor knew + nothing, and pretended to know nothing. He told the chief clerk that he + was utterly ignorant of all such matters, that his only acquirements were + a tolerably correct knowledge of English, French, and German, with a + smattering of Latin and Greek, and such an intimacy with the ordinary + rules of arithmetic and with the first books of Euclid, as he had been + able to pick up while acting as a tutor, rather than a scholar, in a small + German university. + </p> + <p> + The chief clerk raised his eyebrows and said he feared it would not do. A + clerk, however, was wanting. It was very clear that the young gentleman + who had only showed that he had forgotten his conic sections could not be + supposed to have passed. The austerity of the last few years had deterred + more young men from coming forward than the extra £10 had induced to do + so. One unfortunate, on the failure of all his hopes, had thrown himself + into the Thames from the neighbouring boat-stairs; and though he had been + hooked out uninjured by the man who always attends there with two wooden + legs, the effect on his parents' minds had been distressing. Shortly after + this occurrence the chief clerk had been invited to attend the Board, and + the Chairman of the Commissioners, who, on the occasion, was of course + prompted by the Secretary, recommended Mr. Hardlines to be a <i>leetle</i> + more lenient. In doing so the quantity of butter which he poured over Mr. + Hardlines' head and shoulders with the view of alleviating the misery + which such a communication would be sure to inflict, was very great. But, + nevertheless, Mr. Hardlines came out from the Board a crestfallen and + unhappy man. 'The service,' he said, 'would go to the dogs, and might do + for anything he cared, and he did not mind how soon. If the Board chose to + make the Weights and Measures a hospital for idiots, it might do so. He + had done what little lay in his power to make the office respectable; and + now, because mammas complained when their cubs of sons were not allowed to + come in there and rob the public and destroy the office books, he was to + be thwarted and reprimanded! He had been,' he said, 'eight-and-twenty + years in office, and was still in his prime—but he should,' he + thought, 'take advantage of the advice of his medical friends, and retire. + He would never remain there to see the Weights and Measures become a + hospital for incurables!' + </p> + <p> + It was thus that Mr. Hardlines, the chief clerk, expressed himself. He did + not, however, send in a medical certificate, nor apply for a pension; and + the first apparent effect of the little lecture which he had received from + the Chairman, was the admission into the service of Alaric Tudor. Mr. + Hardlines was soon forced to admit that the appointment was not a bad one, + as before his second year was over, young Tudor had produced a very smart + paper on the merits—or demerits—of the strike bushel. + </p> + <p> + Alaric Tudor when he entered the office was by no means so handsome a + youth as Harry Norman; but yet there was that in his face which was more + expressive, and perhaps more attractive. He was a much slighter man, + though equally tall. He could boast no adventitious capillary graces, + whereas young Norman had a pair of black curling whiskers, which almost + surrounded his face, and had been the delight and wonder of the + maidservants in his mother's house, when he returned home for his first + official holiday. Tudor wore no whiskers, and his light-brown hair was + usually cut so short as to give him something of the appearance of a clean + Puritan. But in manners he was no Puritan; nor yet in his mode of life. He + was fond of society, and at an early period of his age strove hard to + shine in it. He was ambitious; and lived with the steady aim of making the + most of such advantages as fate and fortune had put in his way. Tudor was + perhaps not superior to Norman in point of intellect; but he was + infinitely his superior in having early acquired a knowledge how best to + use such intellect as he had. + </p> + <p> + His education had been very miscellaneous, and disturbed by many causes, + but yet not ineffective or deficient. His father had been an officer in a + cavalry regiment, with a fair fortune, which he had nearly squandered in + early life. He had taken Alaric when little more than an infant, and a + daughter, his only other child, to reside in Brussels. Mrs. Tudor was then + dead, and the remainder of the household had consisted of a French + governess, a <i>bonne</i>, and a man-cook. Here Alaric remained till he + had perfectly acquired the French pronunciation, and very nearly as + perfectly forgotten the English. He was then sent to a private school in + England, where he remained till he was sixteen, returning home to Brussels + but once during those years, when he was invited to be present at his + sister's marriage with a Belgian banker. At the age of sixteen he lost his + father, who, on dying, did not leave behind him enough of the world's + wealth to pay for his own burial. His half-pay of course died with him, + and young Tudor was literally destitute. + </p> + <p> + His brother-in-law, the banker, paid for his half-year's schooling in + England, and then removed him to a German academy, at which it was + bargained that he should teach English without remuneration, and learn + German without expense. Whether he taught much English may be doubtful, + but he did learn German thoroughly; and in that, as in most other + transactions of his early life, certainly got the best of the bargain + which had been made for him. + </p> + <p> + At the age of twenty he was taken to the Brussels bank as a clerk; but + here he soon gave visible signs of disliking the drudgery which was + exacted from him. Not that he disliked banking. He would gladly have been + a partner with ever so small a share, and would have trusted to himself to + increase his stake. But there is a limit to the good nature of + brothers-in-law, even in Belgium; and Alaric was quite aware that no such + good luck as this could befall him, at any rate until he had gone through + many years of servile labour. His sister also, though sisterly enough in + her disposition to him, did not quite like having a brother employed as a + clerk in her husband's office. They therefore put their heads together, + and, as the Tudors had good family connexions in England, a nomination in + the Weights and Measures was procured. + </p> + <p> + The nomination was procured; but when it was ascertained how very short a + way this went towards the attainment of the desired object, and how much + more difficult it was to obtain Mr. Hardlines' approval than the Board's + favour, young Tudor's friends despaired, and recommended him to abandon + the idea, as, should he throw himself into the Thames, he might perhaps + fall beyond the reach of the waterman's hook. Alaric himself, however, had + no such fears. He could not bring himself to conceive that he could fail + in being fit for a clerkship in a public office, and the result of his + examination proved at any rate that he had been right to try. + </p> + <p> + The close of his first year's life in London found him living in lodgings + with Henry Norman. At that time Norman's income was nearly three times as + good as his own. To say that Tudor selected his companion because of his + income would be to ascribe unjustly to him vile motives and a mean + instinct. He had not done so. The two young men had been thrown together + by circumstances. They worked at the same desk, liked each other's + society, and each being alone in the world, thereby not unnaturally came + together. But it may probably be said that had Norman been as poor as + Tudor, Tudor might probably have shrunk from rowing in the same boat with + him. + </p> + <p> + As it was they lived together and were fast allies; not the less so that + they did not agree as to many of their avocations. Tudor, at his friend's + solicitation, had occasionally attempted to pull an oar from Searle's slip + to Battersea bridge. But his failure in this line was so complete, and he + had to encounter so much of Norman's raillery, which was endurable, and of + his instruction, which was unendurable, that he very soon gave up the + pursuit. He was not more successful with a racket; and keeping a horse was + of course out of the question. + </p> + <p> + They had a bond of union in certain common friends whom they much loved, + and with whom they much associated. At least these friends soon became + common to them. The acquaintance originally belonged to Norman, and he had + first cemented his friendship with Tudor by introducing him at the house + of Mrs. Woodward. Since he had done so, the one young man was there nearly + as much as the other. + </p> + <p> + Who and what the Woodwards were shall be told in a subsequent chapter. As + they have to play as important a part in the tale about to be told as our + two friends of the Weights and Measures, it would not be becoming to + introduce them at the end of this. + </p> + <p> + As regards Alaric Tudor it need only be further said, by way of preface, + of him as of Harry Norman, that the faults of his character must be made + to declare themselves in the course of our narrative. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER II. — THE INTERNAL NAVIGATION + </h2> + <p> + The London world, visitors as well as residents, are well acquainted also + with Somerset House; and it is moreover tolerably well known that Somerset + House is a nest of public offices, which are held to be of less + fashionable repute than those situated in the neighbourhood of Downing + Street, but are not so decidedly plebeian as the Custom House, Excise, and + Post Office. + </p> + <p> + But there is one branch of the Civil Service located in Somerset House, + which has little else to redeem it from the lowest depths of official + vulgarity than the ambiguous respectability of its material position. This + is the office of the Commissioners of Internal Navigation. The duties to + be performed have reference to the preservation of canal banks, the tolls + to be levied at locks, and disputes with the Admiralty as to points + connected with tidal rivers. The rooms are dull and dark, and saturated + with the fog which rises from the river, and their only ornament is here + and there some dusty model of an improved barge. Bargees not unfrequently + scuffle with hobnailed shoes through the passages, and go in and out, + leaving behind them a smell of tobacco, to which the denizens of the place + are not unaccustomed. + </p> + <p> + Indeed, the whole office is apparently infected with a leaven of bargedom. + Not a few of the men are employed from time to time in the somewhat + lethargic work of inspecting the banks and towing-paths of the canals + which intersect the country. This they generally do seated on a load of + hay, or perhaps of bricks, in one of those long, ugly, shapeless boats, + which are to be seen congregating in the neighbourhood of Brentford. So + seated, they are carried along at the rate of a mile and a half an hour, + and usually while away the time in gentle converse with the man at the + rudder, or in silent abstraction over a pipe. + </p> + <p> + But the dullness of such a life as this is fully atoned for by the + excitement of that which follows it in London. The men of the Internal + Navigation are known to be fast, nay, almost furious in their pace of + living; not that they are extravagant in any great degree, a fault which + their scale of salaries very generally forbids; but they are one and all + addicted to Coal Holes and Cider Cellars; they dive at midnight hours into + Shades, and know all the back parlours of all the public-houses in the + neighbourhood of the Strand. Here they leave messages for one another, and + call the girl at the bar by her Christian name. They are a set of men + endowed with sallow complexions, and they wear loud clothing, and spend + more money in gin-and-water than in gloves. + </p> + <p> + The establishment is not unusually denominated the 'Infernal Navigation', + and the gentlemen employed are not altogether displeased at having it so + called. The 'Infernal Navvies', indeed, rather glory in the name. The + navvies of Somerset House are known all over London, and there are those + who believe that their business has some connexion with the rivers or + railroads of that bourne from whence no traveller returns. Looking, + however, from their office windows into the Thames, one might be tempted + to imagine that the infernal navigation with which they are connected is + not situated so far distant from the place of their labours. + </p> + <p> + The spirit who guards the entrance into this elysium is by no means so + difficult to deal with as Mr. Hardlines. And it was well that it was so + some few years since for young Charley Tudor, a cousin of our friend + Alaric; for Charley Tudor could never have passed muster at the Weights + and Measures. Charles Tudor, the third of the three clerks alluded to in + our title-page, is the son of a clergyman, who has a moderate living on + the Welsh border, in Shropshire. Had he known to what sort of work he was + sending his son, he might probably have hesitated before he accepted for + him a situation in the Internal Navigation Office. He was, however, too + happy in getting it to make many inquiries as to its nature. We none of us + like to look a gift-horse in the mouth. Old Mr. Tudor knew that a + clerkship in the Civil Service meant, or should mean, a respectable + maintenance for life, and having many young Tudors to maintain himself, he + was only too glad to find one of them provided for. + </p> + <p> + Charley Tudor was some few years younger than his cousin Alaric when he + came up to town, and Alaric had at that time some three or four years' + experience of London life. The examination at the Internal Navigation was + certainly not to be so much dreaded as that at the Weights and Measures; + but still there was an examination; and Charley, who had not been the most + diligent of schoolboys, approached it with great dread after a preparatory + evening passed with the assistance of his cousin and Mr. Norman. + </p> + <p> + Exactly at ten in the morning he walked into the lobby of his future + workshop, and found no one yet there but two aged seedy messengers. He was + shown into a waiting-room, and there he remained for a couple of hours, + during which every clerk in the establishment came to have a look at him. + At last he was ushered into the Secretary's room. + </p> + <p> + 'Ah!' said the Secretary, 'your name is Tudor, isn't it?' + </p> + <p> + Charley confessed to the fact. + </p> + <p> + 'Yea,' said the Secretary, 'I have heard about you from Sir Gilbert de + Salop.' Now Sir Gilbert de Salop was the great family friend of this + branch of the Tudors. But Charley, finding that no remark suggested itself + to him at this moment concerning Sir Gilbert, merely said, 'Yes, sir.' + </p> + <p> + 'And you wish to serve the Queen?' said the Secretary. + </p> + <p> + Charley, not quite knowing whether this was a joke or not, said that he + did. + </p> + <p> + 'Quite right—it is a very fair ambition,' continued the great + official functionary—'quite right—but, mind you, Mr. Tudor, if + you come to us you must come to work. I hope you like hard work; you + should do so, if you intend to remain with us.' + </p> + <p> + Charley said that he thought he did rather like hard work. Hereupon a + senior clerk standing by, though a man not given to much laughter, smiled + slightly, probably in pity at the unceasing labour to which the youth was + about to devote himself. + </p> + <p> + 'The Internal Navigation requires great steadiness, good natural + abilities, considerable education, and—and—and no end of + application. Come, Mr. Tudor, let us see what you can do.' And so saying, + Mr. Oldeschole, the Secretary, motioned him to sit down at an office table + opposite to himself. + </p> + <p> + Charley did as he was bid, and took from the hands of his future master an + old, much-worn quill pen, with which the great man had been signing + minutes. + </p> + <p> + 'Now,' said the great man, 'just copy the few first sentences of that + leading article—either one will do,' and he pushed over to him a + huge newspaper. + </p> + <p> + To tell the truth, Charley did not know what a leading article was, and so + he sat abashed, staring at the paper. + </p> + <p> + 'Why don't you write?' asked the Secretary. + </p> + <p> + 'Where shall I begin, sir?' stammered poor Charley, looking piteously into + the examiner's face. + </p> + <p> + 'God bless my soul! there; either of those leading articles,' and leaning + over the table, the Secretary pointed to a particular spot. + </p> + <p> + Hereupon Charley began his task in a large, ugly, round hand, neither that + of a man nor of a boy, and set himself to copy the contents of the paper. + 'The name of Pacifico stinks in the nostril of the British public. It is + well known to all the world how sincerely we admire the vers<i>i</i>tility + of Lord Palmerston's genius; how cordially we s<i>i</i>mpathize with his + patriotic energies. But the admiration which even a Palmerston inspires + must have a bound, and our s<i>i</i>mpathy may be called on too far. When + we find ourselves asked to pay—'. By this time Charley had half + covered the half-sheet of foolscap which had been put before him, and here + at the word 'pay' he unfortunately suffered a large blot of ink to fall on + the paper. + </p> + <p> + 'That won't do, Mr. Tudor, that won't do—come, let us look,' and + stretching over again, the Secretary took up the copy. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh dear! oh dear! this is very bad; versatility with an 'i!'—sympathy + with an 'i!' sympathize with an 'i!' Why, Mr. Tudor, you must be very fond + of 'i's' down in Shropshire.' + </p> + <p> + Charley looked sheepish, but of course said nothing. + </p> + <p> + 'And I never saw a viler hand in my life. Oh dear, oh dear, I must send + you back to Sir Gilbert. Look here, Snape, this will never do—never + do for the Internal Navigation, will it?' + </p> + <p> + Snape, the attendant senior clerk, said, as indeed he could not help + saying, that the writing was very bad. + </p> + <p> + 'I never saw worse in my life,' said the Secretary. 'And now, Mr. Tudor, + what do you know of arithmetic?' + </p> + <p> + Charley said that he thought he knew arithmetic pretty well;—'at + least some of it,' he modestly added. + </p> + <p> + 'Some of it!' said the Secretary, slightly laughing. 'Well, I'll tell you + what—this won't do at all;' and he took the unfortunate manuscript + between his thumb and forefinger. 'You had better go home and endeavour to + write something a little better than this. Mind, if it is not very much + better it won't do. And look here; take care that you do it yourself. If + you bring me the writing of any one else, I shall be sure to detect you. I + have not any more time now; as to arithmetic, we'll examine you in 'some + of it' to-morrow.' + </p> + <p> + So Charley, with a faint heart, went back to his cousin's lodgings and + waited till the two friends had arrived from the Weights and Measures. The + men there made a point of staying up to five o'clock, as is the case with + all model officials, and it was therefore late before he could get himself + properly set to work. But when they did arrive, preparations for + calligraphy were made on a great scale; a volume of Gibbon was taken down, + new quill pens, large and small, and steel pens by various makers were + procured; cream-laid paper was provided, and ruled lines were put beneath + it. And when this was done, Charley was especially cautioned to copy the + spelling as well as the wording. + </p> + <p> + He worked thus for an hour before dinner, and then for three hours in the + evening, and produced a very legible copy of half a chapter of the + 'Decline and Fall.' + </p> + <p> + 'I didn't think they examined at all at the Navigation,' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I believe it's quite a new thing,' said Alaric Tudor. 'The + schoolmaster must be abroad with a vengeance, if he has got as far as + that.' + </p> + <p> + And then they carefully examined Charley's work, crossed his t's, dotted + his i's, saw that his spelling was right, and went to bed. + </p> + <p> + Again, punctually at ten o'clock, Charley presented himself at the + Internal Navigation; and again saw the two seedy old messengers warming + themselves at the lobby fire. On this occasion he was kept three hours in + the waiting-room, and some of the younger clerks ventured to come and + speak to him. At length Mr. Snape appeared, and desired the acolyte to + follow him. Charley, supposing that he was again going to the awful + Secretary, did so with a palpitating heart. But he was led in another + direction into a large room, carrying his manuscript neatly rolled in his + hand. Here Mr. Snape introduced him to five other occupants of the + chamber; he, Mr. Snape himself, having a separate desk there, being, in + official parlance, the head of the room. Charley was told to take a seat + at a desk, and did so, still thinking that the dread hour of his + examination was soon to come. His examination, however, was begun and + over. No one ever asked for his calligraphic manuscript, and as to his + arithmetic, it may be presumed that his assurance that he knew 'some of + it,' was deemed to be adequate evidence of sufficient capacity. And in + this manner, Charley Tudor became one of the Infernal Navvies. + </p> + <p> + He was a gay-hearted, thoughtless, rollicking young lad, when he came up + to town; and it may therefore be imagined that he easily fell into the + peculiar ways and habits of the office. A short bargee's pilot-coat, and a + pipe of tobacco, were soon familiar to him; and he had not been six months + in London before he had his house-of-call in a cross lane running between + Essex Street and Norfolk Street. 'Mary, my dear, a screw of bird's-eye!' + came quite habitually to his lips; and before his fist year was out, he + had volunteered a song at the Buckingham Shades. + </p> + <p> + The assurance made to him on his first visit to the office by Mr. + Secretary Oldeschole, that the Internal Navigation was a place of + herculean labours, had long before this time become matter to him of + delightful ridicule. He had found himself to be one of six young men, who + habitually spent about five hours a day together in the same room, and + whose chief employment was to render the life of the wretched Mr. Snape as + unendurable as possible. There were copies to be written, and entries to + be made, and books to be indexed. But these things were generally done by + some extra hand, as to the necessity of whose attendance for such purpose + Mr. Snape was forced to certify. But poor Snape knew that he had no + alternative. He rule six unruly young navvies! There was not one of them + who did not well know how to make him tremble in his shoes. + </p> + <p> + Poor Mr. Snape had selected for his own peculiar walk in life a character + for evangelical piety. Whether he was a hypocrite—as all the navvies + averred—or a man sincere as far as one so weak could accomplish + sincerity, it is hardly necessary for us to inquire. He was not by nature + an ill-natured man, but he had become by education harsh to those below + him, and timid and cringing with those above. In the former category must + by no means be included the six young men who were nominally under his + guidance. They were all but acknowledged by him as his superiors. Ignorant + as they were, they could hardly be more so than he. Useless as they were, + they did as much for the public service as he did. He sometimes complained + of them; but it was only when their misconduct had been so loud as to make + it no longer possible that he should not do so. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Snape being thus by character and predilection a religious man, and + having on various occasions in olden days professed much horror at having + his ears wounded by conversation which was either immoral or profane, it + had of course become the habitual practice of the navvies to give + continual utterance to every description of ribaldry and blasphemy for his + especial edification. Doubtless it may be concluded from the habits of the + men, that even without such provocation, their talk would have exceeded + the yea, yea, and nay, nay, to which young men should confine themselves. + But they especially concerted schemes of blasphemy and dialogues of + iniquity for Mr. Snape's particular advantage; and continued daily this + disinterested amusement, till at last an idea got abroad among them that + Mr. Snape liked it. Then they changed their tactics and canted through + their noses in the manner which they imagined to be peculiar to methodist + preachers. So on the whole, Mr. Snape had an uneasy life of it at the + Internal Navigation. + </p> + <p> + Into all these malpractices Charley Tudor plunged headlong. And how should + it have been otherwise? How can any youth of nineteen or twenty do other + than consort himself with the daily companions of his usual avocations? + Once and again, in one case among ten thousand, a lad may be found formed + of such stuff, that he receives neither the good nor the bad impulses of + those around him. But such a one is a <i>lapsus naturae</i>. He has been + born without the proper attributes of youth, or at any rate, brought up so + as to have got rid of them. + </p> + <p> + Such, a one, at any rate, Charley Tudor was not. He was a little shocked + at first by the language he heard; but that feeling soon wore off. His + kind heart, also, in the first month of his novitiate, sympathized with + the daily miseries of Mr. Snape; but he also soon learnt to believe that + Mr. Snape was a counterfeit, and after the first half year could torture + him with as much gusto as any of his brethren. Alas! no evil tendency + communicates itself among young men more quickly than cruelty. Those + infernal navvies were very cruel to Mr. Snape. + </p> + <p> + And yet young Tudor was a lad of a kindly heart, of a free, honest, open + disposition, deficient in no proportion of mind necessary to make an + estimable man. But he was easily malleable, and he took at once the full + impression of the stamp to which he was subjected. Had he gone into the + Weights and Measures, a hypothesis which of course presumes a total + prostration of the intellects and energy of Mr. Hardlines, he would have + worked without a groan from ten till five, and have become as good a model + as the best of them. As it was, he can be hardly said to have worked at + all, soon became <i>facile princeps</i> in the list of habitual idlers, + and was usually threatened once a quarter with dismissal, even from that + abode of idleness, in which the very nature of true work was unknown. + </p> + <p> + Some tidings of Charley's doings in London, and non-doings at the Internal + Navigation, of course found their way to the Shropshire parsonage. His + dissipation was not of a very costly kind; but £90 per annum will hardly + suffice to afford an ample allowance of gin-and-water and bird's-eye + tobacco, over and above the other wants of a man's life. Bills arrived + there requiring payment; and worse than this, letters also came through + Sir Gilbert de Salop from Mr. Oldeschole, the Secretary, saying that young + Tudor was disgracing the office, and lowering the high character of the + Internal Navigation; and that he must be removed, unless he could be + induced to alter his line of life, &c. + </p> + <p> + Urgent austere letters came from the father, and fond heart-rending + appeals from the mother. Charley's heart was rent. It was, at any rate, a + sign in him that he was not past hope of grace, that he never laughed at + these monitions, that he never showed such letters to his companions, + never quizzed his 'governor's' lectures, or made merry over the grief of + his mother. But if it be hard for a young man to keep in the right path + when he has not as yet strayed out of it, how much harder is it to return + to it when he has long since lost the track! It was well for the father to + write austere letters, well for the mother to make tender appeals, but + Charley could not rid himself of his companions, nor of his debts, nor yet + even of his habits. He could not get up in the morning and say that he + would at once be as his cousin Alaric, or as his cousin's friend, Mr. + Norman. It is not by our virtues or our vices that we are judged, even by + those who know us best; but by such credit for virtues or for vices as we + may have acquired. Now young Tudor's credit for virtue was very slight, + and he did not know how to extend it. + </p> + <p> + At last papa and mamma Tudor came up to town to make one last effort to + save their son; and also to save, on his behalf, the valuable official + appointment which he held. He had now been three years in his office, and + his salary had risen to £110 per annum. £110 per annum was worth saving if + it could be saved. The plan adopted by Mrs. Tudor was that of beseeching + their cousin Alaric to take Charley under his especial wing. + </p> + <p> + When Charley first arrived in town, the fact of Alaric and Norman living + together had given the former a good excuse for not offering to share his + lodgings with his cousin. Alaric, with the advantage in age of three or + four years—at that period of life the advantage lies in that + direction—with his acquired experience of London life, and also with + all the wondrous éclat of the Weights and Measures shining round him, had + perhaps been a little too unwilling to take by the hand a rustic cousin + who was about to enter life under the questionable auspices of the + Internal Navigation. He had helped Charley to transcribe the chapter of + Gibbon, and had, it must be owned, lent him from time to time a few odd + pounds in his direst necessities. But their course in life had hitherto + been apart. Of Norman, Charley had seen less even than of his cousin. + </p> + <p> + And now it became a difficult question with Alaric how he was to answer + the direct appeal made to him by Mrs. Tudor;—'Pray, pray let him + live with you, if it be only for a year, Alaric,' the mother had said, + with the tears running down her cheeks. 'You are so good, so discreet, so + clever—you can save him.' Alaric promised, or was ready to promise, + anything else, but hesitated as to the joint lodgings. 'How could he + manage it,' said he, 'living, as he was, with another man? He feared that + Mr. Norman would not accede to such an arrangement. As for himself, he + would do anything but leave his friend Norman.' To tell the truth, Alaric + thought much, perhaps too much, of the respectability of those with whom + he consorted. He had already begun to indulge ambitious schemes, already + had ideas stretching even beyond the limits of the Weights and Measures, + and fully intended to make the very most of himself. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Tudor, in her deep grief, then betook herself to Mr. Norman, though + with that gentleman she had not even the slightest acquaintance. With a + sulking heart, with a consciousness of her unreasonableness, but with the + eloquence of maternal sorrow, she made her request. Mr. Norman heard her + out with all the calm propriety of the Weights and Measures, begged to + have a day to consider, and then acceded to the request. + </p> + <p> + 'I think we ought to do it,' said he to Alaric. The mother's tears had + touched his heart, and his sense of duty had prevailed. Alaric, of course, + could now make no further objection, and thus Charley the Navvy became + domesticated with his cousin Alaric and Harry Norman. + </p> + <p> + The first great question to be settled, and it is a very great question + with a young man, was that of latch-key or no latch-key. Mrs. Richards, + the landlady, when she made ready the third bedroom for the young + gentleman, would, as was her wont in such matters, have put a latch-key on + the toilet-table as a matter of course, had she not had some little + conversation with Mamma Tudor regarding her son. Mamma Tudor had implored + and coaxed, and probably bribed Mrs. Richards to do something more than + 'take her son in and do for him'; and Mrs. Richards, as her first + compliance with these requests, had kept the latch-key in her own pocket. + So matters went on for a week; but when Mrs. Richards found that her + maidservant was never woken by Mr. Charley's raps after midnight, and that + she herself was obliged to descend in her dressing-gown, she changed her + mind, declared to herself that it was useless to attempt to keep a grown + gentleman in leading-strings, and put the key on the table on the second + Monday morning. + </p> + <p> + As none of the three men ever dined at home, Alaric and Norman having + clubs which they frequented, and Charley eating his dinner at some + neighbouring dining-house, it may be imagined that this change of + residence did our poor navvy but little good. It had, however, a salutary + effect on him, at any rate at first. He became shamed into a quieter and + perhaps cleaner mode of dressing himself; he constrained himself to sit + down to breakfast with his monitors at half-past eight, and was at any + rate so far regardful of Mrs. Richards as not to smoke in his bedroom, and + to come home sober enough to walk upstairs without assistance every night + for the first month. + </p> + <p> + But perhaps the most salutary effect made by this change on young Tudor + was this, that he was taken by his cousin one Sunday to the Woodwards. + Poor Charley had had but small opportunity of learning what are the + pleasures of decent society. He had gone headlong among the infernal + navvies too quickly to allow of that slow and gradual formation of decent + alliances which is all in all to a young man entering life. A boy is + turned loose into London, and desired to choose the good and eschew the + bad. Boy as he is, he might probably do so if the opportunity came in his + way. But no such chance is afforded him. To eschew the bad is certainly + possible for him; but as to the good, he must wait till he be chosen. This + it is, that is too much for him. He cannot live without society, and so he + falls. + </p> + <p> + Society, an ample allowance of society, this is the first requisite which + a mother should seek in sending her son to live alone in London; balls, + routs, picnics, parties; women, pretty, well-dressed, witty, + easy-mannered; good pictures, elegant drawing rooms, well got-up books, + Majolica and Dresden china—these are the truest guards to protect a + youth from dissipation and immorality. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + These are the books, the arts, the academes + That show, contain, and nourish all the world, +</pre> + <p> + if only a youth could have them at his disposal. Some of these things, + though by no means all, Charley Tudor encountered at the Woodwards. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER III. — THE WOODWARDS + </h2> + <p> + It is very difficult nowadays to say where the suburbs of London come to + an end, and where the country begins. The railways, instead of enabling + Londoners to live in the country, have turned the country into a city. + London will soon assume the shape of a great starfish. The old town, + extending from Poplar to Hammersmith, will be the nucleus, and the various + railway lines will be the projecting rays. + </p> + <p> + There are still, however, some few nooks within reach of the metropolis + which have not been be-villaged and be-terraced out of all look of rural + charm, and the little village of Hampton, with its old-fashioned country + inn, and its bright, quiet, grassy river, is one of them, in spite of the + triple metropolitan waterworks on the one side, and the close vicinity on + the other of Hampton Court, that well-loved resort of cockneydom. + </p> + <p> + It was here that the Woodwards lived. Just on the outskirts of the + village, on the side of it farthest from town, they inhabited not a villa, + but a small old-fashioned brick house, abutting on to the road, but + looking from its front windows on to a lawn and garden, which stretched + down to the river. + </p> + <p> + The grounds were not extensive, being included, house and all, in an area + of an acre and a half: but the most had been made of it; it sloped + prettily to the river, and was absolutely secluded from the road. Thus + Surbiton Cottage, as it was called, though it had no pretension to the + grandeur of a country-house, was a desirable residence for a moderate + family with a limited income. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward's family, for there was no Mr. Woodward in the case, + consisted of herself and three daughters. There was afterwards added to + this an old gentleman, an uncle of Mrs. Woodward's, but he had not arrived + at the time at which we would wish first to introduce our readers to + Hampton. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward was the widow of a clergyman who had held a living in + London, and had resided there. He had, however, died when two of his + children were very young, and while the third was still a baby. From that + time Mrs. Woodward had lived at the cottage at Hampton, and had there + maintained a good repute, paying her way from month to month as widows + with limited incomes should do, and devoting herself to the amusements and + education of her daughters. + </p> + <p> + It was not, probably, from any want of opportunity to cast them aside, + that Mrs. Woodward had remained true to her weeds; for at the time of her + husband's death she was a young and a very pretty woman; and an income of + £400 a year, though moderate enough for all the wants of a gentleman's + family, would no doubt have added sufficiently to her charms to have + procured her a second alliance, had she been so minded. + </p> + <p> + Twelve years, however, had now elapsed since Mr. Woodward had been + gathered to his fathers, and the neighbouring world of Hampton, who had + all of them declared over and over again that the young widow would + certainly marry again, were now becoming as unanimous in their expressed + opinion that the old widow knew the value of her money too well to risk it + in the keeping of the best he that ever wore boots. + </p> + <p> + At the date at which our story commences, she was a comely little woman, + past forty, somewhat below the middle height, rather <i>embonpoint</i>, as + widows of forty should be, with pretty fat feet, and pretty fat hands; + wearing just a <i>soupçon</i> of a widow's cap on her head, with her hair, + now slightly grey, parted in front, and brushed very smoothly, but not too + carefully, in <i>bandeaux</i> over her forehead. + </p> + <p> + She was a quick little body, full of good-humour, slightly given to + repartee, and perhaps rather too impatient of a fool. But though averse to + a fool, she could sympathize with folly. A great poet has said that women + are all rakes at heart; and there was something of the rake at heart about + Mrs. Woodward. She never could be got to express adequate horror at fast + young men, and was apt to have her own sly little joke at women who prided + themselves on being punctilious. She could, perhaps, the more safely + indulge in this, as scandal had never even whispered a word against + herself. + </p> + <p> + With her daughters she lived on terms almost of equality. The two elder + were now grown up; that is, they were respectively eighteen and seventeen + years old. They were devotedly attached to their mother, looked on her as + the only perfect woman in existence, and would willingly do nothing that + could vex her; but they perhaps were not quite so systematically obedient + to her as children should be to their only surviving parent. Mrs. + Woodward, however, found nothing amiss, and no one else therefore could + well have a right to complain. + </p> + <p> + They were both pretty—but Gertrude, the elder, was by far the more + strikingly so. They were, nevertheless, much alike; they both had rich + brown hair, which they, like their mother, wore simply parted over the + forehead. They were both somewhat taller than her, and were nearly of a + height. But in appearance, as in disposition, Gertrude carried by far the + greater air of command. She was the handsomer of the two, and the + cleverer. She could write French and nearly speak it, while her sister + could only read it. She could play difficult pieces from sight, which it + took her sister a morning's pains to practise. She could fill in and + finish a drawing, while her sister was still struggling, and struggling in + vain, with the first principles of the art. + </p> + <p> + But there was a softness about Linda, for such was the name of the second + Miss Woodward, which in the eyes of many men made up both for the superior + beauty and superior talent of Gertrude. Gertrude was, perhaps, hardly so + soft as so young a girl should be. In her had been magnified that spirit + of gentle raillery which made so attractive a part of her mother's + character. She enjoyed and emulated her mother's quick sharp sayings, but + she hardly did so with her mother's grace, and sometimes attempted it with + much more than her mother's severity. She also detested fools; but in + promulgating her opinion on this subject, she was too apt to declare who + the fools were whom she detested. + </p> + <p> + It may be thought that under such circumstances there could be but little + confidence between the sisters; but, nevertheless, in their early days, + they lived together as sisters should do. Gertrude, when she spoke of + fools, never intended to include Linda in the number; and Linda + appreciated too truly, and admired too thoroughly, her sister's beauty and + talent to be jealous of either. + </p> + <p> + Of the youngest girl, Katie, it is not necessary at present to say much. + At this time she was but thirteen years of age, and was a happy, pretty, + romping child. She gave fair promise to be at any rate equal to her + sisters in beauty, and in mind was quick and intelligent. Her great taste + was for boating, and the romance of her life consisted in laying out ideal + pleasure-grounds, and building ideal castles in a little reedy island or + ait which lay out in the Thames, a few perches from the drawing-room + windows. + </p> + <p> + Such was the family of the Woodwards. Harry Norman's father and Mr. + Woodward had been first cousins, and hence it had been quite natural that + when Norman came up to reside in London he should be made welcome to + Surbiton Cottage. He had so been made welcome, and had thus got into a + habit of spending his Saturday evenings and Sundays at the home of his + relatives. In summer he could row up in his own wherry, and land himself + and carpet-bag direct on the Woodwards' lawn, and in the winter he came + down by the Hampton Court five p.m. train—and in each case he + returned on the Monday morning. Thus, as regards that portion of his time + which was most his own, he may be said almost to have lived at Surbiton + Cottage, and if on any Sunday he omitted to make his appearance, the + omission was ascribed by the ladies of Hampton, in some half-serious sort + of joke, to metropolitan allurements and temptations which he ought to + have withstood. + </p> + <p> + When Tudor and Norman came to live together, it was natural enough that + Tudor also should be taken down to Surbiton Cottage. Norman could not + leave him on every Saturday without telling him much of his friends whom + he went to visit, and he could hardly say much of them without offering to + introduce his companion to them. Tudor accordingly went there, and it soon + came to pass that he also very frequently spent his Sundays at Hampton. + </p> + <p> + It must be remembered that at this time, the time, that is, of Norman and + Tudor's first entrance on their London life, the girls at Surbiton Cottage + were mere girls—that is, little more than children; they had not, as + it were, got their wings so as to be able to fly away when the provocation + to do so might come; they were, in short, Gertrude and Linda Woodward, and + not the Miss Woodwards: their drawers came down below their frocks, + instead of their frocks below their drawers; and in lieu of studying the + French language, as is done by grown-up ladies, they did French lessons, + as is the case with ladies who are not grown-up. Under these circumstances + there was no embarrassment as to what the young people should call each + other, and they soon became very intimate as Harry and Alaric, Gertrude + and Linda. + </p> + <p> + It is not, however, to be conceived that Alaric Tudor at once took the + same footing in the house as Norman. This was far from being the case. In + the first place he never slept there, seeing that there was no bed for + him; and the most confidential intercourse in the household took place as + they sat cosy over the last embers of the drawing-room fire, chatting + about everything and nothing, as girls always can do, after Tudor had gone + away to his bed at the inn, on the opposite side of the way. And then + Tudor did not come on every Saturday, and at first did not do so without + express invitation; and although the girls soon habituated themselves to + the familiarity of their new friend's Christian name, it was some time + before Mrs. Woodward did so. + </p> + <p> + Two—three years soon flew by, and Linda and Gertrude became the Miss + Woodwards; their frocks were prolonged, their drawers curtailed, and the + lessons abandoned. But still Alaric Tudor and Harry Norman came to Hampton + not less frequently than of yore, and the world resident on that portion + of the left bank of the Thames found out that Harry Norman and Gertrude + Woodward were to be man and wife, and that Alaric Tudor and Linda Woodward + were to go through the same ceremony. They found this out, or said that + they had done so. But, as usual, the world was wrong; at least in part, + for at the time of which we are speaking no word of love-making had + passed, at any rate, between the last-named couple. + </p> + <p> + And what was Mrs. Woodward about all this time? Was she match-making or + match-marring; or was she negligently omitting the duties of a mother on + so important an occasion? She was certainly neither match-making nor + match-marring; but it was from no negligence that she was thus quiescent. + She knew, or thought she knew, that the two young men were fit to be + husbands to her daughters, and she felt that if the wish for such an + alliance should spring up between either pair, there was no reason why she + should interfere to prevent it. But she felt also that she should not + interfere to bring any such matter to pass. These young people had by + chance been thrown together. Should there be love-passages among them, as + it was natural to suppose there might be, it would be well. Should there + be none such, it would be well also. She thoroughly trusted her own + children, and did not distrust her friends; and so as regards Mrs. + Woodward the matter was allowed to rest. + </p> + <p> + We cannot say that on this matter we quite approve of her conduct, though + we cannot but admire the feeling which engendered it. Her daughters were + very young; though they had made such positive advances as have been above + described towards the discretion of womanhood, they were of the age when + they would have been regarded as mere boys had they belonged to the other + sex. The assertion made by Clara Van Artevelde, that women 'grow upon the + sunny side of the wall,' is doubtless true; but young ladies, gifted as + they are with such advantages, may perhaps be thought to require some + counsel, some advice, in those first tender years in which they so often + have to make or mar their fortunes. + </p> + <p> + Not that Mrs. Woodward gave them no advice; not but that she advised them + well and often—but she did so, perhaps, too much as an equal, too + little as a parent. + </p> + <p> + But, be that as it may—and I trust my readers will not be inclined + so early in our story to lean heavily on Mrs. Woodward, whom I at once + declare to be my own chief favourite in the tale—but, be that as it + may, it so occurred that Gertrude, before she was nineteen, had listened + to vows of love from Harry Norman, which she neither accepted nor + repudiated; and that Linda had, before she was eighteen, perhaps + unfortunately, taught herself to think it probable that she might have to + listen to vows of love from Alaric Tudor. + </p> + <p> + There had been no concealment between the young men as to their feelings. + Norman had told his friend scores of times that it was the first wish of + his heart to marry Gertrude Woodward; and had told him, moreover, what + were his grounds for hope, and what his reasons for despair. + </p> + <p> + 'She is as proud as a queen,' he had once said as he was rowing from + Hampton to Searle's Wharf, and lay on his oars as the falling tide carried + his boat softly past the green banks of Richmond—'she is as proud as + a queen, and yet as timid as a fawn. She lets me tell her that I love her, + but she will not say a word to me in reply; as for touching her in the way + of a caress, I should as soon think of putting my arm round a goddess.' + </p> + <p> + 'And why not put your arms round a goddess?' said Alaric, who was perhaps + a little bolder than his friend, and a little less romantic. To this Harry + answered nothing, but, laying his back to his work, swept on past the + gardens of Kew, and shot among the wooden dangers of Putney Bridge. + </p> + <p> + 'I wish you could bring yourself to make up to Linda,' said he, resting + again from his labours; 'that would make the matter so much easier.' + </p> + <p> + 'Bring myself!' said Alaric; 'what you mean is, that you wish I could + bring Linda to consent to be made up to.' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't think you would have much difficulty,' said Harry, finding it + much easier to answer for Linda than for her sister; 'but perhaps you + don't admire her?' + </p> + <p> + 'I think her by far the prettier of the two,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'That's nonsense,' said Harry, getting rather red in the face, and feeling + rather angry. + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed I do; and so, I am convinced, would most men. You need not murder + me, man. You want me to make up to Linda, and surely it will be better + that I should admire my own wife than yours.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! you may admire whom you like; but to say that she is prettier than + Gertrude—why, you know, it is nonsense.' + </p> + <p> + 'Very well, my dear fellow; then to oblige you, I'll fall in love with + Gertrude.' + </p> + <p> + 'I know you won't do that,' said Harry, 'for you are not so very fond of + each other; but, joking apart, I do wish so you would make up to Linda.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I will when <i>my</i> aunt leaves <i>me</i> £200 a year.' + </p> + <p> + There was no answering this; so the two men changed the conversation as + they walked up together from the boat wharf to the office of the Weights + and Measures. + </p> + <p> + It was just at this time that fortune and old Mr. Tudor, of the Shropshire + parsonage, brought Charley Tudor to reside with our two heroes. For the + first month, or six weeks, Charley was ruthlessly left by his companions + to get through his Sundays as best he could. It is to be hoped that he + spent them in divine worship; but it may, we fear, be surmised with more + probability, that he paid his devotions at the shrine of some very + inferior public-house deity in the neighbourhood of Somerset House. As a + matter of course, both Norman and Tudor spoke much of their new companion + to the ladies at Surbiton Cottage, and as by degrees they reported + somewhat favourably of his improved morals, Mrs. Woodward, with a woman's + true kindness, begged that he might be brought down to Hampton. + </p> + <p> + 'I am afraid you will find him very rough,' said his cousin Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'At any rate you will not find him a fool,' said Norman, who was always + the more charitable of the two. + </p> + <p> + 'Thank God for that!' said Mrs. Woodward,' and if he will come next + Saturday, let him by all means do so. Pray give my compliments to him, and + tell him how glad I shall be to see him.' + </p> + <p> + And thus was this wild wolf to be led into the sheep-cote; this infernal + navvy to be introduced among the angels of Surbiton Cottage. Mrs. Woodward + thought that she had a taste for reclaiming reprobates, and was determined + to try her hand on Charley Tudor. + </p> + <p> + Charley went, and his debut was perfectly successful. We have hitherto + only looked on the worst side of his character; but bad as his character + was, it had a better side. He was good-natured in the extreme, + kind-hearted and affectionate; and, though too apt to be noisy and even + boisterous when much encouraged, was not without a certain innate genuine + modesty, which the knowledge of his own iniquities had rather increased + than blunted; and, as Norman had said of him, he was no fool. His + education had not been good, and he had done nothing by subsequent reading + to make up for this deficiency; but he was well endowed with mother-wit, + and owed none of his deficiencies to nature's churlishness. + </p> + <p> + He came, and was well received. The girls thought he would surely get + drunk before he left the table, and Mrs. Woodward feared the austere + precision of her parlour-maid might be offended by some unworthy + familiarity; but no accident of either kind seemed to occur. He came to + the tea-table perfectly sober, and, as far as Mrs. Woodward could tell, + was unaware of the presence of the parlour-maiden. + </p> + <p> + On the Sunday morning, Charley went to church, just like a Christian. Now + Mrs. Woodward certainly had expected that he would have spent those two + hours in smoking and attacking the parlour-maid. He went to church, + however, and seemed in no whit astray there; stood up when others stood + up, and sat down when others sat down. After all, the infernal navvies, + bad as they doubtless were, knew something of the recognized manners of + civilized life. + </p> + <p> + Thus Charley Tudor ingratiated himself at Surbiton Cottage, and when he + left, received a kind intimation from its mistress that she would be glad + to see him again. No day was fixed, and so Charley could not accompany his + cousin and Harry Norman on the next Saturday; but it was not long before + he got another direct invitation, and so he also became intimate at + Hampton. There could be no danger of any one falling in love with him, for + Katie was still a child. + </p> + <p> + Things stood thus at Surbiton Cottage when Mrs. Woodward received a + proposition from a relative of her own, which surprised them all not a + little. This was from a certain Captain Cuttwater, who was a maternal + uncle to Mrs. Woodward, and consisted of nothing less than an offer to + come and live with them for the remaining term of his natural life. Now + Mrs. Woodward's girls had seen very little of their grand-uncle, and what + little they had seen had only taught them to laugh at him. When his name + was mentioned in the family conclave, he was always made the subject of + some little feminine joke; and Mrs. Woodward, though she always took her + uncle's part, did so in a manner that made them feel that he was fair game + for their quizzing. + </p> + <p> + When the proposal was first enunciated to the girls, they one and all, for + Katie was one of the council, suggested that it should be declined with + many thanks. + </p> + <p> + 'He'll take us all for midshipmen,' said Linda, 'and stop our rations, and + mast-head us whenever we displease him.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am sure he is a cross old hunks, though mamma says he's not,' said + Katie, with all the impudence of spoilt fourteen. + </p> + <p> + 'He'll interfere with every one of our pursuits,' said Gertrude, more + thoughtfully, 'and be sure to quarrel with the young men.' + </p> + <p> + But Mrs. Woodward, though she had consulted her daughters, had arguments + of her own in favour of Captain Cuttwater's proposition, which she had not + yet made known to them. Good-humoured and happy as she always was, she had + her cares in the world. Her income was only £400 a year, and that, now + that the Income Tax had settled down on it, was barely sufficient for her + modest wants. A moiety of this died with her, and the remainder would be + but a poor support for her three daughters, if at the time of her death it + should so chance that she should leave them in want of support. She had + always regarded Captain Cuttwater as a probable source of future aid. He + was childless and unmarried, and had not, as far as she was aware, another + relative in the world. It would, therefore, under any circumstances, be + bad policy to offend him. But the letter in which he had made his offer + had been of a very peculiar kind. He had begun by saying that he was to be + turned out of his present berth by a d—— Whig Government on + account of his age, he being as young a man as ever he had been; that it + behoved him to look out for a place of residence, in which he might live, + and, if it should so please God, die also. He then said that he expected + to pay £200 a year for his board and lodging, which he thought might as + well go to his niece as to some shark, who would probably starve him. He + also said that, poor as he was and always had been, he had contrived to + scrape together a few hundred pounds; that he was well aware that if he + lived among strangers he should be done out of every shilling of it; but + that if his niece would receive him, he hoped to be able to keep it + together for the benefit of his grand-nieces, &c. + </p> + <p> + Now Mrs. Woodward knew her uncle to be an honest-minded man; she knew + also, that, in spite of his protestation as to being a very poor man, he + had saved money enough to make him of some consequence wherever he went; + and she therefore conceived that she could not with prudence send him to + seek a home among chance strangers. She explained as much of this to the + girls as she thought proper, and ended the matter by making them + understand that Captain Cuttwater was to be received. + </p> + <p> + On the Saturday after this the three scions of the Civil Service were all + at Surbiton Cottage, and it will show how far Charley had then made good + his ground, to state that the coming of the captain was debated in his + presence. + </p> + <p> + 'And when is the great man to be here?' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'At once, I believe,' said Mrs. Woodward; 'that is, perhaps, before the + end of this week, and certainly before the end of next.' + </p> + <p> + 'And what is he like?' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Why, he has a tail hanging down behind, like a cat or a dog,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'Hold your tongue, miss,' said Gertrude. 'As he is to come he must be + treated with respect; but it is a great bore. To me it will destroy all + the pleasures of life.' + </p> + <p> + 'Nonsense, Gertrude,' said Mrs. Woodward; 'it is almost wicked of you to + say so. Destroy all the pleasure of life to have an old gentleman live in + the same house with you!—you ought to be more moderate, my dear, in + what you say.' + </p> + <p> + 'That's all very well, mamma,' said Gertrude, 'but you know you don't like + him yourself.' + </p> + <p> + 'But is it true that Captain Cuttwater wears a pigtail?' asked Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'I don't care what he wears,' said Gertrude; 'he may wear three if he + likes.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! I wish he would,' said Katie, laughing; 'that would be so delicious. + Oh, Linda, fancy Captain Cuttwater with three pigtails!' + </p> + <p> + 'I am sorry to disappoint you, Katie,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'but your uncle + does not wear even one; he once did, but he cut it off long since.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am so sorry,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'I suppose he'll want to dine early, and go to bed early?' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'His going to bed early would be a great blessing,' said Gertrude, mindful + of their midnight conclaves on Saturdays and Sundays. + </p> + <p> + 'But his getting up early won't be a blessing at all,' said Linda, who had + a weakness on that subject. + </p> + <p> + 'Talking of bed, Harry, you'll have the worst of it,' said Katie, 'for the + captain is to have your room.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, indeed,' said Mrs. Woodward, sighing gently, 'we shall no longer + have a bed for you, Harry; that <i>is</i> the worst of it.' + </p> + <p> + Harry of course assured her that if that was the worst of it there was + nothing very bad in it. He could have a bed at the inn as well as Alaric + and Charley. The amount of that evil would only be half-a-crown a night. + </p> + <p> + And thus the advent of Captain Cuttwater was discussed. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV. — CAPTAIN CUTTWATER + </h2> + <p> + Captain Cuttwater had not seen much service afloat; that is, he had not + been personally concerned in many of those sea-engagements which in and + about the time of Nelson gave so great a halo of glory to the British + Lion; nor had it even been permitted to him to take a prominent part in + such minor affairs as have since occurred; he had not the opportunity of + distinguishing himself either at the battle of Navarino or the bombarding + of Acre; and, unfortunately for his ambition, the period of his retirement + came before that great Baltic campaign, in which, had he been there, he + would doubtless have distinguished himself as did so many others. His + earliest years were spent in cruising among the West Indies; he then came + home and spent some considerable portion of his life in idleness—if + that time can be said to have been idly spent which he devoted to + torturing the Admiralty with applications, remonstrances, and appeals. + Then he was rated as third lieutenant on the books of some worm-eaten old + man-of-war at Portsmouth, and gave up his time to looking after the + stowage of anchors, and counting fathoms of rope. At last he was again + sent afloat as senior lieutenant in a ten-gun brig, and cruised for some + time off the coast of Africa, hunting for slavers; and returning after a + while from this enterprising employment, he received a sort of amphibious + appointment at Devonport. What his duties were here, the author, being in + all points a landsman, is unable to describe. Those who were inclined to + ridicule Captain Cuttwater declared that the most important of them + consisted in seeing that the midshipmen in and about the dockyard washed + their faces, and put on clean linen not less often than three times a + week. According to his own account, he had many things of a higher nature + to attend to; and, indeed, hardly a ship sank or swam in Hamoaze except by + his special permission, for a space of twenty years, if his own view of + his own career may be accepted as correct. + </p> + <p> + He had once declared to certain naval acquaintances, over his third glass + of grog, that he regarded it as his birthright to be an Admiral; but at + the age of seventy-two he had not yet acquired his birthright, and the + probability of his ever attaining it was becoming very small indeed. He + was still bothering Lords and Secretaries of the Admiralty for further + promotion, when he was astounded by being informed by the Port-Admiral + that he was to be made happy by half-pay and a pension. The Admiral, in + communicating the intelligence, had pretended to think that he was giving + the captain information which could not be otherwise than grateful to him, + but he was not the less aware that the old man would be furious at being + so treated. What, pension him! put him on half-pay—shelf him for + life, while he was still anxiously expecting that promotion, that call to + higher duties which had so long been his due, and which, now that his + powers were matured, could hardly be longer denied to him! And after all + that he had done for his country—his ungrateful, thankless, ignorant + country—was he thus to be treated? Was he to be turned adrift + without any mark of honour, any special guerdon, any sign of his + Sovereign's favour to testify as to his faithful servitude of sixty years' + devotion? He, who had regarded it as his merest right to be an Admiral, + and had long indulged the hope of being greeted in the streets of + Devonport as Sir Bartholomew Cuttwater, K.C.B., was he to be thus thrown + aside in his prime, with no other acknowledgement than the bare income to + which he was entitled! + </p> + <p> + It is hardly too much to say, that no old officers who have lacked the + means to distinguish themselves, retire from either of our military + services, free from the bitter disappointment and sour feelings of + neglected worth, which Captain Cuttwater felt so keenly. A clergyman, or a + doctor, or a lawyer, feels himself no whit disgraced if he reaches the end + of his worldly labours without special note or honour. But to a soldier or + a sailor, such indifference to his merit is wormwood. It is the bane of + the professions. Nine men out of ten who go into it must live + discontented, and die disappointed. + </p> + <p> + Captain Cuttwater had no idea that he was an old man. He had lived for so + many years among men of his own stamp, who had grown grey and bald, and + rickety, and weak alongside of him, that he had no opportunity of seeing + that he was more grey or more rickety than his neighbours. No children had + become men and women at his feet; no new race had gone out into the world + and fought their battles under his notice. One set of midshipmen had + succeeded to another, but his old comrades in the news-rooms and + lounging-places at Devonport had remained the same; and Captain Cuttwater + had never learnt to think that he was not doing, and was not able to do + good service for his country. + </p> + <p> + The very name of Captain Cuttwater was odious to every clerk at the + Admiralty. He, like all naval officers, hated the Admiralty, and thought, + that of all Englishmen, those five who had been selected to sit there in + high places as joint lords were the most incapable. He pestered them with + continued and almost continuous applications on subjects of all sorts. He + was always asking for increased allowances, advanced rank, more + assistance, less work, higher privileges, immunities which could not be + granted, and advantages to which he had no claim. He never took answers, + but made every request the subject of a prolonged correspondence; till at + last some energetic Assistant-Secretary declared that it should no longer + be borne, and Captain Cuttwater was dismissed with pension and half-pay. + During his service he had contrived to save some four or five thousand + pounds, and now he was about to retire with an assured income adequate to + all his wants. The public who had the paying of Captain Cuttwater may, + perhaps, think that he was amply remunerated for what he had done; but the + captain himself entertained a very different opinion. + </p> + <p> + Such is the view which we are obliged to take of the professional side of + Captain Cuttwater's character. But the professional side was by far the + worst. Counting fathoms of rope and looking after unruly midshipmen on + shore are not duties capable of bringing out in high relief the better + traits of a main's character. Uncle Bat, as during the few last years of + his life he was always called at Surbiton Cottage, was a gentleman and a + man of honour, in spite of anything that might be said to the contrary at + the Admiralty. He was a man with a soft heart, though the end of his nose + was so large, so red, and so pimply; and rough as was his usage to little + midshipmen when his duty caused him to encounter them in a body, he had + befriended many a one singly with kind words and an open hand. The young + rogues would unmercifully quiz Old Nosey, for so Captain Cuttwater was + generally called in Devonport, whenever they could safely do so; but, + nevertheless, in their young distresses they knew him for their friend, + and were not slow to come to him. + </p> + <p> + In person Captain Cuttwater was a tall, heavy man, on whose iron + constitution hogsheads of Hollands and water seemed to have had no very + powerful effect. He was much given to profane oaths; but knowing that + manners required that he should refrain before ladies, and being unable to + bring his tongue sufficiently under command to do so, he was in the habit + of 'craving the ladies' pardon' after every slip. + </p> + <p> + All that was really remarkable in Uncle Bat's appearance was included in + his nose. It had always been a generous, weighty, self-confident nose, + inviting to itself more observation than any of its brother features + demanded. But in latter years it had spread itself out in soft, porous, + red excrescences, to such an extent as to make it really deserving of + considerable attention. No stranger ever passed Captain Cuttwater in the + streets of Devonport without asking who he was, or, at any rate, specially + noticing him. + </p> + <p> + It must, of course, be admitted that a too strongly pronounced partiality + for alcoholic drink had produced these defects in Captain Cuttwater's + nasal organ; and yet he was a most staunch friend of temperance. No man + alive or dead had ever seen Captain Cuttwater the worse for liquor; at + least so boasted the captain himself, and there were none, at any rate in + Devonport, to give him the lie. Woe betide the midshipman whom he should + see elated with too much wine; and even to the common sailor who should be + tipsy at the wrong time, he would show no mercy. Most eloquent were the + discourses which he preached against drunkenness, and they always ended + with a reference to his own sobriety. The truth was, that drink would + hardly make Captain Cuttwater drunk. It left his brain untouched, but + punished his nose. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward had seen her uncle but once since she had become a widow. He + had then come up to London to attack the Admiralty at close quarters, and + had sojourned for three or four days at Surbiton Cottage. This was now + some ten years since, and the girls had forgotten even what he was like. + Great preparations were made for him. Though the summer had nearly + commenced, a large fire was kept burning in his bedroom—his bed was + newly hung with new curtains; two feather beds were piled on each other, + and everything was done which five women could think desirable to relieve + the ailings of suffering age. The fact, however, was that Captain + Cuttwater was accustomed to a small tent bedstead in a room without a + carpet, that he usually slept on a single mattress, and that he never had + a fire in his bedroom, even in the depth of winter. + </p> + <p> + Travelling from Devonport to London is now an easy matter; and Captain + Cuttwater, old as he was, found himself able to get through to Hampton in + one day. Mrs. Woodward went to meet him at Hampton Court in a fly, and + conveyed him to his new home, together with a carpet-bag, a cocked hat, a + sword, and a very small portmanteau. When she inquired after the remainder + of his luggage, he asked her what more lumber she supposed he wanted. No + more lumber at any rate made its appearance, then or afterwards; and the + fly proceeded with an easy load to Surbiton Cottage. + </p> + <p> + There was great anxiety on the part of the girls when the wheels were + heard to stop at the front door. Gertrude kept her place steadily standing + on the rug in the drawing-room; Linda ran to the door and then back again; + but Katie bolted out and ensconced herself behind the parlour-maid, who + stood at the open door, looking eagerly forth to get the first view of + Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + 'So here you are, Bessie, as snug as ever,' said the captain, as he let + himself ponderously down from the fly. Katie had never before heard her + mother called Bessie, and had never seen anything approaching in size or + colour to such a nose, consequently she ran away frightened. + </p> + <p> + 'That's Gertrude—is it?' said the captain. + </p> + <p> + 'Gertrude, uncle! Why Gertrude is a grown-up woman now. That's Katie, whom + you remember an infant.' + </p> + <p> + 'God bless my soul!' said the captain, as though he thought that girls + must grow twice quicker at Hampton than they did at Devonport or + elsewhere, 'God bless my soul!' + </p> + <p> + He was then ushered into the drawing-room, and introduced in form to his + grand-nieces. 'This is Gertrude, uncle, and this Linda; there is just + enough difference for you to know them apart. And this Katie. Come here, + Katie, and kiss your uncle.' + </p> + <p> + Katie came up, hesitated, looked horrified, but did manage to get her face + somewhat close to the old man's without touching the tremendous nose, and + then having gone through this peril she retreated again behind the sofa. + </p> + <p> + 'Well; bless my stars, Bessie, you don't tell me those are your children?' + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed, uncle, I believe they are. It's a sad tale for me to tell, is it + not?' said the blooming mother with a laugh. + </p> + <p> + 'Why, they'll be looking out for husbands next,' said Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! they're doing that already, every day,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'Ha, ha, ha!' laughed Uncle Bat; 'I suppose so, I suppose so;—ha, + ha, ha!' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude turned away to the window, disgusted and angry, and made up her + mind to hate Uncle Bat for ever afterwards. Linda made a little attempt to + smile, and felt somewhat glad in her heart that her uncle was a man who + could indulge in a joke. + </p> + <p> + He was then taken upstairs to his bedroom, and here he greatly frightened + Katie, and much scandalized the parlour-maid by declaring, immediately on + his entering the room, that it was 'd——- hot, d—-ation + hot; craving your pardon, ladies!' + </p> + <p> + 'We thought, uncle, you'd like a fire,' began Mrs. Woodward, 'as——' + </p> + <p> + 'A fire in June, when I can hardly carry my coat on my back!' + </p> + <p> + 'It's the last day of May now,' said Katie timidly, from behind the + bed-curtains. + </p> + <p> + This, however, did not satisfy the captain, and orders were forthwith + given that the fire should be taken away, the curtains stripped off, the + feather beds removed, and everything reduced to pretty much the same state + in which it had usually been left for Harry Norman's accommodation. So + much for all the feminine care which had been thrown away upon the + consideration of Uncle Bat's infirmities. + </p> + <p> + 'God bless my soul!' said he, wiping his brow with a huge coloured + handkerchief as big as a mainsail, 'one night in such a furnace as that + would have brought on the gout.' + </p> + <p> + He had dined in town, and by the time that his chamber had been stripped + of its appendages, he was nearly ready for bed. Before he did so, he was + asked to take a glass of sherry. + </p> + <p> + 'Ah! sherry,' said he, taking up the bottle and putting it down again. + 'Sherry, ah! yes; very good wine, I am sure. You haven't a drop of rum in + the house, have you?' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward declared with sorrow that she had not. + </p> + <p> + 'Or Hollands?' said Uncle Bat. But the ladies of Surbiton Cottage were + unsupplied also with Hollands. + </p> + <p> + 'Gin?' suggested the captain, almost in despair. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward had no gin, but she could send out and get it; and the first + evening of Captain Cuttwater's visit saw Mrs. Woodward's own parlour-maid + standing at the bar of the Green Dragon, while two gills of spirits were + being measured out for her. + </p> + <p> + 'Only for the respect she owed to Missus,' as she afterwards declared, + 'she never would have so demeaned herself for all the captains in the + Queen's battalions.' + </p> + <p> + The captain, however, got his grog; and having enlarged somewhat + vehemently while he drank it on the iniquities of those scoundrels at the + Admiralty, took himself off to bed; and left his character and + peculiarities to the tender mercies of his nieces. + </p> + <p> + The following day was Friday, and on the Saturday Norman and Tudor were to + come down as a matter of course. During the long days, they usually made + their appearance after dinner; but they had now been specially requested + to appear in good orderly time, in honour of the captain. Their advent had + been of course spoken of, and Mrs. Woodward had explained to Uncle Bat + that her cousin Harry usually spent his Sundays at Hampton, and that he + usually also brought with him a friend of his, a Mr. Tudor. To all this, + as a matter of course, Uncle Bat had as yet no objection to make. + </p> + <p> + The young men came, and were introduced with due ceremony. Surbiton + Cottage, however, during dinnertime, was very unlike what it had been + before, in the opinion of all the party there assembled. The girls felt + themselves called upon, they hardly knew why, to be somewhat less intimate + in their manner with the young men than they customarily were; and Harry + and Alaric, with quick instinct, reciprocated the feeling. Mrs. Woodward, + even, assumed involuntarily somewhat of a company air; and Uncle Bat, who + sat at the bottom of the table, in the place usually assigned to Norman, + was awkward in doing the honours of the house to guests who were in fact + much more at home there than himself. + </p> + <p> + After dinner the young people strolled out into the garden, and Katie, as + was her wont, insisted on Harry Norman rowing her over to her damp + paradise in the middle of the river. He attempted, vainly, to induce + Gertrude to accompany them. Gertrude was either coy with her lover, or + indifferent; for very few were the occasions on which she could be induced + to gratify him with the rapture of a <i>tête-à-tête</i> encounter. So + that, in fact, Harry Norman's Sunday visits were generally moments of + expected bliss of which the full fruition was but seldom attained. So + while Katie went off to the island, Alaric and the two girls sat under a + spreading elm tree and watched the little boat as it shot across the + water. 'And what do you think of Uncle Bat?' said Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I am sure he's a good sort of fellow, and a very, gallant officer, + but—' + </p> + <p> + 'But what?' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'It's a thousand pities he should have ever been removed from Devonport, + where I am sure he was both useful and ornamental.' + </p> + <p> + Both the girls laughed cheerily; and as the sound came across the water to + Norman's ears, he repented himself of his good nature to Katie, and + determined that her sojourn in the favourite island should, on this + occasion, be very short. + </p> + <p> + 'But he is to pay mamma a great deal of money,' said Linda, 'and his + coming will be a great benefit to her in that way.' + </p> + <p> + 'There ought to be something to compensate for the bore,' said Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + 'We must only make the best of him,' said Alaric. 'For my part, I am + rather fond of old gentlemen with long noses; but it seemed to me that he + was not quite so fond of us. I thought he looked rather shy at Harry and + me.' + </p> + <p> + Both the girls protested against this, and declared that there could be + nothing in it. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, now, I'll tell you what, Gertrude,' said Alaric, 'I am quite sure + that he looks on me, especially, as an interloper; and yet I'll bet you a + pair of gloves I am his favourite before a month is over.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, no; Linda is to be his favourite,' said Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed I am not,' said Linda. 'I liked him very well till he drank three + huge glasses of gin-and-water last night, but I never can fancy him after + that. You can't conceive, Alaric, what the drawing-room smelt like. I + suppose he'll do the same every evening.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, what can you expect?' said Gertrude; 'if mamma will have an old + sailor to live with her, of course he'll drink grog.' + </p> + <p> + While this was going on in the garden, Mrs. Woodward sat dutifully with + her uncle while he sipped his obnoxious toddy, and answered his questions + about their two friends. + </p> + <p> + 'They were both in the Weights and Measures, by far the most respectable + public office in London,' as she told him, 'and both doing extremely well + there. They were, indeed, young men sure to distinguish themselves and get + on in the world. Had this not been so, she might perhaps have hesitated to + receive them so frequently, and on such intimate terms, at Surbiton + Cottage.' This she said in a half-apologetic manner, and yet with a + feeling of anger at herself that she should condescend to apologize to any + one as to her own conduct in her own house. + </p> + <p> + 'They are very nice young men, I am sure,' said Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed they are,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'And very civil to the young ladies,' said Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + 'They have known them since they were children, uncle; and of course that + makes them more intimate than young men generally are with young ladies;' + and again Mrs. Woodward was angry with herself for making any excuses on + the subject. + </p> + <p> + 'Are they well off?' asked the prudent captain. + </p> + <p> + 'Harry Norman is very well off; he has a private fortune. Both of them + have excellent situations.' + </p> + <p> + 'To my way of thinking that other chap is the better fellow. At any rate + he seems to have more gumption about him.' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, uncle, you don't mean to tell me that you think Harry Norman a + fool?' said Mrs. Woodward. Harry Norman was Mrs. Woodward's special + friend, and she fondly indulged the hope of seeing him in time become the + husband of her elder and favourite daughter; if, indeed, she can be fairly + said to have had a favourite child. + </p> + <p> + Captain Cuttwater poured out another glass of rum, and dropped the + subject. + </p> + <p> + Soon afterwards the whole party came in from the lawn. Katie was all + draggled and wet, for she had persisted in making her way right across the + island to look out for a site for another palace. Norman was a little + inclined to be sulky, for Katie had got the better of him; when she had + got out of the boat, he could not get her into it again; and as he could + not very well leave her in the island, he had been obliged to remain + paddling about, while he heard the happy voices of Alaric and the two + girls from the lawn. Alaric was in high good-humour, and entered the room + intent on his threatened purpose of seducing Captain Cuttwater's + affections. The two girls were both blooming with happy glee, and Gertrude + was especially bright in spite of the somewhat sombre demeanour of her + lover. + </p> + <p> + Tea was brought in, whereupon Captain Cuttwater, having taken a bit of + toast and crammed it into his saucer, fell fast asleep in an arm-chair. + </p> + <p> + 'You'll have very little opportunity to-night,' said Linda, almost in a + whisper. + </p> + <p> + 'Opportunity for what?' asked Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'Hush,' said Gertrude, 'we'll tell you by and by, mamma. You'll wake Uncle + Bat if you talk now.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am so thirsty,' said Katie, bouncing into the room with dry shoes and + stockings on. 'I am so thirsty. Oh, Linda, do give me some tea.' + </p> + <p> + 'Hush,' said Alaric, pointing to the captain, who was thoroughly enjoying + himself, and uttering sonorous snores at regular fixed intervals. + </p> + <p> + 'Sit down, Katie, and don't make a noise,' said Mrs. Woodward, gently. + </p> + <p> + Katie slunk into a chair, opened wide her large bright eyes, applied + herself diligently to her tea-cup, and then, after taking breath, said, in + a very audible whisper to her sister, 'Are not we to talk at all, Linda? + That will be very dull, I think.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, my dear, you are to talk as much as you please, and as often as you + please, and as loud as you please; that is to say, if your mamma will let + you,' said Captain Cuttwater, without any apparent waking effort, and in a + moment the snoring was going on again as regularly as before. + </p> + <p> + Katie looked round, and again opened her eyes and laughed. Mrs. Woodward + said, 'You are very good-natured, uncle.' The girls exchanged looks with + Alaric, and Norman, who had not yet recovered his good-humour, went on + sipping his tea. + </p> + <p> + As soon as the tea-things were gone, Uncle Bat yawned and shook himself, + and asked if it was not nearly time to go to bed. + </p> + <p> + 'Whenever you like, Uncle Bat,' said Mrs. Woodward, who began to find that + she agreed with Gertrude, that early habits on the part of her uncle would + be a family blessing. 'But perhaps you'll take something before you go?' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I don't mind if I do take a thimbleful of rum-and-water.' So the + odious spirit-bottle was again brought into the drawing-room. + </p> + <p> + 'Did you call at the Admiralty, sir, as you came through town?' said + Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Call at the Admiralty, sir!' said the captain, turning sharply round at + the questioner; 'what the deuce should I call at the Admiralty for? + craving the ladies' pardon.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, indeed, I don't know,' said Alaric, not a bit abashed. 'But sailors + always do call there, for the pleasure, I suppose, of kicking their heels + in the lords' waiting-room.' + </p> + <p> + 'I have done with that game,' said Captain Cuttwater, now wide awake; and + in his energy he poured half a glass more rum into his beaker. 'I've done + with that game, and I'll tell you what, Mr. Tudor, if I had a dozen sons + to provide for to-morrow—' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, I do so wish you had,' said Katie; 'it would be such fun. Fancy Uncle + Bat having twelve sons, Gertrude. What would you call them all, uncle?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, I tell you what, Miss Katie, I wouldn't call one of them a sailor. + I'd sooner make tailors of them.' + </p> + <p> + 'Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, gentleman, apothecary, ploughboy, + thief,' said Katie. 'That would only be eight; what should the other four + be, uncle?' + </p> + <p> + 'You're quite right, Captain Cuttwater,' said Alaric, 'at least as far as + the present moment goes; but the time is coming when things at the + Admiralty will be managed very differently.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then I'm d—— if that time can come too soon—craving the + ladies' pardon!' said Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + 'I don't know what you mean, Alaric,' said Harry Norman, who was just at + present somewhat disposed to contradict his friend, and not ill-inclined + to contradict the captain also; 'as far as I can judge, the Admiralty is + the very last office the Government will think of touching.' + </p> + <p> + 'The Government!' shouted Captain Cuttwater; 'oh! if we are to wait for + the Government, the navy may go to the deuce, sir.' + </p> + <p> + 'It's the pressure from without that must do the work,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Pressure from without!' said Norman, scornfully; 'I hate to hear such + trash.' + </p> + <p> + 'We'll see, young gentleman, we'll see,' said the captain; 'it may be + trash, and it may be right that five fellows who never did the Queen a + day's service in their life, should get fifteen hundred or two thousand a + year, and have the power of robbing an old sailor like me of the reward + due to me for sixty years' hard work. Reward! no; but the very wages that + I have actually earned. Look at me now, d—— me, look at me! + Here I am, Captain Cuttwater—with sixty years' service—and + I've done more perhaps for the Queen's navy than—than—' + </p> + <p> + 'It's too true, Captain Cuttwater,' said Alaric, speaking with a sort of + mock earnestness which completely took in the captain, but stealing a + glance at the same time at the two girls, who sat over their work at the + drawing-room table, 'it's too true; and there's no doubt the whole thing + must be altered, and that soon. In the first place, we must have a sailor + at the head of the navy.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes,' said the captain, 'and one that knows something about it too.' + </p> + <p> + 'You'll never have a sailor sitting as first lord,' said Norman, + authoritatively; 'unless it be when some party man, high in rank, may + happen to have been in the navy as a boy.' + </p> + <p> + 'And why not?' said Captain Cuttwater quite angrily. + </p> + <p> + 'Because the first lord must sit in the Cabinet, and to do that he must be + a thorough politician.' + </p> + <p> + 'D—— politicians! craving the ladies' pardon,' said Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + 'Amen!' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + Uncle Bat, thinking that he had thoroughly carried his point, finished his + grog, took up his candlestick, and toddled off to bed. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I think I have done something towards carrying my point,' said + Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'I didn't think you were half so cunning,' said Linda, laughing. + </p> + <p> + 'I cannot think how you can condescend to advocate opinions diametrically + opposed to your own convictions,' said Norman, somewhat haughtily. + </p> + <p> + 'Fee, fo, fum!' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'What is it all about?' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'Alaric wants to do all he can to ingratiate himself with Uncle Bat,' said + Gertrude; 'and I am sure he's going the right way to work.' + </p> + <p> + 'It's very good-natured on his part,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'I don't know what you are talking about,' said Katie, yawning, 'and I + think you are all very stupid; so I'll go to bed.' + </p> + <p> + The rest soon followed her. They did not sit up so late chatting over the + fire this evening, as was their wont on Saturdays, though none of them + knew what cause prevented it. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER V. — BUSHEY PARK + </h2> + <p> + The next day being Sunday, the whole party very properly went to church; + but during the sermon Captain Cuttwater very improperly went to sleep, and + snored ponderously the whole time. Katie was so thoroughly shocked that + she did not know which way to look; Norman, who had recovered his + good-humour, and Alaric, could not refrain from smiling as they caught the + eyes of the two girls; and Mrs. Woodward made sundry little abortive + efforts to wake her uncle with her foot. Altogether abortive they were + not, for the captain would open his eyes and gaze at her for a moment in + the most good-natured, lack-lustre manner conceivable; but then, in a + moment, he would be again asleep and snoring, with all the regularity of a + kitchen-clock. This was at first very dreadful to the Woodwards; but after + a month or two they got used to it, and so apparently did the pastor and + the people of Hampton. + </p> + <p> + After church there was a lunch of course; and then, according to their + wont, they went out to walk. These Sunday walks in general were matters of + some difficulty. The beautiful neighbourhood of Hampton Court, with its + palace-gardens and lovely park, is so popular with Londoners that it is + generally alive on that day with a thronged multitude of men, women, and + children, and thus becomes not an eligible resort for lovers of privacy. + Captain Cuttwater, however, on this occasion, insisted on seeing the + chestnuts and the crowd, and consequently, they all went into Bushey Park. + </p> + <p> + Uncle Bat, who professed himself to be a philanthropist, and who was also + a bit of a democrat, declared himself delighted with what he saw. It was a + great thing for the London citizens to come down there with their wives + and children, and eat their dinners in the open air under the spreading + trees; and both Harry and Alaric agreed with him. Mrs. Woodward, however, + averred that it would be much better if they would go to church first, and + Gertrude and Linda were of opinion that the Park was spoilt by the dirty + bits of greasy paper which were left about on all sides. Katie thought it + very hard that, as all the Londoners were allowed to eat their dinners in + the Park, she might not have hers there also. To which Captain Cuttwater + rejoined that he should give them a picnic at Richmond before the summer + was over. + </p> + <p> + All the world knows how such a party as that of our friends by degrees + separates itself into twos and threes, when sauntering about in shady + walks. It was seldom, indeed, that Norman could induce his Dulcinea to be + so complaisant in his favour; but either accident or kindness on her part + favoured him on this occasion, and as Katie went on eliciting from Uncle + Bat fresh promises as to the picnic, Harry and Gertrude found themselves + together under one avenue of trees, while Alaric and Linda were equally + fortunate, or unfortunate, under another. + </p> + <p> + 'I did so wish to speak a few words to you, Gertrude,' said Norman; 'but + it seems as though, now that this captain has come among us, all our old + habits and ways are to be upset.' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't see that <i>you</i> need say that,' said she. 'We may, perhaps, + be put out a little—that is, mamma and Linda and I; but I do not see + that you need suffer.' + </p> + <p> + 'Suffer—no, not suffer—and yet it is suffering.' + </p> + <p> + 'What is suffering?' said she. + </p> + <p> + 'Why, to be as we were last night—not able to speak to each other.' + </p> + <p> + 'Come, Harry, you should be a little reasonable,' said she, laughing. 'If + you did not talk last night whose fault was it?' + </p> + <p> + 'I suppose you will say it was my own. Perhaps it was. But I could not + feel comfortable while he was drinking gin-and-water—' + </p> + <p> + 'It was rum,' said Gertrude, rather gravely. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, rum-and-water in your mother's drawing-room, and cursing and + swearing before you and Linda, as though he were in the cockpit of a + man-of-war.' + </p> + <p> + 'Alaric you saw was able to make himself happy, and I am sure he is not + more indifferent to us than you are.' + </p> + <p> + 'Alaric seemed to me to be bent on making a fool of the old man; and, to + tell the truth, I cannot approve of his doing so.' + </p> + <p> + 'It seems to me, Harry, that you do not approve of what any of us are + doing,' said she; 'I fear we are all in your black books—Captain + Cuttwater, and mamma, and Alaric, and I, and all of us.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well now, Gertrude, do you mean to say you think it right that Katie + should sit by and hear a man talk as Captain Cuttwater talked last night? + Do you mean to say that the scene which passed, with the rum and the + curses, and the absurd ridicule which was thrown on your mother's uncle, + was such as should take place in your mother's drawing-room?' + </p> + <p> + 'I mean to say, Harry, that my mother is the best and only judge of what + should, and what should not, take place there.' + </p> + <p> + Norman felt himself somewhat silenced by this, and walked on for a time + without speaking. He was a little too apt to take upon himself the + character of Mentor; and, strange to say, he was aware of his own fault in + this particular. Thus, though the temptation to preach was very powerful, + he refrained himself for a while. His present desire was to say soft + things rather than sharp words; and though lecturing was at this moment + much easier to him than love-making, he bethought himself of his object, + and controlled the spirit of morality which was strong within him. + </p> + <p> + 'But we were so happy before your uncle came,' he said, speaking with his + sweetest voice, and looking at the beautiful girl beside him with all the + love he was able to throw into his handsome face. + </p> + <p> + 'And we are happy now that he has come—or at any rate ought to be,' + said Gertrude, doing a little in the Mentor line herself, now that the + occasion came in her way. + </p> + <p> + 'Ah! Gertrude, you know very well there is only one thing can make me + happy,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'Why, you unreasonable man! just now you said you were perfectly happy + before Captain Cuttwater came, I suppose the one thing now necessary is to + send him away again.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, Gertrude, the thing necessary is to take you away.' + </p> + <p> + 'What! out of the contamination of poor old Uncle Bat's bottle of rum? + But, Harry, you see it would be cowardly in me to leave mamma and Linda to + suffer the calamity alone.' + </p> + <p> + 'I wonder, Gertrude, whether, in your heart of hearts, you really care a + straw about me,' said Harry, who was now very sentimental and somewhat + lachrymose. + </p> + <p> + 'You know we all care very much about you, and it is very wrong in you to + express such a doubt,' said Gertrude, with a duplicity that was almost + wicked; as if she did not fully understand that the kind of 'caring' of + which Norman spoke was of a very different nature from the general + 'caring' which she, on his behalf, shared with the rest of her family. + </p> + <p> + 'All of you—yes, but I am not speaking of all of you; I am speaking + of you, Gertrude—you in particular. Can you ever love me well enough + to be my wife?' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, there is no knowing what I may be able to do in three or four + years' time; but even that must depend very much on how you behave + yourself in the mean time. If you get cross because Captain Cuttwater has + come here, and snub Alaric and Linda, as you did last night, and scold at + mamma because she chooses to let her own uncle live in her own house, why, + to tell you the truth, I don't think I ever shall.' + </p> + <p> + All persons who have a propensity to lecture others have a strong + constitutional dislike to being lectured themselves. Such was decidedly + the case with Harry Norman. In spite of his strong love, and his anxious + desire to make himself agreeable, his brow became somewhat darkened, and + his lips somewhat compressed. He would not probably have been annoyed had + he not been found fault with for snubbing his friend Tudor. Why should + Gertrude, his Gertrude, put herself forward to defend his friend? Let her + say what she chose for her mother, or even for her profane, dram-drinking, + vulgar old uncle, but it was too much that she should take up the cudgels + for Alaric Tudor. + </p> + <p> + 'Well,' said he, 'I was annoyed last night, and I must own it. It grieved + me to hear Alaric turning your uncle into ridicule, and that before your + mother's face; and it grieved me to see you and Linda encourage him. In + what Alaric said about the Admiralty he did not speak truthfully.' + </p> + <p> + 'Do you mean to say that Alaric said what was false?' + </p> + <p> + 'Inasmuch as he was pretending to express his own opinion, he did say what + was false.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then I must and will say that I never yet knew Alaric say a word that was + not true; and, which is more, I am quite sure that he would not accuse you + of falsehood behind your back in a fit of jealousy.' + </p> + <p> + 'Jealousy!' said Norman, looking now as black as grim death itself. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, it is jealousy. It so turned out that Alaric got on better last + night with Captain Cuttwater than you did, and that makes you jealous.' + </p> + <p> + 'Pish!' said Norman, somewhat relieved, but still sufficiently disgusted + that his lady-love should suppose that he could be otherwise than + supremely indifferent to the opinion of Captain Cuttwater. + </p> + <p> + The love-scene, however, was fatally interrupted; and the pair were not + long before they joined the captain, Mrs. Woodward, and Katie. + </p> + <p> + And how fared it with the other pair under the other avenue of chestnuts? + </p> + <p> + Alaric Tudor had certainly come out with no defined intention of making + love as Harry Norman had done; but with such a companion it was very + difficult for him to avoid it. Linda was much more open to attacks of this + nature than her sister. Not that she was as a general rule willingly and + wilfully inclined to give more encouragement to lovers than Gertrude; but + she had less power of fence, less skill in protecting herself, and much + less of that naughty self-esteem which makes some women fancy that all + love-making to them is a liberty, and the want of which makes others feel + that all love-making is to them a compliment. + </p> + <p> + Alaric Tudor had no defined intention of making love; but he had a sort of + suspicion that he might, if he pleased, do so successfully; and he had no + defined intention of letting it alone. He was a far-seeing, prudent man; + for his age perhaps too prudent; but he was nevertheless fully susceptible + of the pleasure of holding an affectionate, close intercourse with so + sweet a girl as Linda Woodward; and though he knew that marriage with a + girl without a dowry would for him be a death-blow to all his high hopes, + he could hardly resist the temptation of conjugating the verb to love. Had + he been able to choose from the two sisters, he would probably have + selected Gertrude in spite of what he had said to Norman in the boat; but + Gertrude was bespoken; and it therefore seemed all but unnatural that + there should not be some love passages between him and Linda. + </p> + <p> + Ah! Mrs. Woodward, my friend, my friend, was it well that thou shouldst + leave that sweet unguarded rosebud of thine to such perils as these? + </p> + <p> + They, also, commenced their wooing by talking over Captain Cuttwater; but + they did not quarrel over him. Linda was quite content to be told by her + friend what she ought to do, and how she ought to think about her uncle; + and Alaric had a better way of laying down the law than Norman. He could + do so without offending his hearer's pride, and consequently was generally + better listened to than his friend, though his law was probably not in + effect so sound. + </p> + <p> + But they had soon done with Captain Cuttwater, and Alaric had to choose + another subject. Gertrude and Norman were at some distance from them, but + were in sight and somewhat in advance. + </p> + <p> + 'Look at Harry,' said Alaric; 'I know from the motion of his shoulder that + he is at this moment saying something very tender.' + </p> + <p> + 'It is ten times more likely that they are quarrelling,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! the quarrels of lovers—we know all about that, don't we?' + </p> + <p> + 'You must not call them lovers, Alaric; mamma would not like it, nor + indeed would Gertrude, I am sure.' + </p> + <p> + 'I would not for the world do anything that Mrs. Woodward would not like; + but between ourselves, Linda, are they not lovers?' + </p> + <p> + 'No; that is, not that I know of. I don't believe that they are a bit,' + said Linda, blushing at her own fib. + </p> + <p> + 'And why should they not be? How indeed is it possible that they should + not be; that is—for I heartily beg Gertrude's pardon—how is it + possible that Harry should not be in love with her?' + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed, Gertrude is very, very beautiful,' said Linda, with the faintest + possible sigh, occasioned by the remembrance of her own inferior charms. + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed she is, very, very beautiful,' repeated Alaric, speaking with an + absent air as though his mind were fully engaged in thinking of the beauty + of which he spoke. + </p> + <p> + It was not in Linda's nature to be angry because her sister was admired, + and because she was not. But yet there was something in Alaric's warm tone + of admiration which gave her a feeling of unhappiness which she would have + been quite unable to define, even had she attempted it. She saw her sister + and Harry Norman before her, and she knew in her heart that they were + lovers, in spite of her little weak declaration to the contrary. She saw + how earnestly her sister was loved, and she in her kindly loving nature + could not but envy her fancied happiness. Envy—no—it certainly + was not envy. She would not for worlds have robbed her sister of her + admirer; but it was so natural for her to feel that it must be delicious + to be admired! + </p> + <p> + She did not begrudge Gertrude Norman's superior beauty, nor his greater + wealth; she knew that Gertrude was entitled to more, much more, than + herself. But seeing that Norman was Gertrude's lover, was it not natural + that Alaric should be hers? And then, though Harry was the handsomer and + the richer, she liked Alaric so much the better of the two. But now that + Alaric was alone with her, the only subject he could think to talk of was + Gertrude's beauty! + </p> + <p> + It must not be supposed that these thoughts in their plainly-developed + form passed through Linda's mind. It was not that she thought all this, + but that she felt it. Such feelings are quite involuntary, whereas one's + thoughts are more or less under command. Linda would not have allowed + herself to think in this way for worlds; but she could not control her + feelings. + </p> + <p> + They walked on side by side, perfectly silent for a minute or two, and an + ill-natured tear was gathering itself in the corner of Linda's eye: she + was afraid even to raise her hand to brush it away, for fear Alaric should + see her, and thus it went on gathering till it was like to fall. + </p> + <p> + 'How singular it is,' said Alaric—'how very singular, the way in + which I find myself living with you all! such a perfect stranger as I am.' + </p> + <p> + 'A perfect stranger!' said Linda, who, having remembered Alaric since the + days of her short frocks and lessons, looked on him as a very old friend + indeed. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, a perfect stranger, if you think of it. What do any of you know + about me? Your mother never saw my mother; your father knew nothing of my + father; there is no kindred blood common to us. Harry Norman, there, is + your near cousin; but what am I that I should be thus allowed to live with + you, and walk with you, and have a common interest in all your doings?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, you are a dear friend of mamma's, are you not?' + </p> + <p> + 'A dear friend of mamma's! said he, 'well, indeed, I hope I am; for your + mother is at any rate a dear friend to me. But, Linda, one cannot be so + much without longing to be more. Look at Harry, how happy he is!' + </p> + <p> + 'But, Alaric, surely you would not interfere with Harry,' said Linda, + whose humble, innocent heart thought still of nothing but the merits of + her sister; and then, remembering that it was necessary that she should + admit nothing on Gertrude's behalf, she entered her little protest against + the assumption that her sister acknowledged Norman for her lover. 'That + is, you would not do so, if there were anything in it.' + </p> + <p> + 'I interfere with Harry!' said Alaric, switching the heads off the bits of + fern with the cane he carried. 'No, indeed. I have no wish at all to do + that. It is not that of which I was thinking. Harry is welcome to all his + happiness; that is, if Gertrude can be brought to make him happy.' + </p> + <p> + Linda, made no answer now; but the tear came running down her face, and + her eyes became dim, and her heart beat very quick, and she didn't quite + remember where she was. Up to this moment no man had spoken a word of love + to Linda Woodward, and to some girls the first word is very trying. + </p> + <p> + 'Interfere with Harry!' Alaric repeated again, and renewed his attack on + the ferns. 'Well, Linda, what an opinion you must have of me!' + </p> + <p> + Linda was past answering; she could not protest—nor would it have + been expedient to do so—that her opinion of her companion was not + unfavourable. + </p> + <p> + 'Gertrude is beautiful, very beautiful,' he continued, still beating about + the bush as modest lovers do, and should do; 'but she is not the only + beautiful girl in Surbiton Cottage, nor to my eyes is she the most so.' + </p> + <p> + Linda was now quite beside herself. She knew that decorum required that + she should say something stiff and stately to repress such language, but + if all her future character for propriety had depended on it, she could + not bring herself to say a word. She knew that Gertrude, when so + addressed, would have maintained her dignity, and have concealed her + secret, even if she allowed herself to have a secret to conceal. She knew + that it behoved her to be repellent and antagonistic to the first vows of + a first lover. But, alas! she had no power of antagonism, no energy for + repulse left in her. Her knees seemed to be weak beneath her, and all she + could do was to pluck to pieces the few flowers that she carried at her + waist. + </p> + <p> + Alaric saw his advantage, but was too generous to push it closely; nor + indeed did he choose to commit himself to all the assured intentions of a + positive declaration. He wished to raise an interest in Linda's heart, and + having done so, to leave the matter to chance. Something, however, it was + necessary that he should say. He walked a while by her in silence, + decapitating the ferns, and then coming close to her, he said— + </p> + <p> + 'Linda, dear Linda! you are not angry with me?' Linda, however, answered + nothing. 'Linda, dearest Linda! speak one word to me.' + </p> + <p> + 'Don't!' said Linda through her tears. 'Pray don't, Alaric; pray don't.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Linda, I will not say another word to you now. Let us walk gently; + we shall catch them up quite in time before they leave the park.' + </p> + <p> + And so they sauntered on, exchanging no further words. Linda by degrees + recovered her calmness, and as she did so, she found herself to be, oh! so + happy. She had never, never envied Gertrude her lover; but it was so + sweet, so very sweet, to be able to share her sister's happiness. And + Alaric, was he also happy? At the moment he doubtless enjoyed the triumph + of his success. But still he had a feeling of sad care at his heart. How + was he to marry a girl without a shilling? Were all his high hopes, was + all his soaring ambition, to be thrown over for a dream of love? + </p> + <p> + Ah! Mrs. Woodward, my friend, my friend, thou who wouldst have fed thy + young ones, like the pelican, with blood from thine own breast, had such + feeding been of avail; thou who art the kindest of mothers; has it been + well for thee to subject to such perils this poor weak young dove of + thine? + </p> + <p> + Uncle Bat had become tired with his walk, and crawled home so slowly that + Alaric and Linda caught the party just as they reached the small wicket + which leads out of the park on the side nearest to Hampton. Nothing was + said or thought of their absence, and they all entered the house together. + Four of them, however, were conscious that that Sunday's walk beneath the + chestnuts of Bushey Park would long be remembered. + </p> + <p> + Nothing else occurred to make the day memorable. In the evening, after + dinner, Mrs. Woodward and her daughters went to church, leaving her + younger guests to entertain the elder one. The elder one soon took the + matter in his own hand by going to sleep; and Harry and Alaric being thus + at liberty, sauntered out down the river side. They both made a forced + attempt at good-humour, each speaking cheerily to the other; but there was + no confidence between them as there had been on that morning when Harry + rowed his friend up to London. Ah me! what had occurred between them to + break the bonds of their mutual trust—to quench the ardour of their + firm friendship? But so it was between them now. It was fated that they + never again should place full confidence in each other. + </p> + <p> + There was no such breach between the sisters, at least not as yet; but + even between them there was no free and full interchange of their hopes + and fears. Gertrude and Linda shared the same room, and were accustomed—as + what girls are not?—to talk half through the night of all their + wishes, thoughts, and feelings. And Gertrude was generally prone enough to + talk of Harry Norman. Sometimes she would say she loved him a little, just + a little; at others she would declare that she loved him not at all—that + is, not as heroines love in novels, not as she thought she could love, and + would do, should it ever be her lot to be wooed by such a lover as her + young fancy pictured to her. Then she would describe her beau idéal, and + the description certainly gave no counterpart of Harry Norman. To tell the + truth, however, Gertrude was as yet heart whole; and when she talked of + love and Harry Norman, she did not know what love was. + </p> + <p> + On this special Sunday evening she was disinclined to speak of him at all. + Not that she loved him more than usual, but that she was beginning to + think that she could not ever really love him at all. She had taught + herself to think that he might probably be her husband, and had hitherto + felt no such repugnance to her destiny as caused her to shun the subject. + But now she was beginning to think of the matter seriously; and as she did + so, she felt that life might have for her a lot more blessed than that of + sharing the world with her cousin Harry. + </p> + <p> + When, therefore, Linda began to question her about her lover, and to make + little hints of her desire to tell what Alaric had said of her and Norman, + Gertrude gave her no encouragement. She would speak of Captain Cuttwater, + of Katie's lessons, of the new dress they were to make for their mother, + of Mr. Everscreech's long sermon, of anything in fact but of Harry Norman. + </p> + <p> + Now this was very hard on poor Linda. Her heart was bursting within her to + tell her sister that she also was beloved; but she could not do so without + some little encouragement. + </p> + <p> + In all their conferences she took the cue of the conversation from her + sister; and though she could have talked about Alaric by the hour, if + Gertrude would have consented to talk about Harry, she did not know how to + start the subject of her own lover, while Gertrude was so cold and + uncommunicative as to hers. She struggled very hard to obtain the + privilege for which she so anxiously longed; but in doing so she only met + with a sad and sore rebuff. + </p> + <p> + 'Gertrude,' at last said Linda, when Gertrude thought that the subject had + been put to rest at any rate for that night, 'don't you think mamma would + be pleased if she knew that you had engaged yourself to Harry Norman?' + </p> + <p> + 'No,' said Gertrude, evincing her strong mind by the tone in which she + spoke; 'I do not. If mamma wished it, she would have told me; for she + never has any secrets. I should be as wrong to engage myself with Harry as + you would be with Alaric. For though Harry has property of his own, while + poor Alaric has none, he has a very insufficient income for a married man, + and I have no fortune with which to help him. If nothing else prevented + it, I should consider it wicked in me to make myself a burden to a man + while he is yet so young and comparatively so poor.' + </p> + <p> + Prudent, sensible, high-minded, well-disciplined Gertrude! But had her + heart really felt a spark of love for the man of whom she spoke, how much + would prudent, sensible, high-minded considerations have weighed with her? + Alas! not a feather. + </p> + <p> + Having made her prudent, high-minded speech, she turned round and slept; + and poor Linda also turned round and bedewed her pillow. She no longer + panted to tell her sister of Alaric's love. + </p> + <p> + On the next morning the two young men returned to town, and the customary + dullness of the week began. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI. — SIR GREGORY HARDLINES + </h2> + <p> + Great changes had been going on at the Weights and Measures; or rather it + might be more proper to say that great changes were now in progress. From + that moment in which it had been hinted to Mr. Hardlines that he must + relax the rigour of his examinations, he had pondered deeply over the + matter. Hitherto he had confined his efforts to his own office, and, so + far from feeling personally anxious for the amelioration of the Civil + Service generally, had derived no inconsiderable share of his happiness + from the knowledge that there were such sinks of iniquity as the Internal + Navigation. To be widely different from others was Mr. Hardlines' glory. + He was, perhaps, something of a Civil Service Pharisee, and wore on his + forehead a broad phylactery, stamped with the mark of Crown property. He + thanked God that he was not as those publicans at Somerset House, and took + glory to himself in paying tithes of official cumin. + </p> + <p> + But now he was driven to a wider range. Those higher Pharisees who were + above him in his own pharisaical establishment, had interfered with the + austerity of his worship. He could not turn against them there, on their + own ground. He, of all men, could not be disobedient to official orders. + But if he could promote a movement beyond the walls of the Weights and + Measures; if he could make Pharisees of those benighted publicans in the + Strand; if he could introduce conic sections into the Custom House, and + political economy into the Post Office; if, by any effort of his, the + Foreign Office clerks could be forced to attend punctually at ten; and + that wretched saunterer, whom five days a week he saw lounging into the + Council Office—if he could be made to mend his pace, what a wide + field for his ambition would Mr. Hardlines then have found! + </p> + <p> + Great ideas opened themselves to his mind as he walked to and from his + office daily. What if he could become the parent of a totally different + order of things! What if the Civil Service, through his instrumentality, + should become the nucleus of the best intellectual diligence in the + country, instead of being a byword for sloth and ignorance! Mr. Hardlines + meditated deeply on this, and, as he did so, it became observed on all + sides that he was an altered man as regarded his solicitude for the + Weights and Measures. One or two lads crept in, by no means conspicuous + for their attainments in abstract science; young men, too, were observed + to leave not much after four o'clock, without calling down on themselves + Mr. Hardlines' usual sarcasm. Some said he was growing old, others that he + was broken-hearted. But Mr. Hardlines was not old, nor broken in heart or + body. He was thinking of higher things than the Weights and Measures, and + at last he published a pamphlet. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Hardlines had many enemies, all in the Civil Service, one of the + warmest of whom was Mr. Oldeschole, of the Navigation, and at first they + rejoiced greatly that Job's wish had been accomplished on their behalf, + and that their enemy had written a book. They were down on Mr. Hardlines + with reviews, counter pamphlets, official statements, and indignant + contradiction; but Mr. Hardlines lived through this storm of missiles, and + got his book to be fêted and made much of by some Government pundits, who + were very bigwigs indeed. And at last he was invited over to the building + on the other side, to discuss the matter with a President, a Secretary of + State, a Lord Commissioner, two joint Secretaries, and three Chairmen. + </p> + <p> + And then, for a period of six months, the light of Mr. Hardlines' face + ceased to shine on the children of the Weights and Measures, and they + felt, one and all, that the glory had in a certain measure departed from + their house. Now and again Mr. Hardlines would look in, but he did so + rather as an enemy than as a friend. There was always a gleam of + antagonistic triumph in his eye, which showed that he had not forgotten + the day when he was called in question for his zeal. He was felt to be in + opposition to his own Board, rather than in co-operation with it. The + Secretary and the Assistant-Secretaries would say little caustic things + about him to the senior clerks, and seemed somewhat to begrudge him his + new honours. But for all this Mr. Hardlines cared little. The President + and the Secretary of State, the joint Secretaries and the Chairmen, all + allowed themselves to be led by him in this matter. His ambition was about + to be gratified. It was his destiny that he should remodel the Civil + Service. What was it to him whether or no one insignificant office would + listen to his charming? Let the Secretary at the Weights and Measures + sneer as he would; he would make that hero of the metallic currency know + that he, Mr. Hardlines, was his master. + </p> + <p> + At the end of six months his budding glory broke out into splendid, + full-blown, many-coloured flowers. He resigned his situation at the + Weights and Measures, and was appointed Chief Commissioner of the Board of + Civil Service Examination, with a salary of £2,000 a year; he was made a + K.C.B., and shone forth to the world as Sir Gregory Hardlines; and he + received a present of £1,000, that happy <i>ne plus ultra</i> of + Governmental liberality. Sir Gregory Hardlines was forced to acknowledge + to himself that he was born to a great destiny. + </p> + <p> + When Sir Gregory, as we must now call him, was first invited to give his + attendance at another office, he found it expedient to take with him one + of the young men from the Weights and Measures, and he selected Alaric + Tudor. Now this was surprising to many, for Tudor had been brought into + the office not quite in accordance with Sir Gregory's views. But during + his four years of service Alaric had contrived to smooth down any acerbity + which had existed on this score; either the paper on the strike-bushel, or + his own general intelligence, or perhaps a certain amount of flattery + which he threw into his daily intercourse with the chief clerk, had been + efficacious, and when Sir Gregory was called upon to select a man to take + with him to his new temporary office, he selected Alaric Tudor. + </p> + <p> + The main effect which such selection had upon our story rises from the + circumstance that it led to an introduction between Tudor and the + Honourable Undecimus Scott, and that this introduction brought about a + close alliance. + </p> + <p> + We will postpone for a short while such description of the character and + position of this gentleman as it may be indispensable to give, and will in + this place merely say that the Honourable Undecimus Scott had been chosen + to act as secretary to the temporary commission that was now making + inquiry as to the proposed Civil Service examinations, and that in this + capacity he was necessarily thrown into communication with Tudor. He was a + man who had known much of officialities, had filled many situations, was + acquainted with nearly all the secretaries, assistant-secretaries, and + private secretaries in London, had been in Parliament, and was still + hand-and-glove with all young members who supported Government. Tudor, + therefore, thought it a privilege to know him, and allowed himself to + become, in a certain degree, subject to his influence. + </p> + <p> + When it was declared to the world of Downing Street that Sir Gregory + Hardlines was to be a great man, to have an office of his own, and to + reign over assistant-commissioners and subject secretaries, there was + great commotion at the Weights and Measures; and when his letter of + resignation was absolutely there, visible to the eyes of clerks, properly + docketed and duly minuted, routine business was, for a day, nearly + suspended. Gentlemen walked in and out from each other's rooms, asking + this momentous question—Who was to fill the chair which had so long + been honoured by the great Hardlines? Who was to be thought worthy to wear + that divine mantle? + </p> + <p> + But even this was not the question of the greatest moment which at that + period disturbed the peace of the office. It was well known that the chief + clerk must be chosen from one of the three senior clerks, and that he + would be so chosen by the voice of the Commissioners. There were only + three men who were deeply interested in this question. But who would then + be the new senior clerk, and how would he be chosen? A strange rumour + began to be afloat that the new scheme of competitive examination was + about to be tried in filling up this vacancy, occasioned by the withdrawal + of Sir Gregory Hardlines. From hour to hour the rumour gained ground, and + men's minds began to be much disturbed. + </p> + <p> + It was no wonder that men's minds should be disturbed. Competitive + examinations at eighteen, twenty, and twenty-two may be very well, and + give an interesting stimulus to young men at college. But it is a fearful + thing for a married man with a family, who has long looked forward to rise + to a certain income by the worth of his general conduct and by the value + of his seniority—it is a fearful thing for such a one to learn that + he has again to go through his school tricks, and fill up examination + papers, with all his juniors round him using their stoutest efforts to + take his promised bread from out of his mouth. <i>Detur digno</i> is a + maxim which will make men do their best to merit rewards; every man can + find courage within his heart to be worthy; but <i>detur digniori</i> is a + fearful law for such a profession as the Civil Service. What worth can + make a man safe against the possible greater worth which will come + treading on his heels? The spirit of the age raises, from year to year, to + a higher level the standard of education. The prodigy of 1857, who is now + destroying all the hopes of the man who was well enough in 1855, will be a + dunce to the tyro of 1860. + </p> + <p> + There were three or four in the Weights and Measures who felt all this + with the keenest anxiety. The fact of their being there, and of their + having passed the scrutiny of Mr. Hardlines, was proof enough that they + were men of high attainments; but then the question arose to them and + others whether they were men exactly of those attainments which were <i>now</i> + most required. Who is to say what shall constitute the merits of the <i>dignior</i>? + It may one day be conic sections, another Greek iambics, and a third + German philosophy. Rumour began to say that foreign languages were now + very desirable. The three excellent married gentlemen who stood first in + succession for the coveted promotion were great only in their vernacular. + </p> + <p> + Within a week from the secession of Sir Gregory, his immediate successor + had been chosen, and it had been officially declared that the vacant + situation in the senior class was to be thrown open as a prize for the + best man in the office. Here was a brilliant chance for young merit! The + place was worth £600 a-year, and might be gained by any one who now + received no more than £100. Each person desirous of competing was to send + in his name to the Secretary, on or before that day fortnight; and on that + day month, the candidates were to present themselves before Sir Gregory + Hardlines and his board of Commissioners. + </p> + <p> + And yet the joy of the office was by no means great. The senior of those + who might become competitors, was of course a miserable, disgusted man. He + went about fruitlessly endeavouring to instigate rebellion against Sir + Gregory, that very Sir Gregory whom he had for many years all but + worshipped. Poor Jones was, to tell the truth, in a piteous case. He told + the Secretary flatly that he would not compete with a lot of boys fresh + from school, and his friends began to think of removing his razors. Nor + were Brown and Robinson in much better plight. They both, it is true, + hated Jones ruthlessly, and desired nothing better than an opportunity of + supplanting him. They were, moreover, fast friends themselves; but not the + less on that account had Brown a mortal fear of Robinson, as also had + Robinson a mortal fear of Brown. + </p> + <p> + Then came the bachelors. First there was Uppinall, who, when he entered + the office, was supposed to know everything which a young man had ever + known. Those who looked most to dead knowledge were inclined to back him + as first favourite. It had, however, been remarked, that his utility as a + clerk had not been equal to the profundity of his acquirements. Of all the + candidates he was the most self-confident. + </p> + <p> + The next to him was Mr. A. Minusex, a wondrous arithmetician. He was one + who could do as many sums without pen and paper as a learned pig; who was + so given to figures that he knew the number of stairs in every flight he + had gone up and down in the metropolis; one who, whatever the subject + before him might be, never thought but always counted. Many who knew the + peculiar propensities of Sir Gregory's earlier days thought that Mr. + Minusex was not an unlikely candidate. + </p> + <p> + The sixth in order was our friend Norman. The Secretary and the two + Assistant-Secretaries, when they first put their heads together on the + matter, declared that he was the most useful man in the office. + </p> + <p> + There was a seventh, named Alphabet Precis. Mr. Precis' peculiar forte was + a singular happiness in official phraseology. Much that he wrote would + doubtless have been considered in the purlieus of Paternoster Row as + ungrammatical, if not unintelligible; but according to the syntax of + Downing Street, it was equal to Macaulay, and superior to Gibbon. He had + frequently said to his intimate friends, that in official writing, style + was everything; and of his writing it certainly did form a very prominent + part. He knew well, none perhaps so well, when to beg leave to lay before + the Board—and when simply to submit to the Commissioners. He + understood exactly to whom it behoved the secretary 'to have the honour of + being a very humble servant,' and to whom the more simple 'I am, sir,' was + a sufficiently civil declaration. These are qualifications great in + official life, but were not quite so much esteemed at the time of which we + are speaking as they had been some few years previously. + </p> + <p> + There was but one other named as likely to stand with any probability of + success, and he was Alaric Tudor. Among the very juniors of the office he + was regarded as the great star of the office. There was a dash about him + and a quick readiness for any work that came to hand in which, perhaps, he + was not equalled by any of his compeers. Then, too, he was the special + friend of Sir Gregory. + </p> + <p> + But no one had yet heard Tudor say that he intended to compete with his + seven seniors—none yet knew whether he would put himself forward as + an adversary to his own especial friend, Norman. That Norman would be a + candidate had been prominently stated. For some few days not a word was + spoken, even between the friends themselves, as to Tudor's intention. + </p> + <p> + On the Sunday they were as usual at Hampton, and then the subject was + mooted by no less a person than Captain Cuttwater. + </p> + <p> + So you young gentlemen up in London are all going to be examined, are + you?' said he; 'what is it to be about? Who's to be first lieutenant of + the ship, is that it?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh no,' said Alaric, 'nothing half so high as that. Boatswain's mate + would be nearer the mark.' + </p> + <p> + 'And who is to be the successful man?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Harry Norman, here. He was far the first favourite in yesterday's + betting.' + </p> + <p> + And how do you stand yourself?' said Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! I'm only an outsider,' said Alaric. 'They put my name down just to + swell the number, but I shall be scratched before the running begins.' + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed he won't,' said Harry. 'He'll run and distance us all. There is no + one who has a chance with him. Why, he is Sir Gregory's own pet.' + </p> + <p> + There was nothing more said on the subject at Surbiton Cottage. The ladies + seemed instinctively to perceive that it was a matter which they had + better leave alone. Not only were the two young men to be pitted against + each other, but Gertrude and Linda were as divided in their wishes on the + subject as the two candidates could be themselves. + </p> + <p> + On the following morning, however, Norman introduced the subject. 'I + suppose you were only jesting yesterday,' said he, 'when you told the + captain that you were not going to be a candidate?' + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed I can hardly say that I was in jest or in earnest,' said Alaric. + 'I simply meant to decline to discuss the subject with Uncle Bat.' + </p> + <p> + 'But of course you do mean to stand?' said Harry. Alaric made no answer. + </p> + <p> + 'Perhaps you would rather decline to discuss the matter with me also?' + said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'Not at all; I would much prefer discussing it openly and honestly. My own + impression is, that I had better leave it alone.' + </p> + <p> + 'And why so?' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'Why so?' repeated Alaric. 'Well, there are so many reasons. In the first + place, there would be seven to one against me; and I must confess that if + I did stand I should not like to be beaten.' + </p> + <p> + 'The same argument might keep us all back,' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'That's true; but one man will be more sensitive, more cowardly, if you + will, than another; and then I think no one should stand who does not + believe himself to have a fair chance. His doing so might probably mar his + future prospects. How can I put myself in competition with such men as + Uppinall and Minuses?' + </p> + <p> + Harry laughed slightly, for he knew it had been asked by many how such men + as Uppinall and Minusex could think of putting themselves in competition + with Alaric Tudor. + </p> + <p> + 'That is something like mock-modesty, is it not, Alaric?' + </p> + <p> + 'No, by heaven, it is not! I know well what those men are made of; and I + know, or think I know, my own abilities. I will own that I rank myself as + a human creature much higher than I rank them. But they have that which I + have not, and that which they have is that which these examiners will + chiefly require.' + </p> + <p> + 'If you have no other reason,' said Norman, 'I would strongly advise you + to send in your name.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Harry, I have another reason; and, though last, it is by no means + the least. You will be a candidate, and probably the successful one. To + tell you the truth, I have no inclination to stand against you.' + </p> + <p> + Norman turned very red, and then answered somewhat gravely: 'I would + advise you to lay aside that objection. I fairly tell you that I consider + your chance better than my own.' + </p> + <p> + 'And suppose it be so, which I am sure it is not—but suppose it be + so, what then?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, you will do right to take advantage of it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, and so gain a step and lose a friend!' said Alaric. 'No; there can + be no heartburn to me in your being selected, for though I am older than + you, you are my senior in the office. But were I to be put over your head, + it would in the course of nature make a division between us; and if it + were possible that you should forgive it, it would be quite impossible + that Gertrude should do so. I value your friendship and that of the + Woodwards too highly to risk it.' + </p> + <p> + Norman instantly fired up with true generous energy. 'I should be + wretched,' said he, 'if I thought that such a consideration weighed with + you; I would rather withdraw myself than allow such a feeling to interfere + with your prospects. Indeed, after what you have said, I shall not send in + my own name unless you also send in yours.' + </p> + <p> + 'I shall only be creating fuel for a feud,' said Alaric. 'To put you out + of the question, no promotion could compensate to me for what I should + lose at Hampton.' + </p> + <p> + 'Nonsense, man; you would lose nothing. Faith, I don't know whether it is + not I that should lose, if I were successful at your expense.' + </p> + <p> + 'How would Gertrude receive me?' said Alaric, pushing the matter further + than he perhaps should have done. + </p> + <p> + 'We won't mind Gertrude,' said Norman, with a little shade of black upon + his brow. 'You are an older man than I, and therefore promotion is to you + of more importance than to me. You are also a poorer man. I have some + means besides that drawn from my office, which, if I marry, I can settle + on my wife; you have none such. I should consider myself to be worse than + wicked if I allowed any consideration of such a nature to stand in the way + of your best interests. Believe me, Alaric, that though I shall, as + others, be anxious for success myself, I should, in failing, be much + consoled by knowing that you had succeeded.' And as he finished speaking + he grasped his friend's hand warmly in token of the truth of his + assertion. + </p> + <p> + Alaric brushed a tear from his eye, and ended by promising to be guided by + his friend's advice. Harry Norman, as he walked into the office, felt a + glow of triumph as he reflected that he had done his duty by his friend + with true disinterested honesty. And Alaric, he also felt a glow of + triumph as he reflected that, come what might, there would be now no + necessity for him to break with Norman or with the Woodwards. Norman must + now always remember that it was at his own instigation that he, Alaric, + had consented to be a candidate. + </p> + <p> + As regarded the real fact of the candidature, the prize was too great to + allow of his throwing away such a chance. Alaric's present income was + £200; that which he hoped to gain was £600! + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII. — MR. FIDUS NEVERBEND + </h2> + <p> + Immediately on entering the office, Tudor gave it to be understood that he + intended to give in his name as a candidate; but he had hardly done so + when his attention was called off from the coming examinations by another + circumstance, which was ultimately of great importance to him. One of the + Assistant-Secretaries sent for him, and told him that his services having + been required by Sir Gregory Hardlines for a week or so, he was at once to + go over to that gentleman's office; and Alaric could perceive that, as Sir + Gregory's name was mentioned, the Assistant-Secretary smiled on him with + no aspect of benign solicitude. + </p> + <p> + He went over accordingly, and found that Sir Gregory, having been desired + to select a man for a special service in the country, had named him. He + was to go down to Tavistock with another gentleman from the Woods and + Forests, for the purpose of settling some disputed point as to the + boundaries and privileges of certain mines situated there on Crown + property. + </p> + <p> + 'You know nothing about mining, I presume?' said Sir Gregory. + </p> + <p> + 'Nothing whatever,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'I thought not; that was one reason why I selected you. What is wanted is + a man of sharp intelligence and plain common sense, and one also who can + write English; for it will fall to your lot to draw up the report on the + matter. Mr. Neverbend, who is to be your colleague, cannot put two words + together.' + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Neverbend!' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, Fidus Neverbend, of the Woods and Forests; a very excellent public + servant, and one in whom the fullest confidence can be placed. But between + you and me, he will never set the Thames on fire.' + </p> + <p> + 'Does he understand mining?' asked Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'He understands Government properties, and will take care that the Crown + be not wronged; but, Tudor, the Government will look to you to get the + true common-sense view of the case. I trust—I mean that I really do + trust, that you will not disgrace my choice.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric of course promised that he would do his best, expressed the deepest + gratitude to his patron, and went off to put himself into communication + with Mr. Neverbend at the Woods and Forests, having received an assurance + that the examination in his own office should not take place till after + his return from Tavistock. He was not slow to perceive that if he could + manage to come back with all the <i>éclat</i> of a successful mission, the + prestige of such a journey would go far to assist him on his coming trial. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Fidus Neverbend was an absolute dragon of honesty. His integrity was + of such an all-pervading nature, that he bristled with it as a porcupine + does with its quills. He had theories and axioms as to a man's conduct, + and the conduct especially of a man in the Queen's Civil Service, up to + which no man but himself could live. Consequently no one but himself + appeared to himself to be true and just in all his dealings. + </p> + <p> + A quarter of an hour spent over a newspaper was in his eyes a downright + robbery. If he saw a man so employed, he would divide out the total of + salary into hourly portions, and tell him to a fraction of how much he was + defrauding the public. If he ate a biscuit in the middle of the day, he + did so with his eyes firmly fixed on some document, and he had never been + known to be absent from his office after ten or before four. + </p> + <p> + When Sir Gregory Hardlines declared that Mr. Fidus Neverbend would never + set the Thames on fire, he meant to express his opinion that that + gentleman was a fool; and that those persons who were responsible for + sending Mr. Neverbend on the mission now about to be undertaken, were + little better than fools themselves for so sending him. But Mr. Neverbend + was no fool. He was not a disciple of Sir Gregory's school. He had never + sat in that philosopher's porch, or listened to the high doctrines + prevalent at the Weights and Measures. He could not write with all Mr. + Precis' conventional correctness, or dispose of any subject at a moment's + notice as would Mr. Uppinall; but, nevertheless, he was no fool. Sir + Gregory, like many other wise men, thought that there were no swans but of + his own hatching, and would ask, with all the pompous conceit of Pharisees + in another age, whether good could come out of the Woods and Forests? + </p> + <p> + Sir Gregory, however, perfectly succeeded in his object of imbuing Tudor + with a very indifferent opinion of his new colleague's abilities. It was + his object that Tudor should altogether take the upper hand in the piece + of work which was to be done between them, and that it should be clearly + proved how very incapable the Woods and Forests were of doing their own + business. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Fidus Neverbend, however, whatever others in the outer world might + think of him, had a high character in his own office, and did not + under-estimate himself. He, when he was told that a young clerk named + Tudor was to accompany him, conceived that he might look on his companion + rather in the light of a temporary private secretary than an equal + partner, and imagined that new glory was added to him by his being so + treated. The two men therefore met each other with very different views. + </p> + <p> + But though Mr. Neverbend was no fool, he was not an equal either in tact + or ability to Alaric Tudor. Alaric had his interview with him, and was not + slow to perceive the sort of man with whom he had to act. Of course, on + this occasion, little more than grimaces and civility passed between them; + but Mr. Neverbend, even in his grimaces and civility, managed to show that + he regarded himself as decidedly No. 1 upon the occasion. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Mr. Tudor,' said he, 'I think of starting on Tuesday. Tuesday will + not, I suppose, be inconvenient to you?' + </p> + <p> + 'Sir Gregory has already told me that we are expected to be at Tavistock + on Tuesday evening.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ah! I don't know about that,' said Neverbend; 'that may be all very well + for Sir Gregory, but I rather think I shall stay the night at Plymouth.' + </p> + <p> + 'It will be the same to me,' said Tudor; 'I haven't looked at the papers + yet, so I can hardly say what may be necessary.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, no; of course not. As to the papers, I don't know that there is much + with which you need trouble yourself. I believe I am pretty well up in the + case. But, Mr. Tudor, there will be a good deal of writing to do when we + are there.' + </p> + <p> + 'We are both used to that, I fancy,' said Tudor, 'so it won't kill us.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, of course not. I understand that there will be a good many people for + me to see, a great many conflicting interests for me to reconcile; and + probably I may find myself obliged to go down two or three of these + mines.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, that will be good fun,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + Neverbend drew himself up. The idea of having fun at the cost of + Government was painful to him; however, he spared the stranger his + reproaches, and merely remarked that the work he surmised would be heavy + enough both for the man who went below ground, and for the one who + remained above. + </p> + <p> + The only point settled between them was that of their starting by an early + train on the Tuesday named; and then Alaric returned to Sir Gregory's + office, there to read through and digest an immense bulk of papers all + bearing on the question at issue. There had, it appeared, been lately + opened between the Tamar and the Tavy a new mine, which had become + exceedingly prosperous—outrageously prosperous, as shareholders and + directors of neighbouring mines taught themselves to believe. Some + question had arisen as to the limits to which the happy possessors of this + new tin El Dorado were entitled to go; squabbles, of course, had been the + result, and miners and masters had fought and bled, each side in defence + of its own rights. As a portion of these mines were on Crown property it + became necessary that the matter should be looked to, and as the local + inspector was accused of having been bribed and bought, and of being, in + fact, an absolute official Judas, it became necessary to send some one to + inspect the inspector. Hence had come Alaric's mission. The name of the + mine in question was Wheal Mary Jane, and Alaric had read the denomination + half a score of times before he learnt that there was no real female in + the case. + </p> + <p> + The Sunday before he went was of course passed at Hampton, and there he + received the full glory of his special appointment. He received glory, and + Norman in an equal degree fell into the background. Mrs. Woodward stuck + kindly to Harry, and endeavoured, in her gentle way, to quiz the projected + trip to Devonshire. But the other party was too strong, and her raillery + failed to have the intended effect. Gertrude especially expressed her + opinion that it was a great thing for so young a man to have been selected + for such employment by such a person; and Linda, though she said less, + could not prevent her tell-tale face from saying more. Katie predicted + that Alaric would certainly marry Mary Jane Wheal, and bring her to + Surbiton Cottage, and Captain Cuttwater offered to the hero introductions + to all the old naval officers at Devonport. + </p> + <p> + 'By jingo! I should like to go with you,' said the captain. + </p> + <p> + 'I fear the pleasure would not repay the trouble,' said Alaric, laughing. + </p> + <p> + 'Upon my word I think I'll do it,' said the captain. 'It would be of the + greatest possible service to you as an officer of the Crown. It would give + you so much weight there. I could make you known, you know——' + </p> + <p> + 'I could not hear of such a thing,' said Alaric, trembling at the idea + which Uncle Bat had conjured up. + </p> + <p> + 'There is Admiral Starbod, and Captain Focassel, and old Hardaport, and + Sir Jib Boom—why, d——n me, they would all do anything + for me—craving the ladies' pardon.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric, in his own defence, was obliged to declare that the rules of the + service especially required that he should hold no friendly communication + with any one during the time that he was employed on this special service. + Poor Captain Cuttwater, grieved to have his good nature checked, was + obliged to put up with this excuse, and consoled himself with abusing the + Government which could condescend to give so absurd an order. + </p> + <p> + This was on the Saturday. On the Sunday, going to church, the captain + suggested that Alaric might, at any rate, just call upon Sir Jib on the + sly. 'It would be a great thing for you,' said Uncle Bat. 'I'll write a + note to-night, and you can take it with you. Sir Jib is a rising man, and + you'll regret it for ever if you miss the opportunity.' Now Sir Jib Boom + was between seventy and eighty, and he and Captain Cuttwater had met each + other nearly every day for the last twenty years, and had never met + without a squabble. + </p> + <p> + After church they had their usual walk, and Linda's heart palpitated as + she thought that she might have to undergo another <i>tête-à-tête</i> with + her lover. But it palpitated in vain. It so turned out that Alaric either + avoided, or, at any rate, did not use the privilege, and Linda returned + home with an undefined feeling of gentle disappointment. She had fully + made up her mind to be very staid, very discreet, and very collected; to + take a leaf out of her sister's book, and give him no encouragement + whatever; she would not absolutely swear to him that she did not now, and + never could, return his passion; but she would point out how very + imprudent any engagement between two young persons, situated as they were, + must be—how foolish it would be for them to bind themselves, for any + number of years, to a marriage which must be postponed; she would tell + Alaric all this, and make him understand that he was not to regard himself + as affianced to her; but she with a woman's faith would nevertheless + remain true to him. This was Linda's great resolve, and the strong hope, + that in a very few weeks, Alaric would be promoted to a marrying income of + £600 per annum, made the prospect of the task not so painful as it might + otherwise have been. Fate, however, robbed her of the pleasure, if it + would have been a pleasure, of sacrificing her love to her duty; and 'dear + Linda, dearest Linda,' was not again whispered into her ear. + </p> + <p> + 'And what on earth is it that you are to do down in the mines?' asked Mrs. + Woodward as they sat together in the evening. + </p> + <p> + 'Nothing on the earth, Mrs. Woodward—it is to be all below the + surface, forty fathom deep,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Take care that you ever come up again,' said she. + </p> + <p> + 'They say the mine is exceedingly rich—perhaps I may be tempted to + stay down there.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then you'll be like the gloomy gnome, that lives in dark, cold mines,' + said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'Isn't it very dangerous, going down into those places?' asked Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'Men go down and come up again every day of their lives, and what other + men can do, I can, I suppose.' + </p> + <p> + 'That doesn't follow at all,' said Captain Cuttwater, 'What sort of a + figure would you make on a yard-arm, reefing a sail in a gale of wind?' + </p> + <p> + 'Pray do take care of yourself,' said Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + Norman's brow grew black. 'I thought that it was settled that Mr. + Neverbend was to go down, and that you were to stay above ground,' said + he. + </p> + <p> + 'So Mr. Neverbend settled it; but that arrangement may, perhaps, be + unsettled again,' said Alaric, with a certain feeling of confidence in his + own strong will. + </p> + <p> + 'I don't at all doubt,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'that if we were to get a sly + peep at you, we should find you both sitting comfortably at your inn all + the time, and that neither of you will go a foot below the ground.' + </p> + <p> + 'Very likely. All I mean to say is, that if Neverbend goes down I'll go + too.' + </p> + <p> + 'But mind, you gloomy gnome, mind you bring up a bit of gold for me,' said + Katie. + </p> + <p> + On the Monday morning he started with the often-expressed good wishes of + all the party, and with a note for Sir Jib Boom, which the captain made + him promise that he would deliver, and which Alaric fully determined to + lose long before he got to Plymouth. + </p> + <p> + That evening he and Norman passed together. As soon as their office hours + were over, they went into the London Exhibition, which was then open; and + there, walking up and down the long centre aisle, they talked with + something like mutual confidence of their future prospects. This was a + favourite resort with Norman, who had schooled himself to feel an interest + in works of art. Alaric's mind was of a different cast; he panted rather + for the great than the beautiful; and was inclined to ridicule the growing + taste of the day for torsos, Palissy ware, and Assyrian monsters. + </p> + <p> + There was then some mutual confidence between the two young men. Norman, + who was apt to examine himself and his own motives more strictly than + Alaric ever did, had felt that something like suspicion as to his friend + had crept over him; and he had felt also that there was no ground for such + suspicion. He had determined to throw it off, and to be again cordial with + his companion. He had resolved so to do before his last visit at Hampton; + but it was at Hampton that the suspicion had been engendered, and there he + found himself unable to be genial, kindly, and contented. Surbiton Cottage + was becoming to him anything but the abode of happiness that it had once + been. A year ago he had been the hero of the Hampton Sundays; he could not + but now feel that Alaric had, as it were, supplanted him with his own + friends. The arrival even of so insignificant a person as Captain + Cuttwater—and Captain Cuttwater was very insignificant in Norman's + mind—had done much to produce this state of things. He had been + turned out of his bedroom at the cottage, and had therefore lost those + last, loving, lingering words, sometimes protracted to so late an hour, + which had been customary after Alaric's departure to his inn—those + last lingering words which had been so sweet because their sweetness had + not been shared with his friend. + </p> + <p> + He could not be genial and happy at Surbiton Cottage; but he was by no + means satisfied with himself that he should not have been so. When he + found that he had been surly with Alaric, he was much more angry with + himself than Alaric was with him. Alaric, indeed, was indifferent about + it. He had no wish to triumph over Harry, but he had an object to pursue, + and he was not the man to allow himself to be diverted from it by any + one's caprice. + </p> + <p> + 'This trip is a great thing for you,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I really don't know. Of course I could not decline it; but on the + whole I should be just as well pleased to have been spared. If I get + through it well, why it will be well. But even that cannot help me at this + examination.' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't know that.' + </p> + <p> + 'Why—a week passed in the slush of a Cornish mine won't teach a man + algebra.' + </p> + <p> + 'It will give you <i>prestige</i>.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then you mean to say the examiners won't examine fairly; well, perhaps + so. But what will be the effect on me if I fail? I know nothing of mines. + I have a colleague with me of whom I can only learn that he is not weak + enough to be led, or wise enough to lead; who is so self-opinionated that + he thinks he is to do the whole work himself, and yet so jealous that he + fears I shall take the very bread out of his mouth. What am I to do with + such a man?' + </p> + <p> + 'You must manage him,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'That is much easier said than done,' replied Alaric. 'I wish you had the + task instead of me.' + </p> + <p> + 'So do not I. Sir Gregory, when he chose you, knew what he was about.' + </p> + <p> + 'Upon my word, Harry, you are full of compliments to-day. I really ought + to take my hat off.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, I am not; I am in no mood for compliments. I know very well what + stuff you are made of. I know your superiority to myself. I know you will + be selected to go up over all our heads. I feel all this; and Alaric, you + must not be surprised that, to a certain degree, it is painful to me to + feel it. But, by God's help I will get over it; and if you succeed it + shall go hard with me, but I will teach myself to rejoice at it. Look at + that fawn there,' said he, turning away his face to hide the tear in his + eye, 'did you ever see more perfect motion?' + </p> + <p> + Alaric was touched; but there was more triumph than sympathy in his heart. + It was sweet, much too sweet, to him to hear his superiority thus + acknowledged. He was superior to the men who worked round him in his + office. He was made of a more plastic clay than they, and despite the + inferiority of his education, he knew himself to be fit for higher work + than they could do. As the acknowledgement was made to him by the man + whom, of those around him, he certainly ranked second to himself, he could + not but feel that his heart's blood ran warm within him, he could not but + tread with an elastic step. + </p> + <p> + But it behoved him to answer Harry, and to answer him in other spirit than + this. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Harry,' said he, 'you have some plot to ruin me by my own conceit; to + make me blow myself out and destroy myself, poor frog that I am, in trying + to loom as largely as that great cow, Fidus Neverbend. You know I am fully + conscious how much inferior my education has been to yours.' + </p> + <p> + 'Education is nothing,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + Education is nothing! Alaric triumphantly re-echoed the words in his heart—'Education + is nothing—mind, mind is everything; mind and the will.' So he + expressed himself to his own inner self; but out loud he spoke much more + courteously. + </p> + <p> + 'It is the innate modesty of your own heart, Harry, that makes you think + so highly of me and so meanly of yourself. But the proof of what we each + can do is yet to be seen. Years alone can decide that. That your career + will be honourable and happy, of that I feel fully sure! I wish I were as + confident of mine.' + </p> + <p> + 'But, Alaric,' said Norman, going on rather with the thread of his own + thoughts, than answering or intending to answer what the other said, 'in + following up your high ambition—and I know you have a high ambition—do + not allow yourself to believe that the end justifies the means, because + you see that men around you act as though they believed so.' + </p> + <p> + 'Do I do so—do I seem to do so?' said Alaric, turning sharply round. + </p> + <p> + 'Don't be angry with me, Alaric; don't think that I want to preach; but + sometimes I fancy, not that you do so, but that your mind is turning that + way; that in your eager desire for honourable success you won't scrutinize + the steps you will have to take.' + </p> + <p> + 'That I would get to the top of the hill, in short, even though the + hillside be miry. Well, I own I wish to get to the top of the hill.' + </p> + <p> + 'But not to defile yourself in doing so.' + </p> + <p> + 'When a man comes home from a successful chase, with his bag well stuffed + with game, the women do not quarrel with him because there is mud on his + gaiters.' + </p> + <p> + 'Alaric, that which is evil is evil. Lies are evil—' + </p> + <p> + 'And am I a liar?' + </p> + <p> + 'Heaven forbid that I should say so: heaven forbid that I should have to + think so! but it is by such doctrines as that that men become liars.' + </p> + <p> + 'What! by having muddy gaiters?' + </p> + <p> + 'By disregarding the means in looking to the end.' + </p> + <p> + 'And I will tell you how men become mere vegetables, by filling their + minds with useless—needless scruples—by straining at gnats—' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, finish your quotation,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'I have finished it; in speaking to you I would not for the world go on, + and seem to insinuate that you would swallow a camel. No insinuation could + be more base or unjust. But, nevertheless, I think you may be too + over-scrupulous. What great man ever rose to greatness,' continued Alaric, + after they had walked nearly the length of the building in silence, 'who + thought it necessary to pick his steps in the manner you have described?' + </p> + <p> + 'Then I would not be great,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'But, surely, God intends that there shall be great men on the earth?' + </p> + <p> + 'He certainly wishes that there should be good men,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'And cannot a man be good and great?' + </p> + <p> + 'That is the problem for a man to solve. Do you try that. Good you + certainly can be, if you look to Him for assistance. Let that come first; + and then the greatness, if that be possible.' + </p> + <p> + 'It is all a quibble about a word,' said Alaric. 'What is good? David was + a man after God's own heart, and a great man too, and yet he did things + which, were I to do, I should be too base to live. Look at Jacob—how + did he achieve the tremendous rights of patriarchal primogeniture? But, + come, the policemen are trying to get rid of us; it is time for us to go,' + and so they left the building, and passed the remainder of the evening in + concord together—in concord so soon to be dissolved, and, ah! + perhaps never to be renewed. + </p> + <p> + On the next morning Alaric and his new companion met each other at an + early hour at the Paddington station. Neverbend was rather fussy with his + dispatch-box, and a large official packet, which an office messenger, + dashing up in a cab, brought to him at the moment of his departure. + Neverbend's enemies were wont to declare that a messenger, a cab, and a + big packet always rushed up at the moment of his starting on any of his + official trips. Then he had his ticket to get and his <i>Times</i> to buy, + and he really had not leisure to do more than nod at Alaric till he had + folded his rug around him, tried that the cushion was soft enough, and + completed his arrangements for the journey. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Mr. Tudor,' at last he said, as soon as the train was in motion, + 'and how are you this morning—ready for work, I hope?' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, not exactly at this moment,' said Alaric. 'One has to get up so + early for these morning trains.' + </p> + <p> + 'Early, Mr. Tudor! my idea is that no hour should be considered either + early or late when the Crown requires our services.' + </p> + <p> + 'Just at present the Crown requires nothing else of us, I suppose, but + that we should go along at the rate of forty miles an hour.' + </p> + <p> + 'There is nothing like saving time,' said Neverbend. 'I know you have, as + yet, had no experience in these sort of cases, so I have brought you the + papers which refer to a somewhat similar matter that occurred in the + Forest of Dean. I was sent down there, and that is the report which I then + wrote. I propose to take it for the model of that which we shall have to + draw up when we return from Tavistock;' and as he spoke he produced a + voluminous document, or treatise, in which he had contrived to render more + obscure some matter that he had been sent to clear up, on the Crown + property in the Forest of Dean. + </p> + <p> + Now Alaric had been told of this very report, and was aware that he was + going to Tavistock in order that the joint result of his and Mr. + Neverbend's labours might be communicated to the Crown officers in + intelligible language. + </p> + <p> + The monster report before him contained twenty-six pages of close folio + writing, and he felt that he really could not oblige Mr. Neverbend by + reading it. + </p> + <p> + 'Forest of Dean! ah, that's coal, is it not?' said Alaric. 'Mary Jane + seems to be exclusively in the tin line. I fear there will be no analogy.' + </p> + <p> + 'The cases are in many respects similar,' said Neverbend, 'and the method + of treating them——' + </p> + <p> + 'Then I really cannot concur with you as to the propriety of my reading + it. I should feel myself absolutely wrong to read a word of such a report, + for fear I might be prejudiced by your view of the case. It would, in my + mind, be positively dishonest in me to encourage any bias in my own + feelings either on one side or the other.' + </p> + <p> + 'But really, Mr. Tudor——' + </p> + <p> + 'I need not say how much personal advantage it would be to me to have the + benefit of your experience, but my conscience tells me that I should not + do it—so I think I'll go to sleep.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Neverbend did not know what to make of his companion; whether to + admire the high tone of his official honesty, or to reprobate his idleness + in refusing to make himself master of the report. While he was settling + the question in his own mind, Tudor went to sleep, and did not wake till + he was invited to partake of ten minutes' refreshment at Swindon. + </p> + <p> + 'I rather think,' said Mr. Neverbend, 'that I shall go on to Tavistock + to-night.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! of course,' said Alaric. 'I never for a moment thought of stopping + short of it;' and, taking out a book, he showed himself disinclined for + further conversation. + </p> + <p> + 'Of course, it's open to me to do as I please in such a matter,' said + Neverbend, continuing his subject as soon as they reached the Bristol + station, 'but on the whole I rather think we had better go on to Tavistock + to-night.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, I will not stop at Plymouth,' he said, as he passed by Taunton; and + on reaching Exeter he declared that he had fully made up his mind on the + subject. + </p> + <p> + 'We'll get a chaise at Plymouth,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'I think there will be a public conveyance,' said Neverbend. + </p> + <p> + 'But a chaise will be the quickest,' said the one. + </p> + <p> + 'And much the dearest,' said the other. + </p> + <p> + 'That won't signify much to us,' said Alaric; 'we shan't pay the bill.' + </p> + <p> + 'It will signify a great deal to me,' said Neverbend, with a look of + ferocious honesty; and so they reached Plymouth. + </p> + <p> + On getting out of the railway carriage, Alaric at once hired a carriage + with a pair of horses; the luggage was strapped on, and Mr. Neverbend, + before his time for expostulation had fairly come, found himself posting + down the road to Tavistock, followed at a respectful distance by two + coaches and an omnibus. + </p> + <p> + They were soon drinking tea together at the Bedford Hotel, and I beg to + assure any travelling readers that they might have drunk tea in a much + worse place. Mr. Neverbend, though he made a great struggle to protect his + dignity, and maintain the superiority of his higher rank, felt the ground + sinking from beneath his feet from hour to hour. He could not at all + understand how it was, but even the servants at the hotel seemed to pay + more deference to Tudor than to him; and before the evening was over he + absolutely found himself drinking port wine negus, because his colleague + had ordered it for him. + </p> + <p> + 'And now,' said Neverbend, who was tired with his long journey, 'I think + I'll go to bed.' + </p> + <p> + 'Do,' said Alaric, who was not at all tired, 'and I'll go through this + infernal mass of papers. I have hardly looked at them yet. Now that I am + in the neighbourhood I shall better understand the strange names.' + </p> + <p> + So Alaric went to work, and studied the dry subject that was before him. + It will luckily not be necessary for us to do so also. It will be + sufficient for us to know that Wheal Mary Jane was at that moment the + richest of all the rich mines that had then been opened in that district; + that the, or its, or her shares (which is the proper way of speaking of + them I am shamefully ignorant) were at an enormous premium; that these two + Commissioners would have to see and talk to some scores of loud and angry + men, deeply interested in their success or failure, and that that success + or failure might probably in part depend on the view which these two + Commissioners might take. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII. — THE HON. UNDECIMUS SCOTT + </h2> + <p> + The Hon. Undecimus Scott was the eleventh son of the Lord Gaberlunzie. + Lord Gaberlunzie was the representative of a very old and very noble race, + more conspicuous, however, at the present time for its age and nobility + than for its wealth. The Hon. Undecimus, therefore, learnt, on arriving at + manhood, that he was heir only to the common lot of mortality, and that he + had to earn his own bread. This, however, could not have surprised him + much, as nine of his brethren had previously found themselves in the same + condition. + </p> + <p> + Lord Gaberlunzie certainly was not one of those wealthy peers who are able + to make two or three elder sons, and after that to establish any others + that may come with comfortable younger children's portions. The family was + somewhat accustomed to the <i>res angusta domi</i>; but they were fully + alive to the fact, that a noble brood, such as their own, ought always to + be able to achieve comfort and splendour in the world's broad field, by + due use of those privileges which spring from a noble name. Cauldkail + Castle, in Aberdeenshire, was the family residence; but few of the eleven + young Scotts were ever to be found there after arriving at that age at + which they had been able to fly from the paternal hall. + </p> + <p> + It is a terrible task, that of having to provide for eleven sons. With two + or three a man may hope, with some reasonable chance of seeing his hope + fulfilled, that things will go well with him, and that he may descend to + his grave without that worst of wretchedness, that gnawing grief which + comes from bad children. But who can hope that eleven sons will all walk + in the narrow path? + </p> + <p> + Had Lord Gaberlunzie, however, been himself a patriarch, and ruled the + pastoral plains of Palestine, instead of the bleak mountains which + surround Cauldkail Castle, he could not have been more indifferent as to + the number of his sons. They flew away, each as his time came, with the + early confidence of young birds, and as seldom returned to disturb the + family nest. + </p> + <p> + They were a cannie, comely, sensible brood. Their father and mother, if + they gave them nothing else, gave them strong bodies and sharp brains. + They were very like each other, though always with a difference. Red hair, + bright as burnished gold; high, but not very high, cheek bones; and small, + sharp, twinkling eyes, were the Gaberlunzie personal characteristics. + There were three in the army, two in the navy, and one at a foreign + embassy; one was at the diggings, another was chairman of a railway + company, and our own more particular friend, Undecimus, was picking up + crumbs about the world in a manner that satisfied the paternal mind that + he was quite able to fly alone. + </p> + <p> + There is a privilege common to the sons of all noble lords, the full value + of which the young Scotts learnt very early in life—that of making + any woman with a tocher an honourable lady. 'Ye maun be a puir chiel, gin + ye'll be worth less than ten thoosand pound in the market o' marriage; and + ten thoosand pound is a gawcey grand heritage!' Such had been the fatherly + precept which Lord Gaberlunzie had striven to instil into each of his + noble sons; and it had not been thrown away upon them. One after the other + they had gone forth into the market-place alluded to, and had sold + themselves with great ease and admirable discretion. There had been but + one Moses in the lot: the Hon. Gordon Hamilton Scott had certainly brought + home a bundle of shagreen spectacle cases in the guise of a widow with an + exceedingly doubtful jointure; doubtful indeed at first, but very soon + found to admit of no doubt whatever. He was the one who, with true Scotch + enterprise, was prosecuting his fortunes at the Bendigo diggings, while + his wife consoled herself at home with her title. + </p> + <p> + Undecimus, with filial piety, had taken his father exactly at his word, + and swapped himself for £10,000. He had, however, found himself imbued + with much too high an ambition to rest content with the income arising + from his matrimonial speculation. He had first contrived to turn his real + £10,000 into a fabulous £50,000, and had got himself returned to + Parliament for the Tillietudlem district burghs on the credit of his great + wealth; he then set himself studiously to work to make a second market by + placing his vote at the disposal of the Government. + </p> + <p> + Nor had he failed of success in his attempt, though he had hitherto been + able to acquire no high or permanent post. He had soon been appointed + private secretary to the First Lord of the Stannaries, and he found that + his duty in this capacity required him to assist the Government whip in + making and keeping houses. This occupation was congenial to his spirit, + and he worked hard and well at it; but the greatest of men are open to the + tainting breath of suspicion, and the Honourable Undecimus Scott, or Undy + Scott, as he was generally now called, did not escape. Ill-natured persons + whispered that he was not on all occasions true to his party; and once + when his master, the whip-in-chief, overborne with too much work, had been + tempted to put himself to bed comfortably in his own house, instead of on + his usual uneasy couch behind the Speaker's chair, Undy had greatly + failed. The leader of a party whose struggles for the religion of his + country had hitherto met but small success, saw at a glance the + opportunity which fortune had placed in his way; he spied with eagle eye + the nakedness of that land of promise which is compressed in the district + round the Treasury benches; the barren field before him was all his own, + and he put and carried his motion for closing the parks on Sundays. + </p> + <p> + He became a hero; but Undy was all but undone. The highest hope of the + Sabbatarian had been to address an almost empty house for an hour and a + half on this his favourite subject. But the chance was too good to be + lost; he sacrificed his oratorical longings on the altar of party purpose, + and limited his speech to a mere statement of his motion. Off flew on the + wings of Hansom a youthful member, more trusty than the trusted Undy, to + the abode of the now couchant Treasury Argus. Morpheus had claimed him all + for his own. He was lying in true enjoyment, with his tired limbs + stretched between the unaccustomed sheets, and snoring with free and + sonorous nose, restrained by the contiguity of no Speaker's elbow. But + even in his deepest slumber the quick wheels of the bounding cab struck + upon the tympanum of his anxious ear. He roused himself as does a noble + watch-dog when the 'suspicious tread of theft' approaches. The hurry of + the jaded horse, the sudden stop, the maddened furious knock, all told a + tale which his well-trained ear only knew too well. He sat up for a + moment, listening in his bed, stretched himself with one involuntary yawn, + and then stood upright on the floor. It should not at any rate be boasted + by any one that he had been found in bed. + </p> + <p> + With elastic step, three stairs at a time, up rushed that young and eager + member. It was well for the nerves of Mrs. Whip Vigil that the calls of + society still held her bound in some distant brilliant throng; for no + consideration would have stopped the patriotic energy of that sucking + statesman. Mr. Vigil had already performed the most important act of a + speedy toilet, when his door was opened, and as his young friend appeared + was already buttoning his first brace. + </p> + <p> + 'Pumpkin is up!' said the eager juvenile,' and we have only five men in + the house.' + </p> + <p> + 'And where the devil is Undy Scott?' said the Right Hon. Mr. Vigil. + </p> + <p> + 'The devil only knows,' said the other. + </p> + <p> + 'I deserve it for trusting him,' said the conscience-stricken but worthy + public servant. By this time he had on his neckcloth and boots; in his + eager haste to serve his country he had forgotten his stockings. 'I + deserve it for trusting him—and how many men have they?' + </p> + <p> + 'Forty-one when I left.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then they'll divide, of course?' + </p> + <p> + 'Of course they will,' said the promising young dove of the Treasury. + </p> + <p> + And now Mr. Whip Vigil had buttoned on that well-made frock with which the + Parliamentary world is so conversant, and as he descended the stairs, + arranged with pocket-comb his now grizzling locks. His well-brushed hat + stood ready to his touch below, and when he entered the cab he was + apparently as well dressed a gentleman as when about three hours after + noon he may be seen with slow and easy step entering the halls of the + Treasury chambers. + </p> + <p> + But ah! alas, he was all too late. He came but to see the ruin which + Undy's defection had brought about. He might have taken his rest, and had + a quiet mind till the next morning's <i>Times</i> revealed to him the fact + of Mr. Pumpkin's grand success. When he arrived, the numbers were being + taken, and he, even he, Mr. Whip Vigil, he the great arch-numberer, was + excluded from the number of the counted. When the doors were again open + the Commons of England had decided by a majority of forty-one to seven + that the parks of London should, one and all, be closed on Sundays; and + Mr. Pumpkin had achieved among his own set a week's immortality. + </p> + <p> + 'We mustn't have this again, Vigil,' said a very great man the next + morning, with a good-humoured smile on his face, however, as he uttered + the reprimand. 'It will take us a whole night, and God knows how much + talking, to undo what those fools did yesterday.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Vigil resolved to leave nothing again to the unassisted industry or + honesty of Undy Scott, and consequently that gentleman's claims on his + party did not stand so highly as they might have done but for this + accident. Parliament was soon afterwards dissolved, and either through the + lukewarm support of his Government friends, or else in consequence of his + great fortune having been found to be ambiguous, the independent electors + of the Tillietudlem burghs took it into their heads to unseat Mr. Scott. + Unseated for Tillietudlem, he had no means of putting himself forward + elsewhere, and he had to repent, in the sackcloth and ashes of private + life, the fault which had cost him the friendship of Mr. Vigil. + </p> + <p> + His life, however, was not strictly private. He had used the Honourable + before his name, and the M.P. which for a time had followed after it, to + acquire for himself a seat as director at a bank board. He was a + Vice-President of the Caledonian, English, Irish, and General European and + American Fire and Life Assurance Society; such, at least, had been the + name of the joint-stock company in question when he joined it; but he had + obtained much credit by adding the word 'Oriental,' and inserting it after + the allusion to Europe; he had tried hard to include the fourth quarter of + the globe; but, as he explained to some of his friends, it would have made + the name too cumbrous for the advertisements. He was a director also of + one or two minor railways, dabbled in mining shares, and, altogether, did + a good deal of business in the private stock-jobbing line. + </p> + <p> + In spite of his former delinquencies, his political friends did not + altogether throw him over. In the first place, the time might come when he + would be again useful, and then he had managed to acquire that air and + tact which make one official man agreeable to another. He was always + good-humoured; when in earnest, there was a dash of drollery about him; in + his most comic moods he ever had some serious purpose in view; he + thoroughly understood the esoteric and exoteric bearings of modern + politics, and knew well that though he should be a model of purity before + the public, it did not behove him to be very strait-laced with his own + party. He took everything in good part, was not over-talkative, + over-pushing, or presumptuous; he felt no strong bias of his own; had at + his fingers' ends the cant phraseology of ministerial subordinates, and + knew how to make himself useful. He knew also—a knowledge much more + difficult to acquire—how to live among men so as never to make + himself disagreeable. + </p> + <p> + But then he could not be trusted! True. But how many men in his walk of + life can be trusted? And those who can—at how terribly high a price + do they rate their own fidelity! How often must a minister be forced to + confess to himself that he cannot afford to employ good faith! Undy Scott, + therefore, from time to time, received some ministerial bone, some Civil + Service scrap of victuals thrown to him from the Government table, which, + if it did not suffice to maintain him in all the comforts of a Treasury + career, still preserved for him a connexion with the Elysium of public + life; gave him, as it were, a link by which he could hang on round the + outer corners of the State's temple, and there watch with advantage till + the doors of Paradise should be re-opened to him. He was no Lucifer, who, + having wilfully rebelled against the high majesty of Heaven, was doomed to + suffer for ever in unavailing, but still proud misery, the penalties of + his asserted independence; but a poor Peri, who had made a lapse and thus + forfeited, for a while, celestial joys, and was now seeking for some + welcome offering, striving to perform some useful service, by which he + might regain his lost glory. + </p> + <p> + The last of the good things thus tendered to him was not yet all consumed. + When Mr. Hardlines, now Sir Gregory, was summoned to assist at, or rather + preside over, the deliberations of the committee which was to organize a + system of examination for the Civil Service, the Hon. U. Scott had been + appointed secretary to that committee. This, to be sure, afforded but a + fleeting moment of halcyon bliss; but a man like Mr. Scott knew how to + prolong such a moment to its uttermost stretch. The committee had ceased + to sit, and the fruits of their labour were already apparent in the + establishment of a new public office, presided over by Sir Gregory; but + still the clever Undy continued to draw his salary. + </p> + <p> + Undy was one of those men who, though married and the fathers of families, + are always seen and known '<i>en garçon</i>'. No one had a larger circle + of acquaintance than Undy Scott; no one, apparently, a smaller circle than + Mrs. Undy Scott. So small, indeed, was it, that its <i>locale</i> was + utterly unknown in the fashionable world. At the time of which we are now + speaking Undy was the happy possessor of a bedroom in Waterloo Place, and + rejoiced in all the comforts of a first-rate club. But the sacred spot, in + which at few and happy intervals he received the caresses of the wife of + his bosom and the children of his loins, is unknown to the author. + </p> + <p> + In age, Mr. Scott, at the time of the Tavistock mining inquiry, was about + thirty-five. Having sat in Parliament for five years, he had now been out + for four, and was anxiously looking for the day when the universal + scramble of a general election might give him another chance. In person he + was, as we have said, stalwart and comely, hirsute with copious red locks, + not only over his head, but under his chin and round his mouth. He was + well made, six feet high, neither fat nor thin, and he looked like a + gentleman. He was careful in his dress, but not so as to betray the care + that he took; he was imperturbable in temper, though restless in spirit; + and the one strong passion of his life was the desire of a good income at + the cost of the public. + </p> + <p> + He had an easy way of getting intimate with young men when it suited him, + and as easy a way of dropping them afterwards when that suited him. He had + no idea of wasting his time or opportunities in friendships. Not that he + was indifferent as to his companions, or did not appreciate the pleasure + of living with pleasant men; but that life was too short, and with him the + race too much up hill, to allow of his indulging in such luxuries. He + looked on friendship as one of those costly delights with which none but + the rich should presume to gratify themselves. He could not afford to + associate with his fellow-men on any other terms than those of making + capital of them. It was not for him to walk and talk and eat and drink + with a man because he liked him. How could the eleventh son of a needy + Scotch peer, who had to maintain his rank and position by the force of his + own wit, how could such a one live, if he did not turn to some profit even + the convivialities of existence? + </p> + <p> + Acting in accordance with his fixed and conscientious rule in this + respect, Undy Scott had struck up an acquaintance with Alaric Tudor. He + saw that Alaric was no ordinary clerk, that Sir Gregory was likely to have + the Civil Service under his thumb, and that Alaric was a great favourite + with the great man. It would but little have availed Undy to have striven + to be intimate with Sir Gregory himself. The Knight Commander of the Bath + would have been deaf to his blandishments; but it seemed probable that the + ears of Alaric might be tickled. + </p> + <p> + And thus Alaric and Undy Scott had become fast friends; that is, as fast + as such friends generally are. Alaric was no more blind to his own + interest than was his new ally. But there was this difference between + them; Undy lived altogether in the utilitarian world which he had formed + around himself, whereas Alaric lived in two worlds. When with Undy his + pursuits and motives were much such as those of Undy himself; but at + Surbiton Cottage, and with Harry Norman, he was still susceptible of a + higher feeling. He had been very cool to poor Linda on his last visit to + Hampton; but it was not that his heart was too hard for love. He had begun + to discern that Gertrude would never attach herself to Norman; and if + Gertrude were free, why should she not be his? + </p> + <p> + Poor Linda! + </p> + <p> + Scott had early heard—and of what official event did he not obtain + early intelligence?—that Neverbend was to go down to Tavistock about + the Mary Jane tin mine, and that a smart colleague was required for him. + He would fain, for reasons of his own, have been that smart colleague + himself; but that he knew was impossible. He and Neverbend were the Alpha + and Omega of official virtues and vices. But he took an opportunity of + mentioning before Sir Gregory, in a passing unpremeditated way, how + excellently adapted Tudor was for the work. It so turned out that his + effort was successful, and that Tudor was sent. + </p> + <p> + The whole of their first day at Tavistock was passed by Neverbend and + Alaric in hearing interminable statements from the various mining + combatants, and when at seven o'clock Alaric shut up for the evening he + was heartily sick of the job. The next morning before breakfast he + sauntered out to air himself in front of the hotel, and who should come + whistling up the street, with a cigar in his mouth, but his new friend + Undy Scott. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX. — MR. MANYLODES + </h2> + <p> + Alaric Tudor was very much surprised. Had he seen Sir Gregory himself, or + Captain Cuttwater, walking up the street of Tavistock, he could not have + been more startled. It first occurred to him that Scott must have been + sent down as a third Commissioner to assist at the investigation; and he + would have been right glad to have known that this was the case, for he + found that the management of Mr. Neverbend was no pastime. But he soon + learnt that such relief was not at hand for him. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Tudor, my boy,' said he, 'and how do you like the clotted cream and + the thick ankles of the stout Devonshire lasses?' + </p> + <p> + 'I have neither tasted the one, nor seen the other,' said Alaric. 'As yet + I have encountered nothing but the not very civil tongues, and not very + clear brains of Cornish roughs.' + </p> + <p> + 'A Boeotian crew! but, nevertheless, they know on which side their bread + is buttered—and in general it goes hard with them but they butter it + on both sides. And how does the faithful Neverbend conduct himself? Talk + of Boeotians, if any man ever was born in a foggy air, it must have been + my friend Fidus.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric merely shrugged his shoulders, and laughed slightly. 'But what on + earth brings you down to Tavistock?' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! I am a denizen of the place, naturalized, and all but settled; have + vast interests here, and a future constituency. Let the Russells look well + to themselves. The time is quickly coming when you will address me in the + House with bitter sarcasm as the honourable but inconsistent member for + Tavistock; egad, who knows but you may have to say Right Honourable?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! I did not know the wind blew in that quarter,' said Alaric, not + ill-pleased at the suggestion that he also, on some future day, might have + a seat among the faithful Commons. + </p> + <p> + 'The wind blows from all quarters with me,' said Undy; 'but in the + meantime I am looking out for shares.' + </p> + <p> + 'Will you come in and breakfast?' asked the other. + </p> + <p> + 'What, with friend Fidus? no, thank'ee; I am not, by many degrees, honest + enough to suit his book. He would be down on some little public peccadillo + of mine before I had swallowed my first egg. Besides, I would not for + worlds break the pleasure of your <i>tête-à-tête</i>.' + </p> + <p> + 'Will you come down after dinner?' + </p> + <p> + 'No; neither after dinner, nor before breakfast; not all the coffee, nor + all the claret of the Bedford shall tempt me. Remember, my friend, you are + paid for it; I am not.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, then, good morning,' said Alaric. 'I must go in and face my fate, + like a Briton.' + </p> + <p> + Undy went on for a few steps, and then returned, as though a sudden + thought had struck him. 'But, Tudor, I have bowels of compassion within + me, though no pluck. I am willing to rescue you from your misery, though I + will not partake it. Come up to me this evening, and I will give you a + glass of brandy-punch. Your true miners never drink less generous tipple.' + </p> + <p> + 'How on earth am I to shake off this incubus of the Woods and Works?' + </p> + <p> + 'Shake him off? Why, make him drunk and put him to bed; or tell him at + once that the natural iniquity of your disposition makes it necessary that + you should spend a few hours of the day in the company of a sinner like + myself. Tell him that his virtue is too heavy for the digestive organs of + your unpractised stomach. Tell him what you will, but come. I myself am + getting sick of those mining Vandals, though I am so used to dealing with + them.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric promised that he would come, and then went in to breakfast. Undy + also returned to his breakfast, well pleased with this first success in + the little scheme which at present occupied his mind. The innocent young + Commissioner little dreamt that the Honourable Mr. Scott had come all the + way to Tavistock on purpose to ask him to drink brandy-punch at the Blue + Dragon! + </p> + <p> + Another day went wearily and slowly on with Alaric and Mr. Neverbend. + Tedious, never-ending statements had to be taken down in writing; the same + things were repeated over and over again, and were as often contradicted; + men who might have said in five words all that they had to say, would not + be constrained to say it in less than five thousand, and each one seemed + to think, or pretended to seem to think, that all the outer world and the + Government were leagued together to defraud the interest to which he + himself was specially attached. But this was not the worst of it. There + were points which were as clear as daylight; but Tudor could not declare + them to be so, as by doing so he was sure to elicit a different opinion + from Mr. Neverbend. + </p> + <p> + 'I am not quite so clear on that point, Mr. Tudor,' he would say. + </p> + <p> + Alaric, till experience made him wise, would attempt to argue it. + </p> + <p> + 'That is all very well, but I am not quite so sure of it. We will reserve + the point, if you please,' and so affairs went on darkly, no ray of light + being permitted to shine in on the matter in dispute. + </p> + <p> + It was settled, however, before dinner, that they should both go down the + Wheal Mary Jane on the following day. Neverbend had done what he could to + keep this crowning honour of the inquiry altogether in his own hands, but + he had found that in this respect Tudor was much too much for him. + </p> + <p> + Immediately after dinner Alaric announced that he was going to spend the + evening with a friend. + </p> + <p> + 'A friend!' said Neverbend, somewhat startled; 'I did not know that you + had any friends in Tavistock.' + </p> + <p> + 'Not a great many; but it so happened that I did meet a man I know, this + morning, and promised to go to him in the evening. I hope you'll excuse my + leaving you?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! I don't mind for myself,' said Neverbend, 'though, when men are + together, it's as well for them to keep together. But, Mr. Tudor——' + </p> + <p> + 'Well?' said Alaric, who felt growing within him a determination to put + down at once anything like interference with his private hours. + </p> + <p> + 'Perhaps I ought not to mention it,' said Neverbend, 'but I do hope you'll + not get among mining people. Only think what our position here is.' + </p> + <p> + 'What on earth do you mean?' said Alaric. 'Do you think I shall be bribed + over by either side because I choose to drink a glass of wine with a + friend at another hotel?' + </p> + <p> + 'Bribed! No, I don't think you'll be bribed; but I think we should both + keep ourselves absolutely free from all chance of being talked to on the + subject, except before each other and before witnesses. I would not drink + brandy-and-water at the Blue Dragon, before this report be written, even + if my brother were there.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Mr. Neverbend, I am not so much afraid of myself. But wherever + there are two men, there will be two opinions. So good night, if it so + chance that you are in bed before my return.' + </p> + <p> + So Tudor went out, and Neverbend prepared himself to sit up for him. He + would sooner have remained up all night than have gone to bed before his + colleague came back. + </p> + <p> + Three days Alaric Tudor had now passed with Mr. Neverbend, and not only + three days but three evenings also! A man may endure to be bored in the + course of business through the day, but it becomes dreadful when the + infliction is extended to post-prandial hours. It does not often occur + that one is doomed to bear the same bore both by day and night; any change + gives some ease; but poor Alaric for three days had had no change. He felt + like a liberated convict as he stepped freely forth into the sweet evening + air, and made his way through the town to the opposition inn. + </p> + <p> + Here he found Undy on the door-steps with a cigar in his mouth. 'Here I + am, waiting for you,' said he. 'You are fagged to death, I know, and we'll + get a mouthful of fresh air before we go upstairs,'—and so saying he + put his arm through Alaric's, and they strolled off through the suburbs of + the town. + </p> + <p> + 'You don't smoke,' said Undy, with his cigar-case in his hand. 'Well—I + believe you are right—cigars cost a great deal of money, and can't + well do a man any real good. God Almighty could never have intended us to + make chimneys of our mouths and noses. Does Fidus ever indulge in a weed?' + </p> + <p> + 'He never indulges in anything,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Except honesty,' said the other, 'and in that he is a beastly glutton. He + gorges himself with it till all his faculties are overpowered and his mind + becomes torpid. It's twice worse than drinking. I wonder whether he'll do + a bit of speculation before he goes back to town.' + </p> + <p> + 'Who, Neverbend?—he never speculates!' + </p> + <p> + 'Why not? Ah, my fine fellow, you don't know the world yet. Those sort of + men, dull drones like Neverbend, are just the fellows who go the deepest. + I'll be bound he will not return without a few Mary Janes in his + pocket-book. He'll be a fool if he does, I know.' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, that's the very mine we are down here about.' + </p> + <p> + 'And that's the very reason why he'll purchase Mary Janes. He has an + opportunity of knowing their value. Oh, let Neverbend alone. He is not so + young as you are, my dear fellow.' + </p> + <p> + 'Young or old, I think you mistake his character.' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, Tudor, what would you think now if he not only bought for himself, + but was commissioned to buy by the very men who sent him down here?' + </p> + <p> + 'It would be hard to make me believe it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ah! faith is a beautiful thing; what a pity that it never survives the + thirtieth year;—except with women and fools.' + </p> + <p> + 'And have you no faith, Scott?' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes—much in myself—some little in Lord Palmerston, that is, + in his luck; and a good deal in a bank-note. But I have none at all in + Fidus Neverbend. What! have faith in a man merely because he tells me to + have it! His method of obtaining it is far too easy.' + </p> + <p> + 'I trust neither his wit nor his judgement; but I don't believe him to be + a thief.' + </p> + <p> + 'Thief! I said nothing of thieves. He may, for aught I know, be just as + good as the rest of the world; all I say is, that I believe him to be no + better. But come, we must go back to the inn; there is an ally of mine + coming to me; a perfect specimen of a sharp Cornish mining stock-jobber—as + vulgar a fellow as you ever met, and as shrewd. He won't stay very long, + so you need not be afraid of him.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric began to feel uneasy, and to think that there might by possibility + be something in what Neverbend had said to him. He did not like the idea + of meeting a Cornish stock-jobber in a familiar way over his brandy-punch, + while engaged, as he now was, on the part of Government; he felt that + there might be impropriety in it, and he would have been glad to get off + if he could. But he felt ashamed to break his engagement, and thus + followed Undy into the hotel. + </p> + <p> + 'Has Mr. Manylodes been here?' said Scott, as he walked upstairs. + </p> + <p> + 'He's in the bar now, sir,' said the waiter. + </p> + <p> + 'Beg him to come up, then. In the bar! why, that man must have a bar + within himself—the alcohol he consumes every day would be a tidy + sale for a small public-house.' + </p> + <p> + Up they went, and Mr. Manylodes was not long in following them. He was a + small man, more like an American in appearance than an Englishman. He had + on a common black hat, a black coat, black waistcoat, and black trousers, + thick boots, a coloured shirt, and very dirty hands. Though every article + he wore was good, and most of them such as gentlemen wear, no man alive + could have mistaken him for a gentleman. No man, conversant with the + species to which he belonged, could have taken him for anything but what + he was. As he entered the room, a faint, sickly, second-hand smell of + alcohol pervaded the atmosphere. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Manylodes,' said Scott, 'I'm glad to see you again. This is my + friend, Mr. Tudor.' + </p> + <p> + 'Your servant, sir,' said Manylodes, just touching his hat, without moving + it from his head. 'And how are you, Mr. Scott? I am glad to see you again + in these parts, sir.' + </p> + <p> + 'And how's trade? Come, Tudor, what will you drink? Manylodes, I know, + takes brandy; their sherry is vile, and their claret worse; maybe they may + have a fairish glass of port. And how is trade, Manylodes?' + </p> + <p> + 'We're all as brisk as bees at present. I never knew things sharper. If + you've brought a little money with you, now's your time. But I tell you + this, you'll find it sharp work for the eyesight.' + </p> + <p> + 'Quick's the word, I suppose.' + </p> + <p> + 'Lord love you! Quick! Why, a fellow must shave himself before he goes to + bed if he wants to be up in time these days.' + </p> + <p> + 'I suppose so.' + </p> + <p> + 'Lord love you! why there was old Sam Weazle; never caught napping yet—why + at Truro, last Monday, he bought up to 450 New Friendships, and before he + was a-bed they weren't worth, not this bottle of brandy. Well, old Sam was + just bit by those Cambourne lads.' + </p> + <p> + 'And how did that happen?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, the New Friendships certainly was very good while they lasted; just + for three months they was the thing certainly. Why, it came up, sir, as if + there weren't no end of it, and just as clean as that half-crown—but + I know'd there was an end coming.' + </p> + <p> + 'Water, I suppose,' said Undy, sipping his toddy. + </p> + <p> + 'Them clean takes, Mr. Scott, they never lasts. There was water, but that + weren't the worst. Old Weazle knew of that; he calculated he'd back the + metal agin the water, and so he bought all up he could lay his finger on. + But the stuff was run out. Them Cambourne boys—what did they do? + Why, they let the water in on purpose. By Monday night old Weazle knew it + all, and then you may say it was as good as a play.' + </p> + <p> + 'And how did you do in the matter?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, I sold. I did very well—bought at £7 2s. 3d. and sold at £6 + 19s. 10 1/2d., and got my seven per cent, for the four months. But, Lord + love you, them clean takes never lasts. I worn't going to hang on. Here's + your health, Mr. Scott. Yours, Mr.—-, I didn't just catch the + gen'leman's name;' and without waiting for further information on the + point, he finished his brandy-and-water. + </p> + <p> + 'So it's all up with the New Friendships, is it?' said Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'Up and down, Mr. Scott; every dog has his day; these Mary Janes will be + going the same way some of them days. We're all mortal;' and with this + moral comparison between the uncertainty of human life and the + vicissitudes of the shares in which he trafficked, Mr. Manylodes proceeded + to put some more sugar and brandy into his tumbler. + </p> + <p> + 'True, true—we are all mortal—Manylodes and Mary Janes; old + friendships and New Friendships: while they last we must make the most we + can of them; buy them cheap and sell them dear; and above all things get a + good percentage.' + </p> + <p> + 'That's the game, Mr. Scott; and I will say no man understands it better + than yourself—keep the ball a-running—that's your maxim. Are + you going it deep in Mary Jane, Mr. Scott?' + </p> + <p> + 'Who? I! O no—she's a cut above me now, I fear. The shares are worth + any money now, I suppose.' + </p> + <p> + 'Worth any money! I think they are, Mr. Scott, but I believe——' + and then bringing his chair close up to that of his aristocratic friend, + resting his hands, one on Mr. Scott's knee, and the other on his elbow, + and breathing brandy into his ear, he whispered to him words of great + significance. + </p> + <p> + 'I'll leave you, Scott,' said Alaric, who did not enjoy the society of Mr. + Manylodes, and to whom the nature of the conversation was, in his present + position, extremely irksome; 'I must be back at the Bedford early.' + </p> + <p> + 'Early—why early? surely our honest friend can get himself to bed + without your interference. Come, you don't like the brandy toddy, nor I + either. We'll see what sort of a hand they are at making a bowl of + bishop.' + </p> + <p> + 'Not for me, Scott.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, for you, man; surely you are not tied to that fellow's + apron-strings,' he said, removing himself from the close contiguity of Mr. + Manylodes, and speaking under his voice; 'take my advice; if you once let + that man think you fear him, you'll never get the better of him.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric allowed himself to be persuaded and stayed. + </p> + <p> + 'I have just ten words of business to say to this fellow,' continued + Scott, 'and then we will be alone.' + </p> + <p> + It was a lovely autumn evening, early in September, and Alaric sat himself + at an open window, looking out from the back of the hotel on to the + Brentor, with its singular parish church, built on its highest apex, while + Undy held deep council with his friend of the mines. But from time to + time, some word of moment found its way to Alaric's ears, and made him + also unconsciously fix his mind on the <i>irritamenta malorum</i>, which + are dug from the bowels of the earth in those western regions. + </p> + <p> + 'Minting money, sir; it's just minting money. There's been no chance like + it in my days. £4 12s. 6d. paid up; and they'll be at £25 in Truro before + sun sets on Saturday, Lord love you, Mr. Scott, now's your time. If, as I + hear, they—' and then there was a very low whisper, and Alaric, who + could not keep his eye altogether from Mr. Manylodes' countenance, saw + plainly that that worthy gentleman was talking of himself; and in spite of + his better instincts, a desire came over him to know more of what they + were discussing, and he could not keep from thinking that shares bought at + £4 12s. 6d., and realizing £25, must be very nice property. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I'll manage it,' said Scott, still in a sort of whisper, but + audibly enough for Alaric to hear. 'Forty, you say? I'll take them at £5 + 1s. 1d.—very well;' and he took out his pocket-book and made a + memorandum. 'Come, Tudor, here's the bishop. We have done our business, so + now we'll enjoy ourselves. What, Manylodes, are you off?' + </p> + <p> + 'Lord love you, Mr. Scott, I've a deal to do before I get to my downy; and + I don't like those doctored tipples. Good night, Mr. Scott. I wishes you + good night, sir;' and making another slight reference to his hat, which + had not been removed from his head during the whole interview, Mr. + Manylodes took himself off. + </p> + <p> + 'There, now, is a specimen of a species of the <i>genus homo</i>, class + Englishman, which is, I believe, known nowhere but in Cornwall.' + </p> + <p> + 'Cornwall and Devonshire, I suppose,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'No; he is out of his true element here. If you want to see him in all the + glory of his native county you should go west of Truro. From Truro to + Hayle is the land of the Manylodes. And a singular species it is. But, + Tudor, you'll be surprised, I suppose, if I tell you that I have made a + purchase for you.' + </p> + <p> + 'A purchase for me!' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes; I could not very well consult you before that fellow, and yet as the + chance came in my way, I did not like to lose it. Come, the bishop ain't + so bad, is it, though it is doctored tipple?' and he refilled Alaric's + glass. + </p> + <p> + 'But what have you purchased for me, Scott?' + </p> + <p> + 'Forty shares in the Mary Jane.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then you may undo the bargain again, for I don't want them, and shall not + take them.' + </p> + <p> + 'You need not be a bit uneasy, my dear fellow. I've bought them at a + little over £5, and they'll be saleable to-morrow at double the money—or + at any rate to-morrow week. But what's your objection to them?' + </p> + <p> + 'In the first place, I've got no money to buy shares.' + </p> + <p> + 'That's just the reason why you should buy them; having no money, you + can't but want some; and here's your way to make it. You can have no + difficulty in raising £200.' + </p> + <p> + 'And in the next place, I should not think of buying mining shares, and + more especially these, while I am engaged as I now am.' + </p> + <p> + 'Fal de ral, de ral, de ral! That's all very fine, Mr. Commissioner; only + you mistake your man; you think you are talking to Mr. Neverbend.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Scott, I shan't have them.' + </p> + <p> + 'Just as you please, my dear fellow; there's no compulsion. Only mark + this; the ball is at your foot now, but it won't remain there. 'There is a + tide in the affairs of men'—you know the rest; and you know also + that 'tide and time wait for no man.' If you are contented with your two + or three hundred a year in the Weights and Measures, God forbid that I + should tempt you to higher thoughts—only in that case I have + mistaken my man.' + </p> + <p> + 'I must be contented with it, if I can get nothing better,' said Tudor, + weakly. + </p> + <p> + 'Exactly; you must be contented—or rather you must put up with it—if + you can get nothing better. That's the meaning of contentment all the + world over. You argue in a circle. You must be a mere clerk if you cannot + do better than other mere clerks. But the fact of your having such an + offer as that I now make you, is proof that you can do better than others; + proves, in fact, that you need not be a mere clerk, unless you choose to + remain so.' + </p> + <p> + 'Buying these shares might lose me all that I have got, and could not do + more than put a hundred pounds or so in my pocket.' + </p> + <p> + 'Gammon—' + </p> + <p> + 'Could I go back and tell Sir Gregory openly that I had bought them?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, Tudor, you are the youngest fish I ever met, sent out to swim alone + in this wicked world of ours. Who the deuce talks openly of his + speculations? Will Sir Gregory tell you what shares he buys? Is not every + member of the House, every man in the Government, every barrister, parson, + and doctor, that can collect a hundred pounds, are not all of them at the + work? And do they talk openly of the matter? Does the bishop put it into + his charge, or the parson into his sermon?' + </p> + <p> + 'But they would not be ashamed to tell their friends.' + </p> + <p> + 'Would not they? Oh! the Rev. Mr. Pickabit, of St. Judas Without, would + not be ashamed to tell his bishop! But the long and the short of the thing + is this; most men circumstanced as you are have no chance of doing + anything good till they are forty or fifty, and then their energies are + worn out. You have had tact enough to push yourself up early, and yet it + seems you have not pluck enough to take the goods the gods provide you.' + </p> + <p> + 'The gods!—you mean the devils rather,' said Alaric, who sat + listening and drinking, almost unconsciously, his doctored tipple. + </p> + <p> + 'Call them what you will for me. Fortune has generally been esteemed a + goddess, but misfortune a very devil. But, Tudor, you don't know the + world. Here is a chance in your way. Of course that keg of brandy who went + out just now understands very well who you are. He wants to be civil to + me, and he thinks it wise to be civil to you also. He has a hat full of + these shares, and he tells me that, knowing my weakness, and presuming + that you have the same, he bought a few extra this morning, thinking we + might like them. Now, I have no hesitation in saying there is not a single + man whom the Government could send down here, from Sir Gregory downwards, + who could refuse the chance.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am quite sure that Neverbend——' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! for Heaven's sake don't choke me with Neverbend; the fools are fools, + and will be so; they are used for their folly. I speak of men with brains. + How do you think that such men as Hardlines, Vigil, and Mr. Estimate have + got up in the world? Would they be where they are now, had they been + contented with their salaries?' + </p> + <p> + 'They had private fortunes.' + </p> + <p> + 'Very private they must have been—I never heard of them. No; what + fortunes they have they made. Two of them are in Parliament, and the other + has a Government situation of £2,000 a year, with little or nothing to do. + But they began life early, and never lost a chance.' + </p> + <p> + 'It is quite clear that that blackguard who was here just now thinks that + he can influence my opinion by inducing me to have an interest in the + matter.' + </p> + <p> + 'He had no such idea—nor have I. Do you think I would persuade you + to such villany? Do you think I do not know you too well? Of course the + possession of these shares can have no possible effect on your report, and + is not expected to have any. But when men like you and me become of any + note in the world, others, such as Manylodes, like to know that we are + embarked in the same speculation with themselves. Why are members of + Parliament asked to be directors, and vice-governors, and presidents, and + guardians, of all the joint-stock societies that are now set agoing? Not + because of their capital, for they generally have none; not for their + votes, because one vote can be but of little use in any emergency. It is + because the names of men of note are worth money. Men of note understand + this, and enjoy the fat of the land accordingly. I want to see you among + the number.' + </p> + <p> + 'Twas thus the devil pleaded for the soul of Alaric Tudor; and, alas! he + did not plead in vain. Let him but have a fair hearing, and he seldom + does. 'Tis in this way that the truth of that awful mystery, the fall of + man, comes home to us; that we cannot hear the devil plead, and resist the + charm of his eloquence. To listen is to be lost. 'Lead us not into + temptation, but deliver us from evil!' Let that petition come forth from a + man's heart, a true and earnest prayer, and he will be so led that he + shall not hear the charmer, let him charm ever so wisely. + </p> + <p> + 'Twas but a thin veil that the Hon. Undecimus Scott threw over the bait + with which he fished for the honesty of Alaric Tudor, and yet it sufficed. + One would say that a young man, fortified with such aspirations as those + which glowed in Alaric's breast, should have stood a longer siege; should + have been able to look with clearer eyesight on the landmarks which divide + honour from dishonour, integrity from fraud, and truth from falsehood. But + he had never prayed to be delivered from evil. His desire had rather been + that he might be led into temptation. + </p> + <p> + He had never so prayed—yet had he daily said his prayers at fitting + intervals. On every returning Sunday had he gone through, with all the + fitting forms, the ordinary worship of a Christian. Nor had he done this + as a hypocrite. With due attention and a full belief he had weekly knelt + at God's temple, and given, if not his mind, at least his heart, to the + service of his church. But the inner truth of the prayer which he repeated + so often had not come home to him. Alas! how many of us from week to week + call ourselves worms and dust and miserable sinners, describe ourselves as + chaff for the winds, grass for the burning, stubble for the plough, as + dirt and filth fit only to be trodden under foot, and yet in all our + doings before the world cannot bring home to ourselves the conviction that + we require other guidance than our own! + </p> + <p> + Alaric Tudor had sighed for permission to go forth among worldlings and + there fight the world's battle. Power, station, rank, wealth, all the good + things which men earn by tact, diligence, and fortune combined, and which + were so far from him at his outset in life, became daily more dear to his + heart. And now his honourable friend twitted him with being a mere clerk! + No, he was not, never had been, never would be such. Had he not already, + in five or six short years, distanced his competitors, and made himself + the favourite and friend of men infinitely above him in station? Was he + not now here in Tavistock on a mission which proved that he was no mere + clerk? Was not the fact of his drinking bishop in the familiar society of + a lord's son, and an ex-M.P., a proof of it? + </p> + <p> + It would be calumny on him to say that he had allowed Scott to make him + tipsy on this occasion. He was far from being tipsy; but yet the mixture + which he had been drinking had told upon his brain. + </p> + <p> + 'But, Undy,' said he—he had never before called his honourable + friend by his Christian name—'but, Undy, if I take these shares, + where am I to get the money to pay for them? + </p> + <p> + 'The chances are you may part with them before you leave Tavistock. If so, + you will not have to pay for them. You will only have to pocket the + difference.' + </p> + <p> + 'Or pay the loss.' + </p> + <p> + 'Or pay the loss. But there's no chance of that. I'll guarantee you + against that.' + </p> + <p> + 'But I shan't like to sell them. I shan't choose to be trafficking in + shares. Buying a few as an investment may, perhaps, be a different thing.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Alaric, Alaric, to what a pass had your conscience come, when it + could be so silenced!' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I suppose you can raise a couple of hundred—£205 will cover + the whole thing, commission and all; but, mind, I don't advise you to keep + them long—I shall take two months' dividends, and then sell.' + </p> + <p> + 'Two hundred and five pounds,' said Tudor, to whom the sum seemed anything + but trifling; 'and when must it be paid?' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I can give Manylodes a cheque for the whole, dated this day week. + You'll be back in town before that. We must allow him £5 for the + accommodation. I suppose you can pay the money in at my banker's by that + day?' + </p> + <p> + Alaric had some portion of the amount himself, and he knew that Norman had + money by him; he felt also a half-drunken conviction that if Norman failed + him, Captain Cuttwater would not let him want such a sum; and so he said + that he could, and the bargain was completed. + </p> + <p> + As he went downstairs whistling with an affected ease, and a gaiety which, + he by no means felt, Undy Scott leant back in his chair, and began to + speculate whether his new purchase was worth the purchase-money. 'He's a + sharp fellow; certainly, in some things, and may do well yet; but he's + uncommonly green. That, however, will wear off. I should not be surprised + if he told Neverbend the whole transaction before this time to-morrow.' + And then Mr. Scott finished his cigar and went to bed. + </p> + <p> + When Alaric entered the sitting-room at the Bedford, he found Neverbend + still seated at a table covered with official books and huge bundles of + official papers. An enormous report was open before him, from which he was + culling the latent sweets, and extracting them with a pencil. He glowered + at Alaric with a severe suspicious eye, which seemed to accuse him at once + of the deed which he had done. + </p> + <p> + 'You are very late,' said Neverbend, 'but I have not been sorry to be + alone. I believe I have been able to embody in a rough draft the various + points which we have hitherto discussed. I have just been five hours and a + half at it;' and Fidus looked at his watch; 'five hours and forty minutes. + To-morrow, perhaps, that is, if you are not going to your friend again, + you'll not object to make a fair copy——' + </p> + <p> + 'Copy!' shouted Alaric, in whose brain the open air had not diminished the + effect of the bishop, and who remembered, with all the energy of pot + valour, that he was not a mere clerk; 'copy—bother; I'm going to + bed, old fellow; and I advise you to do the same.' + </p> + <p> + And then, taking up a candlestick and stumbling somewhat awkwardly against + a chair, Tudor went off to his room, waiting no further reply from his + colleague. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Neverbend slowly put up his papers and followed him. 'He is decidedly + the worse for drink—decidedly so,' said he to himself, as he pulled + off his clothes. 'What a disgrace to the Woods and Works—what a + disgrace!' + </p> + <p> + And he resolved in his mind that he would be very early at the pit's + mouth. He would not be kept from his duty while a dissipated colleague + collected his senses by the aid of soda-water. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER X. — WHEAL MARY JANE + </h2> + <p> + Mr. Manylodes was, at any rate, right in this, that that beverage, which + men call bishop, is a doctored tipple; and Alaric Tudor, when he woke in + the morning, owned the truth. It had been arranged that certain denizens + of the mine should meet the two Commissioners at the pit-mouth at eight + o'clock, and it had been settled at dinner-time that breakfast should be + on the table at seven, sharp. Half an hour's quick driving would take them + to the spot. + </p> + <p> + At seven Mr. Fidus Neverbend, who had never yet been known to be untrue to + an appointment by the fraction of a second, was standing over the + breakfast-table alone. He was alone, but not on that account unhappy. He + could hardly disguise the pleasure with which he asked the waiter whether + Mr. Tudor was yet dressed, or the triumph which he felt when he heard that + his colleague was not <i>quite ready</i>. + </p> + <p> + 'Bring the tea and the eggs at once,' said Neverbend, very briskly. + </p> + <p> + 'Won't you wait for Mr. Tudor?' asked the waiter, with an air of surprise. + Now the landlord, waiter, boots, and chambermaid, the chambermaid + especially, had all, in Mr. Neverbend's estimation, paid Tudor by far too + much consideration; and he was determined to show that he himself was + first fiddle. + </p> + <p> + 'Wait! no; quite out of the question—bring the hot water immediately—and + tell the ostler to have the fly at the door at half-past seven exact.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, sir,' said the man, and disappeared. + </p> + <p> + Neverbend waited five minutes, and then rang the bell impetuously. 'If you + don't bring me my tea immediately, I shall send for Mr. Boteldale.' Now + Mr. Boteldale was the landlord. + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Tudor will be down in ten minutes,' was the waiter's false reply; for + up to that moment poor Alaric had not yet succeeded in lifting his + throbbing head from his pillow. The boots was now with him administering + soda-water and brandy, and he was pondering in his sickened mind whether, + by a manful effort, he could rise and dress himself; or whether he would + not throw himself backwards on his coveted bed, and allow Neverbend the + triumph of descending alone to the nether world. + </p> + <p> + Neverbend nearly threw the loaf at the waiter's head. Wait ten minutes + longer! what right had that vile Devonshire napkin-twirler to make to him + so base a proposition? 'Bring me my breakfast, sir,' shouted Neverbend, in + a voice that made the unfortunate sinner jump out of the room, as though + he had been moved by a galvanic battery. + </p> + <p> + In five minutes, tea made with lukewarm water, and eggs that were not half + boiled were brought to the impatient Commissioner. As a rule Mr. + Neverbend, when travelling on the public service, made a practice of + enjoying his meals. It was the only solace which he allowed himself; the + only distraction from the cares of office which he permitted either to his + body or his mind. But on this great occasion his country required that he + should forget his comforts; and he drank his tasteless tea, and ate his + uncooked eggs, threatening the waiter as he did so with sundry pains and + penalties, in the form of sixpences withheld. + </p> + <p> + 'Is the fly there?' said he, as he bolted a last morsel of cold roast + beef. + </p> + <p> + 'Coming, sir,' said the waiter, as he disappeared round a corner. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime Alaric sat lackadaisical on his bedside, all undressed, + leaning his head upon his hand, and feeling that his struggle to dress + himself was all but useless. The sympathetic boots stood by with a cup of + tea—well-drawn comfortable tea—in his hand, and a small bit of + dry toast lay near on an adjacent plate. + </p> + <p> + 'Try a bit o' toast, sir,' said boots. + </p> + <p> + 'Ugh!' ejaculated poor Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Have a leetle drop o' rum in the tea, sir, and it'll set you all to + rights in two minutes.' + </p> + <p> + The proposal made Alaric very sick, and nearly completed the catastrophe. + 'Ugh!' he said. + </p> + <p> + 'There's the trap, sir, for Mr. Neverbend,' said the boots, whose ears + caught the well-known sound. + </p> + <p> + 'The devil it is!' said Alaric, who was now stirred up to instant action. + 'Take my compliments to Mr. Neverbend, and tell him I'll thank him to wait + ten minutes.' + </p> + <p> + Boots, descending with the message, found Mr. Neverbend ready coated and + gloved, standing at the hotel door. The fly was there, and the lame ostler + holding the horse; but the provoking driver had gone back for his coat. + </p> + <p> + 'Please, sir, Mr. Tudor says as how you're not to go just at present, but + to wait ten minutes till he be ready.' + </p> + <p> + Neverbend looked at the man, but he would not trust himself to speak. Wait + ten minutes, and it now wanted five-and-twenty minutes to eight!—no—not + for all the Tudors that ever sat upon the throne of England. + </p> + <p> + There he stood with his watch in his hand as the returning Jehu hurried + round from the stable yard. 'You are now seven minutes late,' said he, + 'and if you are not at the place by eight o'clock, I shall not give you + one farthing!' + </p> + <p> + 'All right,' said Jehu. 'We'll be at Mary Jane in less than no time;' and + off they went, not at the quickest pace. But Neverbend's heart beat high + with triumph, as he reflected that he had carried the point on which he + had been so intent. + </p> + <p> + Alaric, when he heard the wheels roll off, shook from him his lethargy. It + was not only that Neverbend would boast that he alone had gone through the + perils of their subterranean duty, but that doubtless he would explain in + London how his colleague had been deterred from following him. It was a + grievous task, that of dressing himself, as youthful sinners know but too + well. Every now and then a qualm would come over him, and make the work + seem all but impossible. Boots, however, stuck to him like a man, poured + cold water over his head, renewed his tea-cup, comforted him with + assurances of the bracing air, and put a paper full of sandwiches in his + pocket. + </p> + <p> + 'For heaven's sake put them away,' said Alaric, to whom the very idea of + food was repulsive. + </p> + <p> + 'You'll want 'em, sir, afore you are half way to Mary Jane; and it a'n't + no joke going down and up again. I know what's what, sir.' + </p> + <p> + The boots stuck to him like a man. He did not only get him sandwiches, but + he procured for him also Mr. Boteldale's own fast-trotting pony, and just + as Neverbend was rolling up to the pit's mouth fifteen minutes after his + time, greatly resolving in his own mind to button his breeches pocket + firmly against the recreant driver, Alaric started on the chase after him. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Neverbend had a presentiment that, sick as his friend might be, + nauseous as doubtless were the qualms arising from yesterday's + intemperance, he would make an attempt to recover his lost ground. He of + the Woods and Works had begun to recognize the energy of him of the + Weights and Measures, and felt that there was in it a force that would not + easily be overcome, even by the fumes of bishop. But yet it would be a + great thing for the Woods and Works if he, Neverbend, could descend in + this perilous journey to the deep bowels of the earth, leaving the Weights + and Measures stranded in the upper air. This descent among the hidden + riches of a lower world, this visit to the provocations of evils not yet + dug out from their durable confinement, was the keystone, as it were, of + the whole mission. Let Neverbend descend alone, alone inspect the wonders + of that dirty deep, and Tudor might then talk and write as he pleased. In + such case all the world of the two public offices in Question, and of some + others cognate to them, would adjudge that he, Neverbend, had made himself + master of the situation. + </p> + <p> + Actuated by these correct calculations, Mr. Neverbend was rather fussy to + begin an immediate descent when he found himself on the spot. Two native + gentlemen, who were to accompany the Commissioners, or the Commissioner, + as appeared likely to be the case, were already there, as were also the + men who were to attend upon them. + </p> + <p> + It was an ugly uninviting place to look at, with but few visible signs of + wealth. The earth, which had been burrowed out by these human rabbits in + their search after tin, lay around in huge ungainly heaps; the overground + buildings of the establishment consisted of a few ill-arranged sheds, + already apparently in a state of decadence; dirt and slush, and pods of + water confined by muddy dams, abounded on every side; muddy men, with + muddy carts and muddy horses, slowly crawled hither and thither, + apparently with no object, and evidently indifferent as to whom they might + overset in their course. The inferior men seemed to show no respect to + those above them, and the superiors to exercise no authority over those + below them. There was, a sullen equality among them all. On the ground + around was no vegetation; nothing green met the eye, some few stunted + bushes appeared here and there, nearly smothered by heaped-up mud, but + they had about them none of the attractiveness of foliage. The whole + scene, though consisting of earth alone, was unearthly, and looked as + though the devil had walked over the place with hot hoofs, and then raked + it with a huge rake. + </p> + <p> + 'I am afraid I am very late,' said Neverbend, getting out of his fly in + all the haste he could muster, and looking at his watch the moment his + foot touched the ground, 'very late indeed, gentlemen; I really must + apologize, but it was the driver; I was punctual to the minute, I was + indeed. But come, gentlemen, we won't lose another moment,' and Mr. + Neverbend stepped out as though he were ready at an instant's notice to + plunge head foremost down the deepest shaft in all that region of mines. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, sir, there a'n't no cause of hurry whatsomever,' said one of the + mining authorities; 'the day is long enough.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, but there is cause of hurry, Mr. Undershot,' said Neverbend angrily + 'great cause of hurry; we must do this work very thoroughly; and I + positively have not time to get through all that I have before me. + </p> + <p> + 'But-a'n't the other gen'leman a-coming?' asked Mr. Undershot. + </p> + <p> + 'Surely Mr. Tooder isn't a going to cry off?' said the other. 'Why, he was + so hot about it yesterday.' + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Tudor is not very well this morning,' said Mr. Neverbend. 'As his + going down is not necessary for the inquiry, and is merely a matter of + taste on his part, he has not joined me this morning. Come, gentlemen, are + we ready?' + </p> + <p> + It was then for the first time explained to Mr. Neverbend that he had to + go through a rather complicated adjustment of his toilet before he would + be considered fit to meet the infernal gods. He must, he was informed, + envelop himself from head to foot in miner's habiliments, if he wished to + save every stitch he had on him from dirt and destruction. He must also + cover up his head with a linen cap, so constituted as to carry a lump of + mud with a candle stuck in it, if he wished to save either his head from + filth or his feet from falling. Now Mr. Neverbend, like most clerks in + public offices, was somewhat particular about his wardrobe; it behoved + him, as a gentleman frequenting the West End, to dress well, and it also + behoved him to dress cheaply; he was, moreover, careful both as to his + head and feet; he could not, therefore, reject the recommended + precautions, but yet the time!—the time thus lost might destroy all. + </p> + <p> + He hurried into the shed where his toilet was to be made, and suffered + himself to be prepared in the usual way. He took off his own great coat, + and put on a muddy course linen jacket that covered the upper portion of + his body completely; he then dragged on a pair of equally muddy overalls; + and lastly submitted to a most uninviting cap, which came down over his + ears, and nearly over his eyes, and on the brow of which a lump of mud was + then affixed, bearing a short tallow candle. + </p> + <p> + But though dressed thus in miner's garb, Mr. Neverbend could not be said + to look the part he filled. He was a stout, reddish-faced gentleman, with + round shoulders and huge whiskers, he was nearly bald, and wore + spectacles, and in the costume in which he now appeared he did not seem to + be at his ease. Indeed, all his air of command, all his personal dignity + and dictatorial tone, left him as soon as he found himself metamorphosed + into a fat pseudo-miner. He was like a cock whose feathers had been + trailed through the mud, and who could no longer crow aloud, or claim the + dunghill as his own. His appearance was somewhat that of a dirty + dissipated cook who, having been turned out of one of the clubs for + drunkenness, had been wandering about the streets all night. He began to + wish that he was once more in the well-known neighbourhood of Charing + Cross. + </p> + <p> + The adventure, however, must now be carried through. There was still + enough of manhood in his heart to make him feel that he could not return + to his colleague at Tavistock without visiting the wonders which he had + come so far to see. When he reached the head of the shaft, however, the + affair did appear to him to be more terrible than he had before conceived. + He was invited to get into a rough square bucket, in which there was just + room for himself and another to stand; he was specially cautioned to keep + his head straight, and his hands and elbows from protruding, and then the + windlass began to turn, and the upper world, the sunlight, and all + humanity receded from his view. + </p> + <p> + The world receded from his view, but hardly soon enough; for as the + windlass turned and the bucket descended, his last terrestrial glance, + looking out among the heaps of mud, descried Alaric Tudor galloping on Mr. + Boteldale's pony up to the very mouth of the mine. + </p> + <p> + '<i>Facilis descensus Averni</i>.' The bucket went down easy enough, and + all too quick. The manner in which it grounded itself on the first landing + grated discordantly on Mr. Neverbend's finer perceptibilities. But when he + learnt, after the interchange of various hoarse and to him unintelligible + bellowings, that he was to wait in that narrow damp lobby for the coming + of his fellow-Commissioner, the grating on his feelings was even more + discordant. He had not pluck enough left to grumble: but he grunted his + displeasure. He grunted, however, in vain; for in about a quarter of an + hour Alaric was close to him, shoulder to shoulder. He also wore a white + jacket, &c., with a nightcap of mud and candle on his head; but + somehow he looked as though he had worn them all his life. The fast + gallop, and the excitement of the masquerade, which for him had charms the + sterner Neverbend could not feel, had dissipated his sickness; and he was + once more all himself. + </p> + <p> + 'So I've caught you at the first stage,' said he, good-humouredly; for + though he knew how badly he had been treated, he was much too wise to show + his knowledge. 'It shall go hard but I'll distance you before we have + done,' he said to himself. Poor Neverbend only grunted. + </p> + <p> + And then they all went down a second stage in another bucket; and then a + third in a third bucket; and then the business commenced. As far as this + point passive courage alone had been required; to stand upright in a + wooden tub and go down, and down, and down, was in itself easy enough, so + long as the heart did not utterly faint. Mr. Neverbend's heart had grown + faintish, but still he had persevered, and now stood on a third lobby, + listening with dull, unintelligent ears to eager questions asked, by his + colleague, and to the rapid answers of their mining guides. Tudor was + absolutely at work with paper and pencil, taking down notes in that + wretched Pandemonium. + </p> + <p> + 'There now, sir,' said the guide; 'no more of them ugly buckets, Mr. + Neverbend; we can trust to our own arms and legs for the rest of it, and + so saying, he pointed out to Mr. Neverbend's horror-stricken eyes a + perpendicular iron ladder fixed firmly against the upright side of a + shaft, and leading—for aught Mr. Neverbend could see—direct to + hell itself. + </p> + <p> + 'Down here, is it?' said Alaric peeping over. + </p> + <p> + 'I'll go first,' said the guide; and down he went, down, down, down, till + Neverbend looking over, could barely see the glimmer of his disappearing + head light. Was it absolutely intended that he should disappear in the + same way? Had he bound himself to go down that fiendish upright ladder? + And were he to go down it, what then? Would it be possible that a man of + his weight should ever come up again? + </p> + <p> + 'Shall it be you or I next?' said Alaric very civilly. Neverbend could + only pant and grunt, and Alaric, with a courteous nod, placed himself on + the ladder, and went down, down, down, till of him also nothing was left + but the faintest glimmer. Mr. Neverbend remained above with one of the + mining authorities; one attendant miner also remained with them. + </p> + <p> + 'Now, Sir,' said the authority, 'if you are ready, the ladder is quite + free.' + </p> + <p> + Free! What would not Neverbend have given to be free also himself! He + looked down the free ladder, and the very look made him sink. It seemed to + him as though nothing but a spider could creep down that perpendicular + abyss. And then a sound, slow, sharp, and continuous, as of drops falling + through infinite space on to deep water, came upon his ear; and he saw + that the sides of the abyss were covered with slime; and the damp air made + him cough, and the cap had got over his spectacles and nearly blinded him; + and he was perspiring with a cold, clammy sweat. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, sir, shall we be going on?' said the authority. 'Mr. Tooder'll be + at the foot of the next set before this.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Neverbend wished that Mr. Tudor's journey might still be down, and + down, and down, till he reached the globe's centre, in which conflicting + attractions might keep him for ever fixed. In his despair he essayed to + put one foot upon the ladder, and then looked piteously up to the guide's + face. Even in that dark, dingy atmosphere the light of the farthing candle + on his head revealed the agony of his heart. His companions, though they + were miners, were still men. They saw his misery, and relented. + </p> + <p> + 'Maybe thee be afeared?' said the working miner, 'and if so be thee + bee'st, thee'd better bide.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am sure I should never come up again,' said Neverbend, with a voice + pleading for mercy, but with all the submission of one prepared to suffer + without resistance if mercy should not be forthcoming. + </p> + <p> + 'Thee bee'st for sartan too thick and weazy like for them stairs,' said + the miner. + </p> + <p> + 'I am, I am,' said Neverbend, turning on the man a look of the warmest + affection, and shoving the horrid, heavy, encumbered cap from off his + spectacles; 'yes, I am too fat.' How would he have answered, with what + aspect would he have annihilated the sinner, had such a man dared to call + him weazy up above, on <i>terra firma</i>, under the canopy of heaven? + </p> + <p> + His troubles, however, or at any rate his dangers, were brought to an end. + As soon as it became plainly manifest that his zeal in the public service + would carry him no lower, and would hardly suffice to keep life throbbing + in his bosom much longer, even in his present level, preparations were + made for his ascent. A bell was rung; hoarse voices were again heard + speaking and answering in sounds quite unintelligible to a Cockney's ears; + chains rattled, the windlass whirled, and the huge bucket came tumbling + down, nearly on their heads. Poor Neverbend was all but lifted into it. + Where now was all the pride of the morn that had seen him go forth the + great dictator of the mines? Where was that towering spirit with which he + had ordered his tea and toast, and rebuked the slowness of his charioteer? + Where the ambition that had soared so high over the pet of the Weights and + Measures? Alas, alas! how few of us there are who have within us the + courage to be great in adversity. <i>'Aequam memento'</i>—&c., + &c.!—if thou couldst but have thought of it, O Neverbend, who + need'st must some day die. + </p> + <p> + But Neverbend did not think of it. How few of us do remember such lessons + at those moments in which they ought to be of use to us! He was all but + lifted into the tub, and then out of it, and then again into another, till + he reached the upper world, a sight piteous to behold. His spectacles had + gone from him, his cap covered his eyes, his lamp had reversed itself, and + soft globules of grease had fallen on his nose, he was bathed in + perspiration, and was nevertheless chilled through to his very bones, his + whiskers were fringed with mud, and his black cravat had been pulled from + his neck and lost in some infernal struggle. Nevertheless, the moment in + which he seated himself on a hard stool in that rough shed was perhaps the + happiest in his life; some Christian brought him beer; had it been nectar + from the brewery of the gods, he could not have drunk it with greater + avidity. + </p> + <p> + By slow degrees he made such toilet as circumstances allowed, and then had + himself driven back to Tavistock, being no more willing to wait for Tudor + now than he had been in the early morning. But Jehu found him much more + reasonable on his return; and as that respectable functionary pocketed his + half-crown, he fully understood the spirit in which it was given. Poor + Neverbend had not now enough pluck left in him to combat the hostility of + a post-boy. + </p> + <p> + Alaric, who of course contrived to see all that was to be seen, and learn + all that was to be learnt, in the dark passages of the tin mine, was + careful on his return to use his triumph with the greatest moderation. His + conscience was, alas, burdened with the guilty knowledge of Undy's shares. + When he came to think of the transaction as he rode leisurely back to + Tavistock, he knew how wrong he had been, and yet he felt a kind of + triumph at the spoil which he held; for he had heard among the miners that + the shares of Mary Jane were already going up to some incredible standard + of value. In this manner, so said he to himself, had all the great minds + of the present day made their money, and kept themselves afloat. 'Twas + thus he tried to comfort himself; but not as yet successfully. + </p> + <p> + There were no more squabbles between Mr. Neverbend and Mr. Tudor; each + knew that of himself, which made him bear and forbear; and so the two + Commissioners returned to town on good terms with each other, and Alaric + wrote a report, which delighted the heart of Sir Gregory Hardlines, ruined + the opponents of the great tin mine, and sent the Mary Jane shares up, and + up, and up, till speculating men thought that they could not give too high + a price to secure them. + </p> + <p> + Alaric returned to town on Friday. It had been arranged that he, and + Charley, and Norman, should all go down to Hampton on the Saturday; and + then, on the following week, the competitive examination was to take + place. But Alaric's first anxiety after his return was to procure the + £206, which he had to pay for the shares which he held in his pocket-book. + He all but regretted, as he journeyed up to town, with the now tame Fidus + seated opposite to him, that he had not disposed of them at Tavistock even + at half their present value, so that he might have saved himself the + necessity of being a borrower, and have wiped his hands of the whole + affair. + </p> + <p> + He and Norman dined together at their club in Waterloo Place, the + Pythagorean, a much humbler establishment than that patronized by Scott, + and one that was dignified by no politics. After dinner, as they sat over + their pint of sherry, Alaric made his request. + </p> + <p> + 'Harry,' said he, suddenly, 'you are always full of money—I want you + to lend me £150.' + </p> + <p> + Norman was much less quick in his mode of speaking than his friend, and at + the present moment was inclined to be somewhat slower than usual. This + affair of the examination pressed upon his spirits, and made him dull and + unhappy. During the whole of dinner he had said little or nothing, and had + since been sitting listlessly gazing at vacancy, and balancing himself on + the hind-legs of his chair. + </p> + <p> + 'O yes—certainly,' said he; but he said it without the eagerness + with which Alaric thought that he should have answered his request. + </p> + <p> + 'If it's inconvenient, or if you don't like it,' said Alaric, the blood + mounting to his forehead, 'it does not signify. I can do without it.' + </p> + <p> + 'I can lend it you without any inconvenience,' said Harry. 'When do you + want it—not to-night, I suppose?' + </p> + <p> + 'No—not to-night—I should like to have it early to-morrow + morning; but I see you don't like it, so I'll manage it some other way.' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't know what you mean by not liking it. I have not the slightest + objection to lending you any money I can spare. I don't think you'll find + any other of your friends who will like it better. You can have it by + eleven o'clock to-morrow.' + </p> + <p> + Intimate as the two men were, there had hitherto been very little + borrowing or lending between them; and now Alaric felt as though he owed + it to his intimacy with his friend to explain to him why he wanted so + large a sum in so short a time. He felt, moreover, that he would not + himself be so much ashamed of what he had done if he could confess it to + some one else. He could then solace himself with the reflection that he + had done nothing secret. Norman, he supposed, would be displeased; but + then Norman's displeasure could not injure him, and with Norman there + would be no danger that the affair would go any further. + </p> + <p> + 'You must think it very strange,' said he, 'that I should want such a sum; + but the truth is I have bought some shares.' + </p> + <p> + 'Railway shares?' said Norman, in a tone that certainly did not signify + approval. He disliked speculation altogether, and had an old-fashioned + idea that men who do speculate, should have money wherewith to do it. + </p> + <p> + 'No—not railway shares exactly.' + </p> + <p> + 'Canal?' suggested Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'No—not canal.' + </p> + <p> + 'Gas?' + </p> + <p> + 'Mines,' said Alaric, bringing out the dread truth at last. + </p> + <p> + Harry Norman's brow grew very black. 'Not that mine that you've been down + about, I hope,' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes—that very identical Mary Jane that I went down, and down + about,' said Alaric, trying to joke on the subject. 'Don't look so very + black, my dear fellow. I know all that you have to say upon the matter. I + did what was very foolish, I dare say; but the idea never occurred to me + till it was too late, that I might be suspected of making a false report + on the subject, because I had embarked a hundred pounds in it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Alaric, if it were known—' + </p> + <p> + 'Then it mustn't be known,' said Tudor. 'I am sorry for it; but, as I told + you, the idea didn't occur to me till it was too late. The shares are + bought now, and must be paid for to-morrow. I shall sell them the moment I + can, and you shall have the money in three or four days.' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't care one straw about the money,' said Norman, now quick enough, + but still in great displeasure; 'I would give double the amount that you + had not done this.' + </p> + <p> + 'Don't be so suspicious, Harry,' said the other—'don't try to think + the worst of your friend. By others, by Sir Gregory Hardlines, Neverbend, + and such men, I might expect to be judged harshly in such a matter. But I + have a right to expect that you will believe me. I tell you that I did + this inadvertently, and am sorry for it; surely that ought to be + sufficient.' + </p> + <p> + Norman said nothing more; but he felt that Tudor had done that which, if + known, would disgrace him for ever. It might, however, very probably never + be known; and it might also be that Tudor would never act so dishonestly + again. On the following morning the money was paid; and in the course of + the next week the shares were resold, and the money repaid, and Alaric + Tudor, for the first time in his life, found himself to be the possessor + of over three hundred pounds. + </p> + <p> + Such was the price which Scott, Manylodes, & Co., had found it worth + their while to pay him for his good report on Mary Jane. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI. — THE THREE KINGS + </h2> + <p> + And now came the all-important week. On the Saturday the three young men + went down to Hampton. Charley had lately been leading a very mixed sort of + life. One week he would consort mainly with the houri of the Norfolk + Street beer-shop, and the next he would be on his good behaviour, and live + as respectably as circumstances permitted him to do. His scope in this + respect was not large. The greatest respectability which his unassisted + efforts could possibly achieve was to dine at a cheap eating-house, and + spend his evenings, at a cigar divan. He belonged to no club, and his + circle of friends, except in the houri and navvy line, was very limited. + Who could expect that a young man from the Internal Navigation would sit + for hours and hours alone in a dull London lodging, over his book and + tea-cup? Who should expect that any young man will do so? And yet mothers, + and aunts, and anxious friends, do expect it—very much in vain. + </p> + <p> + During Alaric's absence at Tavistock, Norman had taken Charley by the hand + and been with him a good deal. He had therefore spent an uncommonly + respectable week, and the Norfolk Street houri would have been <i>au + désespoir</i>, but that she had other Charleys to her bow. When he found + himself getting into a first-class carriage at the Waterloo-bridge station + with his two comrades, he began to appreciate the comfort of decency, and + almost wished that he also had been brought up among the stern morals and + hard work of the Weights and Measures. + </p> + <p> + Nothing special occurred at Surbiton Cottage. It might have been evident + to a watchful bystander that Alaric was growing in favour with all the + party, excepting Mrs. Woodward, and that, as he did so, Harry was more and + more cherished by her. + </p> + <p> + This was specially shown in one little scene. Alaric had brought down with + him to Hampton the documents necessary to enable him to draw out his + report on Mary Jane. Indeed, it was all but necessary that he should do + so, as his coming examination would leave him but little time for other + business during the week. On Saturday night he sat up at his inn over the + papers, and on Sunday morning, when Mrs. Woodward and the girls came down, + ready bonneted, for church, he signified his intention of remaining at his + work. + </p> + <p> + 'I certainly think he might have gone to church,' said Mrs. Woodward, when + the hall-door closed behind the party, as they started to their place of + worship. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! mamma, think how much he has to do,' said Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + 'Nonsense,' said Mrs. Woodward; 'it's all affectation, and he ought to go + to church. Government clerks are not worked so hard as all that; are they, + Harry?' + </p> + <p> + 'Alaric is certainly very busy, but I think he should go to church all the + same,' said Harry, who himself never omitted divine worship. + </p> + <p> + 'But surely this is a work of necessity?' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'Fiddle-de-de,' said Mrs. Woodward; 'I hate affectation, my dear. It's + very grand, I dare say, for a young man's services to be in such request + that he cannot find time to say his prayers. He'll find plenty of time for + gossiping by and by, I don't doubt.' + </p> + <p> + Linda could say nothing further, for an unbidden tear moistened her eyelid + as she heard her mother speak so harshly of her lover. Gertrude, however, + took up the cudgels for him, and so did Captain Cuttwater. + </p> + <p> + 'I think you are a little hard upon him, mamma,' said Gertrude, + 'particularly when you know that, as a rule, he always goes to church. I + have heard you say yourself what an excellent churchman he is.' + </p> + <p> + 'Young men change sometimes,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'Upon my word, Bessie, I think you are very uncharitable this fine Sunday + morning,' said the captain. 'I wonder how you'll feel if we have that + chapter about the beam and the mote.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward did not quite like being scolded by her uncle before her + daughters, but she said nothing further. Katie, however, looked daggers at + the old man from out her big bright eyes. What right had any man, were he + ever so old, ever so much an uncle, to scold her mamma? Katie was inclined + to join her mother and take Harry Norman's side, for it was Harry Norman + who owned the boat. + </p> + <p> + They were now at the church door, and they entered without saying anything + further. Let us hope that charity, which surpasseth all other virtues, + guided their prayers while they were there, and filled their hearts. In + the meantime Alaric, unconscious how he had been attacked and how + defended, worked hard at his Tavistock notes. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward was quite right in this, that the Commissioner of the Mines, + though he was unable to find time to go to church, did find time to + saunter about with the girls before dinner. Was it to be expected that he + should not do so? for what other purpose was he there at Hampton? + </p> + <p> + They were all very serious this Sunday afternoon, and Katie could make + nothing of them. She and Charley, indeed, went off by themselves to a + desert island, or a place that would have been a desert island had the + water run round it, and there built stupendous palaces and laid out + glorious gardens. Charley was the most good-natured of men, and could he + have only brought a boat with him, as Harry so often did, he would soon + have been first favourite with Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'It shan't be at all like Hampton Court,' said Katie, speaking of the new + abode which Charley was to build for her. + </p> + <p> + 'Not at all,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Nor yet Buckingham Palace.' + </p> + <p> + 'No,' said Charley, 'I think we'll have it Gothic.' + </p> + <p> + 'Gothic!' said Katie, looking up at him with all her eyes. 'Will Gothic be + most grand? What's Gothic?' + </p> + <p> + Charley began to consider. 'Westminster Abbey,' said he at last. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh—but Charley, I don't want a church. Is the Alhambra Gothic?' + </p> + <p> + Charley was not quite sure, but thought it probably was. They decided, + therefore, that the new palace should be built after the model of the + Alhambra. + </p> + <p> + The afternoon was but dull and lugubrious to the remainder of the party. + The girls seemed to feel that there was something solemn about the coming + competition between two such dear friends, which prevented and should + prevent them all from being merry. Harry perfectly sympathized in the + feeling; and even Alaric, though depressed himself by no melancholy + forebodings, was at any rate conscious that he should refrain from any + apparent anticipation of a triumph. They all went to church in the + evening; but even this amendment in Alaric's conduct hardly reconciled him + to Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'I suppose we shall all be very clever before long,' said she, after tea; + 'but really I don't know that we shall be any the better for it. Now in + this office of yours, by the end of next week, there will be three or four + men with broken hearts, and there will be one triumphant jackanapes, so + conceited and proud, that he'll never bring himself to do another good + ordinary day's work as long as he lives. Nothing will persuade me but that + it is not only very bad, but very unjust also.' + </p> + <p> + 'The jackanapes must learn to put up with ordinary work,' said Alaric, 'or + he'll soon find himself reduced to his former insignificance.' + </p> + <p> + 'And the men with the broken hearts; they, I suppose, must put up with + their wretchedness too,' said Mrs. Woodward; 'and their wives, also, and + children, who have been looking forward for years to this vacancy as the + period of their lives at which they are to begin to be comfortable. I hate + such heartlessness. I hate the very name of Sir Gregory Hardlines.' + </p> + <p> + 'But, mamma, won't the general effect be to produce a much higher class of + education among the men?' said Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + 'In the army and navy the best men get on the best,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'Do they, by jingo!' said Uncle Bat. 'It's very little you know about the + navy, Miss Linda.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, then, at any rate they ought,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'I would have a competitive examination in every service,' said Gertrude. + 'It would make young men ambitious. They would not be so idle and empty as + they now are, if they had to contend in this way for every step upwards in + the world.' + </p> + <p> + 'The world,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'will soon be like a fishpond, very full + of fish, but with very little food for them. Every one is scrambling for + the others' prey, and they will end at last by eating one another. If + Harry gets this situation, will not that unfortunate Jones, who for years + has been waiting for it, always regard him as a robber?' + </p> + <p> + 'My maxim is this,' said Uncle Bat; 'if a youngster goes into any service, + say the navy, and does his duty by his country like a man, why, he + shouldn't be passed over. Now look at me; I was on the books of the <i>Catamaran</i>, + one of the old seventy-fours, in '96; I did my duty then and always; was + never in the black book or laid up sick; was always rough and ready for + any work that came to hand; and when I went into the <i>Mudlark</i> as + lieutenant in year '9, little Bobby Howard had just joined the old <i>Cat.</i> + as a young middy. And where am I now? and where is Bobby Howard? Why, d——e, + I'm on the shelf, craving the ladies' pardon; and he's a Lord of the + Admiralty, if you please, and a Member of Parliament. Now I say + Cuttwater's as good a name as Howard for going to sea with any day; and if + there'd been a competitive examination for Admiralty Lords five years ago, + Bobby Howard would never have been where he is now, and somebody else who + knows more about his profession than all the Howards put together, might + perhaps have been in his place. And so, my lads, here's to you, and I hope + the best man will win.' + </p> + <p> + Whether Uncle Bat agreed with his niece or with his grand-nieces was not + very apparent from the line of his argument; but they all laughed at his + eagerness, and nothing more was said that evening about the matter. + </p> + <p> + Alaric, Harry, and Charley, of course returned to town on the following + day. Breakfast on Monday morning at Surbiton Cottage was an early affair + when the young men were there; so early, that Captain Cuttwater did not + make his appearance. Since his arrival at the cottage, Mrs. Woodward had + found an excuse for a later breakfast in the necessity of taking it with + her uncle; so that the young people were generally left alone. Linda was + the family tea-maker, and was, therefore, earliest down; and Alaric being + the first on this morning to leave the hotel, found her alone in the + dining-room. + </p> + <p> + He had never renewed the disclosure of his passion; but Linda had thought + that whenever he shook hands with her since that memorable walk, she had + always felt a more than ordinary pressure. This she had been careful not + to return, but she had not the heart to rebuke it. Now, when he bade her + good morning, he certainly held her hand in his longer than he need have + done. He looked at her too, as though his looks meant something more than + ordinary looking; at least so Linda thought; but yet he said nothing, and + so Linda, slightly trembling, went on with the adjustment of her tea-tray. + </p> + <p> + 'It will be all over, Linda, when we meet again,' said Alaric. His mind + she found was intent on his examination, not on his love. But this was + natural, was as it should be. If—and she was certain in her heart + that it would be so—if he should be successful, then he might speak + of love without having to speak in the same breath of poverty as well. 'It + will be all over when we meet again,' he said. + </p> + <p> + 'I suppose it will,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'I don't at all like it; it seems so unnatural having to contend against + one's friend. And yet one cannot help it; one cannot allow one's self to + go to the wall.' + </p> + <p> + 'I'm sure Harry doesn't mind it,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'I'm sure I do,' said he. 'If I fail I shall be unhappy, and if I succeed + I shall be equally so. I shall set all the world against me. I know what + your mother meant when she talked of a jackanapes yesterday. If I get the + promotion I may wish good-bye to Surbiton Cottage.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Alaric!' + </p> + <p> + 'Harry would forgive me; but Harry's friends would never do so.' + </p> + <p> + 'How can you say so? I am sure mamma has no such feeling, nor yet even + Gertrude; I mean that none of us have.' + </p> + <p> + 'It is very natural all of you should, for he is your cousin.' + </p> + <p> + 'You are just the same as our cousin. I am sure we think quite as much of + you as of Harry. Even Gertrude said she hoped that you would get it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Dear Gertrude!' + </p> + <p> + 'Because, you know, Harry does not want it so much as you do. I am sure I + wish you success with all my heart. Perhaps it's wicked to wish for either + of you over the other; but you can't both get it at once, you know.' + </p> + <p> + At this moment Katie came in, and soon afterwards Gertrude and the two + other young men, and so nothing further was said on the subject. + </p> + <p> + Charley parted with the competitors at the corner of Waterloo Bridge. He + turned into Somerset House, being there regarded on these Monday mornings + as a prodigy of punctuality; and Alaric and Harry walked back along the + Strand, arm-in-arm, toward their own office. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, lads, I hope you'll both win,' said Charley. 'And whichever wins + most, why of course he'll stand an uncommon good dinner.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! that's of course,' said Alaric. 'We'll have it at the Trafalgar.' + </p> + <p> + And so the two walked on together, arm-in-arm, to the Weights and + Measures. + </p> + <p> + The ceremony which was now about to take place at the Weights and Measures + was ordained to be the first of those examinations which, under the + auspices of Sir Gregory Hardlines, were destined to revivify, clarify, and + render perfect the Civil Service of the country. It was a great triumph to + Sir Gregory to see the darling object of his heart thus commencing its + existence in the very cradle in which he, as an infant Hercules, had made + his first exertions in the cause. It was to be his future fortune to + superintend these intellectual contests, in a stately office of his own, + duly set apart and appointed for the purpose. But the throne on which he + was to sit had not yet been prepared for him, and he was at present + constrained to content himself with exercising his power, now here and now + there, according as his services might be required, carrying the + appurtenances of his royalty about with him. + </p> + <p> + But Sir Gregory was not a solitary monarch. In days long gone by there + were, as we all know, three kings at Cologne, and again three kings at + Brentford. So also were there three kings at the Civil Service Examination + Board. But of these three Sir Gregory was by far the greatest king. He sat + in the middle, had two thousand jewels to his crown, whereas the others + had only twelve hundred each, and his name ran first in all the royal + warrants. Nevertheless, Sir Gregory, could he have had it so, would, like + most other kings, have preferred an undivided sceptre. + </p> + <p> + Of his co-mates on the throne the elder in rank was a west country + baronet, who, not content with fatting beeves and brewing beer like his + sires, aspired to do something for his country. Sir Warwick Westend was an + excellent man, full of the best intentions, and not more than decently + anxious to get the good things of Government into his hand. He was, + perhaps, rather too much inclined to think that he could see further + through a millstone than another, and had a way of looking as though he + were always making the attempt. He was a man born to grace, if not his + country, at any rate his county; and his conduct was uniformly such as to + afford the liveliest satisfaction to his uncles, aunts, and relations in + general. If as a king he had a fault, it was this, that he allowed that + other king, Sir Gregory, to carry him in his pocket. + </p> + <p> + But Sir Gregory could not at all get the third king into his pocket. This + gentleman was a worthy clergyman from Cambridge, one Mr. Jobbles by name. + Mr. Jobbles had for many years been examining undergraduates for little + goes and great goes, and had passed his life in putting posing questions, + in detecting ignorance by viva voce scrutiny, and eliciting learning by + printed papers. He, by a stupendous effort of his mathematical mind, had + divided the adult British male world into classes and sub-classes, and + could tell at a moment's notice how long it would take him to examine them + all. His soul panted for the work. Every man should, he thought, be made + to pass through some 'go.' The greengrocer's boy should not carry out + cabbages unless his fitness for cabbage-carrying had been ascertained, and + till it had also been ascertained that no other boy, ambitious of the + preferment, would carry them better. Difficulty! There was no difficulty. + Could not he, Jobbles, get through 5,000 viva voces in every five hours—that + is, with due assistance? and would not 55,000 printed papers, containing + 555,000 questions, be getting themselves answered at the same time, with + more or less precision? + </p> + <p> + So now Mr. Jobbles was about to try his huge plan by a small commencement. + </p> + <p> + On the present occasion the examination was actually to be carried on by + two of the kings in person. Sir Gregory had declared that as so large a + portion of his heart and affections was bound up with the gentlemen of the + Weights and Measures, he could not bring himself actually to ask questions + of them, and then to listen to or read their answers. Should any of his + loved ones make some fatal <i>faux pas</i>, his tears, like those of the + recording angel, would blot out the error. His eyes would refuse to see + faults, if there should be faults, in those whom he himself had nurtured. + Therefore, though he came with his colleagues to the Weights and Measures, + he did not himself take part in the examination. + </p> + <p> + At eleven o'clock the Board-room was opened, and the candidates walked in + and seated themselves. Fear of Sir Gregory, and other causes, had thinned + the number. Poor Jones, who by right of seniority should have had the + prize, declined to put himself in competition with his juniors, and in + lieu thereof sent up to the Lords of the Treasury an awful memorial spread + over fifteen folio pages—very uselessly. The Lords of the Treasury + referred it to the three kings, whose secretary put a minute upon it. Sir + Gregory signed the minute, and some gentleman at the Treasury wrote a + short letter to Mr. Jones, apprising that unhappy gentleman that my Lords + had taken the matter into their fullest consideration, and that nothing + could be done to help him. Had Jones been consulted by any other + disappointed Civil Service Werter as to the expediency of complaining to + the Treasury Lords, Jones would have told him exactly what would be the + result. The disappointed one, however, always thinks that all the Treasury + Lords will give all their ears to him, though they are deafer than Icarus + to the world beside. + </p> + <p> + Robinson stood his ground like a man; but Brown found out, a day or two + before the struggle came, that he could not bring himself to stand against + his friend. Jones, he said, he knew was incompetent, but Robinson ought to + get it; so he, for one, would not stand in Robinson's way. + </p> + <p> + Uppinall was there, as confident as a bantam cock; and so was Alphabet + Precis, who had declared to all his friends that if the pure well of + official English undefiled was to count for anything, he ought to be + pretty safe. But poor Minusex was ill, and sent a certificate. He had so + crammed himself with unknown quantities, that his mind—like a + gourmand's stomach—had broken down under the effort, and he was now + sobbing out algebraic positions under his counterpane. + </p> + <p> + Norman and Alaric made up the five who still had health, strength, and + pluck to face the stern justice of the new kings; and they accordingly + took their seats on five chairs, equally distant, placing themselves in + due order of seniority. + </p> + <p> + And then, first of all, Sir Gregory made a little speech, standing up at + the head of the Board-room table, with an attendant king on either hand, + and the Secretary, and two Assistant-Secretaries, standing near him. Was + not this a proud moment for Sir Gregory? + </p> + <p> + 'It had now become his duty,' he said, 'to take his position in that room, + that well-known, well-loved room, under circumstances of which he had + little dreamt when he first entered it with awe-struck steps, in the days + of his early youth. But, nevertheless, even then ambition had warmed him. + That ambition had been to devote every energy of his mind, every muscle of + his body, every hour of his life, to the Civil Service of his country. It + was not much, perhaps, that he had been able to do; he could not boast of + those acute powers of mind, of that gigantic grasp of intellect, of which + they saw in those days so wonderful an example in a high place.' Sir + Gregory here gratefully alluded to that statesman who had given him his + present appointment. 'But still he had devoted all his mind, such as it + was, and every hour of his life, to the service; and now he had his + reward. If he might be allowed to give advice to the gentlemen before him, + gentlemen of whose admirable qualifications for the Civil Service of the + country he himself was so well aware, his advice should be this—That + they should look on none of their energies as applicable to private + purposes, regard none of their hours as their own. They were devoted in a + peculiar way to the Civil Service, and they should feel that such was + their lot in life. They should know that their intellects were a sacred + pledge intrusted to them for the good of that service, and should use them + accordingly. This should be their highest ambition. And what higher + ambition,' asked Sir Gregory, 'could they have? They all, alas! knew that + the service had been disgraced in other quarters by idleness, + incompetency, and, he feared he must say, dishonesty; till incompetency + and dishonesty had become, not the exception, but the rule. It was too + notorious that the Civil Service was filled by the family fools of the + aristocracy and middle classes, and that any family who had no fool to + send, sent in lieu thereof some invalid past hope. Thus the service had + become a hospital for incurables and idiots. It was,' said Sir Gregory, + 'for him and them to cure all that. He would not,' he said, 'at that + moment, say anything with reference to salaries. It was, as they were all + aware, a very difficult subject, and did not seem to be necessarily + connected with the few remarks which the present opportunity had seemed to + him to call for.' He then told them they were all his beloved children; + that they were a credit to the establishment; that he handed them over + without a blush to his excellent colleagues, Sir Warwick Westend and Mr. + Jobbles, and that he wished in his heart that each of them could be + successful. And having so spoken, Sir Gregory went his way. + </p> + <p> + It was beautiful then to see how Mr. Jobbles swam down the long room and + handed out his examination papers to the different candidates as he passed + them. 'Twas a pity there should have been but five; the man did it so + well, so quickly, with such a gusto! He should have been allowed to try + his hand upon five hundred instead of five. His step was so rapid and his + hand and arm moved so dexterously, that no conceivable number would have + been too many for him. But, even with five, he showed at once that the + right man was in the right place. Mr. Jobbles was created for the + conducting of examinations. + </p> + <p> + And then the five candidates, who had hitherto been all ears, of a sudden + became all eyes, and devoted themselves in a manner which would have been + delightful to Sir Gregory, to the papers before them. Sir Warwick, in the + meantime, was seated in his chair, hard at work looking through his + millstone. + </p> + <p> + It is a dreadful task that of answering examination papers—only to + be exceeded in dreadfulness by the horrors of Mr. Jobbles' viva voce + torments. A man has before him a string of questions, and he looks + painfully down them, from question to question, searching for some + allusion to that special knowledge which he has within him. He too often + finds that no such allusion is made. It appears that the Jobbles of the + occasion has exactly known the blank spots of his mind and fitted them + all. He has perhaps crammed himself with the winds and tides, and there is + no more reference to those stormy subjects than if Luna were extinct; but + he has, unfortunately, been loose about his botany, and question after + question would appear to him to have been dictated by Sir Joseph Paxton or + the head-gardener at Kew. And then to his own blank face and puzzled look + is opposed the fast scribbling of some botanic candidate, fast as though + reams of folio could hardly contain all the knowledge which he is able to + pour forth. + </p> + <p> + And so, with a mixture of fast-scribbling pens and blank faces, our five + friends went to work. The examination lasted for four days, and it was + arranged that on each of the four days each of the five candidates should + be called up to undergo a certain quantum of Mr. Jobbles' viva voce. This + part of his duty Mr. Jobbles performed with a mildness of manner that was + beyond all praise. A mother training her first-born to say 'papa,' could + not do so with a softer voice, or more affectionate demeanour. + </p> + <p> + 'The planet Jupiter,' said he to Mr. Precis; 'I have no doubt you know + accurately the computed distance of that planet from the sun, and also + that of our own planet. Could you tell me now, how would you calculate the + distance in inches, say from London Bridge to the nearest portion of + Jupiter's disc, at twelve o'clock on the first of April?' Mr. Jobbles, as + he put his little question, smiled the sweetest of smiles, and spoke in a + tone conciliating and gentle, as though he were asking Mr. Precis to dine + with him and take part of a bottle of claret at half-past six. + </p> + <p> + But, nevertheless, Mr. Precis looked very blank. + </p> + <p> + 'I am not asking the distance, you know,' said Mr. Jobbles, smiling + sweeter than ever; 'I am only asking how you would compute it.' + </p> + <p> + But still Mr. Precis looked exceedingly blank. + </p> + <p> + 'Never mind,' said Mr. Jobbles, with all the encouragement which his voice + could give, 'never mind. Now, suppose that <i>a</i> be a milestone; <i>b</i> + a turnpike-gate—,' and so on. + </p> + <p> + But Mr. Jobbles, in spite of his smiles, so awed the hearts of some of his + candidates, that two of them retired at the end of the second day. Poor + Robinson, thinking, and not without sufficient ground, that he had not a + ghost of a chance, determined to save himself from further annoyance; and + then Norman, put utterly out of conceit with himself by what he deemed the + insufficiency of his answers, did the same. He had become low in spirits, + unhappy in temperament, and self-diffident to a painful degree. Alaric, to + give him his due, did everything in his power to persuade him to see the + task out to the last. But the assurance and composure of Alaric's manner + did more than anything else to provoke and increase Norman's discomfiture. + He had been schooling himself to bear a beating with a good grace, and he + began to find that he could only bear it as a disgrace. On the morning of + the third day, instead of taking his place in the Board-room, he sent in a + note to Mr. Jobbles, declaring that he withdrew from the trial. Mr. + Jobbles read the note, and smiled with satisfaction as he put it into his + pocket. It was an acknowledgement of his own unrivalled powers as an + Examiner. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Precis, still trusting to his pure well, went on to the end, and at + the end declared that so ignorant was Mr. Jobbles of his duty that he had + given them no opportunity of showing what they could do in English + composition. Why had he not put before them the papers in some memorable + official case, and desired them to make an abstract; those, for instance, + on the much-vexed question of penny versus pound, as touching the new + standard for the decimal coinage? Mr. Jobbles an Examiner indeed! And so + Mr. Precis bethought himself that he also, if unsuccessful, would go to + the Lords of the Treasury. + </p> + <p> + And Mr. Uppinall and Alaric Tudor also went on. Those who knew anything of + the matter, when they saw how the running horses were reduced in number, + and what horses were left on the course—when they observed also how + each steed came to the post on each succeeding morning, had no doubt + whatever of the result. So that when Alaric was declared on the Saturday + morning to have gained the prize, there was very little astonishment + either felt or expressed at the Weights and Measures. + </p> + <p> + Alaric's juniors wished him joy with some show of reality in their manner; + but the congratulations of his seniors, including the Secretary and + Assistant-Secretaries, the new Chief Clerk and the men in the class to + which he was now promoted, were very cold indeed. But to this he was + indifferent. It was the nature of Tudor's disposition, that he never for a + moment rested satisfied with the round of the ladder on which he had + contrived to place himself. He had no sooner gained a step than he looked + upwards to see how the next step was to be achieved. His motto might well + have been 'Excelsior!' if only he could have taught himself to look to + heights that were really high. When he found that the august Secretary + received him on his promotion without much <i>empressement</i>, he + comforted himself by calculating how long it would be before he should + fill that Secretary's chair—if indeed it should ever be worth his + while to fill it. + </p> + <p> + The Secretary at the Weights and Measures had, after all, but a dull time + of it, and was precluded by the routine of his office from parliamentary + ambition and the joys of government. Alaric was already beginning to think + that this Weights and Measures should only be a stepping-stone to him; and + that when Sir Gregory, with his stern dogma of devotion to the service, + had been of sufficient use to him, he also might with advantage be thrown + over. In the meantime an income of £600 a year brought with it to the + young bachelor some very comfortable influence. But the warmest and the + pleasantest of all the congratulations which he received was from his dear + friend Undy Scott. + </p> + <p> + 'Ah, my boy,' said Undy, pressing his hand, 'you'll soon be one of us. By + the by, I want to put you up for the Downing; you should leave that + Pythagorean: there's nothing to be got by it.' + </p> + <p> + Now, the Downing was a political club, in which, however, politics had + latterly become a good deal mixed. But the Government of the day generally + found there a liberal support, and recognized and acknowledged its claim + to consideration. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XII. — CONSOLATION + </h2> + <p> + On the following Sunday neither Tudor nor Norman was at Hampton. They had + both felt that they could not comfortably meet each other there, and each + had declined to go. They had promised to write; and now that the matter + was decided, how were they or either of them to keep the promise? + </p> + <p> + It may be thought that the bitterness of the moment was over with Norman + as soon as he gave up; but such was not the case. Let him struggle as he + would with himself he could not rally, nor bring himself to feel happy on + what had occurred. He would have been better satisfied if Alaric would + have triumphed; but Alaric seemed to take it all as a matter of course, + and never spoke of his own promotion unless he did so in answer to some + remark of his companion; then he could speak easily enough; otherwise he + was willing to let the matter go by as one settled and at rest. He had + consulted Norman about the purchase of a horse, but he hitherto had shown + no other sign that he was a richer man than formerly. + </p> + <p> + It was a very bitter time for Norman. He could not divest his mind of the + subject. What was he to do? Where was he to go? How was he to get away, + even for a time, from Alaric Tudor? And then, was he right in wishing to + get away from him? Had he not told himself, over and over again, that it + behoved him as a man and a friend and a Christian to conquer the bitter + feeling of envy which preyed on his spirits? Had he not himself counselled + Alaric to stand this examination? and had he not promised that his doing + so should make no difference in their friendship? Had he not pledged + himself to rejoice in the success of his friend? and now was he to break + his word both to that friend and to himself? + </p> + <p> + Schooling himself, or trying to school himself in this way, he made no + attempt at escaping from his unhappiness. They passed the Wednesday, + Thursday, and Friday evenings together. It was now nearly the end of + September, and London was empty; that is, empty as regards those friends + and acquaintances with whom Norman might have found some resource. On the + Saturday they left their office early; for all office routine had, during + this week, been broken through by the immense importance of the ceremony + which was going on; and then it became necessary to write to Mrs. + Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'Will you write to Hampton or shall I?' said Alaric, as they walked + arm-in-arm under the windows of Whitehall. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! you, of course,' said Norman; 'you have much to tell them; I have + nothing.' + </p> + <p> + 'Just as you please,' said the other. 'That is, of course, I will if you + like it. But I think it would come better from you. You are nearer to them + than I am; and it will have less a look of triumph on my part, and less + also of disappointment on yours, if you write. If you tell them that you + literally threw away your chance, you will only tell them the truth.' + </p> + <p> + Norman assented, but he said nothing further. What business had Alaric to + utter such words as triumph and disappointment? He could not keep his arm, + on which Alaric was leaning, from spasmodically shrinking from the touch. + He had been beaten by a man, nay worse, had yielded to a man, who had not + the common honesty to refuse a bribe; and yet he was bound to love this + man. He could not help asking himself the question which he would do. + Would he love him or hate him? + </p> + <p> + But while he was so questioning himself, he got home, and had to sit down + and write his letter—this he did at once, but not without + difficulty. It ran as follows:— + </p> + <p> + 'My dear Mrs. Woodward,— + </p> + <p> + 'I write a line to tell you of my discomfiture and Alaric's success. I + gave up at the end of the second day. Of course I will tell you all about + it when we meet. No one seemed to doubt that Alaric would get it, as a + matter of course. I shall be with you on next Saturday. Alaric says he + will not go down till the Saturday after, when I shall be at Normansgrove. + My best love to the girls. Tell Katie I shan't drown either myself or the + boat. + </p> + <p> + 'Yours ever affectionately, + </p> + <h3> + 'H. N. + </h3> + <p> + 'Saturday, September, 185-. + </p> + <p> + 'Pray write me a kind letter to comfort me.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward did write him a very kind letter, and it did comfort him. + And she wrote also, as she was bound to do, a letter of congratulation to + Alaric. This letter, though it expressed in the usual terms the + satisfaction which one friend has in another's welfare, was not written in + the same warm affectionate tone as that to Norman. Alaric perceived + instantly that it was not cordial. He loved Mrs. Woodward dearly, and + greatly desired her love and sympathy. But what then? He could not have + everything. He determined, therefore, not to trouble his mind. If Mrs. + Woodward did not sympathize with him, others of the family would do so; + and success would ultimately bring her round. What woman ever yet refused + to sympathize with successful ambition? + </p> + <p> + Alaric also received a letter from Captain Cuttwater, in which that + gallant veteran expressed his great joy at the result of the examination—'Let + the best man win all the world over,' said he, 'whatever his name is. And + they'll have to make the same rule at the Admiralty too. The days of the + Howards are gone by; that is, unless they can prove themselves able + seamen, which very few of them ever did yet. Let the best man win; that's + what I say; and let every man get his fair share of promotion.' Alaric did + not despise the sympathy of Captain Cuttwater. It might turn out that even + Captain Cuttwater could be made of use. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward's letter to Harry was full of the tenderest affection. It + was a flattering, soothing, loving letter, such as no man ever could have + written. It was like oil poured into his wounds, and made him feel that + the world was not all harsh to him. He had determined not to go to Hampton + that Saturday; but Mrs. Woodward's letter almost made him rush there at + once that he might throw himself into her arms—into her arms, and at + her daughter's feet. The time had now come to him when he wanted to be + comforted by the knowledge that his love was returned. He resolved that + during his next visit he would formally propose to Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + The determination to do this, and a strong hope that he might do it + successfully, kept him up during the interval. On the following week he + was to go to his father's place to shoot, having obtained leave of absence + for a month; and he felt that he could still enjoy himself if he could + take with him the conviction that all was right at Surbiton Cottage. Mrs. + Woodward, in her letter, though she had spoken much of the girls, had said + nothing special about Gertrude. Nevertheless, Norman gathered from it that + she intended that he should go thither to look for comfort, and that he + would find there the comfort that he required. + </p> + <p> + And Mrs. Woodward had intended that such should be the effect of her + letter. It was at present the dearest wish of her heart to see Norman and + Gertrude married. That Norman had often declared his love to her eldest + daughter she knew very well, and she knew also that Gertrude had never + rejected him. Having perfect confidence in her child, she had purposely + abstained from saying anything that could bias her opinion. She had + determined to leave the matter in the hands of the young people + themselves, judging that it might be best arranged as a true love-match + between them, without interference from her; she had therefore said + nothing to Gertrude on the subject. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward, however, discovered that she was in error, when it was too + late for her to retrieve her mistake; and, indeed, had she discovered it + before that letter was written, what could she have done? She could not + have forbidden Harry to come to her house—she could not have warned + him not to throw himself at her daughter's feet. The cup was prepared for + his lips, and it was necessary that he should drink of it. There was + nothing for which she could blame him; nothing for which she could blame + herself; nothing for which she did blame her daughter. It was sorrowful, + pitiful, to be lamented, wept for, aye, and groaned for; many inward + groans it cost her; but it was at any rate well that she could attribute + her sorrow to the spite of circumstances rather than to the ill-conduct of + those she loved. + </p> + <p> + Nor would it have been fair to blame Gertrude in the matter. While she was + yet a child, this friend of her mother's had been thrown with her, and + when she was little more than a child, she found that this friend had + become a lover. She liked him, in one sense loved him, and was accustomed + to regard him as one whom it would be almost wrong in her not to like and + love. What wonder then that when he first spoke to her warm words of + adoration, she had not been able at once to know her own heart, and tell + him that his hopes would be in vain? + </p> + <p> + She perceived by instinct, rather than by spoken words, that her mother + was favourable to this young lover, that if she accepted him she would + please her mother, that the course of true love might in their case run + smooth. What wonder then that she should have hesitated before she found + it necessary to say that she could not, would not, be Harry Norman's wife? + </p> + <p> + On the Saturday morning, the morning of that night which was, as he hoped, + to see him go to bed a happy lover, so happy in his love as to be able to + forget his other sorrows, she was sitting alone with her mother. It was + natural that their conversation should turn to Alaric and Harry. Alaric, + with his happy prospects, was soon dismissed; but Mrs. Woodward continued + to sing the praises of him who, had she been potent with the magi of the + Civil Service, would now be the lion of the Weights and Measures. + </p> + <p> + 'I must say I think it was weak of him to retire,' said Gertrude. 'Alaric + says in his letter to Uncle Bat, that had he persevered he would in all + probability have been successful.' + </p> + <p> + 'I should rather say that it was generous,' said her mother. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I don't know, mamma; that of course depends on his motives; but + wouldn't generosity of that sort between two young men in such a position + be absurd?' + </p> + <p> + 'You mean that such regard for his friend would be Quixotic.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, mamma.' + </p> + <p> + 'Perhaps it would. All true generosity, all noble feeling, is now called + Quixotic. But surely, Gertrude, you and I should not quarrel with Harry on + that account.' + </p> + <p> + 'I think he got frightened, mamma, and had not nerve to go through with + it.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward looked vexed; but she made no immediate reply, and for some + time the mother and daughter went on working without further conversation. + At last Gertrude said:— + </p> + <p> + 'I think every man is bound to do the best he can for himself—that + is, honestly; there is something spoony in one man allowing another to get + before him, as long as he can manage to be first himself.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward did not like the tone in which her daughter spoke. She felt + that it boded ill for Harry's welfare; and she tried, but tried in vain, + to elicit from her daughter the expression of a kinder feeling. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, my dear, I must say I think you are hard on him. But, probably, + just at present you have the spirit of contradiction in you. If I were to + begin to abuse him, perhaps I should get you to praise him.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, mamma, I did not abuse him.' + </p> + <p> + 'Something like it, my dear, when you said he was spoony.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, mamma, I would not abuse him for worlds—I know how good he is, + I know how you love him, but, but—-' and Gertrude, though very + little given to sobbing moods, burst into tears. + </p> + <p> + 'Come here, Gertrude; come here, my child,' said Mrs. Woodward, now moved + more for her daughter than for her favourite; 'what is it? what makes you + cry? I did not really mean that you abused poor Harry.' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude got up from her chair, knelt at her mother's feet, and hid her + face in her mother's lap. 'Oh, mamma,' she said, with a half-smothered + voice, 'I know what you mean; I know what you wish; but—but—but, + oh, mamma, you must not—must not, must not think of it any more.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then may God help him!' said Mrs. Woodward, gently caressing her + daughter, who was still sobbing with her face buried in her mother's lap. + 'May God Almighty lighten the blow to him! But oh, Gertrude, I had hoped, + I had so hoped——' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, mamma, don't, pray don't,' and Gertrude sobbed as though she were + going into hysterics. + </p> + <p> + 'No, my child, I will not say another word. Dear as he is to me, you are + and must be ten times dearer. There, Gertrude, it is over now; over at + least between us. We know each other's hearts now. It is my fault that we + did not do so sooner.' They did understand each other at last, and the + mother made no further attempt to engage her daughter's love for the man + she would have chosen as her daughter's husband. + </p> + <p> + But still the worst was to come, as Mrs. Woodward well knew—and as + Gertrude knew also; to come, too, on this very day. Mrs. Woodward, with a + woman's keen perception, felt assured that Harry Norman, when he found + himself at the Cottage, freed from the presence of the successful + candidate, surrounded by the affectionate faces of all her circle, would + melt at once and look to his love for consolation. She understood the + feelings of his heart as well as though she had read them in a book; and + yet she could do nothing to save him from his fresh sorrows. The cup was + prepared for him, and it was necessary that he should drink it. She could + not tell him, could not tell even him, that her daughter had rejected him, + when as yet he had made no offer. + </p> + <p> + And so Harry Norman hurried down to his fate. When he reached the Cottage, + Mrs. Woodward and Linda and Katie were in the drawing-room. + </p> + <p> + 'Harry, my dear Harry,' said Mrs. Woodward, rushing to him, throwing her + arms round him, and kissing him; 'we know it all, we understand it all—my + fine, dear, good Harry.' + </p> + <p> + Harry was melted in a moment, and in the softness of his mood kissed Katie + too, and Linda also. Katie he had often kissed, but never Linda, cousins + though they were. Linda merely laughed, but Norman blushed; for he + remembered that had it so chanced that Gertrude had been there, he would + not have dared to kiss her. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Harry,' said Katie, 'we are so sorry—that is, not sorry about + Alaric, but sorry about you. Why were there not two prizes?' + </p> + <p> + 'It's all right as it is, Katie,' said he; 'we need none of us be sorry at + all. Alaric is a clever fellow; everybody gave him credit for it before, + and now he has proved that everybody is right.' + </p> + <p> + 'He is older than you, you know, and therefore he ought to be cleverer,' + said Katie, trying to make things pleasant. + </p> + <p> + And then they went out into the garden. But where was Gertrude all this + time? She had been in the drawing-room a moment before his arrival. They + walked out into the lawn, but nothing was said about her absence. Norman + could not bring himself to ask for her, and Mrs. Woodward could not trust + herself to talk of her. + </p> + <p> + 'Where is the captain?' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'He's at Hampton Court,' said Linda; 'he has found another navy captain + there, and he goes over every day to play backgammon.' As they were + speaking, however, the captain walked through the house on to the lawn. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Norman, how are you, how are you? sorry you couldn't all win. But + you're a man of fortune, you know, so it doesn't signify.' + </p> + <p> + 'Not a great deal of fortune,' said Harry, looking sheepish. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I only hope the best man got it. Now, at the Admiralty the worst + man gets it always.' + </p> + <p> + 'The worst man didn't get it here,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'No, no,' said Uncle Bat, 'I'm sure he did not; nor he won't long at the + Admiralty either, I can tell them that. But where's Gertrude?' + </p> + <p> + 'She's in her bedroom, dressing for dinner,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'Hoity toity,' said Uncle Bat, 'she's going to make herself very grand + to-day. That's all for you, Master Norman. Well, I suppose we may all go + in and get ready; but mind, I have got no sweetheart, and so I shan't make + myself grand at all;' and so they all went in to dress for dinner. + </p> + <p> + When Norman came down, Gertrude was in the drawing-room alone. But he knew + that they would be alone but for a minute, and that a minute would not + serve for his purpose. She said one soft gentle word of condolence to him, + some little sentence that she had been studying to pronounce. All her + study was thrown away; for Norman, in his confusion, did not understand a + word that she spoke. Her tone, however, was kind and affectionate; and she + shook hands with him apparently with cordiality. He, however, ventured no + kiss with her. He did not even press her hand, when for a moment he held + it within his own. + </p> + <p> + Dinner was soon over, and the autumn evening still admitted of their going + out. Norman was not sorry to urge the fact that the ladies had done so, as + an excuse to Captain Cuttwater for not sitting with him over his wine. He + heard their voices in the garden, and went out to join them, prepared to + ascertain his fate if fortune would give him an opportunity of doing so. + He found the party to consist of Mrs. Woodward, Linda, and Katie; Gertrude + was not there. + </p> + <p> + 'I think the evenings get warmer as the winter gets nearer,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'but they are so dangerous. The night comes on + all at once, and then the air is so damp and cold.' + </p> + <p> + And so they went on talking about the weather. + </p> + <p> + 'Your boat is up in London, I know, Harry,' said Katie, with a voice of + reproach, but at the same time with a look of entreaty. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, it's at Searle's,' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'But the punt is here,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'Not this evening, Katie,' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'Katie, how can you be such a tease?' said Mrs. Woodward; 'you'll make + Harry hate the island, and you too. I wonder you can be so selfish.' + </p> + <p> + Poor Katie's eyes became suffused with tears. + </p> + <p> + 'My dear Katie, it's very bad of me, isn't it?' said Norman, 'and the fine + weather so nearly over too; I ought to take you, oughtn't I? come, we will + go.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, we won't,' said Katie, taking his big hand in both her little ones, + 'indeed we won't. It was very wrong of me to bother you; and you with—with—with + so much to think of. Dear Harry, I don't want to go at all, indeed I + don't,' and she turned away from the little path which led to the place + where the punt was moored. + </p> + <p> + They sauntered on for a while together, and then Norman left them. He said + nothing, but merely stole away from the lawn towards the drawing-room + window. Mrs. Woodward well knew with what object he went, and would have + spared him from his immediate sorrow by following him; but she judged that + it would be better both for him and for her daughter that he should learn + the truth. + </p> + <p> + He went in through the open drawing-room window, and found Gertrude alone. + She was on the sofa with a book in her hand; and had he been able to watch + her closely he would have seen that the book trembled as he entered the + room. But he was unable to watch anything closely. His own heart beat so + fast, his own confusion was so great, that he could hardly see the girl + whom he now hoped to gain as his wife. Had Alaric been coming to his + wooing, he would have had every faculty at his call. But then Alaric could + not have loved as Norman loved. + </p> + <p> + And so we will leave them. In about half an hour, when the short twilight + was becoming dusk, Mrs. Woodward returned, and found Norman standing alone + on the hearthrug before the fireplace. Gertrude was away, and he was + leaning against the mantelpiece, with his hands behind his back, staring + at vacancy; but oh! with such an aspect of dull, speechless agony in his + face. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward looked up at him, and would have burst into tears, had she + not remembered that they would not be long alone; she therefore restrained + herself, but gave one involuntary sigh; and then, taking off her bonnet, + placed herself where she might sit without staring at him in his sorrow. + </p> + <p> + Katie came in next. 'Oh! Harry, it's so lucky we didn't start in the + punt,' said she, 'for it's going to pour, and we never should have been + back from the island in that slow thing.' + </p> + <p> + Norman looked at her and tried to smile, but the attempt was a ghastly + failure. Katie, gazing up into his face, saw that he was unhappy, and + slunk away, without further speech, to her distant chair. There, from time + to time, she would look up at him, and her little heart melted with ruth + to see the depth of his misery. 'Why, oh why,' thought she, 'should that + greedy Alaric have taken away the only prize?' + </p> + <p> + And then Linda came running in with her bonnet ribbons all moist with the + big raindrops. 'You are a nice squire of dames,' said she, 'to leave us + all out to get wet through by ourselves;' and then she also, looking up, + saw that jesting was at present ill-timed, and so sat herself down quietly + at the tea-table. + </p> + <p> + But Norman never moved. He saw them come in one after another. He saw the + pity expressed in Mrs. Woodward's face; he heard the light-hearted voices + of the two girls, and observed how, when they saw him, their + light-heartedness was abashed; but still he neither spoke nor moved. He + had been stricken with a fearful stroke, and for a while was powerless. + </p> + <p> + Captain Cuttwater, having shaken off his dining-room nap, came for his + tea; and then, at last, Gertrude also, descending from her own chamber, + glided quietly into the room. When she did so, Norman, with a struggle, + roused himself, and took a chair next to Mrs. Woodward, and opposite to + her eldest daughter. + </p> + <p> + Who could describe the intense discomfiture of that tea-party, or paint in + fitting colours the different misery of each one there assembled? Even + Captain Cuttwater at once knew that something was wrong, and munched his + bread-and-butter and drank his tea in silence. Linda surmised what had + taken place; though she was surprised, she was left without any doubt. + Poor Katie was still in the dark, but she also knew that there was cause + for sorrow, and crept more and more into her little self. Mrs. Woodward + sat with averted face, and ever and anon she put her handkerchief to her + eyes. Gertrude was very pale, and all but motionless, but she had schooled + herself, and managed to drink her tea with more apparent indifference than + any of the others. Norman sat as he had before been standing, with that + dreadful look of agony upon his brow. + </p> + <p> + Immediately after tea Mrs. Woodward got up and went to her dressing-room. + Her dressing-room, though perhaps not improperly so called, was not an + exclusive closet devoted to combs, petticoats, and soap and water. It was + a comfortable snug room, nicely furnished, with sofa and easy chairs, and + often open to others besides her handmaidens. Thither she betook herself, + that she might weep unseen; but in about twenty minutes her tears were + disturbed by a gentle knock at the door. + </p> + <p> + Very soon after she went, Gertrude also left the room, and then Katie + crept off. + </p> + <p> + 'I have got a headache to-night,' said Norman, after the remaining three + had sat silent for a minute or two; 'I think I'll go across and go to + bed.' + </p> + <p> + 'A headache!' said Linda. 'Oh, I am so sorry that you have got to go to + that horrid inn.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! I shall do very well there,' said Norman, trying to smile. + </p> + <p> + 'Will you have my room?' said the captain good-naturedly; 'any sofa does + for me.' + </p> + <p> + Norman assured them as well as he could that his present headache was of + such a nature that a bed at the inn would be the best thing for him; and + then, shaking hands with them, he moved to the door. + </p> + <p> + 'Stop a moment, Harry,' said Linda, 'and let me tell mamma. She'll give + you something for your head.' He made a sign to her, however, to let him + pass, and then, creeping gently upstairs, he knocked at Mrs. Woodward's + door. + </p> + <p> + 'Come in,' said Mrs. Woodward, and Harry Norman, with all his sorrows + still written on his face, stood before her. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Harry,' said she, 'come in; I am so glad that you have come to me. + Oh! Harry, dear Harry, what shall I say to comfort you? What can I say—what + can I do?' + </p> + <p> + Norman, forgetting his manhood, burst into tears, and throwing himself on + a sofa, buried his face on the arm and sobbed like a young girl. But the + tears of a man bring with them no comfort as do those of the softer sex. + He was a strong tall man, and it was dreadful to see him thus convulsed. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward stood by him, and put her hand caressingly on his shoulder. + She saw he had striven to speak, and had found himself unable to do so. 'I + know how it is,' said she, 'you need not tell me; I know it all. Would + that she could have seen you with my eyes; would that she could have + judged you with my mind!' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Mrs. Woodward!' + </p> + <p> + 'To me, Harry, you should have been the dearest, the most welcome son. But + you are so still. No son could be dearer. Oh, that she could have seen you + as I see you!' + </p> + <p> + 'There is no hope,' said he. He did not put it as a question; but Mrs. + Woodward saw that it was intended that she should take it as such if she + pleased. What could she say to him? She knew that there was no hope. Had + it been Linda, Linda might have been moulded to her will. But with + Gertrude there could now be no hope. What could she say? She knelt down + and kissed his brow, and mingled her tears with his. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Harry—oh, Harry! my dearest, dearest son!' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Mrs. Woodward, I have loved her so truly.' + </p> + <p> + What could Mrs. Woodward do but cry also? what but that, and throw such + blame as she could upon her own shoulders? She was bound to defend her + daughter. + </p> + <p> + 'It has been my fault, Harry,' she said; 'it is I whom you must blame, not + poor Gertrude.' + </p> + <p> + 'I blame no one,' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'I know you do not; but it is I whom you should blame. I should have + learnt how her heart stood, and have prevented this—but I thought, I + thought it would have been otherwise.' + </p> + <p> + Norman looked up at her, and took her hand, and pressed it. 'I will go + now,' he said, 'and don't expect me here to-morrow. I could not come in. + Say that I thought it best to go to town because I am unwell. Good-bye, + Mrs. Woodward; pray write to me. I can't come to the Cottage now for a + while, but pray write to me: do not you forget me, Mrs. Woodward.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward fell upon his breast and wept, and bade God bless him, and + called him her son and her dearest friend, and sobbed till her heart was + nigh to break. 'What,' she thought, 'what could her daughter wish for, + when she repulsed from her feet such a suitor as Harry Norman?' + </p> + <p> + He then went quietly down the stairs, quietly out of the house, and having + packed up his bag at the inn, started off through the pouring rain, and + walked away through the dark stormy night, through the dirt and mud and + wet, to his London lodgings; nor was he again seen at Surbiton Cottage for + some months after this adventure. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIII. — A COMMUNICATION OF IMPORTANCE + </h2> + <p> + Norman's dark wet walk did him physically no harm, and morally some good. + He started on it in that frame of mind which induces a man to look with + indifference on all coming evils under the impression that the evils + already come are too heavy to admit of any increase. But by the time that + he was thoroughly wet through, well splashed with mud, and considerably + fatigued by his first five or six miles' walk, he began to reflect that + life was not over with him, and that he must think of future things as + well as those that were past. + </p> + <p> + He got home about two o'clock, and having knocked up his landlady, Mrs. + Richards, betook himself to bed. Alaric had been in his room for the last + two hours, but of Charley and his latch-key Mrs. Richards knew nothing. + She stated her belief, however, that two a.m. seldom saw that erratic + gentleman in his bed. + </p> + <p> + On the following morning, Alaric, when he got his hot water, heard that + Norman returned during the night from Hampton, and he immediately guessed + what had brought him back. He knew that nothing short of some great + trouble would have induced Harry to leave the Cottage so abruptly, and + that that trouble must have been of such a nature as to make his remaining + with the Woodwards an aggravation of it. No such trouble could have come + on him but the one. + </p> + <p> + As Charley seldom made his appearance at the breakfast table on Sunday + mornings, Alaric foresaw that he must undergo a <i>tête-à-tête</i> which + would not be agreeable to himself, and which must be much more + disagreeable to his companion; but for this there was no help. Harry had, + however, prepared himself for what he had to go through, and immediately + that the two were alone, he told his tale in a very few words. + </p> + <p> + 'Alaric,' said he, 'I proposed to Gertrude last night, and she refused + me.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric Tudor was deeply grieved for his friend. There was something in the + rejected suitor's countenance—something in the tone of voice, which + would have touched any heart softer than stone; and Alaric's heart had not + as yet been so hardened by the world as to render him callous to the sight + of such grief as this. + </p> + <p> + 'Take my word for it, Harry, she'll think better of it in a month or two,' + he said. + </p> + <p> + 'Never—never; I am sure of it. Not only from her own manner, but + from her mother's,' said Harry. And yet, during half his walk home, he had + been trying to console himself with the reflection that most young ladies + reject their husbands once or twice before they accept them. + </p> + <p> + There is no offering a man comfort in such a sorrow as this; unless, + indeed, he be one to whom the worship of Bacchus may be made a fitting + substitute for that of the Paphian goddess. + </p> + <p> + There is a sort of disgrace often felt, if never acknowledged, which + attaches itself to a man for having put himself into Norman's present + position, and this generally prevents him from confessing his defeat in + such matters. The misfortune in question is one which doubtless occurs not + unfrequently to mankind; but as mankind generally bear their special + disappointments in silence, and as the vanity of women is generally + exceeded by their good-nature, the secret, we believe, in most cases + remains a secret. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Shall I, wasting in despair, + Die because a woman's fair? + If she be not fair for me, + What care I how fair she be? +</pre> + <p> + This was the upshot of the consideration which Withers, the poet, gave to + the matter, and Withers was doubtless right. 'Tis thus that rejected + lovers should think, thus that they should demean themselves; but they + seldom come to this philosophy till a few days have passed by, and talking + of their grievance does not assist them in doing so. + </p> + <p> + When, therefore, Harry had declared what had happened to him, and had + declared also that he had no further hope, he did not at first find + himself much the better for what he had confessed. He was lackadaisical + and piteous, and Alaric, though he had endeavoured to be friendly, soon + found that he had no power of imparting any comfort. Early in the day they + parted, and did not see each other again till the following morning. + </p> + <p> + 'I was going down to Normansgrove on Thursday,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, I know,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'I think I shall ask leave to go to-day. It can't make much difference, + and the sooner I get away the better.' + </p> + <p> + And so it was settled. Norman left town the same afternoon, and Alaric, + with his blushing honours thick upon him, was left alone. + </p> + <p> + London was now very empty, and he was constrained to enjoy his glory very + much by himself. He had never associated much with the Minusexes and + Uppinalls, nor yet with the Joneses and Robinsons of his own office, and + it could not be expected that there should be any specially confidential + intercourse between them just at the present moment. Undy was of course + out of town with the rest of the fashionable world, and Alaric, during the + next week, was left very much on his own hands. + </p> + <p> + 'And so,' said he to himself, as he walked solitary along the lone paths + of Rotten Row, and across the huge desert to the Marble Arch, 'and so poor + Harry's hopes have been all in vain; he has lost his promotion, and now he + has lost his bride—poor Harry!'—and then it occurred to him + that as he had acquired the promotion it might be his destiny to win the + bride also. He had never told himself that he loved Gertrude; he had + looked on her as Norman's own, and he, at any rate, was not the man to + sigh in despair after anything that was out of his reach. But now, now + that Harry's chance was over, and that no bond of friendship could + interfere with such a passion, why should he not tell himself that he + loved Gertrude? 'If, as Harry had himself said, there was no longer any + hope for him, why,' said Alaric to himself, 'why should not I try my + chance?' Of Linda, of 'dear, dearest Linda,' at this moment he thought + very little, or, perhaps, not at all. Of what Mrs. Woodward might say, of + that he did think a good deal. + </p> + <p> + The week was melancholy and dull, and it passed very slowly at Hampton. On + the Sunday morning it became known to them all that Norman was gone, but + the subject, by tacit consent, was allowed to pass all but unnoticed. Even + Katie, even Uncle Bat, were aware that something had occurred which ought + to prevent them from inquiring too particularly why Harry had started back + to town in so sudden a manner; and so they said nothing. To Linda, + Gertrude had told what had happened; and Linda, as she heard it, asked + herself whether she was prepared to be equally obdurate with her lover. He + had now the means of supporting a wife, and why should she be obdurate? + </p> + <p> + Nothing was said on the subject between Gertrude and her mother. What more + could Mrs. Woodward say? It would have been totally opposed to the whole + principle of her life to endeavour, by any means, to persuade her daughter + to the match, or to have used her maternal influence in Norman's favour. + And she was well aware that it would have been impossible to do so + successfully. Gertrude was not a girl to be talked into a marriage by any + parent, and certainly not by such a parent as her mother. There was, + therefore, nothing further to be said about it. + </p> + <p> + On Saturday Alaric went down, but his arrival hardly made things more + pleasant. Mrs. Woodward could not bring herself to be cordial with him, + and the girls were restrained by a certain feeling that it would not be + right to show too much outward joy at Alaric's success. Linda said one + little word of affectionate encouragement, but it produced no apparent + return from Alaric. His immediate object was to recover Mrs. Woodward's + good graces; and he thought before he went that he had reason to hope that + he might do so. + </p> + <p> + Of all the household, Captain Cuttwater was the most emphatic in his + congratulations. 'He had no doubt,' he said, 'that the best man had won. + He had always hoped that the best man might win. He had not had the same + luck when he was young, but he was very glad to see such an excellent rule + brought into the service. It would soon work great changes, he was quite + sure, at the Board of Admiralty.' + </p> + <p> + On the Sunday afternoon Captain Cuttwater asked him into his own bedroom, + and told him with a solemn, serious manner that he had a communication of + importance to make to him. Alaric followed the captain into the well-known + room in which Norman used to sleep, wondering what could be the nature of + Uncle Bat's important communication. It might, probably, be some tidings + of Sir Jib Boom. + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Alaric,' said the old man, as soon as they were both seated on + opposite sides of a little Pembroke table that stood in the middle of the + room, 'I was heartily glad to hear of your success at the Weights and + Measures; not that I ever doubted it if they made a fair sailing match of + it.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am sure I am much obliged to you, Captain Cuttwater.' + </p> + <p> + 'That is as may be, by and by. But the fact is, I have taken a fancy to + you. I like fellows that know how to push themselves.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric had nothing for it but to repeat again that he felt himself + grateful for Captain Cuttwater's good opinion. + </p> + <p> + 'Not that I have anything to say against Mr. Norman—a very nice + young man, indeed, he is, very nice, though perhaps not quite so cheerful + in his manners as he might be.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric began to take his friend's part, and declared what a very worthy + fellow Harry was. + </p> + <p> + 'I am sure of it—I am sure of it,' said Uncle Bat; 'but everybody + can't be A 1; and a man can't make everybody his heir.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric pricked up his ears. So after all Captain Cuttwater was right in + calling his communication important. But what business had Captain + Cuttwater to talk of making new heirs?—had he not declared that the + Woodwards were his heirs? + </p> + <p> + 'I have got a little money, Mr. Alaric,' he went on saying in a low modest + tone, very different from that he ordinarily used; 'I have got a little + money—not much—and it will of course go to my niece here.' + </p> + <p> + 'Of course,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'That is to say—it will go to her children, which is all the same + thing.' + </p> + <p> + 'Quite the same thing,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'But my idea is this: if a man has saved a few pounds himself, I think he + has a right to give it to those he loves best. Now I have no children of + my own.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric declared himself aware of the fact. + </p> + <p> + 'And I suppose I shan't have any now.' + </p> + <p> + 'Not if you don't marry,' said Alaric, who felt rather at a loss for a + proper answer. He could not, however, have made a better one. + </p> + <p> + 'No; that's what I mean; but I don't think I shall marry. I am very well + contented here, and I like Surbiton Cottage amazingly.' + </p> + <p> + 'It's a charming place,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'No, I don't suppose I shall ever have any children of my own,'—and + then Uncle Bat sighed gently—'and so I have been considering whom I + should like to adopt.' + </p> + <p> + 'Quite right, Captain Cuttwater.' + </p> + <p> + 'Whom I should like to adopt. I should like to have one whom I could call + in a special manner my own. Now, Mr. Alaric, I have made up my mind, and + who do you think it is?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Captain Cuttwater, I couldn't guess on such a matter. I shouldn't + like to guess wrong.' + </p> + <p> + 'Perhaps not—no; that's right;—well then, I'll tell you; it's + Gertrude.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric was well aware that it was Gertrude before her name had been + pronounced. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, it's Gertrude; of course I couldn't go out of Bessie's family—of + course it must be either Gertrude, or Linda, or Katie. Now Linda and Katie + are very well, but they haven't half the gumption that Gertrude has.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, they have not,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'I like gumption,' said Captain Cuttwater. 'You've a great deal of + gumption—that's why I like you.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric laughed, and muttered something. + </p> + <p> + 'Now I have been thinking of something;' and Uncle Bat looked strangely + mysterious—'I wonder what you think of Gertrude?' + </p> + <p> + 'Who—I?' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'I can see through a millstone as well as another,' said the captain; 'and + I used to think that Norman and Gertrude meant to hit it off together.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric said nothing. He did not feel inclined to tell Norman's secret, and + yet he could not belie Gertrude by contradicting the justice of Captain + Cuttwater's opinion. + </p> + <p> + 'I used to think so—but now I find there's nothing in it. I am sure + Gertrude wouldn't have him, and I think she's right. He hasn't gumption + enough.' + </p> + <p> + 'Harry Norman is no fool.' + </p> + <p> + 'I dare say not,' said the captain; 'but take my word, she'll never have + him—Lord bless you, Norman knows that as well as I do.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric knew it very well himself also; but he did not say so. + </p> + <p> + 'Now, the long and the short of it is this—why don't you make up to + her? If you'll make up to her and carry the day, all I can say is, I will + do all I can to keep the pot a-boiling; and if you think it will help you, + you may tell Gertrude that I say so.' + </p> + <p> + This was certainly an important communication, and one to which Alaric + found it very difficult to give any immediate answer. He said a great deal + about his affection for Mrs. Woodward, of his admiration for Miss + Woodward, of his strong sense of Captain Cuttwater's kindness, and of his + own unworthiness; but he left the captain with an impression that he was + not prepared at the present moment to put himself forward as a candidate + for Gertrude's hand. + </p> + <p> + 'I don't know what the deuce he would have,' said the captain to himself. + 'She's as fine a girl as he's likely to find; and two or three thousand + pounds isn't so easily got every day by a fellow that hasn't a shilling of + his own.' + </p> + <p> + When Alaric took his departure the next morning, he thought he perceived, + from Mrs. Woodward's manner, that there was less than her usual cordiality + in the tone in which she said that of course he would return at the end of + the week. + </p> + <p> + 'I will if possible,' he said, 'and I need not say that I hope to do so; + but I fear I may be kept in town—at any rate I'll write.' When the + end of the week came he wrote to say that unfortunately he was kept in + town. He thoroughly understood that people are most valued when they make + themselves scarce. He got in reply a note from Gertrude, saying that her + mother begged that on the following Saturday he would come and bring + Charley with him. + </p> + <p> + On his return to town, Alaric, by appointment, called on Sir Gregory. He + had not seen his patron yet since his great report on Wheal Mary Jane had + been sent in. That report had been written exclusively by himself, and + poor Neverbend had been obliged to content himself with putting all his + voluminous notes into Tudor's hands. He afterwards obediently signed the + report, and received his reward for doing so. Alaric never divulged to + official ears how Neverbend had halted in the course of his descent to the + infernal gods. + </p> + <p> + 'I thoroughly congratulate you,' said Sir Gregory. 'You have justified my + choice, and done your duty with credit to yourself and benefit to the + public. I hope you may go on and prosper. As long as you remember that + your own interests should always be kept in subservience to those of the + public service, you will not fail to receive the praise which such conduct + deserves.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric thanked Sir Gregory for his good opinion, and as he did so, he + thought of his new banker's account, and of the £300 which was lying + there. After all, which of them was right, Sir Gregory Hardlines or Undy + Scott? Or was it that Sir Gregory's opinions were such as should control + the outward conduct, and Undy's those which should rule the inner man? + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIV. — VERY SAD + </h2> + <p> + Norman prolonged his visit to his father considerably beyond the month. At + first he applied for and received permission to stay away another + fortnight, and at the end of that fortnight he sent up a medical + certificate in which the doctor alleged that he would be unable to attend + to business for some considerable additional period. It was not till after + Christmas Day that he reappeared at the Weights and Measures. + </p> + <p> + Alaric kept his appointment at Hampton, and took Charley with him. And on + the two following Saturdays he also went there, and on both occasions + Charley accompanied him. During these visits, he devoted himself, as + closely as he could, to Mrs. Woodward. He talked to her of Norman, and of + Norman's prospects in the office; he told her how he had intended to + abstain from offering himself as a competitor, till he had, as it were, + been forced by Norman to do so; he declared over and over again that + Norman would have been victorious had he stood his ground to the end, and + assured her that such was the general opinion through the whole + establishment. And this he did without talking much about himself, or + praising himself in any way when he did so. His speech was wholly of his + friend, and of the sorrow that he felt that his friend should have been + disappointed in his hopes. + </p> + <p> + All this had its effects. Of Norman's rejected love they neither of them + spoke. Each knew that the other must be aware of it, but the subject was + far too tender to be touched, at any rate as yet. And so matters went on, + and Alaric regained the footing of favour which he had for a while lost + with the mistress of the house. + </p> + <p> + But there was one inmate of Surbiton Cottage who saw that though Alaric + spent so much of his time with Mrs. Woodward, he found opportunity also + for other private conversation; and this was Linda. Why was it that in the + moments before they dressed for dinner Alaric was whispering with + Gertrude, and not with her? Why was it that Alaric had felt it necessary + to stay from church that Sunday evening when Gertrude also had been + prevented from going by a headache? He had remained, he said, in order + that Captain Cuttwater might have company; but Linda was not slow to learn + that Uncle Bat had been left to doze away the time by himself. Why, on the + following Monday, had Gertrude been down so early, and why had Alaric been + over from the inn full half an hour before his usual time? Linda saw and + knew all this, and was disgusted. But even then she did not, could not + think that Alaric could be untrue to her; that her own sister would rob + her of her lover. It could not be that there should be such baseness in + human nature! + </p> + <p> + Poor Linda! + </p> + <p> + And yet, though she did not believe that such falseness could exist in + this world of hers at Surbiton Cottage, she could not restrain herself + from complaining rather petulantly to her sister, as they were going to + bed on that Sunday evening. + </p> + <p> + 'I hope your headache is better,' she said, in a tone of voice as near to + irony as her soft nature could produce. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, it is quite well now,' said Gertrude, disdaining to notice the + irony. + </p> + <p> + 'I dare say Alaric had a headache too. I suppose one was about as bad as + the other.' + </p> + <p> + 'Linda,' said Gertrude, answering rather with dignity than with anger, + 'you ought to know by this time that it is not likely that I should plead + false excuses. Alaric never said he had a headache.' + </p> + <p> + 'He said he stayed from church to be with Uncle Bat; but when we came back + we found him with you.' + </p> + <p> + 'Uncle Bat went to sleep, and then he came into the drawing-room.' + </p> + <p> + The two girls said nothing more about it. Linda should have remembered + that she had never breathed a word to her sister of Alaric's passion for + herself. Gertrude's solemn propriety had deterred her, just as she was + about to do so. How very little of that passion had Alaric breathed + himself! and yet, alas! enough to fill the fond girl's heart with dreams + of love, which occupied all her waking, all her sleeping thoughts. Oh! ye + ruthless swains, from whose unhallowed lips fall words full of poisoned + honey, do ye never think of the bitter agony of many months, of the dull + misery of many years, of the cold monotony of an uncheered life, which + follow so often as the consequence of your short hour of pastime? + </p> + <p> + On the Monday morning, as soon as Alaric and Charley had started for town—it + was the morning on which Linda had been provoked to find that both + Gertrude and Alaric had been up half an hour before they should have been—Gertrude + followed her mother to her dressing-room, and with palpitating heart + closed the door behind her. + </p> + <p> + Linda remained downstairs, putting away her tea and sugar, not in the best + of humours; but Katie, according to her wont, ran up after her mother. + </p> + <p> + 'Katie,' said Gertrude, as Katie bounced into the room, 'dearest Katie, I + want to speak a word to mamma—alone. Will you mind going down just + for a few minutes?' and she put her arm round her sister, and kissed her + with almost unwonted tenderness. + </p> + <p> + 'Go, Katie, dear,' said Mrs. Woodward; and Katie, speechless, retired. + </p> + <p> + 'Gertrude has got something particular to tell mamma; something that I may + not hear. I wonder what it is about,' said Katie to her second sister. + </p> + <p> + Linda's heart sank within her. 'Could it be? No, it could not, could not + be, that the sweet voice which had whispered in her ears those + well-remembered words, could have again whispered the same into other ears—that + the very Gertrude who had warned her not to listen to such words from such + lips, should have listened to them herself, and have adopted them and made + them her own! It could not, could not be!' and yet Linda's heart sank low + within her. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + 'If you really love him,' said the mother, again caressing her eldest + daughter as she acknowledged her love, but hardly with such tenderness as + when that daughter had repudiated that other love—'if you really + love him, dearest, of course I do not, of course I cannot, object.' + </p> + <p> + 'I do, mamma; I do.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, then, Gertrude, so be it. I have not a word to say against your + choice. Had I not believed him to be an excellent young man, I should not + have allowed him to be here with you so much as he has been. We cannot all + see with the same eyes, dearest, can we?' + </p> + <p> + 'No, mamma; but pray don't think I dislike poor Harry; and, oh! mamma, + pray don't set him against Alaric because of this——' + </p> + <p> + 'Set him against Alaric! No, Gertrude. I certainly shall not do that. But + whether I can reconcile Harry to it, that is another thing.' + </p> + <p> + 'At any rate he has no right to be angry at it,' said Gertrude, assuming + her air of dignity. + </p> + <p> + 'Certainly not with you, Gertrude.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, nor with Alaric,' said she, almost with indignation. + </p> + <p> + 'That depends on what has passed between them. It is very hard to say how + men so situated regard each other.' + </p> + <p> + 'I know everything that has passed between them,' said Gertrude. 'I never + gave Harry any encouragement. As soon as I understood my own feelings I + endeavoured to make him understand them also.' + </p> + <p> + 'But, my dearest, no one is blaming you.' + </p> + <p> + 'But you are blaming Alaric.' + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed I am not, Gertrude.' + </p> + <p> + 'No man could have behaved more honourably to his friend,' said Gertrude; + 'no man more nobly; and if Harry does not feel it so, he has not the good + heart for which I always gave him credit.' + </p> + <p> + 'Poor fellow! his friendship for Alaric will be greatly tried.' + </p> + <p> + 'And, mamma, has not Alaric's friendship been tried? and has it not borne + the trial nobly? Harry told him of—of—of his intentions; Harry + told him long, long, long ago——' + </p> + <p> + 'Ah me!—poor Harry!' sighed Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'But you think nothing of Alaric!' + </p> + <p> + 'Alaric is successful, my dear, and can——' Think sufficiently + of himself, Mrs. Woodward was going to say, but she stopped herself. + </p> + <p> + 'Harry told him all,' continued Gertrude, 'and Alaric—Alaric said + nothing of his own feelings. Alaric never said a word to me that he might + not have said before his friend—till—till—You must own, + mamma, that no one can have behaved more nobly than Alaric has done.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward, nevertheless, had her own sentiments on the matter, which + were not quite in unison with those of her daughter. But then she was not + in love with Alaric, and her daughter was. She thought that Alaric's love + was a passion that had but lately come to the birth, and that had he been + true to his friend—nobly true as Gertrude had described him—it + would never have been born at all, or at any rate not till Harry had had a + more prolonged chance of being successful with his suit. Mrs. Woodward + understood human nature better than her daughter, or, at least, flattered + herself that she did so, and she felt well assured that Alaric had not + been dying for love during the period of Harry's unsuccessful courtship. + He might, she thought, have waited a little longer before he chose for his + wife the girl whom his friend had loved, seeing that he had been made the + confidant of that love. + </p> + <p> + Such were the feelings which Mrs. Woodward felt herself unable to repress; + but she could not refuse her consent to the marriage. After all, she had + some slight twinge of conscience, some inward conviction that she was + prejudiced in Harry's favour, as her daughter was in Alaric's. Then she + had lost all right to object to Alaric, by allowing him to be so + constantly at the Cottage; and then again, there was nothing to which in + reason she could object. In point of immediate income, Alaric was now the + better match of the two. She kissed her daughter, therefore, and promised + that she would do her best to take Alaric to her heart as her son-in-law. + </p> + <p> + 'You will tell Uncle Bat, mamma?' said Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + 'O yes—certainly, my dear; of course he'll be told. But I suppose it + does not make much matter, immediately?' + </p> + <p> + 'I think he should be told, mamma; I should not like him to think that he + was treated with anything like disrespect.' + </p> + <p> + 'Very well, my dear, I'll tell him,' said Mrs. Woodward, who was somewhat + surprised at her daughter's punctilious feelings about Uncle Bat. However, + it was all very proper; and she was glad to think that her children were + inclined to treat their grand-uncle with respect, in spite of his long + nose. + </p> + <p> + And then Gertrude was preparing to leave the room, but her mother stopped + her. 'Gertrude, dear,' said she. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, mamma.' + </p> + <p> + 'Come here, dearest; shut the door. Gertrude, have you told Linda yet?' + </p> + <p> + 'No, mamma, not yet.' + </p> + <p> + As Mrs. Woodward asked the question, there was an indescribable look of + painful emotion on her brow. It did not escape Gertrude's eye, and was not + to her perfectly unintelligible. She had conceived an idea—why, she + did not know—that these recent tidings of hers would not be + altogether agreeable to her sister. + </p> + <p> + 'No, mamma, I have not told her; of course I told you first. But now I + shall do so immediately.' + </p> + <p> + 'Let me tell her,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'will you, Gertrude?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! certainly, mamma, if you wish it.' + </p> + <p> + Things were going wrong with Mrs. Woodward. She had perceived, with a + mother's anxious eye, that her second daughter was not indifferent to + Alaric Tudor. While she yet thought that Norman and Gertrude would have + suited each other, this had caused her no disquietude. She herself had + entertained none of those grand ideas to which Gertrude had given + utterance with so much sententiousness, when she silenced Linda's tale of + love before the telling of it had been commenced. Mrs. Woodward had always + felt sufficiently confident that Alaric would push himself in the world, + and she would have made no objection to him as a son-in-law had he been + contented to take the second instead of the first of her flock. + </p> + <p> + She had never spoken to Linda on the matter, and Linda had offered to her + no confidence; but she felt all but sure that her second child would not + have entertained the affection which she had been unable altogether to + conceal, had no lover's plea been poured into her ears. Mrs. Woodward + questioned her daughters but little, but she understood well the nature of + each, and could nearly read their thoughts. Linda's thoughts it was not + difficult to read. + </p> + <p> + 'Linda, pet,' she said, as soon as she could get Linda into her room + without absolutely sending for her, 'you have not yet heard Gertrude's + news?' + </p> + <p> + 'No,' said Linda, turning very pale, and feeling that her heart was like + to burst. + </p> + <p> + 'I would let no one tell you but myself, Linda. Come here, dearest; don't + stand there away from me. Can you guess what it is?' + </p> + <p> + Linda, for a moment, could not speak. 'No, mamma,' she said at last, 'I + don't know what it is.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward twined her arm round her daughter's waist, as they sat on + the sofa close to each other. Linda tried to compose herself, but she felt + that she was trembling in her mother's arms. She would have given anything + to be calm; anything to hide her secret. She little guessed then how well + her mother knew it. Her eyes were turned down, and she found that she + could not raise them to her mother's face. + </p> + <p> + 'No, mamma,' she said. 'I don't know—what is it?' + </p> + <p> + 'Gertrude is to be married, Linda. She is engaged.' + </p> + <p> + 'I thought she refused Harry,' said Linda, through whose mind a faint idea + was passing of the cruelty of nature's arrangements, which gave all the + lovers to her sister. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, dearest, she did; and now another has made an offer—she has + accepted him.' Mrs. Woodward could hardly bring herself to speak out that + which she had to say, and yet she felt that she was only prolonging the + torture for which she was so anxious to find a remedy. + </p> + <p> + 'Has she?' said Linda, on whom the full certainty of her misery had now + all but come. + </p> + <p> + 'She has accepted our dear Alaric.' + </p> + <p> + Our dear Alaric! what words for Linda's ears! They did reach her ears, but + they did not dwell there—her soft gentle nature sank beneath the + sound. Her mother, when she looked to her for a reply, found that she was + sinking through her arms. Linda had fainted. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward neither screamed, nor rang for assistance, nor emptied the + water-jug over her daughter, nor did anything else which would have the + effect of revealing to the whole household the fact that Linda had + fainted. She had seen girls faint before, and was not frightened. But how, + when Linda recovered, was she to be comforted? + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward laid her gently on the sofa, undid her dress, loosened her + stays, and then sat by her chafing her hands, and moistening her lips and + temples, till gradually the poor girl's eyes re-opened. The recovery from + a fainting fit, a real fainting fit I beg young ladies to understand, + brings with it a most unpleasant sensation, and for some minutes Linda's + sorrow was quelled by her sufferings; but as she recovered her strength + she remembered where she was and what had happened, and sobbing violently + she burst into an hysterical storm of tears. + </p> + <p> + Her most poignant feeling now was one of fear lest her mother should have + guessed her secret; and this Mrs. Woodward well understood. She could do + nothing towards comforting her child till there was perfect confidence + between them. It was easy to arrive at this with Linda, nor would it + afterwards be difficult to persuade her as to the course she ought to + take. The two girls were so essentially different; the one so eager to + stand alone and guide herself, the other so prone to lean on the nearest + support that came to her hand. + </p> + <p> + It was not long before Linda had told her mother everything. Either by + words, or tears, or little signs of mute confession, she made her mother + understand, with all but exactness, what had passed between Alaric and + herself, and quite exactly what had been the state of her own heart. She + sobbed, and wept, and looked up to her mother for forgiveness as though + she had been guilty of a great sin; and when her mother caressed her with + all a mother's tenderness, and told her that she was absolved from all + fault, free of all blame, she was to a certain degree comforted. Whatever + might now happen, her mother would be on her side. But Mrs. Woodward, when + she looked into the matter, found that it was she that should have + demanded pardon of her daughter, not her daughter of her! Why had this + tender lamb been allowed to wander out of the fold, while a wolf in + sheep's clothing was invited into the pasture-ground? + </p> + <p> + Gertrude, with her talent, her beauty, and dignity of demeanour, had + hitherto been, perhaps, the closest to the mother's heart—had been, + if not the most cherished, yet the most valued; Gertrude had been the + apple of her eye. This should be altered now. If a mother's love could + atone for a mother's negligence, Mrs. Woodward would atone to her child + for this hour of misery! And Katie—her sweet bonny Katie—she, + at least, should be protected from the wolves. Those were the thoughts + that passed through Mrs. Woodward's heart as she sat there caressing + Linda. But how were things to be managed now at the present moment? It was + quite clear that the wolf in sheep's clothing must be admitted into the + pastoral family; either that, or the fairest lamb of the flock must be + turned out altogether, to take upon herself lupine nature, and roam the + woods a beast of prey. As matters stood it behoved them to make such a + sheep of Alaric as might be found practicable. + </p> + <p> + And so Mrs. Woodward set to work to teach her daughter how best she might + conduct herself in her present state of wretchedness. She had to bear with + her sister's success, to listen to her sister's joy, to enter into all her + future plans, to assist at her toilet, to prepare her wedding garments, to + hear the congratulations of friends, and take a sister's share in a + sister's triumph, and to do this without once giving vent to a reproach. + And she had worse than this to do; she had to encounter Alaric, and to + wish him joy of his bride; she had to protect her female pride from the + disgrace which a hopeless but acknowledged love would throw on it; she had + to live in the house with Alaric as though he were her brother, and as + though she had never thought to live with him in any nearer tie. She would + have to stand at the altar as her sister's bridesmaid, and see them + married, and she would have to smile and be cheerful as she did so. + </p> + <p> + This was the lesson which Mrs. Woodward had now to teach her daughter; and + she so taught it that Linda did all that circumstances and her mother + required of her. Late on that afternoon she went to Gertrude, and, kissing + her, wished her joy. At that moment Gertrude was the more embarrassed of + the two. + </p> + <p> + 'Linda, dear Linda,' she said, embracing her sister convulsively. + </p> + <p> + 'I hope you will be happy, Gertrude, with all my heart,' said Linda; and + so she relinquished her lover. + </p> + <p> + We talk about the weakness of women—and Linda Woodward was, in many + a way, weak enough—but what man, what giant, has strength equal to + this? It was not that her love was feeble. Her heart was capable of truest + love, and she had loved Alaric truly. But she had that within her which + enabled her to overcome herself, and put her own heart, and hopes, and + happiness—all but her maiden pride—into the background, when + the hopes and happiness of another required it. + </p> + <p> + She still shared the same room with her sister; and those who know how + completely absorbed a girl is by her first acknowledged love, may imagine + how many questions she had to answer, to how many propositions she was + called to assent, for how many schemes she had to vouchsafe a sister's + interest, while her heart was telling her that she should have been the + questioner, she should have been the proposer, that the schemes should all + have been her own. + </p> + <p> + But she bore it bravely. When Alaric first came down, which he did in the + middle of the week, she was, as she told her mother, too weak to stand in + his presence. Her mother strongly advised her not to absent herself; so + she sat gently by, while he kissed Mrs. Woodward and Katie. She sat and + trembled, for her turn she knew must come. It did come; Alaric, with an + assurance which told more for his courage than for his heart, came up to + her, and with a smiling face offered her his hand. She rose up and + muttered some words which she had prepared for the occasion, and he, still + holding her by the hand, stooped down and kissed her cheek. Mrs. Woodward + looked on with an angry flush on her brow, and hated him for his + cold-hearted propriety of demeanour. + </p> + <p> + Linda went up to her mother's room, and, sitting on her mother's bed, + sobbed herself into tranquillity. + </p> + <p> + It was very grievous to Mrs. Woodward to have to welcome Alaric to her + house. For Alaric's own sake she would no longer have troubled herself to + do so; but Gertrude was still her daughter, her dear child. Gertrude had + done nothing to disentitle her to a child's part, and a child's + protection; and even had she done so, Mrs. Woodward was not a woman to be + unforgiving to her child. For Gertrude's sake she had to make Alaric + welcome; she forced herself to smile on him and call him her son; to make + him more at home in her house even than Harry had ever been; to give him + privileges which he, wolf as he was, had so little deserved. + </p> + <p> + But Captain Cuttwater made up by the warmth of his congratulations for any + involuntary coolness which Alaric might have detected in those of Mrs. + Woodward. It had become a strong wish of the old man's heart that he might + make Alaric, at any rate in part, his heir, without doing an injustice to + his niece or her family. He had soon seen and appreciated what he had + called the 'gumption' both of Gertrude and Alaric. Had Harry married + Gertrude, and Alaric Linda, he would have regarded either of those matches + with disfavour. But now he was quite satisfied—now he could look on + Alaric as his son and Gertrude as his daughter, and use his money + according to his fancy, without incurring the reproaches of his + conscience. + </p> + <p> + 'Quite right, my boy, 'he said to Alaric, slapping him on the back at the + same time with pretty nearly all his power—'quite right. Didn't I + know you were the winning horse?—didn't I tell you how it would be? + Do you think I don't know what gumption means? If I had not had my own + weather-eye open, aye, and d—— wide open, the most of my time, + I shouldn't have two or three thousand pounds to give away now to any + young fellow that I take a fancy to.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric was, of course, all smiles and good humour, and Gertrude not less + so. The day after he heard of the engagement Uncle Bat went to town, and, + on his return, he gave Gertrude £100 to buy her wedding-clothes, and half + that sum to her mother, in order that the thing might go off, as he + expressed himself, 'slip-slap, and no mistake.' To Linda he gave nothing, + but promised her that he would not forget her when her time came. + </p> + <p> + All this time Norman was at Normansgrove; but there were three of the + party who felt that it behoved them to let him know what was going on. + Mrs. Woodward wrote first, and on the following day both Gertrude and + Alaric wrote to him, the former from Hampton, and the latter from his + office in London. + </p> + <p> + All these letters were much laboured, but, with all this labour, not one + of them contained within it a grain of comfort. That from Mrs. Woodward + came first and told the tale. Strange to say, though Harry had studiously + rejected from his mind all idea of hope as regarded Gertrude, nevertheless + the first tidings of her betrothal with Alaric struck him as though he had + still fancied himself a favoured lover. He felt as though, in his absence, + he had been robbed of a prize which was all his own, as though a chattel + had been taken from him to which he had a full right; as though all the + Hampton party, Mrs. Woodward included, were in a conspiracy to defraud him + the moment his back was turned. + </p> + <p> + The blow was so severe that it laid him prostrate at once. He could not + sob away his sorrow on his mother's bosom; no one could teach him how to + bear his grief with meek resignation. He had never spoken of his love to + his friends at Normansgrove. They had all been witnesses to his deep + disappointment, but that had been attributed to his failure at his office. + He was not a man to seek for sympathy in the sorrows of his heart. He had + told Alaric of his rejection, because he had already told him of his love, + but he had whispered no word of it to anyone besides. On the day on which + he received Mrs. Woodward's letter, he appeared at dinner ghastly pale, + and evidently so ill as to be all but unable to sit at table; but he would + say nothing to anybody; he sat brooding over his grief till he was unable + to sit any longer. + </p> + <p> + And yet Mrs. Woodward had written with all her skill, with all her heart + striving to pluck the sting away from the tidings which she had to + communicate. She had felt, however, that she owed as much, at least, to + her daughter as she did to him, and she failed to call Alaric perjured, + false, dishonoured, unjust, disgraced, and treacherous. Nothing short of + her doing so would have been deemed by Norman fitting mention of Tudor's + sin; nothing else would have satisfied the fury of his wrath. + </p> + <p> + On the next morning he received Gertrude's letter and Alaric's. The latter + he never read—he opened it, saw that it began as usual, 'My dear + Harry,' and then crammed it into his pocket. By return of post it went + back under a blank cover, addressed to Alaric at the Weights and Measures. + The days of duelling were gone by—unfortunately, as Norman now + thought, but nothing, he determined, should ever induce him again to hold + friendly intercourse with the traitor. He abstained from making any such + oath as to the Woodwards; but determined that his conduct in that respect + should be governed by the manner in which Alaric was received by them. + </p> + <p> + But Gertrude's letter he read over and over again, and each time he did so + he indulged in a fresh burst of hatred against the man who had deceived + him. 'A dishonest villain!' he said to himself over and over again; 'what + right had I to suppose he would be true to me when I found that he had + been so false to others?' + </p> + <p> + 'Dearest Harry,' the letter began. Dearest Harry!—Why should she + begin with a lie? He was not dearest! 'You must not, must not, must not be + angry with Alaric,' she went on to say, as soon as she had told her tale. + Oh, must he not? Not be angry with Alaric! Not angry with the man who had + forgotten every law of honour, every principle of honesty, every tie of + friendship! Not angry with the man whom he had trusted with the key of his + treasure, and who had then robbed him; who had stolen from him all his + contentment, all his joy, his very heart's blood; not angry with him! + </p> + <p> + 'Our happiness will never be perfect unless you will consent to share it.' + Thus simply, in the affection of her heart, had Gertrude concluded the + letter by which she intended to pour balm into the wounds of her rejected + lover, and pave the way for the smoothing of such difficulties as might + still lie in the way of her love. + </p> + <p> + 'Their happiness would not be perfect unless he would consent to share + it.' Every word in the sentence was gall to him. It must have been written + with the object of lacerating his wounds, and torturing his spirit; so at + least said Norman to himself. He read the letter over and over again. At + one time he resolved to keep it till he could thrust it back into her + hand, and prove to her of what cruelty she had been guilty. Then he + thought of sending it to Mrs. Woodward, and asking her how, after that, + could she think that he should ever again enter her doors at Hampton. + Finally he tore it into a thousand bits, and threw them behind the fire. + </p> + <p> + 'Share their happiness!' and as he repeated the words he gave the last + tear to the fragments of paper which he still held in his hand. Could he + at that moment as easily have torn to shreds all hope of earthly joys for + those two lovers, he would then have done it, and cast the ruins to the + flames. + </p> + <p> + Oh! what a lesson he might have learnt from Linda! And yet what were his + injuries to hers? He in fact had not been injured, at least not by him + against whom the strength of his wrath most fiercely raged. The two men + had both admired Gertrude, but Norman had started on the race first. + Before Alaric had had time to know his own mind, he had learnt that Norman + claimed the beauty as his own. He had acknowledged to himself that Norman + had a right to do so, and had scrupulously abstained from interfering with + him. Why should Norman, like a dog in the manger, begrudge to his friend + the fodder which he himself could not enjoy? To him, at any rate, Alaric + had in this been no traitor. 'Twas thus at least that Gertrude argued in + her heart, and 'twas thus that Mrs. Woodward tried to argue also. + </p> + <p> + But who could excuse Alaric's falseness to Linda? And yet Linda had + forgiven him. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XV. — NORMAN RETURNS TO TOWN + </h2> + <p> + Harry Norman made no answer to either of his three letters beyond that of + sending Alaric's back unread; but this, without other reply, was + sufficient to let them all guess, nearly with accuracy, what was the state + of his mind. Alaric told Gertrude how his missive had been treated, and + Gertrude, of course, told her mother. + </p> + <p> + There was very little of that joy at Surbiton Cottage which should have + been the forerunner of a wedding. None of the Woodward circle were content + thus to lose their friend. And then their unhappiness on this score was + augmented by hearing that Harry had sent up a medical certificate, instead + of returning to his duties when his prolonged leave of absence was + expired. + </p> + <p> + To Alaric this, at the moment, was a relief. He had dreaded the return of + Norman to London. There were so many things to cause infinite pain to them + both. All Norman's things, his books and clothes, his desks and papers and + pictures, his whips and sticks, and all those sundry belongings which even + a bachelor collects around him—were strewing the rooms in which + Alaric still lived. He had of course felt that it was impossible that they + should ever again reside together. Not only must they quarrel, but all the + men at their office must know that they had quarrelled. And yet some + intercourse must be maintained between them; they must daily meet in the + rooms at the Weights and Measures; and it would now in their altered + position become necessary that in some things Norman should receive + instructions from Alaric as his superior officer. But if Alaric thought of + this often, so did Norman; and before the last fortnight had expired, the + thinking of it had made him so ill that his immediate return to London was + out of the question. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward's heart melted within her when she heard that Harry was + really ill. She had gone on waiting day after day for an answer to her + letter, but no answer came. No answer came, but in lieu thereof she heard + that Harry was laid up at Normansgrove. She heard it, and Gertrude heard + it, and in spite of the coming wedding there was very little joy at + Surbiton Cottage. + </p> + <p> + And then Mrs. Woodward wrote again; and a man must have had a heart of + stone not to be moved by such a letter. She had 'heard,' she said, 'that + he was ill, and the tidings had made her wretched—the more so + inasmuch as he had sent no answer to her last letter. Was he very ill? was + he dangerously ill? She hoped, she would fain hope, that his illness had + not arisen from any mental grief. If he did not reply to this, or get some + of his family to do so, there would be nothing for her but to go, herself, + to Normansgrove. She could not remain quiet while she was left in such + painful doubt about her dearest, well-loved Harry Norman.' How to speak of + Gertrude, or how not to speak of her, Mrs. Woodward knew not—at last + she added: 'The three girls send their kindest love; they are all as + wretchedly anxious as I am. I know you are too good to wish that poor + Gertrude should suffer, but, if you did, you might have your wish. The + tidings of your illness, together with your silence, have robbed her of + all her happiness;' and it ended thus:—'Dearest Harry! do not be + cruel to us; our hearts are all with you.' + </p> + <p> + This was too much for Norman's sternness; and he relented, at least as far + as Mrs. Woodward was concerned. He wrote to say that though he was still + weak, he was not dangerously ill; and that he intended, if nothing + occurred amiss, to be in town about the end of the year. He hoped he might + then see her to thank her for all her kindness. She would understand that + he could not go down to Surbiton Cottage; but as she would doubtless have + some occasion for coming up to town, they might thus contrive to meet. He + then sent his love to Linda and Katie, and ended by saying that he had + written to Charley Tudor to take lodgings for him. Not the slightest + allusion was made either to Gertrude or Alaric, except that which might + seem to be conveyed in the intimation that he could make no more visits to + Hampton. + </p> + <p> + This letter was very cold. It just permitted Mrs. Woodward to know that + Norman did not regard them all as strangers; and that was all. Linda said + it was very sad; and Gertrude said, not to her mother but to Alaric, that + it was heartless. Captain Cuttwater predicted that he would soon come + round, and be as sound as a roach again in six months' time. Alaric said + nothing; but he went on with his wooing, and this he did so successfully, + as to make Gertrude painfully alive to what would have been, in her eyes, + the inferiority of her lot, had she unfortunately allowed herself to + become the victim of Norman's love. + </p> + <p> + Alaric went on with his wooing, and he also went on with his share-buying. + Undy Scott had returned to town for a week or two to wind up the affairs + of his expiring secretaryship, and he made Alaric understand that a nice + thing might yet be done in Mary Janes. Alaric had been very foolish to + sell so quickly; so at least said Undy. To this Alaric replied that he had + bought the shares thoughtlessly, and had felt a desire to get rid of them + as quickly as he could. Those were scruples at which Undy laughed + pleasantly, and Alaric soon laughed with him. + </p> + <p> + 'At any rate,' said Undy, 'your report is written, and off your hands now: + so you may do what you please in the matter, like a free man, with a safe + conscience.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric supposed that he might. + </p> + <p> + 'I am as fond of the Civil Service as any man,' said Undy; 'just as fond + of it as Sir Gregory himself. I have been in it, and may be in it again. + If I do, I shall do my duty. But I have no idea of having my hands tied. + My purse is my own, to do what I like with it. Whether I buy beef or + mutton, or shares in Cornwall, is nothing to anyone. I give the Crown what + it pays for, my five or six hours a day, and nothing more. When I was + appointed private secretary to the First Lord of the Stannaries, I told my + friend Whip Vigil that those were the terms on which I accepted office; + and Vigil agreed with me.' Alaric, pupil as he was to the great Sir + Gregory, declared that he also agreed with him. 'That is not Sir Gregory's + doctrine, but it's mine,' said Undy; 'and though it's my own, I think it + by far the honester doctrine of the two.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric did not sift the matter very deeply, nor did he ask Undy, or + himself either, whether in using the contents of his purse in the purchase + of shares he would be justified in turning to his own purpose any + information which he might obtain in his official career. Nor did he again + offer to put that broad test to himself which he had before proposed, and + ask himself whether he would dare to talk of what he was doing in the face + of day, in his own office, before Sir Gregory, or before the Neverbends of + the Service. He had already learnt the absurdity of such tests. Did other + men talk of such doings? Was it not notorious that the world speculated, + and that the world was generally silent in the matter? Why should he + attempt to be wiser than those around him? Was it not sufficient for him + to be wise in his generation? What man had ever become great, who allowed + himself to be impeded by small scruples? If the sportsman returned from + the field laden with game, who would scrutinize the mud on his gaiters? + 'Excelsior!' said Alaric to himself with a proud ambition; and so he + attempted to rise by the purchase and sale of mining shares. + </p> + <p> + When he was fairly engaged in the sport, his style of play so fascinated + Undy that they embarked in a sort of partnership, <i>pro hoc vice</i>, + good to the last during the ups and downs of Wheal Mary Jane. Mary Jane, + no doubt, would soon run dry, or else be drowned, as had happened to New + Friendship. But in the meantime something might be done. + </p> + <p> + 'Of course you'll be consulted about those other papers,' said Undy. 'It + might be as well they should be kept back for a week or two.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I'll see,' said Alaric; and as he said it, he felt that his face + was tinged with a blush of shame. But what then? Who would look at the + dirt on his gaiters, if he filled his bag with game? + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward was no whit angered by the coldness of Norman's letter. She + wished that he could have brought himself to write in a different style, + but she remembered his grief, and knew that as time should work its cure + upon it, he would come round and again be gentle and affectionate, at any + rate with her. + </p> + <p> + She misdoubted Charley's judgement in the choice of lodgings, and + therefore she talked over the matter with Alaric. It was at last decided + that he, Alaric, should move instead of driving Norman away. His final + movement would soon take place; that movement which would rob him of the + freedom of lodginghood, and invest him with all the ponderous + responsibility and close restraint of a householder. He and Gertrude were + to be married in February, and after spending a cold honeymoon in Paris + and Brussels, were to begin their married life amidst the sharp winds of a + London March. But love, gratified love, will, we believe, keep out even an + English east wind. If so, it is certainly the only thing that will. + </p> + <p> + Charley, therefore, wrote to Norman, telling him that he could remain in + his old home, and humbly asking permission to remain there with him. To + this request he received a kind rejoinder in the affirmative. Though + Charley was related to Alaric, there had always apparently been a closer + friendship between him and Norman than between the two cousins; and now, + in his fierce unbridled quarrel with Alaric, and in his present coolness + with the Woodwards, he seemed to turn to Charley with more than ordinary + affection. + </p> + <p> + Norman made his appearance at the office on the first Monday of the new + year. He had hitherto sat at the same desk with Alaric, each of them + occupying one side of it; on his return he found himself opposite to a + stranger. Alaric had, of course, been promoted to a room of his own. + </p> + <p> + The Weights and Measures had never been a noisy office; but now it became + more silent than ever. Men there talked but little at any time, and now + they seemed to cease from talking altogether. It was known to all that the + Damon and Pythias of the establishment were Damon and Pythias no longer; + that war waged between them, and that if all accounts were true, they were + ready to fly each at the other's throat. Some attributed this to the + competitive examination; others said it was love; others declared that it + was money, the root of evil; and one rash young gentleman stated his + positive knowledge that it was all three. At any rate something dreadful + was expected; and men sat anxious at their desks, fearing the coming evil. + </p> + <p> + On the Monday the two men did not meet, nor on the Tuesday. On the next + morning, Alaric, having acknowledged to himself the necessity of breaking + the ice, walked into the room where Norman sat with three or four others. + It was absolutely necessary that he should make some arrangement with him + as to a certain branch of office-work; and though it was competent for + him, as the superior, to have sent for Norman as the inferior, he thought + it best to abstain from doing so, even though he were thereby obliged to + face his enemy, for the first time, in the presence of others. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Mr. Embryo,' said he, speaking to the new junior, and standing with + his back to the fire in an easy way, as though there was nothing wrong + under the sun, or at least nothing at the Weights and Measures, 'well, Mr. + Embryo, how do you get on with those calculations?' + </p> + <p> + 'Pretty well, I believe, sir; I think I begin to understand them now,' + said the tyro, producing for Alaric's gratification five or six folio + sheets covered with intricate masses of figures. + </p> + <p> + 'Ah! yes; that will do very well,' said Alaric, taking up one of the + sheets, and looking at it with an assumed air of great interest. Though he + acted his part pretty well, his mind was very far removed from Mr. + Embryo's efforts. + </p> + <p> + Norman sat at his desk, as black as a thunder-cloud, with his eyes turned + intently at the paper before him; but so agitated that he could not even + pretend to write. + </p> + <p> + 'By the by, Norman,' said Alaric, 'when will it suit you to look through + those Scotch papers with me?' + </p> + <p> + 'My name, sir, is Mr. Norman,' said Harry, getting up and standing by his + chair with all the firmness of a Paladin of old. + </p> + <p> + 'With all my heart,' said Alaric. 'In speaking to you I can have but one + wish, and that is to do so in any way that may best please you.' + </p> + <p> + 'Any instructions you may have to give I will attend to, as far as my duty + goes,' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + And then Alaric, pushing Mr. Embryo from his chair without much ceremony, + sat down opposite to his former friend, and said and did what he had to + say and do with an easy unaffected air, in which there was, at any rate, + none of the usual superciliousness of a neophyte's authority. Norman was + too agitated to speak reasonably, or to listen calmly, but Alaric knew + that though he might not do so to-day, he would to-morrow, or if not + to-morrow, then the next day; and so from day to day he came into Norman's + room and transacted his business. Mr. Embryo got accustomed to looking + through the window at the Council Office for the ten minutes that he + remained there, and Norman also became reconciled to the custom. And thus, + though they never met in any other way, they daily had a kind of + intercourse with each other, which, at last, contrived to get itself + arranged into a certain amount of civility on both sides. + </p> + <p> + Immediately that Norman's arrival was heard of at Surbiton Cottage, Mrs. + Woodward hastened up to town to see him. She wrote to him to say that she + would be at his lodgings at a certain hour, and begged him to come thither + to her. Of course he did not refuse, and so they met. Mrs. Woodward had + much doubted whether or no she would take Linda or Katie with her, but at + last she resolved to go alone. Harry, she thought, would be more willing + to speak freely to her, to open his heart to her, if there were nobody by + but herself. + </p> + <p> + Their meeting was very touching, and characteristic of the two persons. + Mrs. Woodward was sad enough, but her sadness was accompanied by a + strength of affection that carried before it every obstacle. Norman was + also sad; but he was at first stern and cold, and would have remained so + to the last, had not his manly anger been overpowered by her feminine + tenderness. + </p> + <p> + It was singular, but not the less true, that at this period Norman + appeared to have forgotten altogether that he had ever proposed to + Gertrude, and been rejected by her. All that he said and all that he + thought was exactly what he might have said and thought had Alaric taken + from him his affianced bride. No suitor had ever felt his suit to be more + hopeless than he had done; and yet he now regarded himself as one whose + high hopes of happy love had all been destroyed by the treachery of a + friend and the fickleness of a woman. + </p> + <p> + This made the task of appeasing him very difficult to Mrs. Woodward. She + could not in plain language remind him that he had been plainly rejected; + nor could she, on the other hand, permit her daughter to be branded with a + fault of which she had never been guilty. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward had wished, though she had hardly hoped, so to mollify + Norman as to induce him to promise to be at the wedding; but she soon + found that this was out of the question. There was no mitigating his anger + against Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Mrs. Woodward,' said he, standing very upright, and looking very stiff, + 'I will never again willingly put myself in any position where I must meet + him.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Harry, don't say so—think of your close friendship, think of + your long friendship.' + </p> + <p> + 'Why did he not think of it?' + </p> + <p> + 'But, Harry—if not for his sake, if not for your own, at any rate do + so for ours; for my sake, for Katie's and Linda's, for Gertrude's sake.' + </p> + <p> + 'I had rather not speak of Gertrude, Mrs. Woodward.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ah! Harry, Gertrude has done you no injury; why should you thus turn your + heart against her? You should not blame her; if you have anyone to blame, + it is me.' + </p> + <p> + 'No; you have been true to me.' + </p> + <p> + 'And has she been false? Oh! Harry, think how we have loved you! You + should be more just to us.' + </p> + <p> + 'Tush!' he said. 'I do not believe in justice; there is no justice left. I + would have given everything I had for him. I would have made any + sacrifice. His happiness was as much my thought as my own. And now—and + yet you talk to me of justice.' + </p> + <p> + 'And if he had injured you, Harry, would you not forgive him? Do you + repeat your prayers without thinking of them? Do you not wish to forgive + them that trespass against you?' Norman groaned inwardly in the spirit. + 'Do you not think of this when you kneel every night before your God?' + </p> + <p> + 'There are injuries which a man cannot forgive, is not expected to + forgive.' + </p> + <p> + 'Are there, Harry? Oh! that is a dangerous doctrine. In that way every man + might nurse his own wrath till anger would make devils of us all. Our + Saviour has made no exceptions.' + </p> + <p> + 'In one sense, I do forgive him, Mrs. Woodward. I wish him no evil. But it + is impossible that I should call a man who has so injured me my friend. I + look upon him as disgraced for ever.' + </p> + <p> + She then endeavoured to persuade him to see Gertrude, or at any rate to + send his love to her. But in this also he was obdurate. 'It could,' he + said, 'do no good.' He could not answer for himself that his feelings + would not betray him. A message would be of no use; if true, it would not + be gracious; if false, it had better be avoided. He was quite sure + Gertrude would be indifferent as to any message from him. The best thing + for them both would be that they should forget each other. + </p> + <p> + He promised, however, that he would go down to Hampton immediately after + the marriage, and he sent his kindest love to Linda and Katie. 'And, dear + Mrs. Woodward,' said he, 'I know you think me very harsh, I know you think + me vindictive—but pray, pray believe that I understand all your + love, and acknowledge all your goodness. The time will, perhaps, come when + we shall be as happy together as we once were.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward, trying to smile through her tears, could only say that she + would pray that that time might soon come; and so, bidding God bless him, + as a mother might bless her child, she left him and returned to Hampton, + not with a light heart. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVI. — THE FIRST WEDDING + </h2> + <p> + In spite, however, of Norman and his anger, on a cold snowy morning in the + month of February, Gertrude stood at the altar in Hampton Church, a happy + trusting bride, and Linda stood smiling behind her, the lovely leader of + the nuptial train. Nor were Linda's smiles false or forced, much less + treacherous. She had taught herself to look on Alaric as her sister's + husband, and though in doing so she had suffered, and did still suffer, + she now thought of her own lost lover in no other guise. + </p> + <p> + A housemaid, not long since, who was known in the family in which she + lived to be affianced to a neighbouring gardener, came weeping to her + mistress. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, ma'am!' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, Susan, what ails you?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, ma'am!' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Susan—what is it?—why are you crying?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, ma'am—John!' + </p> + <p> + 'Well—what of John? I hope he is not misbehaving.' + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed, ma'am, he is then; the worst of misbehaviour; for he's gone and + got hisself married.' And poor Susan gave vent to a flood of tears. + </p> + <p> + Her mistress tried to comfort her, and not in vain. She told her that + probably she might be better as she was; that John, seeing what he had + done, must be a false creature, who would undoubtedly have used her ill; + and she ended her good counsel by trying to make Susan understand that + there were still as good fish in the sea as had ever yet been caught out + of it. + </p> + <p> + 'And that's true too, ma'am,' said Susan, with her apron to her eyes. + </p> + <p> + 'Then you should not be downhearted, you know.' + </p> + <p> + 'Nor I han't down'arted, ma'am, for thank God I could love any man, but + it's the looks on it, ma'am; it's that I mind.' + </p> + <p> + How many of us are there, women and men too, who think most of the 'looks + of it' under such circumstances; and who, were we as honest as poor Susan, + ought to thank God, as she did, that we can love anyone; anyone, that is, + of the other sex. We are not all of us susceptible of being torn to + tatters by an unhappy passion; not even all those of us who may be + susceptible of a true and honest love. And it is well that it is so. It is + one of God's mercies; and if we were as wise as Susan, we should thank God + for it. + </p> + <p> + Linda was, perhaps, one of those. She was good, affectionate, tender, and + true. But she was made of that stuff which can bend to the north wind. The + world was not all over with her because a man had been untrue to her. She + had had her grief, and had been told to meet it like a Christian; she had + been obedient to the telling, and now felt the good result. So when + Gertrude was married she stood smiling behind her; and when her new + brother-in-law kissed her in the vestry-room she smiled again, and + honestly wished them happiness. + </p> + <p> + And Katie was there, very pretty and bonny, still childish, with her short + dress and long trousers, but looking as though she, too, would soon feel + the strength of her own wings, and be able to fly away from her mother's + nest. Dear Katie! Her story has yet to be told. To her belongs neither the + soft easiness of her sister Linda nor the sterner dignity of Gertrude. But + she has a character of her own, which contains, perhaps, higher qualities + than those given to either of her sisters. + </p> + <p> + And there were other bridesmaids there; how many it boots not now to say. + We must have the spaces round our altars greatly widened if this passion + for bevies of attendant nymphs be allowed to go on increasing—and if + crinolines increase also. If every bride is to have twelve maidens, and + each maiden to stand on no less than a twelve-yard circle, what modest + temple will ever suffice for a sacrifice to Hymen? + </p> + <p> + And Mrs. Woodward was there, of course; as pretty to my thinking as either + of her daughters, or any of the bridesmaids. She was very pretty and + smiling and quiet. But when Gertrude said 'I will,' she was thinking of + Harry Norman, and grieving that he was not there. + </p> + <p> + And Captain Cuttwater was there, radiant in a new blue coat, made + specially for the occasion, and elastic with true joy. He had been very + generous. He had given £1,000 to Alaric, and settled £150 a year on + Gertrude, payable, of course, after his death. This, indeed, was the bulk + of what he had to give, and Mrs. Woodward had seen with regret his + exuberant munificence to one of her children. But Gertrude was her child, + and of course she could not complain. + </p> + <p> + And Charley was there, acting as best man. It was just the place and just + the work for Charley. He forgot all his difficulties, all his duns, and + also all his town delights. Without a sigh he left his lady in Norfolk + Street to mix gin-sling for other admirers, and felt no regret though four + brother navvies were going to make a stunning night of it at the 'Salon de + Seville dansant,' at the bottom of Holborn Hill. However, he had his hopes + that he might be back in time for some of that fun. + </p> + <p> + And Undy Scott was there. He and Alaric had fraternized so greatly of late + that the latter had, as a matter of course, asked him to his wedding, and + Mrs. Woodward had of course expressed her delight at receiving Alaric's + friend. Undy also was a pleasant fellow for a wedding party; he was full + of talk, fond of ladies, being no whit abashed in his attendance on them + by the remembrance of his bosom's mistress, whom he had left, let us hope, + happy in her far domestic retirement. Undy Scott was a good man at a + wedding, and made himself specially agreeable on this occasion. + </p> + <p> + But the great glory of the day was the presence of Sir Gregory Hardlines. + It was a high honour, considering all that rested on Sir Gregory's + shoulders, for so great a man to come all the way down to Hampton to see a + clerk in the Weights and Measures married. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Cum tot sustineas, et tanta negotia solus, +</pre> + <p> + —for we may call it 'solus,' Sir Warwick and Mr. Jobbles being + sources of more plague than profit in carrying out your noble schemes—while + so many things are on your shoulders, Sir Gregory; while you are defending + the Civil Service by your pen, adorning it by your conduct, perfecting it + by new rules, how could any man have had the face to ask you to a wedding? + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless Sir Gregory was there, and did not lose the excellent + opportunity which a speech at the breakfast-table afforded him for + expressing his opinion on the Civil Service of his country. + </p> + <p> + And so Gertrude Woodward became Gertrude Tudor, and she and Alaric were + whirled away by a post-chaise and post-boy, done out with white bows, to + the Hampton Court station; from thence they whisked up to London, and then + down to Dover; and there we will leave them. + </p> + <p> + They were whisked away, having first duly gone through the amount of + badgering which the bride and bridegroom have to suffer at the wedding + breakfast-table. They drank their own health in champagne. Alaric made a + speech, in which he said he was quite unworthy of his present happiness, + and Gertrude picked up all the bijoux, gold pencil-cases, and silver + cream-jugs, which were thrown at her from all sides. All the men made + speeches, and all the women laughed, but the speech of the day was that + celebrated one made by Sir Gregory, in which he gave a sketch of Alaric + Tudor as the beau idéal of a clerk in the Civil Service. 'His heart,' said + he, energetically, 'is at the Weights and Measures;' but Gertrude looked + at him as though she did not believe a word of it. + </p> + <p> + And so Alaric and Gertrude were whisked away, and the wedding guests were + left to look sheepish at each other, and take themselves off as best they + might. Sir Gregory, of course, had important public business which + precluded him from having the gratification of prolonging his stay at + Hampton. Charley got away in perfect time to enjoy whatever there might be + to be enjoyed at the dancing saloon of Seville, and Undy Scott returned to + his club. + </p> + <p> + Then all was again quiet at Surbiton Cottage. Captain Cuttwater, who had + perhaps drunk the bride's health once too often, went to sleep; Katie, + having taken off her fine clothes, roamed about the house disconsolate, + and Mrs. Woodward and Linda betook themselves to their needles. + </p> + <p> + The Tudors went to Brussels, and were made welcome by the Belgian banker, + whose counters he had deserted so much to his own benefit, and from thence + to Paris, and, having been there long enough to buy a French bonnet and + wonder at the enormity of French prices, they returned to a small but + comfortable house they had prepared for themselves in the neighbourhood of + Westbourne Terrace. + </p> + <p> + Previous to this Norman had been once, and but once, at Hampton, and, when + there, he had failed in being comfortable himself, or in making the + Woodwards so; he could not revert to his old habits, or sit, or move, or + walk, as though nothing special had happened since he had been last there. + He could not talk about Gertrude, and he could not help talking of her. By + some closer packing among the ladies a room had now been prepared for him + in the house; even this upset him, and brought to his mind all those + unpleasant thoughts which he should have endeavoured to avoid. + </p> + <p> + He did not repeat his visit before the Tudors returned; and then for some + time he was prevented from doing so by the movements of the Woodwards + themselves. Mrs. Woodward paid a visit to her married daughter, and, when + she returned, Linda did the same. And so for a while Norman was, as it + were, divided from his old friends, whereas Tudor, as a matter of course, + was one of themselves. + </p> + <p> + It was only natural that Mrs. Woodward should forgive Alaric and receive + him to her bosom, now that he was her son-in-law. After all, such ties as + these avail more than any predilections, more than any effort of judgement + in the choice of the objects of our affections. We associate with those + with whom the tenor of life has thrown us, and from habit we learn to love + those with whom we are brought to associate. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVII. — THE HONOURABLE MRS. VAL AND MISS GOLIGHTLY + </h2> + <p> + The first eighteen months of Gertrude's married life were not unhappy, + though, like all persons entering on the realities of the world, she found + much to disappoint her. At first her husband's society was sufficient for + her; and to give him his due, he was not at first an inattentive husband. + Then came the baby, bringing with him, as first babies always should do, a + sort of second honeymoon of love, and a renewal of those services which + women so delight to receive from their bosoms' lord. + </p> + <p> + She had of course made acquaintances since she had settled herself in + London, and had, in her modest way, done her little part in adding to the + gaiety of the great metropolis. In this respect indeed Alaric's + commencement of life had somewhat frightened Mrs. Woodward, and the more + prudent of his friends. Grand as his official promotion had been, his + official income at the time of his marriage did not exceed £600 a year, + and though this was to be augmented occasionally till it reached £800, yet + even with this advantage it could hardly suffice for a man and his wife + and a coming family to live in an expensive part of London, and enable him + to 'see his friends' occasionally, as the act of feeding one's + acquaintance is now generally called. + </p> + <p> + Gertrude, like most English girls of her age, was at first so ignorant + about money that she hardly knew whether £600 was or was not a sufficient + income to justify their present mode of living; but she soon found reason + to suspect that her husband at any rate endeavoured to increase it by + other means. We say to suspect, because he never spoke to her on the + subject; he never told her of Mary Janes and New Friendships; or hinted + that he had extensive money dealings in connexion with Undy Scott. + </p> + <p> + But it can be taken for granted that no husband can carry on such dealings + long without some sort of cognizance on his wife's part as to what he is + doing; a woman who is not trusted by her lord may choose to remain in + apparent darkness, may abstain from questions, and may consider it either + her duty or her interest to assume an ignorance as to her husband's + affairs; but the partner of one's bed and board, the minister who soothes + one's headaches, and makes one's tea, and looks after one's linen, can't + but have the means of guessing the thoughts which occupy her companion's + mind and occasionally darken his brow. + </p> + <p> + Much of Gertrude's society had consisted of that into which Alaric was + thrown by his friendship with Undy Scott. There was a brother of Undy's + living in town, one Valentine Scott—a captain in a cavalry regiment, + and whose wife was by no means of that delightfully retiring disposition + evinced by Undy's better half. The Hon. Mrs. Valentine, or Mrs. Val Scott + as she was commonly called, was a very pushing woman, and pushed herself + into a prominent place among Gertrude's friends. She had been the widow of + Jonathan Golightly, Esq., umquhile sheriff of the city of London, and + stockbroker, and when she gave herself and her jointure up to Captain Val, + she also brought with her, to enliven the house, a daughter Clementina, + the only remaining pledge of her love for the stockbroker. + </p> + <p> + When Val Scott entered the world, his father's precepts as to the purposes + of matrimony were deeply graven on his heart. He was the best looking of + the family, and, except Undy, the youngest. He had not Undy's sharpness, + his talent for public matters, or his aptitude for the higher branches of + the Civil Service; but he had wit to wear his sash and epaulets with an + easy grace, and to captivate the heart, person, and some portion of the + purse, of the Widow Golightly. The lady was ten years older than the + gentleman; but then she had a thousand a year, and, to make matters more + pleasant, the beauteous Clementina had a fortune of her own. + </p> + <p> + Under these circumstances the marriage had been contracted without any + deceit, or attempt at deceit, by either party. Val wanted an income, and + the sheriff's widow wanted the utmost amount of social consideration which + her not very extensive means would purchase for her. On the whole, the two + parties to the transaction were contented with their bargain. Mrs. Val, it + is true, kept her income very much in her own hands; but still she + consented to pay Val's tailors' bills, and it is something for a man to + have bed and board found him for nothing. It is true, again, the lady did + not find that the noble blood of her husband gave her an immediate right + of entry into the best houses in London; but it did bring her into some + sort of contact with some few people of rank and fame; and being a sensible + woman, she had not been unreasonable in her expectations. + </p> + <p> + When she had got what she could from her husband in this particular, she + did not trouble him much further. He delighted in the Rag, and there spent + the most of his time; happily, she delighted in what she called the charms + of society, and as society expanded itself before her, she was also, we + must suppose, happy. She soon perceived that more in her immediate line + was to be obtained from Undy than from her own member of the Gaberlunzie + family, and hence had sprung up her intimacy with Mrs. Tudor. + </p> + <p> + It cannot be said that Gertrude was very fond of the Honourable Mrs. Val, + nor even of her daughter, Clementina Golightly, who was more of her own + age. These people had become her friends from the force of circumstances, + and not from predilection. To tell the truth, Mrs. Val, who had in her day + encountered, with much patience, a good deal of snubbing, and who had had + to be thankful when she was patronized, now felt that her day for being a + great lady had come, and that it behoved her to patronize others. She + tried her hand upon Gertrude, and found the practice so congenial to her + spirits, so pleasantly stimulating, so well adapted to afford a gratifying + compensation for her former humility, that she continued to give up a good + deal of her time to No. 5, Albany Row, Westbourne Terrace, at which house + the Tudors resided. + </p> + <p> + The young bride was not exactly the woman to submit quietly to patronage + from any Mrs. Val, however honourable she might be; but for a while + Gertrude hardly knew what it meant; and at her first outset the natural + modesty of youth, and her inexperience in her new position, made her + unwilling to take offence and unequal to rebellion. By degrees, however, + this feeling of humility wore off; she began to be aware of the assumed + superiority of Mrs. Val's friendship, and by the time that their mutual + affection was of a year's standing, Gertrude had determined, in a quiet + way, without saying anything to anybody, to put herself on a footing of + more perfect equality with the Honourable Mrs. Val. + </p> + <p> + Clementina Golightly was, in the common parlance of a large portion of + mankind, a 'doosed fine gal.' She stood five feet six, and stood very + well, on very good legs, but with rather large feet. She was as straight + as a grenadier, and had it been her fate to carry a milk-pail, she would + have carried it to perfection. Instead of this, however, she was permitted + to expend an equal amount of energy in every variation of waltz and polka + that the ingenuity of the dancing professors of the age has been able to + produce. Waltzes and polkas suited her admirably; for she was gifted with + excellent lungs and perfect powers of breathing, and she had not much + delight in prolonged conversation. Her fault, if she had one, was a + predilection for flirting; but she did her flirtations in a silent sort of + way, much as we may suppose the fishes do theirs, whose amours we may + presume to consist in swimming through their cool element in close + contiguity with each other. 'A feast of reason and a flow of soul' were + not the charms by which Clementina Golightly essayed to keep her admirers + spell-bound at her feet. To whirl rapidly round a room at the rate of ten + miles an hour, with her right hand outstretched in the grasp of her + partner's, and to know that she was tightly buoyed up, like a horse by a + bearing-rein, by his other hand behind her back, was for her sufficient. + To do this, as she did do it, without ever crying for mercy, with no + slackness of breath, and apparently without distress, must have taken as + much training as a horse gets for a race. But the training had in nowise + injured her; and now, having gone through her gallops and run all her + heats for three successive seasons, she was still sound of wind and limb, + and fit to run at any moment when called upon. + </p> + <p> + We have said nothing about the face of the beauteous Clementina, and + indeed nothing can be said about it. There was no feature in it with which + a man could have any right to find fault; that she was a 'doosed fine + girl' was a fact generally admitted; but nevertheless you might look at + her for four hours consecutively on a Monday evening, and yet on Tuesday + you would not know her. She had hair which was brownish and sufficiently + silky—and which she wore, as all other such girls do, propped out on + each side of her face by thick round velvet pads, which, when the waltzing + pace became exhilarating, occasionally showed themselves, looking greasy. + She had a pair of eyes set straight in her head, faultless in form, and + perfectly inexpressive. She had a nose equally straight, but perhaps a + little too coarse in dimensions. She had a mouth not over large, with two + thin lips and small whitish teeth; and she had a chin equal in contour to + the rest of her face, but on which Venus had not deigned to set a dimple. + Nature might have defied a French passport officer to give a description + of her, by which even her own mother or a detective policeman might have + recognized her. + </p> + <p> + When to the above list of attractions it is added that Clementina + Golightly had £20,000 of her own, and a reversionary interest in her + mother's jointure, it may be imagined that she did not want for + good-winded cavaliers to bear her up behind, and whirl around with her + with outstretched hands. + </p> + <p> + 'I am not going to stay a moment, my dear,' said Mrs. Val, seating herself + on Gertrude's sofa, having rushed up almost unannounced into the + drawing-room, followed by Clementina; 'indeed, Lady Howlaway is waiting + for me this moment; but I must settle with you about the June + flower-show.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! thank you, Mrs. Scott, don't trouble yourself about me,' said + Gertrude; 'I don't think I shall go.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! nonsense, my dear; of course you'll go; it's the show of the year, + and the Grand duke is to be there—baby is all right now, you know; I + must not hear of your not going.' + </p> + <p> + 'All the same—I fear I must decline,' said Gertrude; 'I think I + shall be at Hampton.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! nonsense, my dear; of course you must show yourself. People will say + all manner of things else. Clementina has promised to meet Victoire + Jaquêtanápes there and a party of French people, people of the very + highest ton. You'll be delighted, my dear.' + </p> + <p> + 'M. Jaquêtanápes is the most delicious polkist you ever met,' said + Clementina. 'He has got a new back step that will quite amaze you.' As + Gertrude in her present condition was not much given to polkas, this + temptation did not have great effect. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, you must come, of course, my dear—and pray let me recommend you + to go to Madame Bosconi for your bonnet; she has such darling little + ducks, and as cheap as dirt. But I want you to arrange about the carriage; + you can do that with Mr. Tudor, and I can settle with you afterwards. + Captain Scott won't go, of course; but I have no doubt Undecimus and Mr. + Tudor will come later and bring us home; we can manage very well with the + one carriage.' + </p> + <p> + In spite of her thousand a year the Honourable Mrs. Val was not ashamed to + look after the pounds, shillings, and pence. And so, having made her + arrangements, Mrs. Val took herself off, hurrying to appease the anger of + Lady Howlaway, and followed by Clementina, who since her little outburst + as to the new back step of M. Jaquêtanápes had not taken much part in the + conversation. + </p> + <p> + Flower-shows are a great resource for the Mrs. Scotts of London life. They + are open to ladies who cannot quite penetrate the inner sancta of + fashionable life, and yet they are frequented by those to whom those + sancta are everyday household walks. There at least the Mrs. Scotts of the + outer world can show themselves in close contiguity, and on equal terms, + with the Mrs. Scotts of the inner world. And then, who is to know the + difference? If also one is an Honourable Mrs. Scott, and can contrive to + appear as such in the next day's <i>Morning Post</i>, may not one fairly + boast that the ends of society have been attained? Where is the citadel? + How is one to know when one has taken it? + </p> + <p> + Gertrude could not be quite so defiant with her friends as she would have + wished to have been, as they were borne with and encouraged by her + husband. Of Undy's wife Alaric saw nothing and heard little, but it suited + Undy to make use of his sister-in-law's house, and it suited Alaric to be + intimate with Undy's sister-in-law. Moreover, had not Clementina Golightly + £20,000, and was she not a 'doosed fine girl?' This was nothing to Alaric + now, and might not be considered to be much to Undy. But that far-seeing, + acute financier knew that there were other means of handling a lady's + money than that of marrying her. He could not at present acquire a second + fortune in that way; but he might perhaps acquire the management of this + £20,000 if he could provide the lady with a husband of the proper + temperament. Undy Scott did not want to appropriate Miss Golightly's + fortune, he only wanted to have the management of it. + </p> + <p> + Looking round among his acquaintance for a fitting <i>parti</i> for the + sweet Clementina, his mind, after much consideration, settled upon Charley + Tudor. There were many young men much nearer and dearer to Undy than + Charley, who might be equally desirous of so great a prize; but he could + think of none over whom he might probably exercise so direct a control. + Charley was a handsome gay fellow, and waltzed <i>au ravir</i>; he might, + therefore, without difficulty, make his way with the fair Clementina. He + was distressingly poor, and would therefore certainly jump at an heiress—he + was delightfully thoughtless and easy of leading, and therefore the money, + when in his hands, might probably be manageable. He was also Alaric's + cousin, and therefore acceptable. + </p> + <p> + Undy did not exactly open his mind to Alaric Tudor in this matter. + Alaric's education was going on rapidly; but his mind had not yet received + with sufficient tenacity those principles of philosophy which would enable + him to look at this scheme in its proper light. He had already learnt the + great utility, one may almost say the necessity, of having a command of + money; he was beginning also to perceive that money was a thing not to be + judged of by the ordinary rules which govern a man's conduct. In other + matters it behoves a gentleman to be open, above-board, liberal, and true; + good-natured, generous, confiding, self-denying, doing unto others as he + would wish that others should do unto him; but in the acquirement and use + of money—that is, its use with the object of acquiring more, its use + in the usurer's sense—his practice should be exactly the reverse; he + should be close, secret, exacting, given to concealment, not over troubled + by scruples; suspicious, without sympathies, self-devoted, and always + doing unto others exactly that which he is on his guard to prevent others + from doing unto him—viz., making money by them. So much Alaric had + learnt, and had been no inapt scholar. But he had not yet appreciated the + full value of the latitude allowed by the genius of the present age to men + who deal successfully in money. He had, as we have seen, acknowledged to + himself that a sportsman may return from the field with his legs and feet + a little muddy; but he did not yet know how deep a man may wallow in the + mire, how thoroughly he may besmear himself from head to foot in the + blackest, foulest mud, and yet be received an honoured guest by ladies gay + and noble lords, if only his bag be sufficiently full. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Rem..., quocunque modo rem! +</pre> + <p> + The remainder of the passage was doubtless applicable to former times, but + now is hardly worth repeating. + </p> + <p> + As Alaric's stomach was not yet quite suited for strong food, Undy fitted + this matter to his friend's still juvenile capacities. There was an + heiress, a 'doosed fine girl' as Undy insisted, laying peculiar strength + on the word of emphasis, with £20,000, and there was Charley Tudor, a + devilish decent fellow, without a rap. Why not bring them together? This + would only be a mark of true friendship on the part of Undy; and on + Alaric's part, it would be no more than one cousin would be bound to do + for another. Looking at it in this light, Alaric saw nothing in the matter + which could interfere with his quiet conscience. + </p> + <p> + 'I'll do what I can,' said Undy. 'Mrs. Val is inclined to have a way of + her own in most things; but if anybody can lead her, I can. Charley must + take care that Val himself doesn't take his part, that's all. If he + interferes, it would be all up with us.' + </p> + <p> + And thus Alaric, intent mainly on the interest of his cousin, and actuated + perhaps a little by the feeling that a rich cousin would be more + serviceable than a poor one, set himself to work, in connexion with Undy + Scott, to make prey of Clementina Golightly's £20,000. + </p> + <p> + But if Undy had no difficulty in securing the co-operation of Alaric in + this matter, Alaric by no means found it equally easy to secure the + co-operation of Charley. Charley Tudor had not yet learnt to look upon + himself as a marketable animal, worth a certain sum of money, in + consequence of such property in good appearance, address, &c., as God + had been good enough to endow him withal. + </p> + <p> + He daily felt the depth and disagreeable results of his own poverty, and + not unfrequently, when specially short of the Queen's medium, sighed for + some of those thousands and tens of thousands with which men's mouths are + so glibly full. He had often tried to calculate what would be his feelings + if some eccentric, good-natured old stranger should leave him, say, five + thousand a year; he had often walked about the street, with his hands in + his empty pockets, building delicious castles in the air, and doing the + most munificent actions imaginable with his newly-acquired wealth, as all + men in such circumstances do; relieving distress, rewarding virtue, and + making handsome presents to all his friends, and especially to Mrs. + Woodward. So far Charley was not guiltless of coveting wealth; but he had + never for a moment thought of realizing his dreams by means of his + personal attractions. It had never occurred to him that any girl having + money could think it worth her while to marry him. He, navvy as he was, + with his infernal friends and pot-house love, with his debts and idleness + and low associations, with his saloons of Seville, his Elysium in Fleet + Street, and his Paradise near the Surrey Gardens, had hitherto thought + little enough of his own attractions. No kind father had taught him that + he was worth £10,000 in any market in the world. When he had dreamt of + money, he had never dreamt of it as accruing to him in return for any + value or worth which he had inherent in himself. Even in his lighter + moments he had no such conceit; and at those periods, few and far between, + in which he did think seriously of the world at large, this special method + of escaping from his difficulties—never once presented itself to his + mind. + </p> + <p> + When, therefore, Alaric first spoke to him of marrying £20,000 and + Clementina Golightly, his surprise was unbounded. + </p> + <p> + '£20,000!' said Alaric, 'and a doosed fine girl, you know;' and he also + laid great stress on the latter part of the offer, knowing how inflammable + was Charley's heart, and at the same time how little mercenary was his + mind. + </p> + <p> + But Charley was not only surprised at the proposed arrangement, but + apparently also unwilling to enter into it. He argued that in the first + place no girl in her senses would accept him. To this Alaric replied that + as Clementina had not much sense to speak of, that objection might fall to + the ground. Then Charley expressed an idea that Miss Golightly's friends + might probably object when they learnt what were the exact pecuniary + resources of the expectant husband; to which Alaric argued that the + circumstances of the case were very lucky, inasmuch as some of + Clementina's natural friends were already prepossessed in favour of such + an arrangement. + </p> + <p> + Driven thus from two of his strongholds, Charley, in the most modest of + voices, in a voice one may say quite shamefaced and conscious of its + master's weakness—suggested that he was not quite sure that at the + present moment he was very much in love with the lady in question. + </p> + <p> + Alaric had married for love, and was not two years married, yet had his + education so far progressed in that short period as to enable him to laugh + at such an objection. + </p> + <p> + 'Then, my dear fellow, what the deuce do you mean to do with yourself? + You'll certainly go to the dogs. + </p> + <p> + Charley had an idea that he certainly should; and also had an idea that + Miss Clementina and her £20,000 might not improbably go in the same + direction, if he had anything to do with them. + </p> + <p> + 'And as for loving her,' continued Alaric, 'that's all my eye. Love is a + luxury which none but the rich or the poor can afford. We middle-class + paupers, who are born with good coats on our backs, but empty purses, can + have nothing to do with it.' + </p> + <p> + 'But you married for love, Alaric?' + </p> + <p> + 'My marriage was not a very prudent one, and should not be taken as an + example. And then I did get some fortune with my wife; and what is more, I + was not so fearfully in want of it as you are.' + </p> + <p> + Charley acknowledged the truth of this, said that he would think of the + matrimonial project, and promised, at any rate, to call on Clementina on + an early occasion. He had already made her acquaintance, had already + danced with her, and certainly could not take upon himself to deny that + she was a 'doosed fine girl.' + </p> + <p> + But Charley had reasons of his own, reasons which he could not make known + to Alaric, for not thinking much of, or trusting much to, Miss Golightly's + fortune. In the first place, he regarded marriage on such a grand scale as + that now suggested, as a ceremony which must take a long time to adjust; + the wooing of a lady with so many charms could not be carried on as might + be the wooing of a chambermaid or a farmer's daughter. It must take months + at least to conciliate the friends of so rich an heiress, and months at + the end of them to prepare the wedding gala. But Charley could not wait + for months; before one month was over he would probably be laid up in some + vile limbo, an unfortunate poor prisoner at the suit of an iron-hearted + tailor. + </p> + <p> + At this very moment of Alaric's proposition, at this instant when he found + himself talking with so much coolness of the expedience or inexpedience of + appropriating to his own purpose a slight trifle of £20,000, he was in + dire strait as to money difficulties. + </p> + <p> + He had lately, that is, within the last twelve months, made acquaintance + with an interesting gentleman named Jabesh M'Ruen. Mr. Jabesh M'Ruen was + in the habit of relieving the distresses of such impoverished young + gentlemen as Charley Tudor; and though he did this with every assurance of + philanthropic regard, though in doing so he only made one stipulation, + 'Pray be punctual, Mr. Tudor, now pray do be punctual, sir, and you may + always count on me,' nevertheless, in spite of all his goodness, Mr. + M'Ruen's young friends seldom continued to hold their heads well up over + the world's waters. + </p> + <p> + On the morning after this conversation with Alaric, Charley intended to + call on his esteemed old friend. Many were the morning calls he did make; + many were the weary, useless, aimless walks which he took to that little + street at the back of Mecklenburg Square, with the fond hope of getting + some relief from Mr. M'Ruen; and many also were the calls, the return + visits, as it were, which Mr. M'Ruen made at the Internal Navigation, and + numerous were the whispers which he would there whisper into the ears of + the young clerk, Mr. Snape the while sitting by, with a sweet unconscious + look, as though he firmly believed Mr. M'Ruen to be Charley's maternal + uncle. + </p> + <p> + And then, too, Charley had other difficulties, which in his mind presented + great obstacles to the Golightly scheme, though Alaric would have thought + little of them, and Undy nothing. What was he to do with his Norfolk + Street lady, his barmaid houri, his Norah Geraghty, to whom he had sworn + all manner of undying love, and for whom in some sort of fashion he really + had an affection? And Norah was not a light-of-love whom it was as easy to + lay down as to pick up. Charley had sworn to love her, and she had sworn + to love Charley; and to give her her due, she had kept her word to him. + Though her life rendered necessary a sort of daily or rather nightly + flirtation with various male comers—as indeed, for the matter of + that, did also the life of Miss Clementina Golightly—yet she had in + her way been true to her lover. She had been true to him, and Charley did + not doubt her, and in a sort of low way respected her; though it was but a + dissipated and debauched respect. There had even been talk between them of + marriage, and who can say what in his softer moments, when his brain had + been too weak or the toddy too strong, Charley may not have promised? + </p> + <p> + And there was yet another objection to Miss Golightly; one even more + difficult of mention, one on which Charley felt himself more absolutely + constrained to silence than even either of the other two. He was + sufficiently disinclined to speak to his cousin Alaric as to the merits + either of Mr. Jabesh M'Ruen or of Miss Geraghty, but he could have been + eloquent on either rather than whisper a word as to the third person who + stood between him and the £20,000. + </p> + <p> + The school in which Charley now lived, that of the infernal navvies, had + taught him to laugh at romance; but it had not been so successful in + quelling the early feelings of his youth, in drying up the fountains of + poetry within him, as had been the case with his cousin, in that other + school in which he had been a scholar. Charley was a dissipated, dissolute + rake, and in some sense had degraded himself; but he had still this chance + of safety on his side, that he himself reprobated his own sins. He dreamt + of other things and a better life. He made visions to himself of a sweet + home, and a sweeter, sweetest, lovely wife; a love whose hair should not + be redolent of smoke, nor her hands reeking with gin, nor her services at + the demand of every libertine who wanted a screw of tobacco, or a glass of + 'cold without.' + </p> + <p> + He had made such a vision to himself, and the angel with which he had + filled it was not a creature of his imagination. She who was to reign in + this ethereal paradise, this happy home, far as the poles away from + Norfolk Street, was a living being in the sublunar globe, present + sometimes to Charley's eyes, and now so often present to his thoughts; and + yet she was but a child, and as ignorant that she had ever touched a + lover's heart by her childish charms as though she had been a baby. + </p> + <p> + After all, even on Charley's part, it was but a vision. He never really + thought that his young inamorata would or could be to him a real true + heart's companion, returning his love with the double love of a woman, + watching his health, curing his vices, and making the sweet things of the + world a living reality around him. This love of his was but a vision, but + not the less on that account did it interfere with his cousin Alaric's + proposition, in reference to Miss Clementina Golightly. + </p> + <p> + That other love also, that squalid love of his, was in truth no vision—was + a stern, palpable reality, very difficult to get rid of, and one which he + often thought to himself would very probably swallow up that other love, + and drive his sweet dream far away into utter darkness and dim chaotic + space. + </p> + <p> + But at any rate it was clear that there was no room in his heart for the + beauteous Clementina, 'doosed fine girl' as she undoubtedly was, and + serviceable as the £20,000 most certainly would have been. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVIII. — A DAY WITH ONE OF THE NAVVIES.—MORNING + </h2> + <p> + On the morning after this conversation with Alaric, Charley left his + lodgings with a heavy heart, and wended his way towards Mecklenburg + Square. At the corner of Davies Street he got an omnibus, which for + fourpence took him to one of the little alleys near Gray's Inn, and there + he got down, and threading the well-known locality, through Bedford Place + and across Theobald's Road, soon found himself at the door of his generous + patron. Oh! how he hated the house; how he hated the blear-eyed, + cross-grained, dirty, impudent fish-fag of an old woman who opened the + door for him; how he hated Mr. Jabesh M'Ruen, to whom he now came a + supplicant for assistance, and how, above all, he hated himself for being + there. + </p> + <p> + He was shown into Mr. M'Ruen's little front parlour, where he had to wait + for fifteen minutes, while his patron made such a breakfast as generally + falls to the lot of such men. We can imagine the rancid butter, the stale + befingered bread, the ha'porth of sky-blue milk, the tea innocent of + China's wrongs, and the soiled cloth. Mr. M'Ruen always did keep Charley + waiting fifteen minutes, and so he was no whit surprised; the doing so was + a part of the tremendous interest which the wretched old usurer received + for his driblets of money. + </p> + <p> + There was not a bit of furniture in the room on which Charley had not + speculated till speculation could go no further; the old escritoire or + secrétaire which Mr. M'Ruen always opened the moment he came into the + room; the rickety Pembroke table, covered with dirty papers which stood in + the middle of it; the horsehair-bottomed chairs, on which Charley declined + to sit down, unless he had on his thickest winter trousers, so + perpendicular had become some atoms on the surface, which, when new, had + no doubt been horizontal; the ornaments (!) on the chimney, broken bits of + filthy crockery, full of wisps of paper, with a china duck without a tail, + and a dog to correspond without a head; the pictures against the wall, + with their tarnished dingy frames and cracked glasses, representing three + of the Seasons; how the fourth had gone before its time to its final + bourne by an unhappy chance, Mr. M'Ruen had once explained to Charley, + while endeavouring to make his young customer take the other three as a + good value for £7 10s. in arranging a little transaction, the total amount + of which did not exceed £15. + </p> + <p> + In that instance, however, Charley, who had already dabbled somewhat + deeply in dressing-cases, utterly refused to trade in the articles + produced. + </p> + <p> + Charley stood with his back to the dog and duck, facing Winter, with + Spring on his right and Autumn on his left; it was well that Summer was + gone, no summer could have shed light on that miserable chamber. He knew + that he would have to wait, and was not therefore impatient, and at the + end of fifteen minutes Mr. M'Ruen shuffled into the room in his slippers. + </p> + <p> + He was a little man, with thin grey hair, which stood upright from his + narrow head—what his age might have been it was impossible to guess; + he was wizened, and dry, and grey, but still active enough on his legs + when he had exchanged his slippers for his shoes; and as keen in all his + senses as though years could never tell upon him. + </p> + <p> + He always wore round his neck a stiff-starched deep white handkerchief, + not fastened with a bow in front, the ends being tucked in so as to be + invisible. This cravat not only covered his throat but his chin also, so + that his head seemed to grow forth from it without the aid of any neck; + and he had a trick of turning his face round within it, an inch or two to + the right or to the left, in a manner which seemed to indicate that his + cranium was loose and might be removed at pleasure. + </p> + <p> + He shuffled into the room where Charley was standing with little short + quick steps, and putting out his hand, just touched that of his customer, + by way of going through the usual process of greeting. + </p> + <p> + Some short statement must be made of Charley's money dealings with Mr. + M'Ruen up to this period. About two years back a tailor had an over-due + bill of his for £20, of which he was unable to obtain payment, and being + unwilling to go to law, or perhaps being himself in Mr. M'Ruen's power, he + passed this bill to that worthy gentleman—what amount of + consideration he got for it, it matters not now to inquire; Mr. M'Ruen + very shortly afterwards presented himself at the Internal Navigation, and + introduced himself to our hero. He did this with none of the overbearing + harshness of the ordinary dun, or the short caustic decision of a creditor + determined to resort to the utmost severity of the law. He turned his head + about and smiled, and just showed the end of the bill peeping out from + among a parcel of others, begged Mr. Tudor to be punctual, he would only + ask him to be punctual, and would in such case do anything for him, and + ended his visit by making an appointment to meet Charley in the little + street behind Mecklenburg Square. Charley kept his appointment, and came + away from Mr. M'Ruen's with a well-contented mind. He had, it is true, + left £5 behind him, and had also left the bill, still entire; but he had + obtained a promise of unlimited assistance from the good-natured + gentleman, and had also received instructions how he was to get a brother + clerk to draw a bill, how he was to accept it himself, and how his patron + was to discount it for him, paying him real gold out of the Bank of + England in exchange for his worthless signature. + </p> + <p> + Charley stepped lighter on the ground as he left Mr. M'Ruen's house on + that eventful morning than he had done for many a day. There was something + delightful in the feeling that he could make money of his name in this + way, as great bankers do of theirs, by putting it at the bottom of a scrap + of paper. He experienced a sort of pride too in having achieved so + respectable a position in the race of ruin which he was running, as to + have dealings with a bill-discounter. He felt that he was putting himself + on a par with great men, and rising above the low level of the infernal + navvies. Mr. M'Ruen had pulled the bill out of a heap of bills which he + always carried in his huge pocket-book, and showed to Charley the name of + an impoverished Irish peer on the back of it; and the sight of that name + had made Charley quite in love with rum. He already felt that he was + almost hand-and-glove with Lord Mount-Coffeehouse; for it was a descendant + of the nobleman so celebrated in song. 'Only be punctual, Mr. Tudor; only + be punctual, and I will do anything for you,' Mr. M'Ruen had said, as + Charley left the house. Charley, however, never had been punctual, and yet + his dealings with Mr. M'Ruen had gone on from that day to this. What + absolute money he had ever received into his hand he could not now have + said, but it was very little, probably not amounting in all to £50. Yet he + had already paid during the two years more than double that sum to this + sharp-clawed vulture, and still owed him the amounts of more bills than he + could number. Indeed he had kept no account of these double-fanged little + documents; he had signed them whenever told to do so, and had even been so + preposterously foolish as to sign them in blank. All he knew was that at + the beginning of every quarter Mr. M'Ruen got nearly the half of his + little modicum of salary, and that towards the middle of it he usually + contrived to obtain an advance of some small, some very small sum, and + that when doing so he always put his hand to a fresh bit of paper. + </p> + <p> + He was beginning to be heartily sick of the bill-discounter. His intimacy + with the lord had not yet commenced, nor had he experienced any of the + delights which he had expected to accrue to him from the higher tone of + extravagance in which he entered when he made Mr. M'Ruen's acquaintance. + And then the horrid fatal waste of time which he incurred in pursuit of + the few pounds which he occasionally obtained, filled even his heart with + a sort of despair. Morning after morning he would wait in that hated room; + and then day after day, at two o'clock, he would attend the usurer's city + haunt—and generally all in vain. The patience of Mr. Snape was + giving way, and the discipline even of the Internal Navigation felt itself + outraged. + </p> + <p> + And now Charley stood once more in that dingy little front parlour in + which he had never yet seen a fire, and once more Mr. Jabesh M'Ruen + shuffled into the room in his big cravat and dirty loose slippers. + </p> + <p> + 'How d'ye do, Mr. Tudor, how d'ye do? I hope you have brought a little of + this with you;' and Jabesh opened out his left hand, and tapped the palm + of it with the middle finger of his right, by way of showing that he + expected some money: not that he did expect any, cormorant that he was; + this was not the period of the quarter in which he ever got money from his + customer. + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed I have not, Mr. M'Ruen; but I positively must get some.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh—oh—oh—oh—Mr. Tudor—Mr. Tudor! How can we + go on if you are so unpunctual? Now I would do anything for you if you + would only be punctual.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! bother about that—you know your own game well enough.' + </p> + <p> + 'Be punctual, Mr. Tudor, only be punctual, and we shall be all right—and + so you have not got any of this?' and Jabesh went through the tapping + again. + </p> + <p> + 'Not a doit,' said Charley; 'but I shall be up the spout altogether if you + don't do something to help me.' + </p> + <p> + 'But you are so unpunctual, Mr. Tudor.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, d—— it; you'll make me sick if you say that again. What + else do you live by but that? But I positively must have some money from + you to-day. If not I am done for.' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't think I can, Mr. Tudor; not to-day, Mr. Tudor—some other + day, say this day month; that is, if you'll be punctual.' + </p> + <p> + 'This day month! no, but this very day, Mr. M'Ruen—why, you got £18 + from me when I received my last salary, and I have not had a shilling back + since.' + </p> + <p> + 'But you are so unpunctual, Mr. Tudor,' and Jabesh twisted his head + backwards and forwards within his cravat, rubbing his chin with the + interior starch. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, then, I'll tell you what it is,' said Charley, 'I'll be shot if you + get a shilling from me on the 1st of October, and you may sell me up as + quick as you please. If I don't give a history of your business that will + surprise some people, my name isn't Tudor.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ha, ha, ha!' laughed Mr. M'Ruen, with a soft quiet laugh. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, really, Mr. Tudor, I would do more for you than any other young man + that I know, if you were only a little more punctual. How much is it you + want now?' + </p> + <p> + '£15—or £10—£10 will do.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ten pounds!' said Jabesh, as though Charley had asked for ten thousand—'ten + pounds!—if two or three would do—' + </p> + <p> + 'But two or three won't do.' + </p> + <p> + 'And whose name will you bring?' + </p> + <p> + 'Whose name! why Scatterall's, to be sure.' Now Scatterall was one of the + navvies; and from him Mr. M'Ruen had not yet succeeded in extracting one + farthing, though he had his name on a volume of Charley's bills. + </p> + <p> + 'Scatterall—I don't like Mr. Scatterall,' said Jabesh; 'he is very + dissipated, and the most unpunctual young man I ever met—you really + must get some one else, Mr. Tudor; you really must.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, that's nonsense—Scatterall is as good as anybody—I + couldn't ask any of the other fellows—they are such a low set.' + </p> + <p> + 'But Mr. Scatterall is so unpunctual. There's your cousin, Mr. Alaric + Tudor.' + </p> + <p> + 'My cousin Alaric! Oh, nonsense! you don't suppose I'd ask him to do such + a thing? You might as well tell me to go to my father.' + </p> + <p> + 'Or that other gentleman you live with; Mr. Norman. He is a most punctual + gentleman. Bring me his name, and I'll let you have £10 or £8—I'll + let you have £8 at once.' + </p> + <p> + 'I dare say you will, Mr. M'Ruen, or £80; and be only too happy to give it + me. But you know that is out of the question. Now I won't wait any longer; + just give me an answer to this: if I come to you in the city will you let + me have some money to-day? If you won't, why I must go elsewhere—that's + all.' + </p> + <p> + The interview ended by an appointment being made for another meeting to + come off at two p.m. that day, at the 'Banks of Jordan,' a public-house in + Sweeting's Alley, as well known to Charley as the little front parlour of + Mr. M'Ruen's house. 'Bring the bill-stamp with you, Mr. Tudor,' said + Jabesh, by way of a last parting word of counsel; 'and let Mr. Scatterall + sign it—that is, if it must be Mr. Scatterall; but I wish you would + bring your cousin's name.' + </p> + <p> + 'Nonsense!' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, then, bring it signed—but I'll fill it; you young fellows + understand nothing of filling in a bill properly.' + </p> + <p> + And then taking his leave the infernal navvy hurried off, and reached his + office in Somerset House at a quarter past eleven o'clock. As he walked + along he bought the bit of stamped paper on which his friend Scatterall + was to write his name. + </p> + <p> + When he reached the office he found that a great commotion was going on. + Mr. Snape was standing up at his desk, and the first word which greeted + Charley's ears was an intimation from that gentleman that Mr. Oldeschole + had desired that Mr. Tudor, when he arrived, should be instructed to + attend in the board-room. + </p> + <p> + 'Very well,' said Charley, in a tone of great indifference, 'with all my + heart; I rather like seeing Oldeschole now and then. But he mustn't keep + me long, for I have to meet my grandmother at Islington at two o'clock;' + and Charley, having hung up his hat, prepared to walk off to the + Secretary's room. + </p> + <p> + 'You'll be good enough to wait a few minutes, Mr. Tudor,' said Snape. + 'Another gentleman is with Mr. Oldeschole at present. You will be good + enough to sit down and go on with the Kennett and Avon lock entries, till + Mr. Oldeschole is ready to see you.' + </p> + <p> + Charley sat down at his desk opposite to his friend Scatterall. 'I hope, + Mr. Snape, you had a pleasant meeting at evening prayers yesterday,' said + he, with a tone of extreme interest. + </p> + <p> + 'You had better mind the lock entries at present, Mr. Tudor; they are + greatly in arrear.' + </p> + <p> + 'And the evening meetings are docketed up as close as wax, I suppose. What + the deuce is in the wind, Dick?' Mr. Scatterall's Christian name was + Richard. 'Where's Corkscrew?' Mr. Corkscrew was also a navvy, and was one + of those to whom Charley had specially alluded when he spoke of the low + set. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, here's a regular go,' said Scatterall. 'It's all up with Corkscrew, I + believe.' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, what's the cheese now?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! it's all about some pork chops, which Screwy had for supper last + night.' Screwy was a name of love which among his brother navvies was + given to Mr. Corkscrew. 'Mr. Snape seems to think they did not agree with + him.' + </p> + <p> + 'Pork chops in July!' exclaimed Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Poor Screwy forgot the time of year,' said another navvy; 'he ought to + have called it lamb and grass.' + </p> + <p> + And then the story was told. On the preceding afternoon, Mr. Corkscrew had + been subjected to the dire temptation of a boating party to the Eel-pie + Island for the following day, and a dinner thereon. There were to be at + the feast no less than four-and-twenty jolly souls, and it was intimated + to Mr. Corkscrew that as no soul was esteemed to be more jolly than his + own, the party would be considered as very imperfect unless he could join + it. Asking for a day's leave Mr. Corkscrew knew to be out of the question; + he had already taken too many without asking. He was therefore driven to + take another in the same way, and had to look about for some excuse which + might support him in his difficulty. An excuse it must be, not only new, + but very valid; one so strong that it could not be overset; one so well + avouched that it could not be doubted. Accordingly, after mature + consideration, he sat down after leaving his office, and wrote the + following letter, before he started on an evening cruising expedition with + some others of the party to prepare for the next day's festivities. + </p> + <p> + 'Thursday morning,—July, 185-. + </p> + <h3> + 'MY DEAR SIR, + </h3> + <p> + 'I write from my bed where I am suffering a most tremendous indiggestion, + last night I eat a stunning supper off pork chopps and never remembered + that pork chopps always does disagree with me, but I was very indiscrete + and am now teetotally unable to rise my throbing head from off my pillar, + I have took four blu pills and some salts and sena, plenty of that, and + shall be the thing to-morrow morning no doubt, just at present I feel just + as if I had a mill stone inside my stomac—Pray be so kind as to make + it all right with Mr. Oldeschole and believe me to remain, + </p> + <p> + 'Your faithful and obedient servant, + </p> + <h3> + 'VERAX CORKSCREW. + </h3> + <p> + 'Thomas Snape, Esq., &c., + </p> + <p> + 'Internal Navigation Office, Somerset House.' + </p> + <p> + Having composed this letter of excuse, and not intending to return to his + lodgings that evening, he had to make provision for its safely reaching + the hands of Mr. Snape in due time on the following morning. This he did, + by giving it to the boy who came to clean the lodging-house boots, with + sundry injunctions that if he did not deliver it at the office by ten + o'clock on the following morning, the sixpence accruing to him would never + be paid. Mr. Corkscrew, however, said nothing as to the letter not being + delivered before ten the next morning, and as other business took the boy + along the Strand the same evening, he saw no reason why he should not then + execute his commission. He accordingly did so, and duly delivered the + letter into the hands of a servant girl, who was cleaning the passages of + the office. + </p> + <p> + Fortune on this occasion was blind to the merits of Mr. Corkscrew, and + threw him over most unmercifully. It so happened that Mr. Snape had been + summoned to an evening conference with Mr. Oldeschole and the other + pundits of the office, to discuss with them, or rather to hear discussed, + some measure which they began to think it necessary to introduce, for + amending the discipline of the department. + </p> + <p> + 'We are getting a bad name, whether we deserve it or not,' said Mr. + Oldeschole. 'That fellow Hardlines has put us into his blue-book, and now + there's an article in the <i>Times</i>!' + </p> + <p> + Just at this moment, a messenger brought in to Mr. Snape the unfortunate + letter of which we have given a copy. + </p> + <p> + 'What's that?' said Mr. Oldeschole. + </p> + <p> + 'A note from Mr. Corkscrew, sir,' said Snape. + </p> + <p> + 'He's the worst of the whole lot,' said Mr. Oldeschole. + </p> + <p> + 'He is very bad,' said Snape; 'but I rather think that perhaps, sir, Mr. + Tudor is the worst of all.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I don't know,' said the Secretary, muttering <i>sotto voce</i> to + the Under-Secretary, while Mr. Snape read the letter—'Tudor, at any + rate, is a gentleman.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Snape read the letter, and his face grew very long. There was a sort + of sneaking civility about Corkscrew, not prevalent indeed at all times, + but which chiefly showed itself when he and Mr. Snape were alone together, + which somewhat endeared him to the elder clerk. He would have screened the + sinner had he had either the necessary presence of mind or the necessary + pluck. But he had neither. He did not know how to account for the letter + but by the truth, and he feared to conceal so flagrant a breach of + discipline at the moment of the present discussion. + </p> + <p> + Things at any rate so turned out that Mr. Corkscrew's letter was read in + full conclave in the board-room of the office, just as he was describing + the excellence of his manoeuvre with great glee to four or five other + jolly souls at the 'Magpie and Stump.' + </p> + <p> + At first it was impossible to prevent a fit of laughter, in which even Mr. + Snape joined; but very shortly the laughter gave way to the serious + considerations to which such an epistle was sure to give rise at such a + moment. What if Sir Gregory Hardlines should get hold of it and put it + into his blue-book! What if the <i>Times</i> should print it and send it + over the whole world, accompanied by a few of its most venomous touches, + to the eternal disgrace of the Internal Navigation, and probably utter + annihilation of Mr. Oldeschole's official career! An example must be made! + </p> + <p> + Yes, an example must be made. Messengers were sent off scouring the town + for Mr. Corkscrew, and about midnight he was found, still true to the + 'Magpie and Stump,' but hardly in condition to understand the misfortune + which had befallen him. So much as this, however, did make itself manifest + to him, that he must by no means join his jolly-souled brethren at the + Eel-pie Island, and that he must be at his office punctually at ten + o'clock the next morning if he had any intention of saving himself from + dismissal. When Charley arrived at his office, Mr. Corkscrew was still + with the authorities, and Charley's turn was to come next. + </p> + <p> + Charley was rather a favourite with Mr. Oldeschole, having been appointed + by himself at the instance of Mr. Oldeschole's great friend, Sir Gilbert + de Salop; and he was, moreover, the best-looking of the whole lot of + navvies; but he was no favourite with Mr. Snape. + </p> + <p> + 'Poor Screwy—it will be all up with him,' said Charley. 'He might + just as well have gone on with his party and had his fun out.' + </p> + <p> + 'It will, I imagine, be necessary to make more than one example, Mr. + Tudor,' said Mr. Snape, with a voice of utmost severity. + </p> + <p> + 'A-a-a-men,' said Charley. 'If everything else fails, I think I'll go into + the green line. You couldn't give me a helping hand, could you, Mr. + Snape?' There was a rumour afloat in the office that Mr. Snape's wife held + some little interest in a small greengrocer's establishment. + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Tudor to attend in the board-room, immediately,' said a fat + messenger, who opened the door wide with a start, and then stood with it + in his hand while he delivered the message. + </p> + <p> + 'All right,' said Charley; 'I'll tumble up and be with them in ten + seconds;' and then collecting together a large bundle of the arrears of + the Kennett and Avon lock entries, being just as much as he could carry, + he took the disordered papers and placed them on Mr. Snape's desk, exactly + over the paper on which he was writing, and immediately under his nose. + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Tudor—Mr. Tudor!' said Snape. + </p> + <p> + 'As I am to tear myself away from you, Mr. Snape, it is better that I + should hand over these valuable documents to your safe keeping. There they + are, Mr. Snape; pray see that you have got them all;' and so saying, he + left the room to attend to the high behests of Mr. Oldeschole. + </p> + <p> + As he went along the passages he met Verax Corkscrew returning from his + interview. 'Well, Screwy,' said he, 'and how fares it with you? Pork chops + are bad things in summer, ain't they?' + </p> + <p> + 'It's all U-P,' said Corkscrew, almost crying. 'I'm to go down to the + bottom, and I'm to stay at the office till seven o'clock every day for a + month; and old Foolscap says he'll ship me the next time I'm absent + half-an-hour without leave.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! is that all?' said Charley. 'If that's all you get for pork chops and + senna, I'm all right. I shouldn't wonder if I did not get promoted;' and + so he went in to his interview. + </p> + <p> + What was the nature of the advice given him, what amount of caution he was + called on to endure, need not here be exactly specified. We all know with + how light a rod a father chastises the son he loves, let Solomon have + given what counsel he may to the contrary. Charley, in spite of his + manifold sins, was a favourite, and he came forth from the board-room an + unscathed man. In fact, he had been promoted as he had surmised, seeing + that Corkscrew who had been his senior was now his junior. He came forth + unscathed, and walking with an easy air into his room, put his hat on his + head and told his brother clerks that he should be there to-morrow morning + at ten, or at any rate soon after. + </p> + <p> + 'And where are you going now, Mr. Tudor?' said Snape. + </p> + <p> + 'To meet my grandmother at Islington, if you please, sir,' said Charley. + 'I have permission from Mr. Oldeschole to attend upon her for the rest of + the day—perhaps you would like to ask him.' And so saying he went + off to his appointment with Mr. M'Ruen at the 'Banks of Jordan.' + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIX. — A DAY WITH ONE OF THE NAVVIES.—AFTERNOON + </h2> + <p> + The 'Banks of Jordan' was a public-house in the city, which from its + appearance did not seem to do a very thriving trade; but as it was carried + on from year to year in the same dull, monotonous, dead-alive sort of + fashion, it must be surmised that some one found an interest in keeping it + open. + </p> + <p> + Charley, when he entered the door punctually at two o'clock, saw that it + was as usual nearly deserted. One long, lanky, middle-aged man, seedy as + to his outward vestments, and melancholy in countenance, sat at one of the + tables. But he was doing very little good for the establishment: he had no + refreshment of any kind before him, and was intent only on a dingy + pocket-book in which he was making entries with a pencil. + </p> + <p> + You enter the 'Banks of Jordan' by two folding doors in a corner of a very + narrow alley behind the Exchange. As you go in, you observe on your left a + little glass partition, something like a large cage, inside which, in a + bar, are four or five untempting-looking bottles; and also inside the + cage, on a chair, is to be seen a quiet-looking female, who is invariably + engaged in the manufacture of some white article of inward clothing. + Anything less like the flashy-dressed bar-maidens of the western gin + palaces it would be difficult to imagine. To this encaged sempstress no + one ever speaks unless it be to give a rare order for a mutton chop or + pint of stout. And even for this she hardly stays her sewing for a moment, + but touches a small bell, and the ancient waiter, who never shows himself + but when called for, and who is the only other inhabitant of the place + ever visible, receives the order from her through an open pane in the cage + as quietly as she received it from her customer. + </p> + <p> + The floor of the single square room of the establishment is sanded, and + the tables are ranged round the walls, each table being fixed to the + floor, and placed within wooden partitions, by which the occupier is + screened from any inquiring eyes on either side. + </p> + <p> + Such was Mr. Jabesh M'Ruen's house-of-call in the city, and of many a + mutton chop and many a pint of stout had Charley partaken there while + waiting for the man of money. To him it seemed to be inexcusable to sit + down in a public inn and call for nothing; he perceived, however, that the + large majority of the frequenters of the 'Banks of Jordan' so conducted + themselves. + </p> + <p> + He was sufficiently accustomed to the place to know how to give his orders + without troubling that diligent barmaid, and had done so about ten minutes + when Jabesh, more punctual than usual, entered the place. This Charley + regarded as a promising sign of forthcoming cash. It very frequently + happened that he waited there an hour, and that after all Jabesh would not + come; and then the morning visit to Mecklenburg Square had to be made + again; and so poor Charley's time, or rather the time of his poor office, + was cut up, wasted, and destroyed. + </p> + <p> + 'A mutton chop!' said Mr. M'Ruen, looking at Charley's banquet. 'A very + nice thing indeed in the middle of the day. I don't mind if I have one + myself,' and so Charley had to order another chop and more stout. + </p> + <p> + 'They have very nice sherry here, excellent sherry,' said M'Ruen. 'The + best, I think, in the city—that's why I come here.' + </p> + <p> + 'Upon my honour, Mr. M'Ruen, I shan't have money to pay for it until I get + some from you,' said Charley, as he called for a pint of sherry. + </p> + <p> + 'Never mind, John, never mind the sherry to-day,' said M'Ruen. 'Mr. Tudor + is very kind, but I'll take beer;' and the little man gave a laugh and + twisted his head, and ate his chop and drank his stout, as though he found + that both were very good indeed. When he had finished, Charley paid the + bill and discovered that he was left with ninepence in his pocket. + </p> + <p> + And then he produced the bill stamp. 'Waiter,' said he, 'pen and ink,' and + the waiter brought pen and ink. + </p> + <p> + 'Not to-day,' said Jabesh, wiping his mouth with the table-cloth. 'Not + to-day, Mr. Tudor—I really haven't time to go into it to-day—and + I haven't brought the other bills with me; I quite forgot to bring the + other bills with me, and I can do nothing without them,' and Mr. M'Ruen + got up to go. + </p> + <p> + But this was too much for Charley. He had often before bought bill stamps + in vain, and in vain had paid for mutton chops and beer for Mr. M'Ruen's + dinner; but he had never before, when doing so, been so hard pushed for + money as he was now. He was determined to make a great attempt to gain his + object. + </p> + <p> + 'Nonsense,' said he, getting up and standing so as to prevent M'Ruen from + leaving the box; 'that's d—— nonsense.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! don't swear,' said M'Ruen—'pray don't take God's name in vain; + I don't like it.' + </p> + <p> + 'I shall swear, and to some purpose too, if that's your game. Now look + here——' + </p> + <p> + 'Let me get up, and we'll talk of it as we go to the bank—you are so + unpunctual, you know.' + </p> + <p> + 'D—— your punctuality.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! don't swear, Mr. Tudor.' + </p> + <p> + 'Look here—if you don't let me have this money to-day, by all that + is holy I will never pay you a farthing again—not one farthing; I'll + go into the court, and you may get your money as you can.' + </p> + <p> + 'But, Mr. Tudor, let me get up, and we'll talk about it in the street, as + we go along.' + </p> + <p> + 'There's the stamp,' said Charley. 'Fill it up, and then I'll go with you + to the bank.' + </p> + <p> + M'Ruen took the bit of paper, and twisted it over and over again in his + hand, considering the while whether he had yet squeezed out of the young + man all that could be squeezed with safety, or whether by an additional + turn, by giving him another small advancement, he might yet get something + more. He knew that Tudor was in a very bad state, that he was tottering on + the outside edge of the precipice; but he also knew that he had friends. + Would his friends when they came forward to assist their young Pickle out + of the mire, would they pay such bills as these or would they leave poor + Jabesh to get his remedy at law? That was the question which Mr. M'Ruen + had to ask and to answer. He was not one of those noble vultures who fly + at large game, and who are willing to run considerable risk in pursuit of + their prey. Mr. M'Ruen avoided courts of law as much as he could, and + preferred a small safe trade; one in which the fall of a single customer + could never be ruinous to him; in which he need run no risk of being + transported for forgery, incarcerated for perjury, or even, if possibly it + might be avoided, gibbeted by some lawyer or judge for his malpractices. + </p> + <p> + 'But you are so unpunctual,' he said, having at last made up his mind that + he had made a very good thing of Charley, and that probably he might go a + <i>little</i> further without much danger. 'I wish to oblige you, Mr. + Tudor; but pray do be punctual;' and so saying he slowly spread the little + document before him, across which Scatterall had already scrawled his + name, and slowly began to write in the date. Slowly, with his head low + down over the table, and continually twisting it inside his cravat, he + filled up the paper, and then looking at it with the air of a connoisseur + in such matters, he gave it to Charley to sign. + </p> + <p> + 'But you haven't put in the amount,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + Mr. M'Ruen twisted his head and laughed. He delighted in playing with his + game as a fisherman does with a salmon. 'Well—no—I haven't put + in the amount yet. Do you sign it, and I'll do that at once.' + </p> + <p> + 'I'll do it,' said Charley; 'I'll say £15, and you'll give me £10 on + that.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, no, no!' said Jabesh, covering the paper over with his hands; 'you + young men know nothing of filling bills; just sign it, Mr. Tudor, and I'll + do the rest.' And so Charley signed it, and then M'Ruen, again taking the + pen, wrote in 'fifteen pounds' as the recognized amount of the value of + the document. He also took out his pocket-book and filled a cheque, but he + was very careful that Charley should not see the amount there written. + 'And now,' said he, 'we will go to the bank.' + </p> + <p> + As they made their way to the house in Lombard Street which Mr. M'Ruen + honoured by his account, Charley insisted on knowing how much he was to + have for the bill. Jabesh suggested £3 10s.; Charley swore he would take + nothing less than £8; but by the time they had arrived at the bank, it had + been settled that £5 was to be paid in cash, and that Charley was to have + the three Seasons for the balance whenever he chose to send for them. When + Charley, as he did at first, positively refused to accede to these terms, + Mr. M'Ruen tendered him back the bill, and reminded him with a plaintive + voice that he was so unpunctual, so extremely unpunctual. + </p> + <p> + Having reached the bank, which the money-lender insisted on Charley + entering with him, Mr. M'Ruen gave the cheque across the counter, and + wrote on the back of it the form in which he would take the money, + whereupon a note and five sovereigns were handed to him. The cheque was + for £15, and was payable to C. Tudor, Esq., so that proof might be + forthcoming at a future time, if necessary, that he had given to his + customer full value for the bill. Then in the outer hall of the bank, + unseen by the clerks, he put, one after another, slowly and unwillingly, + four sovereigns into Charley's hand. + </p> + <p> + 'The other—where's the other?' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + Jabesh smiled sweetly and twisted his head. + </p> + <p> + 'Come, give me the other,' said Charley roughly. + </p> + <p> + 'Four is quite enough, quite enough for what you want; and remember my + time, Mr. Tudor; you should remember my time.' + </p> + <p> + 'Give me the other sovereign,' said Charley, taking hold of the front of + his coat. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, well, you shall have ten shillings; but I want the rest for a + purpose.' + </p> + <p> + 'Give me the sovereign,' said Charley, 'or I'll drag you in before them + all in the bank and expose you; give me the other sovereign, I say.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ha, ha, ha!' laughed Mr. M'Ruen; 'I thought you liked a joke, Mr. Tudor. + Well, here it is. And now do be punctual, pray do be punctual, and I'll do + anything I can for you.' + </p> + <p> + And then they parted, Charley going westward towards his own haunts, and + M'Ruen following his daily pursuits in the city. + </p> + <p> + Charley had engaged to pull up to Avis's at Putney with Harry Norman, to + dine there, take a country walk, and row back in the cool of the evening; + and he had promised to call at the Weights and Measures with that object + punctually at five. + </p> + <p> + 'You can get away in time for that, I suppose,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I'll try and manage it,' said Charley, laughing. + </p> + <p> + Nothing could be kinder, nay, more affectionate, than Norman had been to + his fellow-lodger during the last year and a half. It seemed as though he + had transferred to Alaric's cousin all the friendship which he had once + felt for Alaric; and the deeper were Charley's sins of idleness and + extravagance, the wider grew Norman's forgiveness, and the more sincere + his efforts to befriend him. As one result of this, Charley was already + deep in his debt. Not that Norman had lent him money, or even paid bills + for him; but the lodgings in which they lived had been taken by Norman, + and when the end of the quarter came he punctually paid his landlady. + </p> + <p> + Charley had once, a few weeks before the period of which we are now + writing, told Norman that he had no money to pay his long arrear, and that + he would leave the lodgings and shift for himself as best he could. He had + said the same thing to Mrs. Richards, the landlady, and had gone so far as + to pack up all his clothes; but his back was no sooner turned than Mrs. + Richards, under Norman's orders, unpacked them all, and hid away the + portmanteau. It was well for him that this was done. He had bespoken for + himself a bedroom at the public-house in Norfolk Street, and had he once + taken up his residence there he would have been ruined for ever. + </p> + <p> + He was still living with Norman, and ever increasing his debt. In his + misery at this state of affairs, he had talked over with Harry all manner + of schemes for increasing his income, but he had never told him a word + about Mr. M'Ruen. Why his salary, which was now £150 per annum, should not + be able to support him, Norman never asked. Charley the while was very + miserable, and the more miserable he was, the less he found himself able + to rescue himself from his dissipation. What moments of ease he had were + nearly all spent in Norfolk Street; and such being the case how could he + abstain from going there? + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Charley, and how do 'Crinoline and Macassar' go on?' said Norman, + as they sauntered away together up the towing-path above Putney. Now there + were those who had found out that Charley Tudor, in spite of his wretched, + idle, vagabond mode of life, was no fool; indeed, that there was that + talent within him which, if turned to good account, might perhaps redeem + him from ruin and set him on his legs again; at least so thought some of + his friends, among whom Mrs. Woodward was the most prominent. She insisted + that if he would make use of his genius he might employ his spare time to + great profit by writing for magazines or periodicals; and, inspirited by + so flattering a proposition, Charley had got himself introduced to the + editor of a newly-projected publication. At his instance he was to write a + tale for approval, and 'Crinoline and Macassar' was the name selected for + his first attempt. + </p> + <p> + The affair had been fully talked over at Hampton, and it had been arranged + that the young author should submit his story, when completed, to the + friendly criticism of the party assembled at Surbiton Cottage, before he + sent it to the editor. He had undertaken to have 'Crinoline and Macassar' + ready for perusal on the next Saturday, and in spite of Mr. M'Ruen and + Norah Geraghty, he had really been at work. + </p> + <p> + 'Will it be finished by Saturday, Charley?' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes—at least I hope so; but if that's not done, I have another all + complete.' + </p> + <p> + 'Another! and what is that called?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, that's a very short one,' said Charley, modestly. + </p> + <p> + 'But, short as it is, it must have a name, I suppose. What's the name of + the short one?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, the name is long enough; it's the longest part about it. The editor + gave me the name, you know, and then I had to write the story. It's to be + called "Sir Anthony Allan-a-dale and the Baron of Ballyporeen."' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! two rival knights in love with the same lady, of course,' and Harry + gave a gentle sigh as he thought of his own still unhealed grief. 'The + scene is laid in Ireland, I presume?' + </p> + <p> + 'No, not in Ireland; at least not exactly. I don't think the scene is laid + anywhere in particular; it's up in a mountain, near a castle. There isn't + any lady in it—at least, not alive.' + </p> + <p> + 'Heavens, Charley! I hope you are not dealing with dead women.' + </p> + <p> + 'No—that is, I have to bring them to life again. I'll tell you how + it is. In the first paragraph, Sir Anthony Allan-a-dale is lying dead, and + the Baron of Ballyporeen is standing over him with a bloody sword. You + must always begin with an incident now, and then hark back for your + explanation and description; that's what the editor says is the great + secret of the present day, and where we beat all the old fellows that + wrote twenty years ago.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh!—yes—I see. They used to begin at the beginning; that was + very humdrum.' + </p> + <p> + 'A devilish bore, you know, for a fellow who takes up a novel because he's + dull. Of course he wants his fun at once. If you begin with a long history + of who's who and all that, why he won't read three pages; but if you touch + him up with a startling incident or two at the first go off, then give him + a chapter of horrors, then another of fun, then a little love or a little + slang, or something of that sort, why, you know, about the end of the + first volume, you may describe as much as you like, and tell everything + about everybody's father and mother for just as many pages as you want to + fill. At least that's what the editor says.' + </p> + <p> + '<i>Meleager ab ovo</i> may be introduced with safety when you get as far + as that,' suggested Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, you may bring him in too, if you like,' said Charley, who was + somewhat oblivious of his classicalities. 'Well, Sir Anthony is lying dead + and the Baron is standing over him, when out come Sir Anthony's retainers——' + </p> + <p> + 'Out—out of what?' + </p> + <p> + 'Out of the castle: that's all explained afterwards. Out come the + retainers, and pitch into the Baron till they make mincemeat of him.' + </p> + <p> + 'They don't kill him, too?' + </p> + <p> + 'Don't they though? I rather think they do, and no mistake.' + </p> + <p> + 'And so both your heroes are dead in the first chapter.' + </p> + <p> + 'First chapter! why that's only the second paragraph. I'm only to be + allowed ten paragraphs for each number, and I am expected to have an + incident for every other paragraph for the first four days.' + </p> + <p> + 'That's twenty incidents.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes—it's a great bother finding so many.—I'm obliged to make + the retainers come by all manner of accidents; and I should never have + finished the job if I hadn't thought of setting the castle on fire. 'And + now forked tongues of liquid fire, and greedy lambent flames burst forth + from every window of the devoted edifice. The devouring element——.' + That's the best passage in the whole affair.' + </p> + <p> + 'This is for the <i>Daily Delight</i>, isn't it?' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, for the <i>Daily Delight</i>. It is to begin on the 1st of September + with the partridges. We expect a most tremendous sale. It will be the + first halfpenny publication in the market, and as the retailers will get + them for sixpence a score—twenty-four to the score—they'll go + off like wildfire.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Charley, and what do you do with the dead bodies of your two + heroes?' + </p> + <p> + 'Of course I needn't tell you that it was not the Baron who killed Sir + Anthony at all.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! wasn't it? O dear—that was a dreadful mistake on the part of + the retainers.' + </p> + <p> + 'But as natural as life. You see these two grandees were next-door + neighbours, and there had been a feud between the families for seven + centuries—a sort of Capulet and Montague affair. One Adelgitha, the + daughter of the Thane of Allan-a-dale—there were Thanes in those + days, you know—was betrothed to the eldest son of Sir Waldemar de + Ballyporeen. This gives me an opportunity of bringing in a succinct little + account of the Conquest, which will be beneficial to the lower classes. + The editor peremptorily insists upon that kind of thing.' + </p> + <p> + '<i>Omne tulit punctum</i>,' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, I dare say,' said Charley, who was now too intent on his own new + profession to attend much to his friend's quotation. 'Well, where was I?—Oh! + the eldest son of Sir Waldemar went off with another lady and so the feud + began. There is a very pretty scene between Adelgitha and her + lady's-maid.' + </p> + <p> + 'What, seven centuries before the story begins?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why not? The editor says that the unities are altogether thrown over now, + and that they are regular bosh—our game is to stick in a good bit + whenever we can get it—I got to be so fond of Adelgitha that I + rather think she's the heroine.' + </p> + <p> + 'But doesn't that take off the interest from your dead grandees?' + </p> + <p> + 'Not a bit; I take it chapter and chapter about. Well, you see, the + retainers had no sooner made mincemeat of the Baron—a very elegant + young man was the Baron, just returned from the Continent, where he had + learnt to throw aside all prejudices about family feuds and everything + else, and he had just come over in a friendly way, to say as much to Sir + Anthony, when, as he crossed the drawbridge, he stumbled over the corpse + of his ancient enemy—well, the retainers had no sooner made + mincemeat of him, than they perceived that Sir Anthony was lying with an + open bottle in his hand, and that he had taken poison.' + </p> + <p> + 'Having committed suicide?' asked Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'No, not at all. The editor says that we must always have a slap at some + of the iniquities of the times. He gave me three or four to choose from; + there was the adulteration of food, and the want of education for the + poor, and street music, and the miscellaneous sale of poisons.' + </p> + <p> + 'And so you chose poisons and killed the knight?' + </p> + <p> + 'Exactly; at least I didn't kill him, for he comes all right again after a + bit. He had gone out to get something to do him good after a hard night, a + Seidlitz powder, or something of that sort, and an apothecary's apprentice + had given him prussic acid in mistake.' + </p> + <p> + 'And how is it possible he should have come to life after taking prussic + acid?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, there I have a double rap at the trade. The prussic acid is so bad + of its kind, that it only puts him into a kind of torpor for a week. Then + we have the trial of the apothecary's boy; that is an excellent episode, + and gives me a grand hit at the absurdity of our criminal code.' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, Charley, it seems to me that you are hitting at everything.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! ah! right and left, that's the game for us authors. The press is the + only <i>censor morum</i> going now—and who so fit? Set a thief to + catch a thief, you know. Well, I have my hit at the criminal code, and + then Sir Anthony comes out of his torpor.' + </p> + <p> + 'But how did it come to pass that the Baron's sword was all bloody?' + </p> + <p> + 'Ah, there was the difficulty; I saw that at once. It was necessary to + bring in something to be killed, you know. I thought of a stray tiger out + of Wombwell's menagerie; but the editor says that we must not trespass + against the probabilities; so I have introduced a big dog. The Baron had + come across a big dog, and seeing that the brute had a wooden log tied to + his throat, thought he must be mad, and so he killed him.' + </p> + <p> + 'And what's the end of it, Charley?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, the end is rather melancholy. Sir Anthony reforms, leaves off + drinking, and takes to going to church everyday. He becomes a Puseyite, + puts up a memorial window to the Baron, and reads the Tracts. At last he + goes over to the Pope, walks about in nasty dirty clothes all full of + vermin, and gives over his estate to Cardinal Wiseman. Then there are the + retainers; they all come to grief, some one way and some another. I do + that for the sake of the Nemesis.' + </p> + <p> + 'I would not have condescended to notice them, I think,' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! I must; there must be a Nemesis. The editor specially insists on a + Nemesis.' + </p> + <p> + The conclusion of Charley's novel brought them back to the boat. Norman, + when he started, had intended to employ the evening in giving good counsel + to his friend, and in endeavouring to arrange some scheme by which he + might rescue the brand from the burning; but he had not the heart to be + severe and sententious while Charley was full of his fun. It was so much + pleasanter to talk to him on the easy terms of equal friendship than turn + Mentor and preach a sermon. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Charley,' said he, as they were walking up from the boat wharf—Norman + to his club, and Charley towards his lodgings—from which route, + however, he meant to deviate as soon as ever he might be left alone—'well, + Charley, I wish you success with all my heart; I wish you could do + something—I won't say to keep you out of mischief.' + </p> + <p> + 'I wish I could, Harry,' said Charley, thoroughly abashed; 'I wish I could—indeed + I wish I could—but it is so hard to go right when one has begun to + go wrong.' + </p> + <p> + 'It is hard; I know it is.' + </p> + <p> + 'But you never can know how hard, Harry, for you have never tried,' and + then they went on walking for a while in silence, side by side. + </p> + <p> + 'You don't know the sort of place that office of mine is,' continued + Charley. 'You don't know the sort of fellows the men are. I hate the + place; I hate the men I live with. It is all so dirty, so disreputable, so + false. I cannot conceive that any fellow put in there as young as I was + should ever do well afterwards.' + </p> + <p> + 'But at any rate you might try your best, Charley.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, I might do that still; and I know I don't; and where should I have + been now, if it hadn't been for you?' + </p> + <p> + 'Never mind about that; I sometimes think we might have done more for each + other if we had been more together. But remember the motto you said you'd + choose, Charley—Excelsior! We can none of us mount the hill without + hard labour. Remember that word, Charley—Excelsior! Remember it now—now, + to-night; remember how you dream of higher things, and begin to think of + them in your waking moments also;' and so they parted. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XX. — A DAY WITH ONE OF THE NAVVIES.—EVENING + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + 'Excelsior!' said Charley to himself, as he walked on a few +steps towards his lodgings, having left Norman at the door of his club. +'Remember it now—now, to-night.' +</pre> + <p> + Yes—now is the time to remember it, if it is ever to be remembered + to any advantage. He went on with stoic resolution to the end of the + street, determined to press home and put the last touch to 'Crinoline and + Macassar;' but as he went he thought of his interview with Mr. M'Ruen and + of the five sovereigns still in his pocket, and altered his course. + </p> + <p> + Charley had not been so resolute with the usurer, so determined to get £5 + from him on this special day, without a special object in view. His credit + was at stake in a more than ordinary manner; he had about a week since + borrowed money from the woman who kept the public-house in Norfolk Street, + and having borrowed it for a week only, felt that this was a debt of + honour which it was incumbent on him to pay. Therefore, when he had walked + the length of one street on his road towards his lodgings, he retraced his + steps and made his way back to his old haunts. + </p> + <p> + The house which he frequented was hardly more like a modern London + gin-palace than was that other house in the city which Mr. M'Ruen honoured + with his custom. It was one of those small tranquil shrines of Bacchus in + which the god is worshipped perhaps with as constant a devotion, though + with less noisy demonstrations of zeal than in his larger and more public + temples. None absolutely of the lower orders were encouraged to come + thither for oblivion. It had about it nothing inviting to the general eye. + No gas illuminations proclaimed its midnight grandeur. No huge folding + doors, one set here and another there, gave ingress and egress to a + wretched crowd of poverty-stricken midnight revellers. No reiterated + assertions in gaudy letters, each a foot long, as to the peculiar merits + of the old tom or Hodge's cream of the valley, seduced the thirsty + traveller. The panelling over the window bore the simple announcement, in + modest letters, of the name of the landlady, Mrs. Davis; and the same name + appeared with equal modesty on the one gas lamp opposite the door. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Davis was a widow, and her customers were chiefly people who knew her + and frequented her house regularly. Lawyers' clerks, who were either + unmarried, or whose married homes were perhaps not so comfortable as the + widow's front parlour; tradesmen, not of the best sort, glad to get away + from the noise of their children; young men who had begun the cares of + life in ambiguous positions, just on the confines of respectability, and + who, finding themselves too weak in flesh to cling on to the round of the + ladder above them, were sinking from year to year to lower steps, and + depths even below the level of Mrs. Davis's public-house. To these might + be added some few of a somewhat higher rank in life, though perhaps of a + lower rank of respectability; young men who, like Charley Tudor and his + comrades, liked their ease and self-indulgence, and were too indifferent + as to the class of companions against whom they might rub their shoulders + while seeking it. + </p> + <p> + The 'Cat and Whistle,' for such was the name of Mrs. Davis's + establishment, had been a house of call for the young men of the Internal + Navigation long before Charley's time. What first gave rise to the + connexion it is not now easy to say; but Charley had found it, and had + fostered it into a close alliance, which greatly exceeded any amount of + intimacy which existed previously to his day. + </p> + <p> + It must not be presumed that he, in an ordinary way, took his place among + the lawyers' clerks, and general run of customers in the front parlour; + occasionally he condescended to preside there over the quiet revels, to + sing a song for the guests, which was sure to be applauded to the echo, + and to engage in a little skirmish of politics with a retired lamp-maker + and a silversmith's foreman from the Strand, who always called him 'Sir,' + and received what he said with the greatest respect; but, as a rule, he + quaffed his Falernian in a little secluded parlour behind the bar, in + which sat the widow Davis, auditing her accounts in the morning, and + giving out orders in the evening to Norah Geraghty, her barmaid, and to an + attendant sylph, who ministered to the front parlour, taking in goes of + gin and screws of tobacco, and bringing out the price thereof with + praiseworthy punctuality. + </p> + <p> + Latterly, indeed, Charley had utterly deserted the front parlour; for + there had come there a pestilent fellow, highly connected with the Press, + as the lamp-maker declared, but employed as an assistant shorthand-writer + somewhere about the Houses of Parliament, according to the silversmith, + who greatly interfered with our navvy's authority. He would not at all + allow that what Charley said was law, entertained fearfully democratic + principles of his own, and was not at all the gentleman. So Charley drew + himself up, declined to converse any further on politics with a man who + seemed to know more about them than himself, and confined himself + exclusively to the inner room. + </p> + <p> + On arriving at this elysium, on the night in question, he found Mrs. Davis + usefully engaged in darning a stocking, while Scatterall sat opposite with + a cigar in his mouth, his hat over his nose, and a glass of gin and water + before him. + </p> + <p> + 'I began to think you weren't coming,' said Scatterall, 'and I was getting + so deuced dull that I was positively thinking of going home.' + </p> + <p> + 'That's very civil of you, Mr. Scatterall,' said the widow. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, you've been sitting there for the last half-hour without saying a + word to me; and it is dull. Looking at a woman mending stockings is dull, + ain't it, Charley?' + </p> + <p> + 'That depends,' said Charley, 'partly on whom the woman may be, and partly + on whom the man may be. Where's Norah, Mrs. Davis?' + </p> + <p> + 'She's not very well to-night; she has got a headache; there ain't many of + them here to-night, so she's lying down.' + </p> + <p> + 'A little seedy, I suppose,' said Scatterall. + </p> + <p> + Charley felt rather angry with his friend for applying such an epithet to + his lady-love; however, he did not resent it, but sitting down, lighted + his pipe and sipped his gin and water. + </p> + <p> + And so they sat for the next quarter of an hour, saying very little to + each other. What was the nature of the attraction which induced two such + men as Charley Tudor and Dick Scatterall to give Mrs. Davis the benefit of + their society, while she was mending her stockings, it might be difficult + to explain. They could have smoked in their own rooms as well, and have + drunk gin and water there, if they had any real predilection for that + mixture. Mrs. Davis was neither young nor beautiful, nor more than + ordinarily witty. Charley, it is true, had an allurement to entice him + thither, but this could not be said of Scatterall, to whom the lovely + Norah was never more than decently civil. Had they been desired, in their + own paternal halls, to sit and see their mother's housekeeper darn the + family stockings, they would, probably, both of them have rebelled, even + though the supply of tobacco and gin and water should be gratuitous and + unlimited. + </p> + <p> + It must be presumed that the only charm of the pursuit was in its + acknowledged impropriety. They both understood that there was something + fast in frequenting Mrs. Davis's inner parlour, something slow in + remaining at home; and so they both sat there, and Mrs. Davis went on with + her darning-needle, nothing abashed. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I think I shall go,' said Scatterall, shaking off the last ash from + the end of his third cigar. + </p> + <p> + 'Do,' said Charley; 'you should be careful, you know; late hours will hurt + your complexion.' + </p> + <p> + 'It's so deuced dull,' said Scatterall. + </p> + <p> + 'Why don't you go into the parlour, and have a chat with the gentlemen?' + suggested Mrs. Davis; 'there's Mr. Peppermint there now, lecturing about + the war; upon my word he talks very well.' + </p> + <p> + 'He's so deuced low,' said Scatterall. + </p> + <p> + 'He's a bumptious noisy blackguard too,' said Charley; 'he doesn't know + how to speak to a gentleman, when he meets one.' + </p> + <p> + Scatterall gave a great yawn. 'I suppose you're not going, Charley?' said + he. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh yes, I am,' said Charley, 'in about two hours.' + </p> + <p> + 'Two hours! well, good night, old fellow, for I'm off. Three cigars, Mrs. + Davis, and two goes of gin and water, the last cold.' Then, having made + this little commercial communication to the landlady, he gave another + yawn, and took himself away. Mrs. Davis opened her little book, jotted + down the items, and then, having folded up her stockings, and put them + into a basket, prepared herself for conversation. + </p> + <p> + But, though Mrs. Davis prepared herself for conversation, she did not + immediately commence it. Having something special to say, she probably + thought that she might improve her opportunity of saying it by allowing + Charley to begin. She got up and pottered about the room, went to a + cupboard, and wiped a couple of glasses, and then out into the bar and + arranged the jugs and pots. This done, she returned to the little room, + and again sat herself down in her chair. + </p> + <p> + 'Here's your five pounds, Mrs. Davis,' said Charley; 'I wish you knew the + trouble I have had to get it for you.' + </p> + <p> + To give Mrs. Davis her due, this was not the subject on which she was + anxious to speak. She would have been at present well inclined that + Charley should remain her debtor. 'Indeed, Mr. Tudor, I am very sorry you + should have taken any trouble on such a trifle. If you're short of money, + it will do for me just as well in October.' + </p> + <p> + Charley looked at the sovereigns, and bethought himself how very short of + cash he was. Then he thought of the fight he had had to get them, in order + that he might pay the money which he had felt so ashamed of having + borrowed, and he determined to resist the temptation. + </p> + <p> + 'Did you ever know me flush of cash? You had better take them while you + can get them,' and as he pushed them across the table with his stick, he + remembered that all he had left was ninepence. + </p> + <p> + 'I don't want the money at present, Mr. Tudor,' said the widow. 'We're + such old friends that there ought not to be a word between us about such a + trifle—now don't leave yourself bare; take what you want and settle + with me at quarter-day.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I'll take a sovereign,' said he, 'for to tell you the truth, I have + only the ghost of a shilling in my pocket.' And so it was settled; Mrs. + Davis reluctantly pocketed four of Mr. M'Ruen's sovereigns, and Charley + kept in his own possession the fifth, as to which he had had so hard a + combat in the lobby of the bank. + </p> + <p> + He then sat silent for a while and smoked, and Mrs. Davis again waited for + him to begin the subject on which she wished to speak. 'And what's the + matter with Norah all this time?' he said at last. + </p> + <p> + 'What's the matter with her?' repeated Mrs. Davis. 'Well, I think you + might know what's the matter with her. You don't suppose she's made of + stone, do you?' + </p> + <p> + Charley saw that he was in for it. It was in vain that Norman's last word + was still ringing in his ears. 'Excelsior!' What had he to do with + 'Excelsior?' What miserable reptile on God's earth was more prone to crawl + downwards than he had shown himself to be? And then again a vision floated + across his mind's eye of a young sweet angel face with large bright eyes, + with soft delicate skin, and all the exquisite charms of gentle birth and + gentle nurture. A single soft touch seemed to press his arm, a touch that + he had so often felt, and had never felt without acknowledging to himself + that there was something in it almost divine. All this passed rapidly + through his mind, as he was preparing to answer Mrs. Davis's question + touching Norah Geraghty. + </p> + <p> + 'You don't think she's made of stone, do you?' said the widow, repeating + her words. + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed I don't think she's made of anything but what's suitable to a very + nice young woman,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'A nice young woman! Is that all you can say for her? I call her a very + fine girl.' Miss Golightly's friends could not say anything more, even for + that young lady. 'I don't know where you'll pick up a handsomer, or a + better-conducted one either, for the matter of that.' + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed she is,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! for the matter of that, no one knows it better than yourself, Mr. + Tudor; and she's as well able to keep a man's house over his head as some + others that take a deal of pride in themselves.' + </p> + <p> + 'I'm quite sure of it,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, the long and the short of it is this, Mr. Tudor.' And as she spoke + the widow got a little red in the face: she had, as Charley thought, an + unpleasant look of resolution about her—a roundness about her mouth, + and a sort of fierceness in her eyes. 'The long and the short of it is + this, Mr. Tudor, what do you mean to do about the girl?' + </p> + <p> + 'Do about her?' said Charley, almost bewildered in his misery. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, do about her. Do you mean to make her your wife? That's plain + English. Because I'll tell you what: I'll not see her put upon any longer. + It must be one thing or the other; and that at once. And if you've a grain + of honour in you, Mr. Tudor—and I think you are honourable—you + won't back from your word with the girl now.' + </p> + <p> + 'Back from my word?' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, back from your word,' said Mrs. Davis, the flood-gates of whose + eloquence were now fairly opened. 'I'm sure you're too much of the + gentleman to deny your own words, and them repeated more than once in my + presence—Cheroots—yes, are there none there, child?—Oh, + they are in the cupboard.' These last words were not part of her address + to Charley, but were given in reply to a requisition from the attendant + nymph outside. 'You're too much of a gentleman to do that, I know. And so, + as I'm her natural friend—and indeed she's my cousin, not that far + off—I think it's right that we should all understand one another.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, quite right,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'You can't expect that she should go and sacrifice herself for you, you + know,' said Mrs. Davis, who now that she had begun hardly knew how to stop + herself. 'A girl's time is her money. She's at her best now, and a girl + like her must make her hay while the sun shines. She can't go on + fal-lalling with you, and then nothing to come of it. You mustn't suppose + she's to lose her market that way.' + </p> + <p> + 'God knows I should be sorry to injure her, Mrs. Davis.' + </p> + <p> + 'I believe you would, because I take you for an honourable gentleman as + will be as good as your word. Now, there's Peppermint there.' + </p> + <p> + 'What! that fellow in the parlour?' + </p> + <p> + 'And an honourable gentleman he is. Not that I mean to compare him to you, + Mr. Tudor, nor yet doesn't Norah; not by no means. But there he is. Well, + he comes with the most honourablest proposals, and will make her Mrs. + Peppermint to-morrow, if so be that she'll have it.' + </p> + <p> + 'You don't mean to say that there has been anything between them?' said + Charley, who in spite of the intense desire which he had felt a few + minutes since to get the lovely Norah altogether off his hands, now felt + an acute pang of jealousy.' You don't mean to say that there has been + anything between them?' + </p> + <p> + 'Nothing as you have any right to object to, Mr. Tudor. You may be sure I + wouldn't allow of that, nor yet wouldn't Norah demean herself to it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then how did she get talking to him?' + </p> + <p> + 'She didn't get talking to him. But he has eyes in his head, and you don't + suppose but what he can see with them. If a girl is in the public line, of + course any man is free to speak to her. If you don't like it, it is for + you to take her out of it. Not but what, for a girl that is in the public + line, Norah Geraghty keeps herself to herself as much as any girl you ever + set eyes on.' + </p> + <p> + 'What the d—— has she to do with this fellow then?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, he's a widower, and has three young children; and he's looking out + for a mother for them; and he thinks Norah will suit. There, now you have + the truth, and the whole truth.' + </p> + <p> + 'D—— his impudence!' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I don't see that there's any impudence. He has a house of his own + and the means to keep it. Now I'll tell you what it is. Norah can't abide + him—' + </p> + <p> + Charley looked a little better satisfied when he heard this declaration. + </p> + <p> + 'Norah can't abide the sight of him; nor won't of any man as long as you + are hanging after her. She's as true as steel, and proud you ought to be + of her.' Proud, thought Charley, as he again muttered to himself, + 'Excelsior!'—'But, Mr. Tudor, I won't see her put upon; that's the + long and the short of it. If you like to take her, there she is. I don't + say she's just your equal as to breeding, though she's come of decent + people too; but she's good as gold. She'll make a shilling go as far as + any young woman I know; and if £100 or £150 are wanting for furniture or + the like of that, why, I've that regard for her, that that shan't stand in + the way. Now, Mr. Tudor, I've spoke honest; and if you're the gentleman as + I takes you to be, you'll do the same.' + </p> + <p> + To do Mrs. Davis justice, it must be acknowledged that in her way she had + spoken honestly. Of course she knew that such a marriage would be a + dreadful misalliance for young Tudor; of course she knew that all his + friends would be heart-broken when they heard of it. But what had she to + do with his friends? Her sympathies, her good wishes, were for her friend. + Had Norah fallen a victim to Charley's admiration, and then been cast off + to eat the bitterest bread to which any human being is ever doomed, what + then would Charley's friends have cared for her? There was a fair fight + between them. If Norah Geraghty, as a reward for her prudence, could get a + husband in a rank of life above her, instead of falling into utter + destruction as might so easily have been the case, who could do other than + praise her—praise her and her clever friend who had so assisted her + in her struggle? + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Dolus an virtus— +</pre> + <p> + Had Mrs. Davis ever studied the classics she would have thus expressed + herself. + </p> + <p> + Poor Charley was altogether thrown on his beam-ends. He had altogether + played Mrs. Davis's game in evincing jealousy at Mr. Peppermint's + attentions. He knew this, and yet for the life of him he could not help + being jealous. He wanted to get rid of Miss Geraghty, and yet he could not + endure that anyone else should lay claim to her favour. He was very weak. + He knew how much depended on the way in which he might answer this woman + at the present moment; he knew that he ought now to make it plain to her, + that however foolish he might have been, however false he might have been, + it was quite out of the question that he should marry her barmaid. But he + did not do so. He was worse than weak. It was not only the disinclination + to give pain, or even the dread of the storm that would ensue, which + deterred him; but an absurd dislike to think that Mr. Peppermint should be + graciously received there as the barmaid's acknowledged admirer. + </p> + <p> + 'Is she really ill now?' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'She's not so ill but what she shall make herself well enough to welcome + you, if you'll say the word that you ought to say. The most that ails her + is fretting at the long delay.—Bolt the door, child, and go to bed; + there will be no one else here now. Go up, and tell Miss Geraghty to come + down; she hasn't got her clothes off yet, I know.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Davis was too good a general to press Charley for an absolute, + immediate, fixed answer to her question. She knew that she had already + gained much, by talking thus of the proposed marriage, by setting it thus + plainly before Charley, without rebuke or denial from him. He had not + objected to receiving a visit from Norah, on the implied understanding + that she was to come down to him as his affianced bride. He had not agreed + to this in words; but silence gives consent, and Mrs. Davis felt that + should it ever hereafter become necessary to prove anything, what had + passed would enable her to prove a good deal. + </p> + <p> + Charley puffed at his cigar and sipped his gin and water. It was now + twelve o'clock, and he thoroughly wished himself at home and in bed. The + longer he thought of it the more impossible it appeared that he should get + out of the house without the scene which he dreaded. The girl had bolted + the door, put away her cups and mugs, and her step upstairs had struck + heavily on his ears. The house was not large or high, and he fancied that + he heard mutterings on the landing-place. Indeed he did not doubt but that + Miss Geraghty had listened to most of the conversation which had taken + place. + </p> + <p> + 'Excuse me a minute, Mr. Tudor,' said Mrs. Davis, who was now smiling and + civil enough; 'I will go upstairs myself; the silly girl is shamefaced, + and does not like to come down'; and up went Mrs. Davis to see that her + barmaid's curls and dress were nice and jaunty. It would not do now, at + this moment, for Norah to offend her lover by any untidiness. Charley for + a moment thought of the front door. The enemy had allowed him an + opportunity for retreating. He might slip out before either of the women + came down, and then never more be heard of in Norfolk Street again. He had + his hand in his waistcoat pocket, with the intent of leaving the sovereign + on the table; but when the moment came he felt ashamed of the + pusillanimity of such an escape, and therefore stood, or rather sat his + ground, with a courage worthy of a better purpose. + </p> + <p> + Down the two women came, and Charley felt his heart beating against his + ribs. As the steps came nearer the door, he began to wish that Mr. + Peppermint had been successful. The widow entered the room first, and at + her heels the expectant beauty. We can hardly say that she was blushing; + but she did look rather shamefaced, and hung back a little at the door, as + though she still had half a mind to think better of it, and go off to her + bed. + </p> + <p> + 'Come in, you little fool,' said Mrs. Davis. 'You needn't be ashamed of + coming down to see him; you have done that often enough before now.' + </p> + <p> + Norah simpered and sidled. 'Well, I'm sure now!' said she. 'Here's a + start, Mr. Tudor; to be brought downstairs at this time of night; and I'm + sure I don't know what it's about'; and then she shook her curls, and + twitched her dress, and made as though she were going to pass through the + room to her accustomed place at the bar. + </p> + <p> + Norah Geraghty was a fine girl. Putting her in comparison with Miss + Golightly, we are inclined to say that she was the finer girl of the two; + and that, barring position, money, and fashion, she was qualified to make + the better wife. In point of education, that is, the effects of education, + there was not perhaps much to choose between them. Norah could make an + excellent pudding, and was willing enough to exercise her industry and art + in doing so; Miss Golightly could copy music, but she did not like the + trouble; and could play a waltz badly. Neither of them had ever read + anything beyond a few novels. In this respect, as to the amount of labour + done, Miss Golightly had certainly far surpassed her rival competitor for + Charley's affections. + </p> + <p> + Charley got up and took her hand; and as he did so, he saw that her nails + were dirty. He put his arms round her waist and kissed her; and as he + caressed her, his olfactory nerves perceived that the pomatum in her hair + was none of the best. He thought of those young lustrous eyes that would + look up so wondrously into his face; he thought of the gentle touch, which + would send a thrill through all his nerves; and then he felt very sick. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, upon my word, Mr. Tudor,' said Miss Geraghty, 'you're making very + free to-night.' She did not, however, refuse to sit down on his knee, + though while sitting there she struggled and tossed herself, and shook her + long ringlets in Charley's face, till he wished her—safe at home in + Mr. Peppermint's nursery. + </p> + <p> + 'And is that what you brought me down for, Mrs. Davis?' said Norah. 'Well, + upon my word, I hope the door's locked; we shall have all the world in + here else.' + </p> + <p> + 'If you hadn't come down to him, he'd have come up to you,' said Mrs. + Davis. + </p> + <p> + 'Would he though?' said Norah; 'I think he knows a trick worth two of + that;' and she looked as though she knew well how to defend herself, if + any over-zeal on the part of her lover should ever induce him to violate + the sanctum of her feminine retirement. + </p> + <p> + There was no over-zeal now about Charley. He ought to have been happy + enough, for he had his charmer in his arms; but he showed very little of + the ecstatic joy of a favoured lover. There he sat with Norah in his arms, + and as we have said, Norah was a handsome girl; but he would much sooner + have been copying the Kennett and Avon canal lock entries in Mr. Snape's + room at the Internal Navigation. + </p> + <p> + 'Lawks, Mr. Tudor, you needn't hold me so tight,' said Norah. + </p> + <p> + 'He means to hold you tight enough now,' said Mrs. Davis. 'He's very angry + because I mentioned another gentleman's name.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, now you didn't?' said Norah, pretending to look very angry. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I just did; and if you'd only seen him! You must be very careful + what you say to that gentleman, or there'll be a row in the house.' + </p> + <p> + 'I!' said Norah. 'What I say to him! It's very little I have to say to the + man. But I shall tell him this; he'd better take himself somewhere else, + if he's going to make himself troublesome.' + </p> + <p> + All this time Charley had said nothing, but was sitting with his hat on + his head, and his cigar in his mouth. The latter appendage he had laid + down for a moment when he saluted Miss Geraghty; but he had resumed it, + having at the moment no intention of repeating the compliment. + </p> + <p> + 'And so you were jealous, were you?' said she, turning round and looking + at him. 'Well now, some people might have more respect for other people + than to mix up their names that way, with the names of any men that choose + to put themselves forward. What would you say if I was to talk to you + about Miss——' + </p> + <p> + Charley stopped her mouth. It was not to be borne that she should be + allowed to pronounce the name that was about to fall from her lips. + </p> + <p> + 'So you were jealous, were you?' said she, when she was again able to + speak. 'Well, my!' + </p> + <p> + 'Mrs. Davis told me flatly that you were going to marry the man,' said + Charley; 'so what was I to think?' + </p> + <p> + 'It doesn't matter what you think now,' said Mrs. Davis; 'for you must be + off from this. Do you know what o'clock it is? Do you want the house to + get a bad name? Come, you two understand each other now, so you may as + well give over billing and cooing for this time. It's all settled now, + isn't it, Mr. Tudor?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh yes, I suppose so,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, and what do you say, Norah?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, I'm sure I'm agreeable if he is. Ha! ha! ha! I only hope he won't + think me too forward—he! he! he!' + </p> + <p> + And then with another kiss, and very few more words of any sort, Charley + took himself off. + </p> + <p> + 'I'll have nothing more to do with him,' said Norah, bursting into tears, + as soon as the door was well bolted after Charley's exit. 'I'm only losing + myself with him. He don't mean anything, and I said he didn't all along. + He'd have pitched me to Old Scratch, while I was sitting there on his + knee, if he'd have had his own way—so he would;' and poor Norah + cried heartily, as she went to her work in her usual way among the bottles + and taps. + </p> + <p> + 'Why, you fool you, what do you expect? You don't think he's to jump down + your throat, do you? You can but try it on; and then if it don't do, why + there's the other one to fall back on; only, if I had the choice, I'd + rather have young Tudor, too.' + </p> + <p> + 'So would I,' said Norah; 'I can't abide that other fellow.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, there, that's how it is, you know—beggars can't be choosers. + But come, make us a drop of something hot; a little drop will do yourself + good; but it's better not to take it before him, unless when he presses + you.' + </p> + <p> + So the two ladies sat down to console themselves, as best they might, for + the reverses which trade and love so often bring with them. + </p> + <p> + Charley walked off a miserable man. He was thoroughly ashamed of himself, + thoroughly acknowledged his own weakness; and yet as he went out from the + 'Cat and Whistle,' he felt sure that he should return there again to renew + the degradation from which he had suffered this night. Indeed, what else + could he do now? He had, as it were, solemnly plighted his troth to the + girl before a third person who had brought them together, with the + acknowledged purpose of witnessing that ceremony. He had, before Mrs. + Davis, and before the girl herself, heard her spoken of as his wife, and + had agreed to the understanding that such an arrangement was a settled + thing. What else had he to do now but to return and complete his part of + the bargain? What else but that, and be a wretched, miserable, degraded + man for the rest of his days; lower, viler, more contemptible, infinitely + lower, even than his brother clerics at the office, whom in his pride he + had so much despised? + </p> + <p> + He walked from Norfolk Street into the Strand, and there the world was + still alive, though it was now nearly one o'clock. The debauched misery, + the wretched outdoor midnight revelry of the world was there, streaming in + and out from gin-palaces, and bawling itself hoarse with horrid, + discordant, screech-owl slang. But he went his way unheeding and + uncontaminated. Now, now that it was useless, he was thinking of the + better things of the world; nothing now seemed worth his grasp, nothing + now seemed pleasurable, nothing capable of giving joy, but what was + decent, good, reputable, cleanly, and polished. How he hated now that + lower world with which he had for the last three years condescended to + pass so much of his time! how he hated himself for his own vileness! He + thought of what Alaric was, of what Norman was, of what he himself might + have been—he that was praised by Mrs. Woodward for his talent, he + that was encouraged to place himself among the authors of the day! He + thought of all this, and then he thought of what he was—the + affianced husband of Norah Geraghty! + </p> + <p> + He went along the Strand, over the crossing under the statue of Charles on + horseback, and up Pall Mall East till he came to the opening into the park + under the Duke of York's column. The London night world was all alive as + he made his way. From the Opera Colonnade shrill voices shrieked out at + him as he passed, and drunken men coming down from the night supper-houses + in the Haymarket saluted him with affectionate cordiality. The hoarse + waterman from the cabstand, whose voice had perished in the night air, + croaked out at him the offer of a vehicle; and one of the night + beggar-women who cling like burrs to those who roam the street a these + unhallowed hours still stuck to him, as she had done ever since he had + entered the Strand. + </p> + <p> + 'Get away with you,' said Charley, turning at the wretched creature in his + fierce anger; 'get away, or I'll give you in charge.' + </p> + <p> + 'That you may never know what it is to be in misery yourself!' said the + miserable Irishwoman. + </p> + <p> + 'If you follow me a step farther I'll have you locked up,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, then, it's you that have the hard heart,' said she; 'and it's you + that will suffer yet.' + </p> + <p> + Charley looked round, threw her the odd halfpence which he had in his + pocket, and then turned down towards the column. The woman picked up her + prize, and, with a speedy blessing, took herself off in search of other + prey. + </p> + <p> + His way home would have taken him up Waterloo Place, but the space round + the column was now deserted and quiet, and sauntering there, without + thinking of what he did, he paced up and down between the Clubs and the + steps leading into the park. There, walking to and fro slowly, he thought + of his past career, of all the circumstances of his life since his life + had been left to his own control, and of the absence of all hope for the + future. + </p> + <p> + What was he to do? He was deeply, inextricably in debt. That wretch, + M'Ruen, had his name on bills which it was impossible that he should ever + pay. Tradesmen held other bills of his which were either now over-due, or + would very shortly become so. He was threatened with numerous writs, any + one of which would suffice to put him into gaol. From his poor father, + burdened as he was with other children, he knew that he had no right to + expect further assistance. He was in debt to Norman, his best, he would + have said his only friend, had it not been that in all his misery he could + not help still thinking of Mrs. Woodward as his friend. + </p> + <p> + And yet how could his venture to think longer of her, contaminated as he + now was with the horrid degradation of his acknowledged love at the 'Cat + and Whistle!' No; he must think no more of the Woodwards; he must dream no + more of those angel eyes which in his waking moments had so often peered + at him out of heaven, teaching him to think of higher things, giving him + higher hopes than those which had come to him from the working of his own + unaided spirit. Ah! lessons taught in vain! vain hopes! lessons that had + come all too late! hopes that had been cherished only to be deceived! It + was all over now! He had made his bed, and he must lie on it; he had sown + his seed, and he must reap his produce; there was now no 'Excelsior' left + for him within the bounds of human probability. + </p> + <p> + He had promised to go to Hampton with Harry Norman on Saturday, and he + would go there for the last time. He would go there and tell Mrs. Woodward + so much of the truth as he could bring himself to utter; he would say + farewell to that blest abode; he would take Linda's soft hand in his for + the last time; for the last time he would hear the young, silver-ringing, + happy voice of his darling Katie; for the last time look into her bright + face; for the last time play with her as with a child of heaven—and + then he would return to the 'Cat and Whistle.' + </p> + <p> + And having made this resolve he went home to his lodgings. It was singular + that in all his misery the idea hardly once occurred to him of setting + himself right in the world by accepting his cousin's offer of Miss + Golightly's hand and fortune. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXI. — HAMPTON COURT BRIDGE + </h2> + <p> + Before the following Saturday afternoon Charley's spirits had somewhat + recovered their natural tone. Not that he was in a happy frame of mind; + the united energies of Mr. M'Ruen and Mrs. Davis had been too powerful to + allow of that; not that he had given over his projected plan of saying a + long farewell to Mrs. Woodward, or at any rate of telling her something of + his position; he still felt that he could not continue to live on terms of + close intimacy both with her daughters and with Norah Geraghty. But the + spirits of youth are ever buoyant, and the spirits of no one could be + endowed, with more natural buoyancy than those of the young navvy. + Charley, therefore, in spite of his misfortunes, was ready with his + manuscript when Saturday afternoon arrived, and, according to agreement, + met Norman at the railway station. + </p> + <p> + Only one evening had intervened since the night in which he had ratified + his matrimonial engagement, and in spite of the delicate nature of his + position he had for that evening allowed Mr. Peppermint to exercise his + eloquence on the heart of the fair Norah without interruption. He the + while had been engaged in completing the memoirs of 'Crinoline and + Macassar.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Charley,' they asked, one and all, as soon as he reached the + Cottage, 'have you got the story? Have you brought the manuscript? Is it + all finished and ready for that dreadful editor?' + </p> + <p> + Charley produced a roll, and Linda and Katie instantly pounced upon it. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! it begins with poetry,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'I am so glad,' said Katie. 'Is there much poetry in it, Charley? I do so + hope there is.' + </p> + <p> + 'Not a word of it,' said Charley; 'that which Linda sees is a song that + the heroine is singing, and it isn't supposed to be written by the author + at all.' + </p> + <p> + 'I'm so sorry that there's no poetry,' said Katie. 'Can't you write + poetry, Charley?' + </p> + <p> + 'At any rate there's lots of love in it,' said Linda, who was turning over + the pages. + </p> + <p> + 'Is there?' said Katie. 'Well, that's next best; but they should go + together. You should have put all your love into verse, Charley, and then + your prose would have done for the funny parts.' + </p> + <p> + 'Perhaps it's all fun,' said Mrs. Woodward. 'But come, girls, this is not + fair; I won't let you look at the story till it's read in full committee.' + And so saying, Mrs. Woodward took the papers from her daughters, and tying + them up, deposited them safe in custody. 'We'll have it out when the + tea-things are gone.' + </p> + <p> + But before the tea-things had come, an accident happened, which had been + like to dismiss 'Crinoline and Macassar' altogether from the minds of the + whole of the Woodward family. The young men had, as usual, dined in town, + and therefore they were all able to spend the long summer evening out of + doors. Norman's boat was down at Hampton, and it was therefore determined + that they should row down as far as Hampton Court Park and back. Charley + and Norman were to row; and Mrs. Woodward agreed to accompany her + daughters. Uncle Bat was left at home, to his nap and rum and water. + </p> + <p> + Norman was so expert a Thames waterman, that he was quite able to manage + the boat without a steersman, and Charley was nearly his equal. But there + is some amusement in steering, and Katie was allowed to sit between the + tiller-ropes. + </p> + <p> + 'I can steer very well, mamma: can't I, Harry? I always steer when we go + to the island, and we run the boat straight into the little creek, only + just broad enough to hold it.' Katie's visits to the island, however, were + not so frequent as they had heretofore been, for she was approaching to + sixteen years of age, and wet feet and draggled petticoats had lost some + of their charms. Mrs. Woodward, trusting more to the experience of her two + knights than to the skill of the lady at the helm, took her seat, and they + went off merrily down the stream. + </p> + <p> + All the world knows that it is but a very little distance from Hampton + Church to Hampton Court Bridge, especially when one has the stream with + one. They were very soon near to the bridge, and as they approached it, + they had to pass a huge barge, that was lazily making its way down to + Brentford. + </p> + <p> + 'There's lots of time for the big arch,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Pull away then,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + They both pulled hard, and shot alongside and past the barge. But the + stream was strong, and the great ugly mass of black timber moved behind + them quicker than it seemed to do. + </p> + <p> + 'It will be safer to take the one to the left,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! there's lots of time,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'No,' said Harry, 'do as I tell you and go to the left.—Pull your + left hand a little, Katie.' + </p> + <p> + Charley did as he was bid, and Katie intended to do the same; but + unfortunately she pulled the wrong hand. They were now very near the + bridge, and the barge was so close to them as to show that there might + have been danger in attempting to get through the same arch with her. + </p> + <p> + 'Your left hand, Katie, your left,' shouted Norman; 'your left string.' + Katie was confused, and gave first a pull with her right, and then a pull + with her left, and then a strong pull with her right. The two men backed + water as hard as they could, but the effect of Katie's steering was to + drive the nose of the boat right into one of the wooden piers of the + bridge. + </p> + <p> + The barge went on its way, and luckily made its entry under the arch + before the little craft had swung round into the stream before it; as it + was, the boat, still clinging by its nose, came round with its stern + against the side of the barge, and as the latter went on, the timbers of + Norman's wherry cracked and crumpled in the rude encounter. + </p> + <p> + The ladies should all have kept their seats. Mrs. Woodward did do so. + Linda jumped up, and being next to the barge, was pulled up into it by one + of the men. Katie stood bolt upright, with the tiller-ropes still in her + hand, awe-struck at the misfortune she had caused; but while she was so + standing, the stern of the boat was lifted nearly out of the water by the + weight of the barge, and Katie was pitched, behind her mother's back, head + foremost into the water. + </p> + <p> + Norman, at the moment, was endeavouring to steady the boat, and shove it + off from the barge, and had also lent a hand to assist Linda in her + escape. Charley was on the other side, standing up and holding on by the + piers of the bridge, keeping his eyes on the ladies, so as to be of + assistance to them when assistance might be needed. + </p> + <p> + And now assistance was sorely needed, and luckily had not to be long + waited for. Charley, with a light and quick step, passed over the thwarts, + and, disregarding Mrs. Woodward's scream, let himself down, over the + gun-wale behind her seat into the water. Katie can hardly be said to have + sunk at all. She had, at least, never been so much under the water as to + be out of sight. Her clothes kept up her light body; and when Charley got + close to her, she had been carried up to the piers of the bridge, and was + panting with her head above water, and beating the stream with her little + hands. + </p> + <p> + She was soon again in comparative safety. Charley had her by one arm as he + held on with the other to the boat, and kept himself afloat with his legs. + Mrs. Woodward leaned over and caught her daughter's clothes; while Linda, + who had seen what had happened, stood shrieking on the barge, as it made + its way on, heedless of the ruin it left behind. + </p> + <p> + Another boat soon came to their assistance from the shore, and Mrs. + Woodward and Katie were got safely into it. Charley returned to the + battered wherry, and assisted Norman in extricating it from its position; + and a third boat went to Linda's rescue, who would otherwise have found + herself in rather an uncomfortable position the next morning at Brentford. + </p> + <p> + The hugging and kissing to which Katie was subjected when she was carried + up to the inn, near the boat-slip on the Surrey side of the river, may be + imagined; as may also the faces she made at the wineglassful of stiff + brandy and water which she was desired to drink. She was carried home in a + fly, and by the time she arrived there, had so completely recovered her + life and spirits as to put a vehement negative on her mother's proposition + that she should at once go to bed. + </p> + <p> + 'And not hear dear Charley's story?' said she, with tears in her eyes. + 'And, mamma, I can't and won't go to bed without seeing Charley. I didn't + say one word yet to thank him for jumping into the water after me.' + </p> + <p> + It was in vain that her mother told her that Charley's story would amuse + her twice as much when she should read it printed; it was in vain that + Mrs. Woodward assured her that Charley should come up to her room door; + and hear her thanks as he stood in the passage, with the door ajar. Katie + was determined to hear the story read. It must be read, if read at all, + that Saturday night, as it was to be sent to the editor in the course of + the week; and reading 'Crinoline and Macassar' out loud on a Sunday was + not to be thought of at Surbiton Cottage. Katie was determined to hear the + story read, and to sit very near the author too during the reading; to sit + near him, and to give him such praise as even in her young mind she felt + that an author would like to hear. Charley had pulled her out of the + river, and no one, as far as her efforts could prevent it, should be + allowed to throw cold water on him. + </p> + <p> + Norman and Charley, wet as the latter was, contrived to bring the + shattered boat back to Hampton. When they reached the lawn at Surbiton + Cottage they were both in high spirits. An accident, if it does no + material harm, is always an inspiriting thing, unless one feels that it + has been attributable to one's own fault. Neither of them could in this + instance attach any blame to himself, and each felt that he had done what + in him lay to prevent the possible ill effect of the mischance. As for the + boat, Harry was too happy to think that none of his friends were hurt to + care much about that. + </p> + <p> + As they walked across the lawn Mrs. Woodward ran out to them. 'My dear, + dear Charley,' she said, 'what am I to say to thank you?' It was the first + time Mrs. Woodward had ever called him by his Christian name. It had + hitherto made him in a certain degree unhappy that she never did so, and + now the sound was very pleasant to him. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Mrs. Woodward,' said he, laughing, 'you mustn't touch me, for I'm all + mud.' + </p> + <p> + 'My dear, dear Charley, what can I say to you? and dear Harry, I fear + we've spoilt your beautiful new boat.' + </p> + <p> + 'I fear we've spoilt Katie's beautiful new hat,' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward had taken and pressed a hand of each of them, in spite of + Charley's protestations about the mud. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! you're in a dreadful state,' said she; 'you had better take something + at once; you'll catch your death of cold.' + </p> + <p> + 'I'd better take myself off to the inn,' said Charley, 'and get some clean + clothes; that's all I want. But how is Katie—and how is Linda?' + </p> + <p> + And so, after a multitude of such inquiries on both sides, and of all + manner of affectionate greetings, Charley went off to make himself dry, + preparatory to the reading of the manuscript. + </p> + <p> + During his absence, Linda and Katie came down to the drawing-room. Linda + was full of fun as to her journey with the bargeman; but Katie was a + little paler than usual, and somewhat more serious and quiet than she was + wont to be. + </p> + <p> + Norman was the first in the drawing-room, and received the thanks of the + ladies for his prowess in assisting them; and Charley was not slow to + follow him, for he was never very long at his toilet. He came in with a + jaunty laughing air, as though nothing particular had happened, and as if + he had not a care in the world. And yet while he had been dressing he had + been thinking almost more than ever of Norah Geraghty. O that she, and + Mrs. Davis with her, and Jabesh M'Ruen with both of them, could be buried + ten fathom deep out of his sight, and out of his mind! + </p> + <p> + When he entered the room, Katie felt her heart beat so strongly that she + hardly knew how to thank him for saving her life. A year ago she would + have got up and kissed him innocently; but a year makes a great + difference. She could not do that now, so she gave him her little hand, + and held his till he came and sat down at his place at the table. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Charley, I don't know what to say to you,' said she; and he could see + and feel that her whole body was shaking with emotion. + </p> + <p> + 'Then I'll tell you what to say: 'Charley, here is your tea, and some + bread, and some butter, and some jam, and some muffin,' for I'll tell you + what, my evening bath has made me as hungry as a hunter. I hope it has + done the same to you.' + </p> + <p> + Katie, still holding his hand, looked up into his face, and he saw that + her eyes were suffused with tears. She then left his side, and, running + round the room, filled a plate with all the things he had asked for, and, + bringing them to him, again took her place beside him. 'I wish I knew how + to do more than that,' said she. + </p> + <p> + 'I suppose, Charley, you'll have to make an entry about that barge on + Monday morning, won't you?' said Linda. 'Mind you put in it how beautiful + I looked sailing through the arch.' + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + 'Yes, and how very gallant the bargeman was,' said Norman. +</pre> + <p> + 'Yes, and how much you enjoyed the idea of going down the river with him, + while, we came back to the Cottage,' said Charley. 'We'll put it all down + at the Navigation, and old Snape shall make a special minute about it.' + </p> + <p> + Katie drank her tea in silence, and tried to eat, though without much + success. When chatting voices and jokes were to be heard at the Cottage, + the sound of her voice was usually the foremost; but now she sat demure + and quiet. She was realizing the danger from which she had escaped, and, + as is so often the case, was beginning to fear it now that it was over. + </p> + <p> + 'Ah, Katie, my bonny bird,' said her mother, seeing that she was not + herself, and knowing that the excitement and overpowering feelings of + gratitude were too much for her—come here; you should be in bed, my + foolish little puss, should you not?' + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed, she should,' said Uncle Bat, who was somewhat hard-hearted about + the affair of the accident, and had been cruel enough, after hearing an + account of it, to declare that it was all Katie's fault. + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed, she should; and if she had gone to bed a little earlier in the + evening it would have been all the better for Master Norman's boat.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! mamma, don't send me to bed,' said she, with tears in her eyes. 'Pray + don't send me to bed now; I'm quite well, only I can't talk because I'm + thinking of what Charley did for me;' and so saying she got up, and, + hiding her face on her mother's shoulder, burst into tears. + </p> + <p> + 'My dearest child,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'I'm afraid you'll make yourself + ill. We'll put off the reading, won't we, Charley? We have done enough for + one evening.' + </p> + <p> + 'Of course we will,' said he. 'Reading a stupid story will be very slow + work after all we've gone through to-day.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, no, no,' said Katie; 'it shan't be put off; there won't be any other + time for hearing it. And, mamma it must be read; and I know it won't be + stupid. Oh; mamma, dear mamma, do let us hear it read; I'm quite well + now.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward found herself obliged to give way. She had not the heart to + bid her daughter go away to bed, nor, had she done so, would it have been + of any avail. Katie would only have lain and sobbed in her own room, and + very probably have gone into hysterics. The best thing for her was to try + to turn the current of her thoughts, and thus by degrees tame down her + excited feelings. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, darling, then we will have the story, if Charley will let us. Go + and fetch it, dearest.' Katie raised herself from her mother's bosom, and, + going across the room, fetched the roll of papers to Charley. As he + prepared to take it she took his hand in hers, and, bending her head over + it, tenderly kissed it. 'You mustn't think,' said she, 'that because I say + nothing, I don't know what it is that you've done for me; but I don't know + how to say it.' + </p> + <p> + Charley was at any rate as ignorant what he ought to say as Katie was. He + felt the pressure of her warm lips on his hand, and hardly knew where he + was. He felt that he blushed and looked abashed, and dreaded, fearfully + dreaded, lest Mrs. Woodward should surmise that he estimated at other than + its intended worth, her daughter's show of affection for him. + </p> + <p> + 'I shouldn't mind doing it every night,' said he, 'in such weather as + this. I think it rather good fun going into the water with my clothes on.' + Katie looked up at him through her tears, as though she would say that she + well understood what that meant. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward saw that if the story was to be read, the sooner they began + it the better. + </p> + <p> + 'Come, Charley,' said she, 'now for the romance. Katie, come and sit by + me.' But Katie had already taken her seat, a little behind Charley, quite + in the shade, and she was not to be moved. + </p> + <p> + 'But I won't read it myself,' said Charley; 'you must read it, Mrs. + Woodward.' + </p> + <p> + 'O yes, Mrs. Woodward, you are to read it,' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'O yes, do read it, manna,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + Katie said nothing, but she would have preferred that Charley should have + read it himself. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, if I can,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'Snape says I write the worst hand in all Somerset House,' said Charley; + 'but still I think you'll be able to manage it.' + </p> + <p> + 'I hate that Mr. Snape,' said Katie, <i>sotto voce</i>. And then Mrs. + Woodward unrolled the manuscript and began her task. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXII. — CRINOLINE AND MACASSAR; OR, MY AUNT'S WILL + </h2> + <p> + 'Well, Linda was right,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'it does begin with poetry.' + </p> + <p> + 'It's only a song,' said Charley, apologetically—'and after all + there is only one verse of that'—and then Mrs. Woodward began + </p> + <h3> + "CRINOLINE AND MACASSAR." + </h3> + <p> + 'Ladies and gentlemen, that is the name of Mr. Charles Tudor's new novel.' + </p> + <p> + 'Crinoline and Macassar!' said Uncle Bat. 'Are they intended for human + beings' names?' + </p> + <p> + 'They are the heroine and the hero, as I take it,' said Mrs. Woodward, + 'and I presume them to be human, unless they turn out to be celestial.' + </p> + <p> + 'I never heard such names in my life,' said the captain. + </p> + <p> + 'At any rate, uncle, they are as good as Sir Jib Boom and Captain + Hardaport,' said Katie, pertly. + </p> + <p> + 'We won't mind about that,' said Mrs. Woodward; 'I'm going to begin, and I + beg I may not be interrupted.' + </p> + <h3> + "CRINOLINE AND MACASSAR." + </h3> + <p> + "The lovely Crinoline was sitting alone at a lattice window on a summer + morning, and as she sat she sang with melancholy cadence the first part of + the now celebrated song which had then lately appeared, from the + distinguished pen of Sir G— H—," + </p> + <p> + 'Who is Sir G— H—, Charley?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, it wouldn't do for me to tell that,' said Charley. 'That must be left + to the tact and intelligence of my readers.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, very well,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'we will abstain from all impertinent + questions'—'from the distinguished pen of Sir G— H—. The + ditty which she sang ran as follows:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + My heart's at my office, my heart is always there— + My heart's at my office, docketing with care; + Docketing the papers, and copying all day, + My heart's at my office, though I be far away. +</pre> + <p> + "'Ah me!' said the Lady Crinoline—" + </p> + <p> + 'What—is she a peer's daughter?' said Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + 'Not exactly,' said Charley, 'it's only a sort of semi-poetic way one has + of speaking of one's heroine.' + </p> + <p> + "'Ah me!' said the Lady Crinoline—'his heart! his heart!—I + wonder whether he has got a heart;' and then she sang again in low + plaintive voice the first line of the song, suiting the cadence to her own + case:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + His heart is at his office, his heart is <i>always</i> there. +</pre> + <p> + "'It was evident that the Lady Crinoline did not repeat the words in the + feeling of their great author, who when he wrote them had intended to + excite to high deeds of exalted merit that portion of the British youth + which is employed in the Civil Service of the country. + </p> + <p> + "Crinoline laid down her lute—it was in fact an accordion—and + gazing listlessly over the rails of the balcony, looked out at the green + foliage which adorned the enclosure of the square below. + </p> + <p> + "It was Tavistock Square. The winds of March and the showers of April had + been successful in producing the buds of May." + </p> + <p> + 'Ah, Charley, that's taken from the old song,' said Katie, 'only you've + put buds instead of flowers.' + </p> + <p> + 'That's quite allowable,' said Mrs. Woodward—"successful in + producing the buds of May. The sparrows chirped sweetly on the house-top, + and the coming summer gladdened the hearts of all—of all except poor + Crinoline. + </p> + <p> + "'I wonder whether he has a heart, said she; 'and if he has, I wonder + whether it is at his office.' + </p> + <p> + "As she thus soliloquized, the door was opened by a youthful page, on + whose well-formed breast, buttons seemed to grow like mushrooms in the + meadows in August. + </p> + <p> + "'Mr. Macassar Jones,' said the page; and having so said, he discreetly + disappeared. He was in his line of life a valuable member of society. He + had brought from his last place a twelvemonth's character that was + creditable alike to his head and heart; he was now found to be a + trustworthy assistant in the household of the Lady Crinoline's mother, and + was the delight of his aged parents, to whom he regularly remitted no + inconsiderable portion of his wages. Let it always be remembered that the + life even of a page may be glorious. All honour to the true and brave!" + </p> + <p> + 'Goodness, Charley—how very moral you are!' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes,' said he; 'that's indispensable. It's the intention of the <i>Daily + Delight</i> always to hold up a career of virtue to the lower orders as + the thing that pays. Honesty, high wages, and hot dinners. Those are our + principles.' + </p> + <p> + 'You'll have a deal to do before you'll bring the lower orders to agree + with you,' said Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + 'We have a deal to do,' said Charley, 'and we'll do it. The power of the + cheap press is unbounded.' + </p> + <p> + "As the page closed the door, a light, low, melancholy step was heard to + make its way across the drawing-room. Crinoline's heart had given one + start when she had heard the announcement of the well-known name. She had + once glanced with eager inquiring eye towards the door. But not in vain to + her had an excellent mother taught the proprieties of elegant life. Long + before Macassar Jones was present in the chamber she had snatched up the + tambour-frame that lay beside her, and when he entered she was zealously + engaged on the fox's head that was to ornament the toe of a left-foot + slipper. Who shall dare to say that those slippers were intended to grace + the feet of Macassar Jones?" + </p> + <p> + 'But I suppose they were,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'You must wait and see,' said her mother; 'for my part I am not at all so + sure of that.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, but I know they must be; for she's in love with him,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + "'Oh, Mr. Macassar,' said the Lady Crinoline, when he had drawn nigh to + her, 'and how are you to-day?' This mention of his Christian name betrayed + no undue familiarity, as the two families were intimate, and Macassar had + four elder brothers. 'I am so sorry mamma is not at home; she will regret + not seeing you amazingly.' + </p> + <p> + "Macassar had his hat in his hand, and he stood a while gazing at the fox + in the pattern. 'Won't you sit down?' said Crinoline. + </p> + <p> + "'Is it very dusty in the street to-day?' asked Crinoline; and as she + spoke she turned upon him a face wreathed in the sweetest smiles, radiant + with elegant courtesy, and altogether expressive of extreme gentility, + unsullied propriety, and a very high tone of female education. 'Is it very + dusty in the street to-day?' + </p> + <p> + "Charmed by the involuntary grace of her action, Macassar essayed to turn + his head towards her as he replied; he could not turn it much, for he wore + an all-rounder; but still he was enabled by a side glance to see more of + that finished elegance than was perhaps good for his peace of mind. + </p> + <p> + "'Yes,' said he, 'it is dusty;—it certainly is dusty, rather;—but + not very—and then in most streets they've got the water-carts.' + </p> + <p> + "'Ah, I love those water-carts!' said Crinoline; 'the dust, you know, is + so trying.' + </p> + <p> + "'To the complexion?' suggested Macassar, again looking round as best he + might over the bulwark of his collar. + </p> + <p> + "Crinoline laughed slightly; it was perhaps hardly more than a simper, and + turning her lovely eyes from her work, she said, 'Well, to the complexion, + if you will. What would you gentlemen say if we ladies were to be careless + of our complexions?' + </p> + <p> + "Macassar merely sighed gently—perhaps he had no fitting answer; + perhaps his heart was too full for him to answer. He sat with his eye + fixed on his hat, which still dangled in his hand; but his mind's eye was + far away. + </p> + <p> + "'Is it in his office?' thought Crinoline to herself; 'or is it here? Is + it anywhere?' + </p> + <p> + "'Have you learnt the song I sent you? said he at last, waking, as it + were, from a trance. + </p> + <p> + "'Not yet,' said she—'that is, not quite; that is, I could not sing + it before strangers yet.' + </p> + <p> + "'Strangers!' said Macassar; and he looked at her again with an energy + that produced results not beneficial either to his neck or his collar. + </p> + <p> + "Crinoline was delighted at this expression of feeling. 'At any rate it is + somewhere,' said she to herself; 'and it can hardly be all at his office.' + </p> + <p> + "'Well, I will not say strangers,' she said out loud; 'it sounds—it + sounds—I don't know how it sounds. But what I mean is, that as yet + I've only sung it before mamma!'" + </p> + <p> + 'I declare I don't know which is the biggest fool of the two,' said Uncle + Bat, very rudely.' As for him, if I had him on the forecastle of a + man-of-war for a day or two, I'd soon teach him to speak out.' + </p> + <p> + 'You forget, sir,' said Charley,' he's not a sailor, he's only in the + Civil Service; we're all very bashful in the Civil Service.' + </p> + <p> + 'I think he is rather spooney, I must say,' said Katie; whereupon Mrs. + Woodward went on reading. + </p> + <p> + "'It's a sweet thing, isn't it?' said Macassar. + </p> + <p> + "'Oh, very!' said Crinoline, with a rapturous expression which pervaded + her whole head and shoulders as well as her face and bust—'very + sweet, and so new.' + </p> + <p> + "'It quite comes home to me,' said Macassar, and he sighed deeply. + </p> + <p> + "'Then it is at his office,' said Crinoline to herself; and she sighed + also. + </p> + <p> + "They both sat silent for a while, looking into the square—Crinoline + was at one window, and Macassar at the other: 'I must go now,' said he: 'I + promised to be back at three.' + </p> + <p> + "'Back where?' said she. + </p> + <p> + "'At my office,' said he. + </p> + <p> + "Crinoline sighed. After all, it was at his office; it was too evident + that it was there, and nowhere else. Well, and why should it not be there? + why should not Macassar Jones be true to his duty and to his country? What + had she to do with his heart? Why should she wish it elsewhere? 'Twas thus + she tried to console herself, but in vain. Had she had an office of her + own it might perhaps have been different; but Crinoline was only a woman; + and often she sighed over the degradation of her lot. + </p> + <p> + "'Good morning, Miss Crinoline,' said he. + </p> + <p> + "'Good morning, Mr. Macassar,' said she; 'mamma will so regret that she + has lost the pleasure of seeing you.' + </p> + <p> + "And then she rung the bell. Macassar went downstairs perhaps somewhat + slower, with perhaps more of melancholy than when he entered. The page + opened the hall-door with alacrity, and shut it behind him with a slam. + </p> + <p> + "All honour to the true and brave! + </p> + <p> + "Crinoline again took up the note of her sorrow, and with her lute in her + hand, she warbled forth the line which stuck like a thorn in her sweet + bosom:— + </p> + <p> + His heart is in his office—his heart IS ALWAYS <i>there</i>." + </p> + <p> + 'There,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'that's the end of the first chapter.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I like the page the best,' said Linda, 'because he seems to know + what he is about.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, so does the lady,' said Charley; 'but it wouldn't at all do if we + made the hero and heroine go about their work like humdrum people. You'll + see that the Lady Crinoline knows very well what's what.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Charley, pray don't tell us,' said Katie; 'I do so like Mr. Macassar, + he is so spooney; pray go on, mamma.' + </p> + <p> + 'I'm ready,' said Mrs. Woodward, again taking up the manuscript. + </p> + <p> + "CHAPTER II. — "The lovely Crinoline was the only daughter of fond + parents; and though they were not what might be called extremely wealthy, + considering the vast incomes of some residents in the metropolis, and were + not perhaps wont to mix in the highest circles of the Belgravian + aristocracy, yet she was enabled to dress in all the elegance of fashion, + and contrived to see a good deal of that society which moves in the highly + respectable neighbourhood of Russell Square and Gower Street. + </p> + <p> + "Her dresses were made at the distinguished establishment of Madame + Mantalini, in Hanover Square; at least she was in the habit of getting one + dress there every other season, and this was quite sufficient among her + friends to give her a reputation for dealing in the proper quarter. Once + she had got a bonnet direct from Paris, which gave her ample opportunity + of expressing a frequent opinion not favourable to the fabricators of a + British article. She always took care that her shoes had within them the + name of a French cordonnier; and her gloves were made to order in the Rue + Du Bac, though usually bought and paid for in Tottenham Court Road." + </p> + <p> + 'What a false creature!' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'False!' said Charley; 'and how is a girl to get along if she be not + false? What girl could live for a moment before the world if she were to + tell the whole truth about the get-up of her wardrobe—the patchings + and make-believes, the chipped ribbons and turned silks, the little bills + here, and the little bills there? How else is an allowance of £20 a year + to be made compatible with an appearance of unlimited income? How else are + young men to be taught to think that in an affair of dress money is a + matter of no moment whatsoever?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Charley, Charley, don't be slanderous,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'I only repeat what the editor says to me—I know nothing about it + myself. Only we are requested 'to hold the mirror up to nature,'—and + to art too, I believe. We are to set these things right, you know.' + </p> + <p> + 'We—who are we?' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'Why, the <i>Daily Delight</i>,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'But I hope there's nothing false in patching and turning,' said Mrs. + Woodward; 'for if there be, I'm the falsest woman alive. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + To gar the auld claes look amaist as weel's the new +</pre> + <p> + is, I thought, one of the most legitimate objects of a woman's diligence.' + </p> + <p> + 'It all depends on the spirit of the stitches,' said Charley the censor. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I must say I don't like mending up old clothes a bit better than + Charley does,' said Katie; 'but pray go on, mamma;' so Mrs. Woodward + continued to read. + </p> + <p> + "On the day of Macassar's visit in Tavistock Square, Crinoline was dressed + in a most elegant morning costume. It was a very light barege muslin, + extremely full; and which, as she had assured her friend, Miss Manasseh, + of Keppel Street, had been sent home from the establishment in Hanover + Square only the day before. I am aware that Miss Manasseh instantly + propagated an ill-natured report that she had seen the identical dress in + a milliner's room up two pairs back in Store Street; but then Miss + Manasseh was known to be envious; and had moreover seen twelve seasons out + in those localities, whereas the fair Crinoline, young thing, had graced + Tavistock Square only for two years; and her mother was ready to swear + that she had never passed the nursery door till she came there. The ground + of the dress was a light pea-green, and the pattern was ivy wreaths + entwined with pansies and tulips—each flounce showed a separate + wreath—and there were nine flounces, the highest of which fairy + circles was about three inches below the smallest waist that ever was + tightly girded in steel and whalebone. + </p> + <p> + "Macassar had once declared, in a moment of ecstatic energy, that a small + waist was the chiefest grace in woman. How often had the Lady Crinoline's + maid, when in the extreme agony of her labour, put a malediction on his + name on account of this speech! + </p> + <p> + "It is unnecessary to speak of the drapery of the arms, which showed the + elaborate lace of the sleeve beneath, and sometimes also the pearly + whiteness of that rounded arm. This was a sight which would almost drive + Macassar to distraction. At such moments as that the hopes of the + patriotic poet for the good of the Civil Service were not strictly + fulfilled in the heart of Macassar Jones. Oh, if the Lady Crinoline could + but have known! + </p> + <p> + "It is unnecessary also to describe the strange and hidden mechanism of + that mysterious petticoat which gave such full dimensions, such ample + sweeping proportions to the <i>tout ensemble</i> of the lady's appearance. + It is unnecessary, and would perhaps be improper, and as far as I am + concerned, is certainly impossible." + </p> + <p> + Here Charley blushed, as Mrs. Woodward looked at him from over the top of + the paper. + </p> + <p> + "Let it suffice to say that she could envelop a sofa without the slightest + effort, throw her draperies a yard and a half from her on either side + without any appearance of stretching, completely fill a carriage; or, + which was more frequently her fate, entangle herself all but inextricably + in a cab. + </p> + <p> + "A word, however, must be said of those little feet that peeped out now + and again so beautifully from beneath the artistic constructions above + alluded to-of the feet, or perhaps rather of the shoes. But yet, what can + be said of them successfully? That French name so correctly spelt, so + elaborately accented, so beautifully finished in gold letters, which from + their form, however, one would say that the <i>cordonnier</i> must have + imported from England, was only visible to those favoured knights who were + occasionally permitted to carry the shoes home in their pockets. + </p> + <p> + "But a word must be said about the hair dressed <i>à l'imperatrice</i>, + redolent of the sweetest patchouli, disclosing all the glories of that + ingenuous, but perhaps too open brow. A word must be said; but, alas! how + inefficacious to do justice to the ingenuity so wonderfully displayed! The + hair of the Lady Crinoline was perhaps more lovely than abundant: to + produce that glorious effect, that effect which has now symbolized among + English lasses the head-dress <i>à l'imperatrice</i> as the one idea of + feminine beauty, every hair was called on to give its separate aid. As is + the case with so many of us who are anxious to put our best foot foremost, + everything was abstracted from the rear in order to create a show in the + front. Then to complete the garniture of the head, to make all perfect, to + leave no point of escape for the susceptible admirer of modern beauty, + some dorsal appendage was necessary of mornings as well as in the more + fully bedizened period of evening society. + </p> + <p> + "Everything about the sweet Crinoline was wont to be green. It is the + sweetest and most innocent of colours; but, alas! a colour dangerous for + the heart's ease of youthful beauty. Hanging from the back of her head + were to be seen moss and fennel, and various grasses—rye grass and + timothy, trefoil and cinquefoil, vetches, and clover, and here and there + young fern. A story was told, but doubtless false, as it was traced to the + mouth of Miss Manasseh, that once while Crinoline was reclining in a + paddock at Richmond, having escaped with the young Macassar from the heat + of a neighbouring drawing-room, a cow had attempted to feed from her + head." + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Charley, a cow!' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, but you see I don't give it as true,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'I shall never get it done if Katie won't hold her tongue,' said Mrs. + Woodward. + </p> + <p> + "But perhaps it was when at the seaside in September, at Broadstairs, + Herne Bay, or Dover, Crinoline and her mamma invigorated themselves with + the sea-breezes of the ocean—perhaps it was there that she was + enabled to assume that covering for her head in which her soul most + delighted. It was a Tom and Jerry hat turned up at the sides, with a short + but knowing feather, velvet trimmings, and a steel buckle blinking + brightly in the noonday sun. Had Macassar seen her in this he would have + yielded himself her captive at once, quarter or no quarter. It was the + most marked, and perhaps the most attractive peculiarity of the Lady + Crinoline's face, that the end of her nose was a little turned up. This + charm, in unison with the upturned edges of her cruel-hearted hat, was + found by many men to be invincible. + </p> + <p> + "We all know how dreadful is the spectacle of a Saracen's head, as it + appears, or did appear, painted on a huge board at the top of Snow Hill. + From that we are left to surmise with what tremendous audacity of + countenance, with what terror-striking preparations of the outward man, an + Eastern army is led to battle. Can any men so fearfully bold in appearance + ever turn their backs and fly? They look as though they could destroy by + the glance of their ferocious eyes. Who could withstand the hirsute + horrors of those fiery faces? + </p> + <p> + "There is just such audacity, a courage of a similar description, perhaps + we may say an equal invincibility, in the charms of those Tom and Jerry + hats when duly put on, over a face of the proper description—over + such a face as that of the Lady Crinoline. They give to the wearer an + appearance of concentration of pluck. But as the Eastern array does quail + before the quiet valour of Europe, so, we may perhaps say, does the open, + quick audacity of the Tom and Jerry tend to less powerful results than the + modest enduring patience of the bonnet." + </p> + <p> + 'So ends the second chapter—bravo, Charley,' said Mrs. Woodward. 'In + the name of the British female public, I beg to thank you for your + exertions.' + </p> + <p> + 'The editor said I was to write down turned-up hats,' said Charley. 'I + rather like them myself.' + </p> + <p> + 'I hope my new slouch is not an audacious Saracen's head,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'Or mine,' said Katie. 'But you may say what you like about them now; for + mine is drowned.' + </p> + <p> + 'Come, girls, there are four more chapters, I see. Let me finish it, and + then we can discuss it afterwards.' + </p> + <p> + "CHAPTER III. — "Having thus described the Lady Crinoline——" + </p> + <p> + 'You haven't described her at all,' said Linda; 'you haven't got beyond + her clothes yet.' + </p> + <p> + 'There is nothing beyond them,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'You haven't even described her face,' said Katie; 'you have only said + that she had a turned-up nose.' + </p> + <p> + 'There is nothing further that one can say about it,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + "Having thus described the Lady Crinoline,' continued Mrs. Woodward, 'it + now becomes our duty, as impartial historians, to give some account of Mr. + Macassar Jones. + </p> + <p> + "We are not prepared to give the exact name of the artist by whom Mr. + Macassar Jones was turned out to the world so perfectly dressed a man. + Were we to do so, the signal service done to one establishment by such an + advertisement would draw down on us the anger of the trade at large, and + the tailors of London would be in league against the <i>Daily Delight</i>. + It is sufficient to remark that the artist's offices are not a hundred + miles from Pall Mall. Nor need we expressly name the bootmaker to whom is + confided the task of making those feet 'small by degrees and beautifully + less.' The process, we understand, has been painful, but the effect is no + doubt remunerative. + </p> + <p> + "In three especial walks of dress has Macassar Jones been more than + ordinarily careful to create a sensation; and we believe we may assert + that he has been successful in all. We have already alluded to his feet. + Ascending from them, and ascending not far, we come to his coat. It is + needless to say that it is a frock; needless to say that it is a long + frock—long as those usually worn by younger infants, and apparently + made so for the same purpose. But look at the exquisitely small + proportions of the collar; look at the grace of the long sleeves, the + length of back, the propriety, the innate respectability, the perfect + decorum—we had almost said the high moral worth—of the whole. + Who would not willingly sacrifice any individual existence that he might + become the exponent of such a coat? Macassar Jones was proud to do so. + </p> + <p> + "But he had bestowed perhaps the greatest amount of personal attention on + his collar. It was a matter more within his own grasp than those great and + important articles to which attention has been already drawn; but one, + nevertheless, on which he was able to expend the whole amount of his + energy and genius. Some people may think that an all-rounder is an + all-rounder, and that if one is careful to get an all-rounder one has done + all that is necessary. But so thought not Macassar Jones. Some men wear + collars of two plies of linen, some men of three; but Macassar Jones wore + collars of four plies. Some men—some sensual, self-indulgent men—appear + to think that the collar should be made for the neck; but Macassar Jones + knew better. He, who never spared him self when the cause was good, he + knew that the neck had been made for the collar—it was at any rate + evident that such was the case with his own. Little can be said of his + head, except that it was small, narrow, and genteel; but his hat might be + spoken of, and perhaps with advantage. Of the loose but studied tie of his + inch-wide cravat a paragraph might be made; but we would fain not be + tedious. + </p> + <p> + "We will only further remark that he always carried with him a wonderful + representation of himself, like to him to a miracle, only smaller in its + dimensions, like as a duodecimo is to a folio—a babe, as it were, of + his own begetting—a little <i>alter ego</i> in which he took much + delight. It was his umbrella. Look at the delicate finish of its lower + extremity; look at the long, narrow, and well-made coat in which it is + enveloped from its neck downwards, without speck, or blemish, or wrinkle; + look at the little wooden head, nicely polished, with the effigy of a + human face on one side of it—little eyes it has, and a sort of nose; + look closer at it, and you will perceive a mouth, not expressive indeed, + but still it is there—a mouth and chin; and is it, or is it not, an + attempt at a pair of whiskers? It certainly has a moustache. + </p> + <p> + "Such were Mr. Macassar Jones and his umbrella. He was an excellent clerk, + and did great credit to the important office to which he was attached—namely, + that of the Episcopal Audit Board. He was much beloved by the other + gentlemen who were closely connected with him in that establishment; and + may be said, for the first year or two of his service, to have been, not + exactly the life and soul, but, we may perhaps say with more propriety, + the pervading genius of the room in which he sat. + </p> + <p> + "But, alas! at length a cloud came over his brow. At first it was but a + changing shadow; but it settled into a dark veil of sorrow which obscured + all his virtues, and made the worthy senior of his room shake his thin + grey locks once and again. He shook them more in sorrow than in anger; for + he knew that Macassar was in love, and he remembered the days of his + youth. Yes; Macassar was in love. He had seen the lovely Crinoline. To see + was to admire; to admire was to love; to love—that is, to love her, + to love Crinoline, the exalted, the sought-after, the one so much in + demand, as he had once expressed himself to one of his bosom friends—to + love her was to despair. He did despair; and despairing sighed, and + sighing was idle. + </p> + <p> + "But he was not all idle. The genius of the man had that within it which + did not permit itself to evaporate in mere sighs. Sighs, with the + high-minded, force themselves into the guise of poetry, and so it had been + with him. He got leave of absence for a week, and shut himself up alone in + his lodgings; for a week in his lodgings, during the long evenings of + winter, did he remain unseen and unheard of. His landlady thought that he + was in debt, and his friends whispered abroad that he had caught + scarlatina. But at the end of the seven days he came forth, pale indeed, + but with his countenance lighted up by ecstatic fire, and as he started + for his office, he carefully folded and put into his pocket the elegantly + written poem on which he had been so intently engaged." + </p> + <p> + 'I'm so glad we are to have more poetry,' said Katie. 'Is it another + song?' + </p> + <p> + 'You'll see,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + "Macassar had many bosom friends at his office, to all of whom, one by + one, he had confided the tale of his love. For a while he doubted to which + of them he should confide the secret of his inspiration; but genius will + not hide its head under a bushel; and thus, before long, did Macassar's + song become the common property of the Episcopal Audit Board. Even the + Bishops sang it, so Macassar was assured by one of his brother clerks who + was made of a coarser clay than his colleague—even the Bishops sang + it when they met in council together on their own peculiar bench. + </p> + <p> + "It would be useless to give the whole of it here; for it contained ten + verses. The last two were those which Macassar was wont to sing to + himself, as he wandered lonely under the elms of Kensington Gardens. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "'Oh, how she walks, + And how she talks, + And sings like a bird serene; + But of this be sure + While the world shall endure, + The loveliest lady that'll ever be seen + Will still be the Lady Crinoline, + The lovely Lady Crinoline. + + "'With her hair done all <i>à l'impératrice</i>, + Sweetly done with the best of grease, + She looks like a Goddess or Queen,— + And so I declare, + And solemnly swear, + That the loveliest lady that ever was seen + Is still the Lady Crinoline, + The lovely Lady Crinoline.'" +</pre> + <p> + 'And so ends the third chapter,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + Both Katie and Linda were beginning to criticize, but Mrs. Woodward + repressed them sternly, and went on with + </p> + <p> + "CHAPTER IV. — "'It was a lovely day towards the end of May that + Macassar Jones, presenting himself before the desk of the senior clerk at + one o'clock, begged for permission to be absent for two hours. The request + was preferred with meek and hesitating voice, and with downcast eyes. + </p> + <p> + "The senior clerk shook his grey locks sadly! sadly he shook his thin grey + locks, for he grieved at the sight which he saw. 'Twas sad to see the + energies of this young man thus sapped in his early youth by the + all-absorbing strength of a hopeless passion. Crinoline was now, as it + were, a household word at the Episcopal Audit Board. The senior clerk + believed her to be cruel, and as he knew for what object these two hours + of idleness were requested, he shook his thin grey locks in sorrow. + </p> + <p> + "'I'll be back at three, sir, punctual,' said Macassar. + </p> + <p> + "'But, Mr. Jones, you are absent nearly every day for the same period.' + </p> + <p> + "'To-day shall be the last; to-day shall end it all,' said Macassar, with + a look of wretched desperation. + </p> + <p> + "'What—what would Sir Gregory say?' said the senior clerk. + </p> + <p> + "Macassar Jones sighed deeply. Nature had not made the senior clerk a + cruel man; but yet this allusion <i>was</i> cruel. The young Macassar had + drunk deeply of the waters that welled from the fountain of Sir Gregory's + philosophy. He had been proud to sit humbly at the feet of such a + Gamaliel; and now it rent his young heart to be thus twitted with the + displeasure of the great master whom he so loved and so admired. + </p> + <p> + "'Well, go, Mr. Jones,' said the senior clerk, 'go, but as you go, resolve + that to-morrow you will remain at your desk. Now go, and may prosperity + attend you!' + </p> + <p> + "'All shall be decided to-day,' said Macassar, and as he spoke an unusual + spark gleamed in his eye. He went, and as he went the senior clerk shook + his thin grey hairs. He was a bachelor, and he distrusted the charms of + the sex. + </p> + <p> + "Macassar, returning to his desk, took up his hat and his umbrella, and + went forth. His indeed was a plight at which that old senior clerk might + well shake his thin grey hairs in sorrow, for Macassar was the victim of + mysterious circumstances, which, from his youth upwards, had marked him + out for a fate of no ordinary nature. The tale must now be told." + </p> + <p> + 'O dear!' said Linda; 'is it something horrid?' + </p> + <p> + 'I hope it is,' said Katie; 'perhaps he's already married to some old hag + or witch.' + </p> + <p> + 'You don't say who his father and mother are; but I suppose he'll turn out + to be somebody else's son,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'He's a very nice young man for a small tea-party, at any rate,' said + Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + "The tale must now be told," continued Mrs. Woodward. "In his early years + Macassar Jones had had a maiden aunt. This lady died—" + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, mamma, if you read it in that way I shall certainly cry,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, my dear, if your heart is so susceptible you had better indulge + it.' "This lady died and left behind her——" + </p> + <p> + 'What?' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'A diamond ring?' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'A sealed manuscript, which was found in a secret drawer?' suggested + Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'Perhaps a baby,' said Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + "And left behind her a will——" + </p> + <p> + 'Did she leave anything else?' asked Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'Ladies and gentlemen, if I am to be interrupted in this way, I really + must resign my task,' said Mrs. Woodward; 'we shall never get to bed.' + </p> + <p> + 'I won't say another word,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + "In his early years Macassar had had a maiden aunt. This lady died and + left behind her a will, in which, with many expressions of the warmest + affection and fullest confidence, she left £3,000 in the three per cents——" + </p> + <p> + 'What are the three per cents?' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'The three per cents is a way in which people get some of their money to + spend regularly, when they have got a large sum locked up somewhere,' said + Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh!' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'Will you hold your tongue, miss?' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + "Left £3,000 in the three per cents to her nephew. But she left it on + these conditions, that he should be married before he was twenty-five, and + that he should have a child lawfully born in the bonds of wedlock before + he was twenty-six. And then the will went on to state that the interest of + the money should accumulate till Macassar had attained the latter age; and + that in the event of his having failed to comply with the conditions and + stipulations above named, the whole money, principal and interest, should + be set aside, and by no means given up to the said Macassar, but applied + to the uses, purposes, and convenience of that excellent charitable + institution, denominated the Princess Charlotte's Lying-in Hospital. + </p> + <p> + "Now the nature of this will had been told in confidence by Macassar to + some of his brother clerks, and was consequently well known at the + Episcopal Audit Board. It had given rise there to a spirit of speculation + against which the senior clerk had protested in vain. Bets were made, some + in favour of Macassar, and some in that of the hospital; but of late the + odds were going much against our hero. It was well known that in three + short months he would attain that disastrous age, which, if it found him a + bachelor, would find him also denuded of his legacy. And then how short a + margin remained for the second event! The odds were daily rising against + Macassar, and as he heard the bets offered and taken at the surrounding + desks, his heart quailed within him. + </p> + <p> + "And the lovely Crinoline, she also had heard of this eccentric will; she + and her mother. £3,000 with interest arising for some half score of years + would make a settlement by no means despicable in Tavistock Square, and + would enable Macassar to maintain a house over which even Crinoline need + not be ashamed to preside. But what if the legacy should be lost! She also + knew to a day what was the age of her swain; she knew how close upon her + was that day, which, if she passed it unwedded, would see her resolved to + be deaf for ever to the vows of Macassar. Still, if she managed well, + there might be time—at any rate for the marriage. + </p> + <p> + "But, alas! Macassar made no vows; none at least which the most attentive + ear could consider to be audible. Crinoline's ear was attentive, but + hitherto in vain. He would come there daily to Tavistock Square; daily + would that true and valiant page lay open the path to his mistress's feet; + daily would Macassar sit there for a while and sigh. But the envious hour + would pass away, while the wished-for word was still unsaid; and he would + hurry back, and complete with figures, too often erroneous, the audit of + some diocesan balance. + </p> + <p> + "'You must help him, my dear,' said Crinoline's mamma. + </p> + <p> + "'But he says nothing, mamma,' said Crinoline in tears. + </p> + <p> + "'You must encourage him to speak, my dear.' + </p> + <p> + "'I do encourage him; but by that time it is always three o'clock, and + then he has to go away.' + </p> + <p> + "'You should be quicker, my dear. You should encourage him more at once. + Now try to-day; if you can't do anything to-day I really must get your + papa to interfere.' + </p> + <p> + "Crinoline had ever been an obedient child, and now, as ever, she + determined to obey. But it was a hard task for her. In three months he + would be twenty-five—in fifteen months twenty-six. She, however, + would do her best; and then, if her efforts were unavailing, she could + only trust to Providence and her papa. + </p> + <p> + "With sad and anxious heart did Macassar that day take up his new silk + hat, take up also his darling umbrella, and descend the sombre steps of + the Episcopal Audit Office. 'Seven to one on the Lying-in,' were the last + words which reached his ears as the door of his room closed behind him. + His was a dreadful position. What if that sweet girl, that angel whom he + so worshipped, what if she, melted by his tale of sorrow—that is, if + he could prevail on himself to tell it—should take pity, and consent + to be hurried prematurely to the altar of Hymen; and then if, after all, + the legacy should be forfeited! Poverty for himself he could endure; at + least he thought so; but poverty for her! could he bear that? What if he + should live to see her deprived of that green headdress, robbed of those + copious draperies, reduced to English shoes, compelled to desert that + shrine in Hanover Square, and all through him! His brain reeled round, his + head swam, his temples throbbed, his knees knocked against each other, his + blood stagnated, his heart collapsed, a cold clammy perspiration covered + him from head to foot; he could hardly reach the courtyard, and there + obtain the support of a pillar. Dreadful thoughts filled his mind; the + Thames, the friendly Thames, was running close to him; should he not put a + speedy end to all his misery? Those horrid words, that 'seven to one on + the Lying-in,' still rang in his ears; were the chances really seven to + one against his getting his legacy? 'Oh!' said he, 'my aunt, my aunt, my + aunt, my aunt, my aunt!' + </p> + <p> + "But at last he roused the spirit of the man within him. 'Faint heart + never won fair lady,' seemed to be whispered to him from every stone in + Somerset House. The cool air blowing through the passages revived him, and + he walked forth through the wide portals, resolving that he would return a + happy, thriving lover, or that he would return no more—that night. + What would he care for Sir Gregory, what for the thin locks of the senior + clerk, if Crinoline should reject him? + </p> + <p> + "It was his custom, as he walked towards Tavistock Square, to stop at a + friendly pastry-cook's in Covent Garden, and revive his spirits for the + coming interview with Banbury tarts and cherry-brandy. In the moments of + his misery something about the pastry-cook's girl, something that reminded + him of Crinoline, it was probably her nose, had tempted him to confide to + her his love. He had told her everything; the kind young creature pitied + him, and as she ministered to his wants, was wont to ask sweetly as to his + passion. + </p> + <p> + "'And how was the lovely Lady Crinoline yesterday?' asked she. He had + entrusted to her a copy of his poem. + </p> + <p> + "'More beauteous than ever,' he said, but somewhat indistinctly, for his + mouth was clogged with the Banbury tart. + </p> + <p> + "'And good-natured, I hope. Indeed, I don't know how she can resist,' said + the girl; 'I'm sure you'll make it all right to-day, for I see you've got + your winning way with you.' + </p> + <p> + "Winning way, with seven to one against him! Macassar sighed, and spilt + some of his cherry-brandy over his shirt front. The kind-hearted girl came + and wiped it for him. 'I think I'll have another glass,' said he, with a + deep voice. He did take another glass—and also ate another tart. + </p> + <p> + "'He'll pop to-day as sure as eggs, now he's taken them two glasses of + popping powder,' said the girl, as he went out of the shop. 'Well, it's + astonishing to me what the men find to be afraid of.' + </p> + <p> + "And so Macassar hastened towards Tavistock Square, all too quickly; for, + as he made his way across Great Russell Street, he found that he was very + hot. He leant against the rail, and, taking off his hat and gloves, began + to cool himself, and wipe away the dust with his pocket-handkerchief. 'I + wouldn't have minded the expense of a cab,' said he to himself, 'only the + chances are so much against me: seven to one!' + </p> + <p> + "But he had no time to lose. He had had but two precious hours at his + disposal, and thirty minutes were already gone. He hurried on to Tavistock + Square, and soon found that well-known door open before him. + </p> + <p> + "'The Lady Crinoline sits upstairs alone,' said the page, 'and is + a-thinking of you.' Then he added in a whisper, 'Do you go at her + straight, Mr. Macassar; slip-slap, and no mistake.' + </p> + <p> + "All honour to the true and brave! + </p> + <p> + "CHAPTER V. — "As Macassar walked across the drawing-room, Crinoline + failed to perceive his presence, although his boots did creak rather + loudly. Such at least must be presumed to have been the case, for she made + no immediate sign of having noticed him. She was sitting at the open + window, with her lute in hand, gazing into the vacancy of the square + below; and as Macassar walked across the room, a deep sigh escaped from + her bosom. The page closed the door, and at the same moment Crinoline + touched her lute, or rather pulled it at the top and bottom, and threw one + wild witch note to the wind. As she did so, a line of a song escaped from + her lips with a low, melancholy, but still rapturous cadence— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + 'His heart is at his office, his heart is <i>always</i> there.' +</pre> + <p> + "'Oh, Mr. Macassar, is that you?' she exclaimed. She struggled to rise, + but, finding herself unequal to the effort, she sank back again on a + chair, dropped her lute on a soft footstool, and then buried her face in + her hands. It was dreadful for Macassar to witness such agony. + </p> + <p> + "'Is anything the matter?' said he. + </p> + <p> + "'The matter!' said she. 'Ah! ah!' + </p> + <p> + "'I hope you are not sick?' said he. + </p> + <p> + "'Sick!' said she. 'Well, I fear I am very sick.' + </p> + <p> + "'What is it?' said he. 'Perhaps only bilious,' he suggested. + </p> + <p> + "'Oh! oh! oh!' said she. + </p> + <p> + "'I see I'm in the way; and I think I had better go,' and so he prepared + to depart. 'No! no! no!' said she, jumping up from her chair. 'Oh! Mr. + Macassar, don't be so cruel. Do you wish to see me sink on the carpet + before your feet?' + </p> + <p> + "Macassar denied the existence of any such wish; and said that he humbly + begged her pardon if he gave any offence. + </p> + <p> + "'Offence!' said she, smiling sweetly on him; sweetly, but yet sadly. + 'Offence! no—no offence. Indeed, I don't know how you could—but + never mind—I am such a silly thing. One's feelings will sometimes + get the better of one; don't you often find it so?' + </p> + <p> + "'O yes! quite so,' said Macassar. 'I think it's the heat.' + </p> + <p> + "'He's a downright noodle,' said Crinoline's mamma to her sister-in-law, + who lived with them. The two were standing behind a chink in the door, + which separated the drawing-room from a chamber behind it. + </p> + <p> + "'Won't you sit down, Mr. Macassar?' Macassar sat down. 'Mamma will be so + sorry to miss you again. She's calling somewhere in Grosvenor Square, I + believe. She wanted me to go with her; but I could not bring myself to go + with her to-day. It's useless for the body to go out, when the heart still + remains at home. Don't you find it so?' + </p> + <p> + "'Oh, quite so,' said Macassar. The cherry-brandy had already evaporated + before the blaze of all that beauty, and he was bethinking himself how he + might best take himself off. Let the hospital have the filthy lucre! He + would let the money go, and would show the world that he loved for the + sake of love alone! He looked at his watch, and found that it was already + past two. + </p> + <p> + "Crinoline, when she saw that watch, knew that something must be done at + once. She appreciated more fully than her lover did the value of this + world's goods; and much as she doubtless sympathized with the wants of the + hospital in question, she felt that charity should begin at home. So she + fairly burst out into a flood of tears. + </p> + <p> + "Macassar was quite beside himself. He had seen her weep before, but never + with such frightful violence. She rushed up from her chair, and passing so + close to him as nearly to upset him by the waft of her petticoats, threw + herself on to an ottoman, and hiding her face on the stump in the middle + of it, sobbed and screeched, till Macassar feared that the buttons behind + her dress would crack and fly off. + </p> + <p> + "'Oh! oh! oh!' sobbed Crinoline. + </p> + <p> + "'It must be the heat,' said Macassar, knocking down a flower-pot in his + attempt to open the window a little wider. 'O dear, what have I done?' + said he. 'I think I'd better go.' + </p> + <p> + "'Never mind the flower-pot,' said Crinoline, looking up through her + tears. 'Oh! oh! oh! oh! me. Oh! my heart.' + </p> + <p> + "Macassar looked at his watch. He had only forty-five minutes left for + everything. The expense of a cab would, to be sure, be nothing if he were + successful; but then, what chance was there of that? + </p> + <p> + "'Can I do anything for you in the Strand?' said he. 'I must be at my + office at three.' + </p> + <p> + "'In the Strand!' she screeched. 'What could he do for me in the Strand? + Heartless—heartless—heartless! Well, go—go—go to + your office, Mr. Macassar; your heart is there, I know. It is always + there. Go—don't let me stand between you and your duties—between + you and Sir Gregory. Oh! how I hate that man! Go! why should I wish to + prevent you? Of course I have no such wish. To me it is quite indifferent; + only, mamma will be so sorry to miss you. You don't know how mamma loves + you. She loves you almost as a son. But go—go; pray go!' + </p> + <p> + "And then Crinoline looked at him. Oh! how she looked at him! It was as + though all the goddesses of heaven were inviting him to come and eat + ambrosia with them on a rosy-tinted cloud. All the goddesses, did we say? + No, but one goddess, the most beautiful of them all. His heart beat + violently against his ribs, and he felt that he was almost man enough for + anything. Instinctively his hand went again to his waistcoat pocket. + </p> + <p> + "'You shan't look at your watch so often,' said she, putting up her + delicate hand and stopping his. 'There, I'll look at it for you. It's only + just two, and you needn't go to your office for this hour;' and as she + squeezed it back into his pocket, he felt her fingers pressing against his + heart, and felt her hair—done all <i>à l'impératrice</i>—in + sweet contact with his cheek. 'There, I shall hold it there,' said she, + 'so that you shan't look at it again.' + </p> + <p> + "'Will you stay till I bid you go?' said Crinoline. + </p> + <p> + "Macassar declared that he did not care a straw for the senior clerk, or + for Sir Gregory either. He would stay there for ever, he said. + </p> + <p> + "'What! for ever in mamma's drawing-room?' said Crinoline, opening wide + her lovely eyes with surprise. + </p> + <p> + "'For ever near to you,' said Macassar. + </p> + <p> + "'Oh, Mr. Macassar,' said Crinoline, dropping her hand from his waistcoat, + and looking bashfully towards the ground, 'what can you mean?' + </p> + <p> + "Down went Macassar on his knees, and down went Crinoline into her chair. + There was perhaps rather too much distance between them, but that did not + much matter now. There he was on both knees, with his hands clasped + together as they were wont to be when he said his prayers, with his + umbrella beside him on one side, and his hat on the other, making his + declaration in full and unmistakable terms. A yard or two of floor, more + or less, between them, was neither here nor there. At first the bashful + Crinoline could not bring herself to utter a distinct consent, and + Macassar was very nearly up and away, in a returning fit of despair. But + her good-nature came to his aid; and as she quickly said, 'I will, I will, + I will,' he returned to his posture in somewhat nearer quarters, and was + transported into the seventh heaven by the bliss of kissing her hand. + </p> + <p> + "'Oh, Macassar!' said she. + </p> + <p> + "'Oh, Crinoline!' said he. + </p> + <p> + "'You must come and tell papa to-morrow,' said she. + </p> + <p> + "He readily promised to do so. + </p> + <p> + "'You had better come to breakfast; before he goes into the city,' said + she. + </p> + <p> + "And so the matter was arranged, and the lovely Lady Crinoline became the + affianced bride of the happy Macassar. + </p> + <p> + "It was past three when he left the house, but what did he care for that? + He was so mad with joy that he did not even know whither he was going. He + went on straight ahead, and came to no check, till he found himself waving + his hat over his head in the New Road. He then began to conceive that his + conduct must have been rather wild, for he was brought to a stand-still in + a crossing by four or five cabmen, who were rival candidates for his + custom. + </p> + <p> + "'Somerset House, old brick!' he shouted out, as he jumped into a hansom, + and as he did so he poked one of the other cabbies playfully in the ribs + with his umbrella. + </p> + <p> + "'Is mamma don't know as 'ow 'e's hout, I shouldn't vonder,' said the + cabman—and away went Macassar, singing at the top of his voice as he + sat in the cab— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + 'The loveliest lady that ever was seen + Is the lovely Lady Crinoline.' +</pre> + <p> + "The cab passed through Covent Garden on its way. 'Stop at the + pastry-cook's at the corner,' said Macassar up through the little + trap-door. The cab drew up suddenly. 'She's mine, she's mine!' shouted + Macassar, rushing into the shop, and disregarding in the ecstasy of the + moment the various customers who were quietly eating their ices. 'She's + mine, she's mine! + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + With her hair done all <i>á l'impératrice</i>, + Sweetly done with the best of grease. +</pre> + <p> + And now for Somerset House.' + </p> + <p> + "Arrived at those ancient portals, he recklessly threw eighteenpence to + the cabman, and ran up the stone stairs which led to his office. As he did + so the clock, with iron tongue, tolled four. But what recked he what it + tolled? He rushed into his room, where his colleagues were now locking + their desks, and waving abroad his hat and his umbrella, repeated the + chorus of his song. 'She's mine, she's mine— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + The loveliest lady that ever was seen + Is the lovely Lady Crinoline; +</pre> + <p> + and she's mine, she's mine!' + </p> + <p> + "Exhausted nature could no more. He sank into a chair, and his brother + clerks stood in a circle around him. Soon a spirit of triumph seemed to + actuate them all; they joined hands in that friendly circle, and dancing + with joyful glee, took up with one voice the burden of the song— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + 'Oh how she walks, + And how she talks, + And sings like a bird serene, + But of this be sure, + While the world shall endure, + The loveliest lady that ever was seen + Is still the Lady Crinoline— + The lovely Lady Crinoline.' +</pre> + <p> + "And that old senior clerk with the thin grey hair—was he angry at + this general ebullition of joy? O no! The just severity of his discipline + was always tempered with genial mercy. Not a word did he say of that + broken promise, not a word of the unchecked diocesan balance, not a word + of Sir Gregory's anger. He shook his thin grey locks; but he shook them + neither in sorrow nor in anger. 'God bless you, Macassar Jones,', said he, + 'God bless you!' + </p> + <p> + "He too had once been young, had once loved, had once hoped and feared, + and hoped again, and had once knelt at the feet of beauty. But alas! he + had knelt in vain. + </p> + <p> + "'May God be with you, Macassar Jones,' said he, as he walked out of the + office door with his coloured bandana pressed to his eyes. 'May God be + with you, and make your bed fruitful!' + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "'For the loveliest lady that ever was seen + Is the lovely Lady Crinoline,' +</pre> + <p> + shouted the junior clerks, still dancing in mad glee round the happy + lover. + </p> + <p> + "We have said that they all joined in this kindly congratulation to their + young friend. But no. There was one spirit there whom envy had soured, one + whom the happiness of another had made miserable, one whose heart beat in + no unison with these jocund sounds. As Macassar's joy was at its height, + in the proud moment of his triumph, a hated voice struck his ears, and + filled his soul with dismay once more. + </p> + <p> + "'There's two to one still on the Lying-in,' said this hateful Lucifer. + </p> + <p> + "And so Macassar was not all happy even yet, as he walked home to his + lodgings. + </p> + <p> + "CHAPTER VI. — "We have but one other scene to record, but one short + scene, and then our tale will be told and our task will be done. And this + last scene shall not, after the usual manner of novelists, be that of the + wedding, but rather one which in our eyes is of a much more enduring + interest. Crinoline and Macassar were duly married in Bloomsbury Church. + The dresses are said to have come from the house in Hanover Square. + Crinoline behaved herself with perfect propriety, and Macassar went + through his work like a man. When we have said that, we have said all that + need be said on that subject. + </p> + <p> + "But we must beg our readers to pass over the space of the next twelve + months, and to be present with us in that front sitting-room of the + elegant private lodgings, which the married couple now prudently occupied + in Alfred Place. Lodgings! yes, they were only lodgings; for not as yet + did they know what might be the extent of their income. + </p> + <p> + "In this room during the whole of a long autumn day sat Macassar in a + frame of mind not altogether to be envied. During the greater portion of + it he was alone; but ever and anon some bustling woman would enter and + depart without even deigning to notice the questions which he asked. And + then after a while he found himself in company with a very respectable + gentleman in black, who belonged to the medical profession. 'Is it + coming?' asked Macassar. 'Is it, is it coming?' + </p> + <p> + "'Well, we hope so—we hope so,' said the medical gentleman. 'If not + to-day, it will be to-morrow. If I should happen to be absent, Mrs. Gamp + is all that you could desire. If not to-day, it will certainly be + to-morrow,'—and so the medical gentleman went his way. + </p> + <p> + "Now the coming morrow would be Macassar's birthday. On that morrow he + would be twenty-six. + </p> + <p> + "All alone he sat there till the autumn sun gave way to the shades of + evening. Some one brought him a mutton chop, but it was raw and he could + not eat; he went to the sideboard and prepared to make himself a glass of + negus, but the water was all cold. His water at least was cold, though + Mrs. Gamp's was hot enough. It was a sad and mournful evening. He thought + he would go out, for he found that he was not wanted; but a low drizzling + rain prevented him. Had he got wet he could not have changed his clothes, + for they were all in the wardrobe in his wife's room. All alone he sat + till the shades of evening were hidden by the veil of night. + </p> + <p> + "But what sudden noise is that he hears within the house? Why do those + heavy steps press so rapidly against the stairs? What feet are they which + are so busy in the room above him? He opens the sitting-room door, but he + can see nothing. He has been left there without a candle. He peers up the + stairs, but a faint glimmer of light shining through the keyhole of his + wife's door is all that meets his eye. 'Oh, my aunt! my aunt!' he says as + he leans against the banisters. 'My aunt, my aunt, my aunt!' + </p> + <p> + "What a birthday will this be for him on the morrow! He already hears the + sound of the hospital bells as they ring with joy at the acquisition of + their new wealth; he must dash from his lips, tear from his heart, banish + for ever from his eyes, that vision of a sweet little cottage at Brompton, + with a charming dressing-room for himself, and gas laid on all over the + house. + </p> + <p> + "'Lodgings! I hate, I detest lodgings!' he said to himself. 'Connubial + bliss and furnished lodgings are not compatible. My aunt, my aunt, for + what misery hast thou not to answer! Oh, Mrs. Gamp, could you be so + obliging as to tell me what o'clock it is?' The last question was asked as + Mrs. Gamp suddenly entered the room with a candle. Macassar's watch had + been required for the use of one of the servants. + </p> + <p> + "'It's just half-past heleven, this wery moment as is,' said Mrs. Gamp; + 'and the finest boy babby as my heyes, which has seen a many, has ever sat + upon.' + </p> + <p> + "Up, up to the ceiling went the horsehair cushion of the lodging-house + sofa—up went the footstool after it, and its four wooden legs in + falling made a terrible clatter on the mahogany loo-table. Macassar in his + joy got hold of Mrs. Gamp, and kissed her heartily, forgetful of the fumes + of gin. 'Hurrah!' shouted he,' hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! Oh, Mrs. Gamp, I + feel so—so—so—I really don't know how I feel.' + </p> + <p> + "He danced round the room with noisy joy, till Mrs. Gamp made him + understand how very unsuited were such riotous ebullitions to the weak + state of his lady-love upstairs. He then gave over, not the dancing but + the noise, and went on capering round the room with suppressed steps, ever + and anon singing to himself in a whisper, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + 'The loveliest lady that ever was seen + Is still the Lady Crinoline.' +</pre> + <p> + "A few minutes afterwards a knock at the door was heard, and the monthly + nurse entered. She held something in her embrace; but he could not see + what. He looked down pryingly into her arms, and at the first glance + thought that it was his umbrella. But then he heard a little pipe, and he + knew that it was his child. + </p> + <p> + "We will not intrude further on the first interview between Macassar and + his heir." + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + 'And so ends the romantic history of "Crinoline and Macassar",' said Mrs. + Woodward; 'and I am sure, Charley, we are all very much obliged to you for + the excellent moral lessons you have given us.' + </p> + <p> + 'I'm so delighted with it,' said Katie; 'I do so like that Macassar.' + </p> + <p> + 'So do I,' said Linda, yawning; 'and the old man with the thin grey hair.' + </p> + <p> + 'Come, girls, it's nearly one o'clock, and we'll go to bed,' said the + mother. 'Uncle Bat has been asleep these two hours.' + </p> + <p> + And so they went off to their respective chambers. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIII. — SURBITON COLLOQUIES + </h2> + <p> + All further conversation in the drawing-room was forbidden for that night. + Mrs. Woodward would have willingly postponed the reading of Charley's + story so as to enable Katie to go to bed after the accident, had she been + able to do so. But she was not able to do so without an exercise of a + species of authority which was distasteful to her, and which was very + seldom heard, seen, or felt within the limits of Surbiton Cottage. It + would moreover have been very ungracious to snub Charley's manuscript, + just when Charley had made himself such a hero; and she had, therefore, + been obliged to read it. But now that it was done, she hurried Katie off + to bed, not without many admonitions. + </p> + <p> + 'Good night,' she said to Charley; 'and God bless you, and make you always + as happy as we are now. What a household we should have had to-night, had + it not been for you!' + </p> + <p> + Charley rubbed his eyes with his hand, and muttered something about there + not having been the slightest danger in the world. + </p> + <p> + 'And remember, Charley,' she said, paying no attention to his mutterings, + 'we always liked you—liked you very much; but liking and loving are + very different things. Now you are a dear, dear friend—one of the + dearest.' + </p> + <p> + In answer to this, Charley was not even able to mutter; so he went his way + to the inn, and lay awake half the night thinking how Katie had kissed his + hand: during the other half he dreamt, first that Katie was drowned, and + then that Norah was his bride. + </p> + <p> + Linda and Katie had been so hurried off, that they had only been just able + to shake hands with Harry and Charley. There is, however, an old proverb, + that though one man may lead a horse to water, a thousand cannot make him + drink. It was easy to send Katie to bed, but very difficult to prevent her + talking when she was there. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Linda,' she said, 'what can I do for him?' + </p> + <p> + 'Do for him?' said Linda; 'I don't know that you can do anything for him. + I don't suppose he wants you to do anything.' Linda still looked on her + sister as a child; but Katie was beginning to put away childish things. + </p> + <p> + 'Couldn't I make something for him, Linda—something for him to keep + as a present, you know? I would work so hard to get it done.' + </p> + <p> + 'Work a pair of slippers, as Crinoline did,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + Katie was brushing her hair at the moment, and then she sat still with the + brush in her hand, thinking. 'No,' said she, after a while, 'not a pair of + slippers—I shouldn't like a pair of slippers.' + </p> + <p> + 'Why not?' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh—I don't know—but I shouldn't.' Katie had said that + Crinoline was working slippers for Macassar because she was in love with + him; and having said so, she could not now work slippers for Charley. Poor + Katie! she was no longer a child when she thought thus. + </p> + <p> + 'Then make him a purse,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'A purse is such a little thing.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then work him the cover for a sofa, like what mamma and I are doing for + Gertrude.' + </p> + <p> + 'But he hasn't got a house,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'He'll have a house by the time you've done the sofa, and a wife to sit on + it too.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Linda, you are so ill-natured.' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, child, what do you want me to say? If you were to give him one of + those grand long tobacco pipes they have in the shop windows, that's what + he'd like the best; or something of that sort. I don't think he cares much + for girls' presents, such as purses and slippers.' + </p> + <p> + 'Doesn't he?' said Katie, mournfully. + </p> + <p> + 'No; not a bit. You know he's such a rake.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Linda; I don't think he's so very bad, indeed I don't; and mamma + doesn't think so; and you know Harry said on Easter Sunday that he was + much better than he used to be.' + </p> + <p> + 'I know Harry is very good-natured to him.' + </p> + <p> + 'And isn't Charley just as good-natured to Harry? I am quite sure he is. + Harry has only to ask the least thing, and Charley always does it. Do you + remember how Charley went up to town for him the Sunday before last?' + </p> + <p> + 'And so he ought,' said Linda. 'He ought to do whatever Harry tells him.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Linda, I don't know why he ought,' said Katie. 'They are not + brothers, you know, nor yet even cousins.' + </p> + <p> + 'But Harry is very—so very—so very superior, you know,' said + Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'I don't know any such thing,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Katie, don't you know that Charley is such a rake?' + </p> + <p> + 'But rakes are just the people who don't do whatever they are told; so + that's no reason. And I am quite sure that Charley is much the cleverer.' + </p> + <p> + 'And I am quite sure he is not—nor half so clever; nor nearly so + well educated. Why, don't you know the navvies are the most ignorant young + men in London? Charley says so himself.' + </p> + <p> + 'That's his fun,' said Katie: 'besides, he always makes little of himself. + I am quite sure Harry could never have made all that about Macassar and + Crinoline out of his own head.' + </p> + <p> + 'No! because he doesn't think of such nonsensical things. I declare, Miss + Katie, I think you are in love with Master Charley.' + </p> + <p> + Katie, who was still sitting at the dressing-table, blushed up to her + forehead; and at the same time her eyes were suffused with tears. But + there was no one to see either of those tell-tale symptoms, for Linda was + in bed. + </p> + <p> + 'I know he saved my life,' said Katie, as soon as she could trust herself + to speak without betraying her emotion—'I know he jumped into the + river after me, and very, very nearly drowned himself; and I don't think + any other man in the world would have done so much for me besides him.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Katie! Harry would in a moment.' + </p> + <p> + 'Not for me; perhaps he might for you—though I'm not quite sure that + he would.' It was thus that Katie took her revenge on her sister. + </p> + <p> + 'I'm quite sure he would for anybody, even for Sally.' Sally was an + assistant in the back kitchen. 'But I don't mean to say, Katie, that you + shouldn't feel grateful to Charley; of course you should.' + </p> + <p> + 'And so I do,' said Katie, now bursting out into tears, overdone by her + emotion and fatigue; 'and so I do—and I do love him, and will love + him, if he's ever so much a rake! But you know, Linda, that is very + different from being in love; and it was very ill-natured of you to say + so, very.' + </p> + <p> + Linda was out of bed in a trice, and sitting with her arm round her + sister's neck. + </p> + <p> + 'Why, you darling little foolish child, you! I was only quizzing,' said + she. 'Don't you know that I love Charley too?' + </p> + <p> + 'But you shouldn't quiz about such a thing as that. If you'd fallen into + the river, and Harry had pulled you out, then you'd know what I mean; but + I'm not at all sure that he could have done it.' + </p> + <p> + Katie's perverse wickedness on this point was very nearly giving rise to + another contest between the sisters. Linda's common sense, however, + prevailed, and giving up the point of Harry's prowess, she succeeded at + last in getting Katie into bed. 'You know mamma will be so angry if she + hears us,' said Linda, 'and I am sure you will be ill to-morrow.' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't care a bit about being ill to-tomorrow; and yet I do too,' she + added, after a pause, 'for it's Sunday. It would be so stupid not to be + able to go out to-morrow.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, then, try to go to sleep at once'—and Linda carefully tucked + the clothes around her sister. + </p> + <p> + 'I think it shall be a purse,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'A purse will certainly be the best; that is, if you don't like the + slippers,' and Linda rolled herself up comfortably in the bed. + </p> + <p> + 'No—I don't like the slippers at all. It shall be a purse. I can do + that the quickest, you know. It's so stupid to give a thing when + everything about it is forgotten, isn't it?' + </p> + <p> + 'Very stupid,' said Linda, nearly asleep. + </p> + <p> + 'And when it's worn out I can make another, can't I?' + </p> + <p> + 'H'm'm'm,' said Linda, quite asleep. + </p> + <p> + And then Katie went asleep also, in her sister's arms. + </p> + <p> + Early in the morning—that is to say, not very early, perhaps between + seven and eight—Mrs. Woodward came into their room, and having + inspected her charges, desired that Katie should not get up for morning + church, but lie in bed till the middle of the day. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, mamma, it will be so stupid not going to church after tumbling into + the river; people will say that all my clothes are wet.' + </p> + <p> + 'People will about tell the truth as to some of them,' said Mrs. Woodward; + 'but don't you mind about people, but lie still and go to sleep if you + can. Linda, do you come and dress in my room.' + </p> + <p> + 'And is Charley to lie in bed too?' said Katie. 'He was in the river + longer than I was.' + </p> + <p> + 'It's too late to keep Charley in bed,' said Linda, 'for I see him coming + along the road now with a towel; he's been bathing.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, I do so wish I could go and bathe,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + Poor Katie was kept in bed till the afternoon. Charley and Harry, however, + were allowed to come up to her bedroom door, and hear her pronounce + herself quite well. + </p> + <p> + 'How d'ye do, Mr. Macassar?' said she. + </p> + <p> + 'And how d'ye do, my Lady Crinoline?' said Harry. After that Katie never + called Charley Mr. Macassar again. + </p> + <p> + They all went to church, and Katie was left to sleep or read, or think of + the new purse that she was to make, as best she might. + </p> + <p> + And then they dined, and then they walked out; but still without Katie. + She was to get up and dress while they were out, so as to receive them in + state in the drawing-room on their return. Four of them walked together; + for Uncle Bat now usually took himself off to his friend at Hampton Court + on Sunday afternoon. Mrs. Woodward walked with Charley, and Harry and + Linda paired together. + </p> + <p> + 'Now,' said Charley to himself, 'now would have been the time to have told + Mrs. Woodward everything, but for that accident of yesterday. Now I can + tell her nothing; to do so now would be to demand her sympathy and to ask + for assistance;' and so he determined to tell her nothing. + </p> + <p> + But the very cause which made Charley dumb on the subject of his own + distresses made Mrs. Woodward inquisitive about them. She knew that his + life was not like that of Harry—steady, sober, and discreet; but she + felt that she did not like him, or even love him the less on this account. + Nay, it was not clear to her that these failings of his did not give him + additional claims on her sympathies. What could she do for him? how could + she relieve him? how could she bring him back to the right way? She spoke + to him of his London life, praised his talents, encouraged him to + exertion, besought him to have some solicitude, and, above all, some + respect for himself. And then, with that delicacy which such a woman, and + none but such a woman, can use in such a matter, she asked him whether he + was still in debt. + </p> + <p> + Charley, with shame we must own it, had on this subject been false to all + his friends. He had been false to his father and his mother, and had never + owned to them the half of what he owed; he had been false to Alaric, and + false to Harry; but now, now, at such a moment as this, he would not allow + himself to be false to Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes,' he said, 'he was in debt—rather.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward pressed him to say whether his debts were heavy—whether + he owed much. + </p> + <p> + 'It's no use thinking of it, Mrs. Woodward,' said he; 'not the least. I + know I ought not to come down here; and I don't think I will any more.' + </p> + <p> + 'Not come down here!' said Mrs. Woodward. 'Why not? There's very little + expense in that. I dare say you'd spend quite as much in London.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh—of course—three times as much, perhaps; that is, if I had + it—but I don't mean that.' + </p> + <p> + 'What do you mean?' said she. + </p> + <p> + Charley walked on in silence, with melancholy look, very crestfallen, his + thumbs stuck into his waistcoat pockets. + </p> + <p> + 'Upon my word I don't know what you mean,' said Mrs. Woodward. 'I should + have thought coming to Hampton might perhaps—perhaps have kept you—I + don't exactly mean out of mischief.' That, however, in spite of her + denial, was exactly what Mrs. Woodward did mean. + </p> + <p> + 'So it does—but—' said Charley, now thoroughly ashamed of + himself. + </p> + <p> + 'But what?' said she. + </p> + <p> + 'I am not fit to be here,' said Charley; and as he spoke his manly + self-control all gave way, and big tears rolled down his cheeks. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward, in her woman's heart, resolved, that if it might in any way + be possible, she would make him fit, fit not only to be there, but to hold + his head up with the best in any company in which he might find himself. + </p> + <p> + She questioned him no further then. Her wish now was not to torment him + further, but to comfort him. She determined that she would consult with + Harry and with her uncle, and take counsel from them as to what steps + might be taken to save the brand from the burning. She talked to him as a + mother might have done, leaning on his arm, as she returned; leaning on + him as a woman never leans on a man whom she deems unfit for her society. + All this Charley's heart and instinct fully understood, and he was not + ungrateful. + </p> + <p> + But yet he had but little to comfort him. He must return to town on + Monday; return to Mr. Snape and the lock entries, to Mr. M'Ruen and the + three Seasons—to Mrs. Davis, Norah Geraghty, and that horrid Mr. + Peppermint. He never once thought of Clementina Golightly, to whom at that + moment he was being married by the joint energies of Undy Scott and his + cousin Alaric. + </p> + <p> + And what had Linda and Norman been doing all this time? Had they been + placing mutual confidence in each other? No; they had not come to that + yet. Linda still remembered the pang with which she had first heard of + Gertrude's engagement, and Harry Norman had not yet been able to open his + seared heart to a second love. + </p> + <p> + In the course of the evening a letter was brought to Captain Cuttwater, + which did not seem to raise his spirits. + </p> + <p> + 'Whom is your letter from, uncle?' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'From Alaric,' said he, gruffly, crumpling it up and putting it into his + pocket. And then he turned to his rum and water in a manner that showed + his determination to say nothing more on the matter. + </p> + <p> + In the morning Harry and Charley returned to town. Captain Cuttwater went + up with them; and all was again quiet at Surbiton Cottage. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIV. — MR. M'BUFFER ACCEPTS THE CHILTERN HUNDREDS + </h2> + <p> + It was an anxious hour for the Honourable Undecimus Scott when he first + learnt that Mr. M'Buffer had accepted the Stewardship of the Chiltern + Hundreds. The Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds! Does it never occur to + anyone how many persons are appointed to that valuable situation? Or does + anyone ever reflect why a Member of Parliament, when he wishes to resign + his post of honour, should not be simply gazetted in the newspapers as + having done so, instead of being named as the new Steward of the Chiltern + Hundreds? No one ever does think of it; resigning and becoming a steward + are one and the same thing, with this difference, however, that one of the + grand bulwarks of the British constitution is thus preserved. + </p> + <p> + Well, Mr. M'Buffer, who, having been elected by the independent electors + of the Tillietudlem burghs to serve them in Parliament, could not, in + accordance with the laws of the constitution, have got himself out of that + honourable but difficult position by any scheme of his own, found himself + on a sudden a free man, the Queen having selected him to be her steward + for the district in question. We have no doubt but that the deed of + appointment set forth that her Majesty had been moved to this step by the + firm trust she had in the skill and fidelity of the said Mr. M'Buffer; but + if so her Majesty's trust would seem to have been somewhat misplaced, as + Mr. M'Buffer, having been a managing director of a bankrupt swindle, from + which he had contrived to pillage some thirty or forty thousand pounds, + was now unable to show his face at Tillietudlem, or in the House of + Commons; and in thus retreating from his membership had no object but to + save himself from the expulsion which he feared. It was, however, a + consolation for him to think that in what he had done the bulwarks of the + British constitution had been preserved. + </p> + <p> + It was an anxious moment for Undy. The existing Parliament had still a + year and a half, or possibly two years and a half, to run. He had already + been withdrawn from the public eye longer than he thought was suitable to + the success of his career. He particularly disliked obscurity for he had + found that in his case obscurity had meant comparative poverty. An obscure + man, as he observed early in life, had nothing to sell. Now, Undy had once + had something to sell, and a very good market he had made of it. He was of + course anxious that those halcyon days should return. Fond of him as the + electors of Tillietudlem no doubt were, devoted as they might be in a + general way to his interests still, still it was possible that they might + forget him, if he remained too long away from their embraces. 'Out of + sight out of mind' is a proverb which opens to us the worst side of human + nature. But even at Tillietudlem nature's worst side might sometimes show + itself. + </p> + <p> + Actuated by such feelings as these, Undy heard with joy the tidings of + M'Buffer's stewardship, and determined to rush to the battle at once. + Battle he knew there must be. To be brought in for the district of + Tillietudlem was a prize which had never yet fallen to any man's lot + without a contest. Tillietudlem was no poor pocket borough to be disposed + of, this way or that way, according to the caprice or venal call of some + aristocrat. The men of Tillietudlem knew the value of their votes, and + would only give them according to their consciences. The way to win these + consciences, to overcome the sensitive doubts of a free and independent + Tillietudlem elector, Undy knew to his cost. + </p> + <p> + It was almost a question, as he once told Alaric, whether all that he + could sell was worth all that he was compelled to buy. But having put his + neck to the collar in this line of life, he was not now going to withdraw. + Tillietudlem was once more vacant, and Undy determined to try it again, + undaunted by former outlays. To make an outlay, however, at any rate, in + electioneering matters, it is necessary that a man should have in hand + some ready cash; at the present moment Undy had very little, and therefore + the news of Mr. M'Buffer's retirement to the German baths for his health + was not heard with unalloyed delight. + </p> + <p> + He first went into the city, as men always do when they want money; though + in what portion of the city they find it, has never come to the author's + knowledge. Charley Tudor, to be sure, did get £5 by going to the 'Banks of + Jordan;' but the supply likely to be derived from such a fountain as that + would hardly be sufficient for Undy's wants. Having done what he could in + the city, he came to Alaric, and prayed for the assistance of all his + friend's energies in the matter. Alaric would not have been, and was not + unwilling to assist him to the extent of his own immediate means; but his + own immediate means were limited, and Undy's desire for ready cash was + almost unlimited. + </p> + <p> + There was a certain railway or proposed railway in Ireland, in which Undy + had ventured very deeply, more so indeed than he had deemed it quite + prudent to divulge to his friend; and in order to gain certain ends he had + induced Alaric to become a director of this line. The line in question was + the Great West Cork, which was to run from Skibbereen to Bantry, and the + momentous question now hotly debated before the Railway Board was on the + moot point of a branch to Ballydehob. If Undy could carry the West Cork + and Ballydehob branch entire, he would make a pretty thing of it; but if, + as there was too much reason to fear, his Irish foes should prevail, and + leave—as Undy had once said in an eloquent speech at a very + influential meeting of shareholders—and leave the unfortunate + agricultural and commercial interest of Ballydehob steeped in Cimmerian + darkness, the chances were that poor Undy would be well nigh ruined. + </p> + <p> + Such being the case, he had striven, not unsuccessfully, to draw Alaric + into the concern. Alaric had bought very cheaply a good many shares, which + many people said were worth nothing, and had, by dint of Undy's + machinations, been chosen a director on the board. Undy himself meanwhile + lay by, hoping that fortune might restore him to Parliament, and haply put + him on that committee which must finally adjudicate as to the great + question of the Ballydehob branch. + </p> + <p> + Such were the circumstances under which he came to Alaric with the view of + raising such a sum of money as might enable him to overcome the scruples + of the Tillietudlem electors, and place himself in the shoes lately + vacated by Mr. M'Buffer. + </p> + <p> + They were sitting together after dinner when he commenced the subject. He + and Mrs. Val and Clementina had done the Tudors the honour of dining with + them; and the ladies had now gone up into the drawing-room, and were busy + talking over the Chiswick affair, which was to come off in the next week, + and after which Mrs. Val intended to give a small evening party to the + most <i>élite</i> of her acquaintance. + </p> + <p> + 'We won't have all the world, my dear,' she had said to Gertrude, 'but + just a few of our own set that are really nice. Clementina is dying to try + that new back step with M. Jaquêtanàpe, so we won't crowd the room.' Such + were the immediate arrangements of the Tudor and Scott party. + </p> + <p> + 'So M'Buffer is off at last,' said Scott, as he seated himself and filled + his glass, after closing the dining-room door. 'He brought his pigs to a + bad market after all.' + </p> + <p> + 'He was an infernal rogue,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I suppose he was,' said Undy; 'and a fool into the bargain to be + found out.' + </p> + <p> + 'He was a downright swindler,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'After all,' said the other, not paying much attention to Alaric's + indignation, 'he did not do so very badly. Why, M'Buffer has been at it + now for thirteen years. He began with nothing; he had neither blood nor + money; and God knows he had no social merits to recommend him. He is as + vulgar as a hog, as awkward as an elephant, and as ugly as an ape. I + believe he never had a friend, and was known at his club to be the + greatest bore that ever came out of Scotland; and yet for thirteen years + he has lived on the fat of the land; for five years he has been in + Parliament, his wife has gone about in her carriage, and every man in the + city has been willing to shake hands with him.' + </p> + <p> + 'And what has it all come to?' said Alaric, whom the question of + M'Buffer's temporary prosperity made rather thoughtful. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, not so bad either; he has had his fling for thirteen years, and + that's something. Thirteen good years out of a man's life is more than + falls to the lot of every one. And then, I suppose, he has saved + something.' + </p> + <p> + 'And he is spoken of everywhere as a monster for whom hanging is too + good.' + </p> + <p> + 'Pshaw! that won't hang him. Yesterday he was a god; to-day he is a devil; + to-morrow he'll be a man again; that's all.' + </p> + <p> + 'But you don't mean to tell me, Undy, that the consciousness of such + crimes as those which M'Buffer has committed must not make a man wretched + in this world, and probably in the next also?' + </p> + <p> + 'Judge not, and ye shall not be judged,' said Undy, quoting Scripture as + the devil did before him; 'and as for consciousness of crime, I suppose + M'Buffer has none at all. I have no doubt he thinks himself quite as + honest as the rest of the world. He firmly believes that all of us are + playing the same game, and using the same means, and has no idea whatever + that dishonesty is objectionable.' + </p> + <p> + 'And you, what do you think about it yourself?' + </p> + <p> + 'I think the greatest rogues are they who talk most of their honesty; and, + therefore, as I wish to be thought honest myself, I never talk of my own.' + </p> + <p> + They both sat silent for a while, Undy bethinking himself what arguments + would be most efficacious towards inducing Alaric to strip himself of + every available shilling that he had; and Alaric debating in his own mind + that great question which he so often debated, as to whether men, men of + the world, the great and best men whom he saw around him, really + endeavoured to be honest, or endeavoured only to seem so. Honesty was + preached to him on every side; but did he, in his intercourse with the + world, find men to be honest? Or did it behove him, a practical man like + him, a man so determined to battle with the world as he had determined, + did it behove such a one as he to be more honest than his neighbours? + </p> + <p> + He also encouraged himself by that mystic word, 'Excelsior!' To him it was + a watchword of battle, repeated morning, noon, and night. It was the + prevailing idea of his life. 'Excelsior'! Yes; how great, how grand, how + all-absorbing is the idea! But what if a man may be going down, down to + Tophet, and yet think the while that he is scaling the walls of heaven? + </p> + <p> + 'But you wish to think yourself honest,' he said, disturbing Undy just as + that hero had determined on the way in which he would play his present + hand of cards. + </p> + <p> + 'I have not the slightest difficulty about that,' said Undy; 'and I dare + say you have none either. But as to M'Buffer, his going will be a great + thing for us, if, as I don't doubt, I can get his seat.' + </p> + <p> + 'It will be a great thing for you,' said Alaric, who, as well as Undy, had + his Parliamentary ambition. + </p> + <p> + 'And for you too, my boy. We should carry the Ballydehob branch to a dead + certainty; and even if we did not do that, we'd bring it so near it that + the expectation of it would send the shares up like mercury in fine + weather. They are at £2 12s. 6d. now, and, if I am in the House next + Session, they'll be up to £7 10s. before Easter; and what's more, my dear + fellow, if we can't help ourselves in that way, they'll be worth nothing + in a very few months.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric looked rather blank; for he had invested deeply in this line, of + which he was now a director, of a week's standing, or perhaps we should + say sitting. He had sold out all his golden hopes in the Wheal Mary Jane + for the sake of embarking his money and becoming a director in this Irish + Railway, and in one other speculation nearer home, of which Undy had a + great opinion, viz.: the Limehouse Thames Bridge Company. Such being the + case, he did not like to hear the West Cork with the Ballydehob branch + spoken of so slightingly. + </p> + <p> + 'The fact is, a man can do anything if he is in the House, and he can do + nothing if he is not,' said Undy. 'You know our old Aberdeen saying, 'You + scratch me and I'll scratch you.' It is not only what a man may do himself + for himself, but it is what others will do for him when he is in a + position to help them. Now, there are those fellows; I am hand-and-glove + with all of them; but there is not one of them would lift a finger to help + me as I am now; but let me get my seat again, and they'll do for me just + anything I ask them. Vigil moves the new writ to-night; I got a line from + him asking me whether I was ready. There was no good to be got by waiting, + so I told him to fire away.' + </p> + <p> + 'I suppose you'll go down at once?' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, that as may be—at least, yes; that's my intention. But + there's one thing needful—and that is the needful.' + </p> + <p> + 'Money?' suggested Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, money—cash—rhino—tin—ready—or by what + other name the goddess would be pleased to have herself worshipped; money, + sir; there's the difficulty, now as ever. Even at Tillietudlem money will + have its weight.' + </p> + <p> + 'Can't your father assist you?' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'My father! I wonder how he'd look if he got a letter from me asking for + money. You might as well expect a goose to feed her young with blood out + of her own breast, like a pelican, as expect that a Scotch lord should + give money to his younger sons like an English duke. What would my father + get by my being member for Tillietudlem? No; I must look nearer home than + my father. What can you do for me?' + </p> + <h3> + 'I?' + </h3> + <p> + 'Yes, you,' said Undy; 'I am sure you don't mean to say you'll refuse to + lend me a helping hand if you can. I must realize by the Ballydehobs, if I + am once in the House; and then you'd have your money back at once.' + </p> + <p> + 'It is not that,' said Alaric; 'but I haven't got it.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am sure you could let me have a thousand or so,' said Undy. 'I think a + couple of thousand would carry it, and I could make out the other myself.' + </p> + <p> + 'Every shilling I have,' said Alaric, 'is either in the Ballydehobs or in + the Limehouse Bridge. Why don't you sell yourself?' + </p> + <p> + 'So I have,' said Undy; 'everything that I can without utter ruin. The + Ballydehobs are not saleable, as you know.' + </p> + <p> + 'What can I do for you, then?' + </p> + <p> + Undy set himself again to think. 'I have no doubt I could get a thousand + on our joint names. That blackguard, M'Ruen, would do it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Who is M'Ruen?' asked Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'A low blackguard of a discounting Jew Christian. He would do it; but + then, heaven knows what he would charge, and he'd make so many + difficulties that I shouldn't have the money for the next fortnight.' + </p> + <p> + 'I wouldn't have my name on a bill in such a man's hands on any account,' + said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I don't like it myself,' said Undy; 'but what the deuce am I to do? + I might as well go to Tillietudlem without my head as without money.' + </p> + <p> + 'I thought you'd kept a lot of the Mary Janes,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'So I had, but they're gone now. I tell you I've managed £1,000 myself. It + would murder me now if the seat were to go into other hands. I'd get the + Committee on the Limehouse Bridge, and we should treble our money. Vigil + told me he would not refuse the Committee, though of course the Government + won't consent to a grant if they can help it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Undy, I can let you have £250, and that is every shilling I have at + my banker's.' + </p> + <p> + 'They would not let you overdraw a few hundreds?' suggested Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'I certainly shall not try them,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'You are so full of scruple, so green, so young,' said Undy, almost in an + enthusiasm of remonstrance. 'What can be the harm of trying them?' + </p> + <p> + 'My credit.' + </p> + <p> + 'Fal lal. What's the meaning of credit? How are you to know whether you + have got any credit if you don't try? Come, I'll tell you how you can do + it. Old Cuttwater would lend it you for the asking.' + </p> + <p> + To this proposition Alaric at first turned a deaf ear; but by degrees he + allowed Undy to talk him over. Undy showed him that if he lost the + Tillietudlem burghs on this occasion it would be useless for him to + attempt to stand for them again. In such case, he would have no + alternative at the next general election but to stand for the borough of + Strathbogy in Aberdeenshire; whereas, if he could secure Tillietudlem as a + seat for himself, all the Gaberlunzie interest in the borough of + Strathbogy, which was supposed to be by no means small, should be + transferred to Alaric himself. Indeed, Sandie Scott, the eldest hope of + the Gaberlunzie family, would, in such case, himself propose Alaric to the + electors. Ca'stalk Cottage, in which the Hon. Sandie lived, and which was + on the outskirts of the Gaberlunzie property, was absolutely within the + boundary of the borough. + </p> + <p> + Overcome by these and other arguments, Alaric at last consented to ask + from Captain Cuttwater the loan of £700. That sum Undy had agreed to + accept as a sufficient contribution to that desirable public object, the + re-seating himself for the Tillietudlem borough, and as Alaric on + reflection thought that it would be uncomfortable to be left penniless + himself, and as it was just as likely that Uncle Bat would lend him £700 + as £500, he determined to ask for a loan of the entire sum. He accordingly + did so, and the letter, as we have seen, reached the captain while Harry + and Charley were at Surbiton Cottage. The old gentleman was anything but + pleased. In the first place he liked his money, though not with any + overweening affection; in the next place, he had done a great deal for + Alaric, and did not like being asked to do more; and lastly, he feared + that there must be some evil cause for the necessity of such a loan so + soon after Alaric's marriage. + </p> + <p> + Alaric in making his application had not done so actually without making + any explanation on the subject. He wrote a long letter, worded very + cleverly, which only served to mystify the captain, as Alaric had intended + that it should do. Captain Cuttwater was most anxious that Alaric, whom he + looked on as his adopted son, should rise in the world; he would have been + delighted to think that he might possibly live to see him in Parliament; + would probably have made considerable pecuniary sacrifice for such an + object. With the design, therefore, of softening Captain Cuttwater's + heart, Alaric in his letter had spoken about great changes that were + coming, of the necessity that there was of his stirring himself, of the + great pecuniary results to be expected from a small present expenditure; + and ended by declaring that the money was to be used in forwarding the + election of his friend Scott for the Tillietudlem district burghs. + </p> + <p> + Now, the fact was, that Uncle Bat, though he cared a great deal for + Alaric, did not care a rope's end for Undy Scott, and could enjoy his + rum-punch just as keenly if Mr. Scott was in obscurity as he could + possibly hope to do even if that gentleman should be promoted to be a Lord + of the Treasury. He was not at all pleased to think that his hard-earned + moidores should run down the gullies of the Tillietudlem boroughs in the + shape of muddy ale or vitriolic whisky; and yet this was the first request + that Alaric had ever made to him, and he did not like to refuse Alaric's + first request. So he came up to town himself on the following morning with + Harry and Charley, determined to reconcile all these difficulties by the + light of his own wisdom. + </p> + <p> + In the evening he returned to Surbiton Cottage, having been into the city, + sold out stock for £700, and handed over the money to Alaric Tudor. + </p> + <p> + On the following morning Undy Scott set out for Scotland, properly + freighted, Mr. Whip Vigil having in due course moved for a new writ for + the Tillietudlem borough in the place of Mr. M'Buffer, who had accepted + the situation of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXV. — CHISWICK GARDENS + </h2> + <p> + The following Thursday was as fine as a Chiswick flower-show-day ought to + be, and so very seldom is. The party who had agreed to congregate there—the + party, that is, whom we are to meet—was very select. Linda and Katie + had come up to spend a few days with their sister. Mrs. Val, Clementina, + Gertrude, and Linda were to go in a carriage, for which Alaric was + destined to pay, and which Mrs. Val had hired, having selected it + regardless of expense, as one which, by its decent exterior and polished + outward graces, conferred on its temporary occupiers an agreeable + appearance of proprietorship. The two Miss Neverbends, sisters of Fidus, + were also to be with them, and they with Katie followed humbly, as became + their station, in a cab, which was not only hired, but which very vulgarly + told the fact to all the world. + </p> + <p> + Slight as had been the intimacy between Fidus Neverbend and Alaric at + Tavistock, nevertheless a sort of friendship had since grown up between + them. Alaric had ascertained that Fidus might in a certain degree be + useful to him, that the good word of the Aristides of the Works and + Buildings might be serviceable, and that, in short, Neverbend was worth + cultivating. Neverbend, on the other hand, when he perceived that Tudor + was likely to become a Civil Service hero, a man to be named with glowing + eulogy at all the Government Boards in London, felt unconsciously a desire + to pay him some of that reverence which a mortal always feels for a god. + And thus there was formed between them a sort of alliance, which included + also the ladies of the family. + </p> + <p> + Not that Mrs. Val, or even Mrs. A. Tudor, encountered Lactimel and Ugolina + Neverbend on equal terms. There is a distressing habitual humility in many + unmarried ladies of an uncertain age, which at the first blush tells the + tale against them which they are so painfully anxious to leave untold. In + order to maintain their places but yet a little longer in that delicious + world of love, sighs, and dancing partners, from which it must be so hard + for a maiden, with all her youthful tastes about her, to tear herself for + ever away, they smile and say pretty things, put up with the caprices of + married women, and play second fiddle, though the doing so in no whit + assists them in their task. Nay, the doing so does but stamp them the more + plainly with that horrid name from which they would so fain escape. Their + plea is for mercy—'Have pity on me, have pity on me; put up with me + but for one other short twelve months; and then, if then I shall still + have failed, I will be content to vanish from the world for ever.' When + did such plea for pity from one woman ever find real entrance into the + heart of another? + </p> + <p> + On such terms, however, the Misses Neverbend were content to follow Mrs. + Val to the Chiswick flower-show, and to feed on the crumbs which might + chance to fall from the rich table of Miss Golightly; to partake of broken + meat in the shape of cast-off adorers, and regale themselves with lukewarm + civility from the outsiders in the throng which followed that adorable + heiress. + </p> + <p> + And yet the Misses Neverbend were quite as estimable as the divine + Clementina, and had once been, perhaps, as attractive as she is now. They + had never waltzed, it is true, as Miss Golightly waltzes. It may be + doubted, indeed, whether any lady ever did. In the pursuit of that + amusement Ugolina was apt to be stiff and ungainly, and to turn herself, + or allow herself to be turned, as though she were made of wood; she was + somewhat flat in her figure, looking as though she had been uncomfortably + pressed into an unbecoming thinness of substance, and a corresponding + breadth of surface, and this conformation did not assist her in acquiring + a graceful flowing style of motion. The elder sister, Lactimel, was of a + different form, but yet hardly more fit to shine in the mazes of the dance + than her sister. She had her charms, nevertheless, which consisted of a + somewhat stumpy dumpy comeliness. She was altogether short in stature, and + very short below the knee. She had fair hair and a fair skin, small bones + and copious soft flesh. She had a trick of sighing gently in the + evolutions of the waltz, which young men attributed to her softness of + heart, and old ladies to her shortness of breath. They both loved dancing + dearly, and were content to enjoy it whenever the chance might be given to + them by the aid of Miss Golightly's crumbs. + </p> + <p> + The two sisters were as unlike in their inward lights as in their outward + appearance. Lactimel walked ever on the earth, but Ugolina never deserted + the clouds. Lactimel talked prose and professed to read it; Ugolina read + poetry and professed to write it. Lactimel was utilitarian. <i>Cui bono</i>?—though + probably in less classic phrase—was the question she asked as to + everything. Ugolina was transcendental, and denied that there could be + real good in anything. Lactimel would have clothed and fed the hungry and + naked, so that all mankind might be comfortable. Ugolina would have + brought mankind back to their original nakedness, and have taught them to + feed on the grasses of the field, so that the claims of the body, which so + vitally oppose those of the mind, might remain unheeded and despised. They + were both a little nebulous in their doctrines, and apt to be somewhat + unintelligible in their discourse, when indulged in the delights of + unrestrained conversation. Lactimel had a theory that every poor brother + might eat of the fat and drink of the sweet, might lie softly, and wear + fine linen, if only some body or bodies could be induced to do their + duties; and Ugolina was equally strong in a belief that if the mind were + properly looked to, all appreciation of human ill would cease. But they + delighted in generalizing rather than in detailed propositions; and had + not probably, even in their own minds, realized any exact idea as to the + means by which the results they desired were to be brought about. + </p> + <p> + They toadied Mrs. Val—poor young women, how little should they be + blamed for this fault, which came so naturally to them in their forlorn + position!—they toadied Mrs. Val, and therefore Mrs. Val bore with + them; they bored Gertrude, and Gertrude, for her husband's sake, bore with + them also; they were confidential with Clementina, and Clementina, of + course, snubbed them. They called Clementina 'the sweetest creature.' + Lactimel declared that she was born to grace the position of a wife and + mother, and Ugolina swore that her face was perfect poetry. Whereupon + Clementina laughed aloud, and elegantly made a grimace with her nose and + mouth, as she turned the 'perfect poetry' to her mother. Such were the + ladies of the party who went to the Chiswick flower-show, and who + afterwards were to figure at Mrs. Val's little evening 'the dansant,' at + which nobody was to be admitted who was not nice. + </p> + <p> + They were met at the gate of the Gardens by a party of young men, of whom + Victoire Jaquêtanàpe was foremost. Alaric and Charley were to come down + there when their office work was done. Undy was by this time on his road + to Tillietudlem; and Captain Val was playing billiards at his club. The + latter had given a promise that he would make his appearance—a + promise, however, which no one expected, or wished him to keep. + </p> + <p> + The happy Victoire was dressed up to his eyes. That, perhaps, is not + saying much, for he was only a few feet high; but what he wanted in + quantity he fully made up in quality. He was a well-made, shining, jaunty + little Frenchman, who seemed to be perfectly at ease with himself and all + the world. He had the smallest little pair of moustaches imaginable, the + smallest little imperial, the smallest possible pair of boots, and the + smallest possible pair of gloves. Nothing on earth could be nicer, or + sweeter, or finer, than he was. But he did not carry his finery like a hog + in armour, as an Englishman so often does when an Englishman stoops to be + fine. It sat as naturally on Victoire as though he had been born in it. He + jumped about in his best patent leather boots, apparently quite heedless + whether he spoilt them or not; and when he picked up Miss Golightly's + parasol from the gravel, he seemed to suffer no anxiety about his gloves. + </p> + <p> + He handed out the ladies one after another, as though his life had been + passed in handing out ladies, as, indeed, it probably had—in handing + them out and handing them in; and when Mrs. Val's 'private' carriage + passed on, he was just as courteous to the Misses Neverbend and Katie in + their cab, as he had been to the greater ladies who had descended from the + more ambitious vehicle. As Katie said afterwards to Linda, when she found + the free use of her voice in their own bedroom, 'he was a darling little + duck of a man, only he smelt so strongly of tobacco.' + </p> + <p> + But when they were once in the garden, Victoire had no time for anyone but + Mrs. Val and Clementina. He had done his duty by the Misses Neverbend and + those other two insipid young English girls, and now he had his own + affairs to look after. He also knew that Miss Golightly had £20,000 of her + own! + </p> + <p> + He was one of those butterfly beings who seem to have been created that + they may flutter about from flower to flower in the summer hours of such + gala times as those now going on at Chiswick, just as other butterflies + do. What the butterflies were last winter, or what will become of them + next winter, no one but the naturalist thinks of inquiring. How they may + feed themselves on flower-juice, or on insects small enough to be their + prey, is matter of no moment to the general world. It is sufficient that + they flit about in the sunbeams, and add bright glancing spangles to the + beauty of the summer day. + </p> + <p> + And so it was with Victoire Jaquêtanàpe. He did no work. He made no honey. + He appeared to no one in the more serious moments of life. He was the + reverse of Shylock; he would neither buy with you nor sell with you, but + he would eat with you and drink with you; as for praying, he did little of + that either with or without company. He was clothed in purple and fine + linen, as butterflies should be clothed, and fared sumptuously everyday; + but whence came his gay colours, or why people fed him with pate and + champagne, nobody knew and nobody asked. + </p> + <p> + Like most Frenchmen of his class, he never talked about himself. He + understood life, and the art of pleasing, and the necessity that he should + please, too well to do so. All that his companions knew of him was that he + came from France, and that when the gloomy months came on in England, the + months so unfitted for a French butterfly, he packed up his azure wings + and sought some more genial climate, certain to return and be seen again + when the world of London became habitable. + </p> + <p> + If he had means of living no one knew it; if he was in debt no one ever + heard of it; if he had a care in the world he concealed it. He abounded in + acquaintances who were always glad to see him, and would have regarded it + as quite de trop to have a friend. Nevertheless time was flying on with + him as with others; and, butterfly as he was, the idea of Miss Golightly's + £20,000 struck him with delightful amazement—500,000 francs! 500,000 + francs! and so he resolved to dance his very best, warm as the weather + undoubtedly was at the present moment. + </p> + <p> + 'Ah, he was charmed to see madame and mademoiselle look so charmingly,' he + said, walking between mother and daughter, but paying apparently much the + greater share of attention to the elder lady. In this respect we + Englishmen might certainly learn much from the manners of our dear allies. + We know well enough how to behave ourselves to our fair young + countrywomen; we can be civil enough to young women—nature teaches + us that; but it is so seldom that we are sufficiently complaisant to be + civil to old women. And yet that, after all, is the soul of gallantry. It + is to the sex that we profess to do homage. Our theory is, that feminine + weakness shall receive from man's strength humble and respectful service. + But where is the chivalry, where the gallantry, if we only do service in + expectation of receiving such guerdon as rosy cheeks and laughing eyes can + bestow? + </p> + <p> + It may be said that Victoire had an object in being civil to Mrs. Val. But + the truth is, all French Victoires are courteous to old ladies. An + Englishman may probably be as forward as a Frenchman in rushing into a + flaming building to save an old woman's life; but then it so rarely + happens that occasion offers itself for gallantry such as that. A man, + however, may with ease be civil to a dozen old women in one day. + </p> + <p> + And so they went on, walking through parterres and glass-houses, talking + of theatres, balls, dinner-parties, picnics, concerts, operas, of ladies + married and single, of single gentlemen who should be married, and of + married gentlemen who should be single, of everything, indeed, except the + flowers, of which neither Victoire nor his companions took the slightest + notice. + </p> + <p> + 'And madame really has a dance to-night in her own house?' + </p> + <p> + 'O yes,' said Mrs. Val; 'that is, just a few quadrilles and waltzes for + Clementina. I really hardly know whether the people will take the carpet + up or no.' The people, consisting of the cook and housemaid—for the + page had, of course, come with the carriage—were at this moment hard + at work wrenching up the nails, as Mrs. Val was very well aware. + </p> + <p> + 'It will be delightful, charming,' said Victoire. + </p> + <p> + 'Just a few people of our own set, you know,' said Mrs. Val: 'no crowd, or + fuss, or anything of that sort; just a few people that we know are nice, + in a quiet homely way.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ah, that is so pleasing,' said M. Victoire: 'that is just what I like; + and is mademoiselle engaged for—?' + </p> + <p> + No. Mademoiselle was not engaged either for—or for—or for—&c., + &c., &c.; and then out came the little tablets, under the dome of + a huge greenhouse filled with the most costly exotics, and Clementina and + her fellow-labourer in the cause of Terpsichore went to work to make their + arrangements for the evening. + </p> + <p> + And the rest of the party followed them. Gertrude was accompanied by an + Englishman just as idle and quite as useless as M. Victoire, of the + butterfly tribe also, but not so graceful, and without colour. + </p> + <p> + And then came the Misses Neverbend walking together, and with them, one on + each side, two tall Frenchmen, whose faces had been remodelled in that + mould into which so large a proportion of Parisians of the present day + force their heads, in order that they may come out with some look of the + Emperor about them. Were there not some such machine as this in operation, + it would be impossible that so many Frenchmen should appear with + elongated, angular, hard faces, all as like each other as though they were + brothers! The cut of the beard, the long prickly-ended, clotted moustache, + which looks as though it were being continually rolled up in saliva, the + sallow, half-bronzed, apparently unwashed colour—these may all, + perhaps, be assumed by any man after a certain amount of labour and + culture. But how it has come to pass that every Parisian has been able to + obtain for himself a pair of the Emperor's long, hard, bony, cruel-looking + cheeks, no Englishman has yet been able to guess. That having the power + they should have the wish to wear this mask is almost equally remarkable. + Can it be that a political phase, when stamped on a people with an iron + hand of sufficient power of pressure, will leave its impress on the + outward body as well as on the inward soul? If so, a Frenchman may, + perhaps, be thought to have gained in the apparent stubborn wilfulness of + his countenance some recompense for his compelled loss of all political + wilfulness whatever. + </p> + <p> + Be this as it may, the two Misses Neverbend walked on, each with a + stubborn long-faced Frenchman at her side, looking altogether not ill + pleased at this instance of the excellence of French manners. After them + came Linda, talking to some acquaintance of her own, and then poor dear + little Katie with another Frenchman, sterner, more stubborn-looking, more + long-faced, more like the pattern after whom he and they had been + remodelled, than any of them. + </p> + <p> + Poor little Katie! This was her first day in public. With many imploring + caresses, with many half-formed tears in her bright eyes, with many + assurances of her perfect health, she had induced her mother to allow her + to come to the flower-show; to allow her also to go to Mrs. Val's dance, + at which there were to be none but such very nice people. Katie was to + commence her life, to open her ball with this flower-show. In her + imagination it was all to be one long bright flower-show, in which, + however, the sweet sorrowing of the sensitive plant would ever and anon + invite her to pity and tears. When she entered that narrow portal she + entered the world, and there she found herself walking on the well-mown + grass with this huge, stern, bearded Frenchman by her side! As to talking + to him, that was quite out of the question. At the gate some slight + ceremony of introduction had been gone through, which had consisted in all + the Frenchmen taking off their hats and bowing to the two married ladies, + and in the Englishmen standing behind and poking the gravel with their + canes. But in this no special notice had of course been taken of Katie; + and she had a kind of idea, whence derived she knew not, that it would be + improper for her to talk to this man, unless she were actually and <i>bona + fide</i> introduced to him. And then, again, poor Katie was not very + confident in her French, and then her companion was not very intelligible + in his English; so when the gentleman asked, 'Is it that mademoiselle lofe + de fleurs?' poor little Katie felt herself tremble, and tried in vain to + mutter something; and when, again essaying to do his duty, he suggested + that 'all de beauté of Londres did delight to valk itself at Chisveek,' + she was equally dumb, merely turning on him her large eyes for one moment, + to show that she knew that he addressed her. After that he walked on as + silent as herself, still keeping close to her side; and other ladies, who + had not the good fortune to have male companions, envied her happiness in + being so attended. + </p> + <p> + But Alaric and Charley were coming, she knew; Alaric was her + brother-in-law now, and therefore she would be delighted to meet him; and + Charley, dear Charley! she had not seen him since he went away that + morning, now four days since; and four days was a long time, considering + that he had saved her life. Her busy little fingers had been hard at work + the while, and now she had in her pocket the purse which she had been so + eager to make, and which she was almost afraid to bestow. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Linda,' she had said, 'I don't think I will, after all; it is such a + little thing.' + </p> + <p> + 'Nonsense, child, you wouldn't give him a worked counterpane; little + things are best for presents.' + </p> + <p> + 'But it isn't good enough,' she said, looking at her handiwork in despair. + But, nevertheless, she persevered, working in the golden beads with + constant diligence, so that she might be able to give it to Charley among + the Chiswick flowers. Oh! what a place it was in which to bestow a + present, with all the eyes of all the world upon her! + </p> + <p> + And then this dance to which she was going! The thought of what she would + do there troubled her. Would anyone ask her to dance? Would Charley think + of her when he had so many grown-up girls, girls quite grown up, all + around him? It would be very sad if at this London party it should be her + fate to sit down the whole evening and see others dance. It would suffice + for her, she thought, if she could stand up with Linda, but she had an + idea that this would not be allowed at a London party; and then Linda, + perhaps, might not like it. Altogether she had much upon her mind, and was + beginning to think that, perhaps, she might have been happier to have + stayed at home with her mamma. She had not quite recovered from the effect + of her toss into the water, or the consequent excitement, and a very + little misery would upset her. And so she walked on with her Napoleonic + companion, from whom she did not know how to free herself, through one + glass-house after another, across lawns and along paths, attempting every + now and then to get a word with Linda, and not at all so happy as she had + hoped to have been. + </p> + <p> + At last Gertrude came to her rescue. They were all congregated for a while + in one great flower-house, and Gertrude, finding herself near her sister, + asked her how she liked it all. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! it is very beautiful,' said Katie, 'only—' + </p> + <p> + 'Only what, dear?' + </p> + <p> + 'Would you let me come with you a little while! Look here'—and she + crept softly around to the other side of her sister, sidling with little + steps away from the Frenchman, at whom, however, she kept furtively + looking, as though she feared that he would detect her in the act. 'Look + here, Gertrude,' she said, twitching her sister's arm; 'that gentleman + there—you see him, don't you? he's a Frenchman, and I don't know how + to get away from him.' + </p> + <p> + 'How to get away from him?' said Gertrude. 'That's M. Delabarbe de + l'Empereur, a great friend of Mrs. Val's, and a very quiet sort of man, I + believe; he won't eat you.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, he won't eat me, I know; but I can't look at anything, because he + will walk so close to me! Mayn't I come with you?' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude told her she might, and so Katie made good her escape, hiding + herself from her enemy as well as she could behind her sister's + petticoats. He, poor man, was perhaps as rejoiced at the arrangement as + Katie herself; at any rate he made no attempt to regain his prey, but went + on by himself, looking as placidly stern as ever, till he was absorbed by + Mrs. Val's more immediate party, and then he devoted himself to her, while + M. Jaquêtanàpe settled with Clementina the properest arrangement for the + waltzes of the evening. + </p> + <p> + Katie was beginning to be tranquilly happy, and was listening to the + enthusiasm of Ugolina Neverbend, who declared that flowers were the female + poet's fitting food—it may be doubted whether she had ever tried it—when + her heart leaped within her on hearing a sharp, clear, well-known voice, + almost close behind her. It was Charley Tudor. After her silent promenade + with M. Delabarbe de l'Empereur, Katie had been well pleased to put up + with the obscure but yet endurable volubility of Ugolina; but now she felt + almost as anxious to get quit of Ugolina as she had before been to shake + off the Frenchman. + </p> + <p> + 'Flowers are Nature's chef-d'oeuvre,' said Ugolina; 'they convey to me the + purest and most direct essence of that heavenly power of production which + is the sweetest evidence which Jehovah gives us of His presence.' + </p> + <p> + 'Do they?' said Katie, looking over her shoulder to watch what Charley was + doing, and to see whether he was coming to notice her. + </p> + <p> + 'They are the bright stars of His immediate handiwork,' said Ugolina; 'and + if our dim eyes could read them aright, they would whisper to us the + secret of His love.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, I dare say they would,' said Katie, who felt, perhaps, a little + disappointed because Charley lingered a while shaking hands with Mrs. Val + and Clementina Golightly. + </p> + <p> + It was, however, but for a moment. There was much shaking of hands to be + done, and a considerable taking off of hats to be gone through; and as + Alaric and Charley encountered the head of the column first, it was only + natural that they should work their way through it gradually. Katie, + however, never guessed—how could she?—that Charley had + calculated that by reaching her last he would be able to remain with her. + </p> + <p> + She was still listening to Ugolina, who was mounting higher and higher up + to heaven, when she found her hand in Charley's. Ugolina might now mount + up, and get down again as best she could, for Katie could no longer listen + to her. + </p> + <p> + Alaric had not seen her yet since her ducking. She had to listen to and to + answer his congratulations, Charley standing by and making his comments. + </p> + <p> + 'Charley says you took to the water quite naturally, and swam like a + duck,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Only she went in head foremost,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'All bathers ought to do that,' said Alaric; 'and tell me, Katie, did you + feel comfortable when you were in the water?' + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed I don't recollect anything about it,' said she, 'only that I saw + Charley coming to me, just when I was going to sink for the last time.' + </p> + <p> + 'Sink! Why, I'm told that you floated like a deal board.' + </p> + <p> + 'The big hat and the crinoline kept her up,' said Charley; 'she had no + idea of sinking.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Charley, you know I was under the water for a long time; and that if + you had not come, just at that very moment, I should never have come up + again.' + </p> + <p> + And then Alaric went on, and Charley and Katie were left together. + </p> + <p> + How was she to give him the purse? It was burning a hole in her pocket + till she could do so; and yet how was she to get it out of her possession + into his, and make her little speech, here in the public garden? She could + have done it easily enough at home in the drawing-room at Surbiton + Cottage. + </p> + <p> + 'And how do you like the gardens?' asked Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! they are beautiful; but I have hardly been able to see anything yet. + I have been going about with a great big Frenchman—there, that man + there—he has such a queer name.' + </p> + <p> + 'Did his name prevent your seeing?' + </p> + <p> + 'No, not his name; I didn't know his name then. + </p> + <p> + But it seemed so odd to be walking about with such a man as that. But I + want to go back, and look at the black and yellow roses in that house, + there. Would you go with me? that is, if we may. I wonder whether we may!' + </p> + <p> + Charley was clearly of opinion that they might, and should, and would; and + so away they sallied back to the roses, and Katie began to enjoy the first + instalment of the happiness which she had anticipated. In the temple of + the roses the crowd at first was great, and she could not get the purse + out of her pocket, nor make her speech; but after a while the people + passed on, and there was a lull before others filled their places, and + Katie found herself opposite to a beautiful black rose, with no one close + to her but Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'I have got something for you,' she said; and as she spoke she felt + herself to be almost hot with blushing. + </p> + <p> + 'Something for me!' said Charley; and he also felt himself abashed, he did + not know why. + </p> + <p> + 'It's only a very little thing,' said Katie, feeling in her pocket, 'and I + am almost ashamed to ask you to take it. But I made it all myself; no one + else put a stitch in it,' and so saying, and looking round to see that she + was not observed, she handed her gift to Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Katie, dearest Katie,' said he, 'I am so much obliged to you—I'll + keep it till I die.' + </p> + <p> + 'I didn't know what to make that was better,' said she. + </p> + <p> + 'Nothing on earth could possibly be better,' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'A plate of bread and butter and a purse are a very poor return for saving + one's life,' said she, half laughing, half crying. + </p> + <p> + He looked at her with his eyes full of love; and as he looked, he swore + within himself that come what might, he would never see Norah Geraghty + again, but would devote his life to an endeavour to make himself worthy of + the angel that was now with him. Katie the while was looking up anxiously + into his face. She was thinking of no other love than that which it became + her to feel for the man who had saved her life. She was thinking of no + other love; but her young heart was opening itself to a very different + feeling. She was sinking deep, deep in waters which were to go near to + drown her warm heart; much nearer than those other waters which she + fancied had all but closed for ever over her life. + </p> + <p> + She looked into his face and saw that he was pleased; and that, for the + present, was enough for her. She was at any rate happy now. So they passed + on through the roses, and then lost themselves among the geraniums, and + wondered at the gigantic rhododendrons, and beautiful azaleas, and so went + on from house to house, and from flower-bed to flower-bed, Katie talking + and Charley listening, till she began to wonder at her former supineness, + and to say both to herself and out loud to her companion, how very, very, + very glad she was that her mother had let her come. + </p> + <p> + Poor Katie!—dear, darling, bonny Katie!—sweet sweetest, + dearest child! why, oh why, has that mother of thine, that tender-hearted + loving mother, put thee unguarded in the way of such peril as this? Has + she not sworn to herself that over thee at least she would watch as a hen + does over her young, so that no unfortunate love should quench thy young + spirit, or blanch thy cheek's bloom? Has she not trembled at the thought + of what would have befallen thee, had thy fate been such as Linda's? Has + she not often—oh, how often!—on her knees thanked the Almighty + God that Linda's spirit was not as thine; that this evil had happened to + the lamb whose temper had been fitted by Him to endure it? And yet—here + thou art—all unguarded, all unaided, left by thyself to drink of the + cup of sweet poison, and none near to warn thee that the draught is + deadly. + </p> + <p> + Alas!—'twould be useless to warn thee now. The false god has been + placed upon the altar, the temple all shining with gems and gold has been + built around him, the incense-cup is already swinging; nothing will now + turn the idolater from her worship, nothing short of a miracle. + </p> + <p> + Our Katie's childish days are now all gone. A woman's passion glows within + her breast, though as yet she has not scanned it with a woman's + intelligence. Her mother, listening to a child's entreaty, had suffered + her darling to go forth for a child's amusement. It was doomed that the + child should return no more; but in lieu of her, a fair, heart-laden + maiden, whose every fondest thought must henceforth be of a stranger's + welfare and a stranger's fate. + </p> + <p> + But it must not be thought that Charley abused the friendship of Mrs. + Woodward, and made love to Katie, as love is usually made—with warm + words, assurances of affection, with squeezing of the hand, with sighs, + and all a lover's ordinary catalogue of resources. Though we have said + that he was a false god, yet he was hardly to be blamed for the temple, + and gems, and gold, with which he was endowed; not more so, perhaps, than + the unconscious bud which is made so sacred on the banks of the Egyptian + river. He loved too, perhaps as warmly, though not so fatally as Katie + did; but he spoke no word of his love. He walked among the flowers with + her, laughing and listening to her in his usual light-hearted, easy + manner; every now and again his arm would thrill with pleasure, as he felt + on it the touch of her little fingers, and his heart would leap within him + as he gazed on the speaking beauty of her face; but he was too + honest-hearted to talk to the young girl, to Mrs. Woodward's child, of + love. He talked to her as to a child—but she listened to him and + loved him as a woman. + </p> + <p> + And so they rambled on till the hour appointed for quitting this Elysium + had arrived. Every now and again they had a glimpse of some one of their + party, which had satisfied Katie that they were not lost. At first + Clementina was seen tracing with her parasol on the turf the plan of a new + dance. Then Ugolina passed by them describing the poetry of the motion of + the spheres in a full flow of impassioned eloquence to M. Delabarbe de + l'Empereur: '<i>C'est toujours vrai; ce que mademoiselle dit est toujours + vrai</i>,' was the Frenchman's answer, which they heard thrice repeated. + And then Lactimel and Captain Val were seen together, the latter having + disappointed the prophecies which had been made respecting him. Lactimel + had an idea that as the Scotts were great people, they were all in + Parliament, and she was endeavouring to persuade Captain Val that + something ought to be done for the poor. + </p> + <p> + 'Think,' said she, 'only think, Captain Scott, of all the money that this + <i>fête</i> must cost.' + </p> + <p> + 'A doosed sight,' said the captain, hardly articulating from under his + thick, sandy-coloured moustache, which, growing downwards from his nose, + looked like a heavy thatch put on to protect his mouth from the inclemency + of the clouds above. 'A doosed sight,' said the captain. + </p> + <p> + 'Now suppose, Captain Scott, that all this money could be collected. The + tickets, you know, and the dresses, and——' + </p> + <p> + 'I wish I knew how to do it,' said the captain. + </p> + <p> + Lactimel went on with her little scheme for expending the cost of the + flower-show in bread and bacon for the poor Irish of Saffron Hill; but + Charley and Katie heard no more, for the mild philosopher passed out of + hearing and out of sight. + </p> + <p> + At last Katie got a poke in her back from a parasol, just as Charley had + expended half a crown, one of Mr. M'Ruen's last, in purchasing for her one + simple beautiful flower, to put into her hair that night. + </p> + <p> + 'You naughty puss!' said Gertrude, 'we have been looking for you all over + the gardens. Mrs. Val and the Miss Neverbends have been waiting this + half-hour.' Katie looked terribly frightened. 'Come along, and don't keep + them waiting any longer. They are all in the passage. This was your fault, + Master Charley.' + </p> + <p> + 'O no, it was not,' said Katie; 'but we thought——' + </p> + <p> + 'Never mind thinking,' said Gertrude, 'but come along.' And so they + hurried on, and were soon replaced in their respective vehicles, and then + went back to town. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I do think the Chiswick Gardens is the nicest place in all the + world,' said Katie, leaning back in the cab, and meditating on her past + enjoyment. + </p> + <p> + 'They are very pretty—very,' said Lactimel Neverbend. 'I only wish + every cottar had such a garden behind his cottage. I am sure we might + manage it, if we set about it in the right way.' + </p> + <p> + 'What! as big as Chiswick?' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'No; not so big,' said Lactimel; 'but quite as nicely kept.' + </p> + <p> + 'I think the pigs would get in,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'It would be much easier, and more important too, to keep their minds + nicely,' said Ugolina; and there the pigs could never get in.' + </p> + <p> + 'No; I suppose not,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'I don't know that,' said Lactimel. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXVI. — KATIE'S FIRST BALL + </h2> + <p> + In spite of Mrs. Val's oft-repeated assurance that they would have none + but nice people, she had done her best to fill her rooms, and not + unsuccessfully. She had, it is true, eschewed the Golightly party, who + resided some north of Oxford Street, in the purlieus of Fitzroy Square, + and some even to the east of Tottenham Court Road. She had eschewed the + Golightlys, and confined herself to the Scott connexion; but so great had + been her success in life, that, even under these circumstances, she had + found herself able to fill her rooms respectably. If, indeed, there was no + absolute crowding, if some space was left in the front drawing-room + sufficient for the operations of dancers, she could still attribute this + apparent want of fashionable popularity to the selections of the few nice + people whom she had asked. The Hon. Mrs. Val was no ordinary woman, and + understood well how to make the most of the goods with which the gods + provided her. + </p> + <p> + The Miss Neverbends were to dine with the Tudors, and go with them to the + dance in the evening, and their brother Fidus was to meet them there. + Charley was, of course, one of the party at dinner; and as there was no + other gentleman there, Alaric had an excellent opportunity, when the + ladies went up to their toilets, to impress on his cousin the expediency + of his losing no time in securing to himself Miss Golightly's twenty + thousand pounds. The conversation, as will be seen, at last became rather + animated. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Charley, what do you think of the beautiful Clementina?' said + Alaric, pushing over the bottle to his cousin, as soon as they found + themselves alone. 'A 'doosed' fine girl, as Captain Val says, isn't she?' + </p> + <p> + 'A 'doosed' fine girl, of course,' said Charley, laughing. 'She has too + much go in her for me, I'm afraid.' + </p> + <p> + 'Marriage and children will soon pull that down. She'd make an excellent + wife for such a man as you; and to tell you the truth, Charley, if you'll + take my advice, you'll lose no time in making up to her. She has got that + d—— French fellow at her heels, and though I don't suppose she + cares one straw about him, it may be well to make sure.' + </p> + <p> + 'But you don't mean in earnest that you think that Miss Golightly would + have me?' + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed I do—you are just the man to get on with girls; and, as far + as I can see, you are just the man that will never get on in any other way + under the sun.' + </p> + <p> + Charley sighed as he thought of his many debts, his poor prospects, and + his passionate love. There seemed, indeed, to be little chance that he + ever would get on at all in the ordinary sense of the word. 'I'm sure + she'd refuse me,' said he, still wishing to back out of the difficulty. + 'I'm sure she would—I've not got a penny in the world, you know.' + </p> + <p> + 'That's just the reason—she has got lots of money, and you have got + none.' + </p> + <p> + 'Just the reason why she should refuse me, you should say.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well—what if she does? There's no harm done. 'Faint heart never won + fair lady.' You've everything to back you—Mrs. Val is led by Undy + Scott, and Undy is all on your side.' + </p> + <p> + 'But she has got guardians, hasn't she?' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes—her father's first cousin, old Sam Golightly. He is dying; or + dead probably by this time; only Mrs. Val won't have the news brought to + her, because of this party. He had a fit of apoplexy yesterday. Then + there's her father's brother-in-law, Figgs; he's bedridden. When old + Golightly is off the hooks altogether, another will be chosen, and Undy + talks of putting in my name as that of a family friend; so you'll have + everything to assist you.' + </p> + <p> + Charley looked very grave. He had not been in the habit of discussing such + matters, but it seemed to him, that if Alaric was about to become in any + legal manner the guardian of Miss Golightly's fortune, that that in itself + was reason enough why he, Alaric, should not propose such a match as this. + Needy men, to be sure, did often marry rich ladies, and the world looked + on and regarded it only as a matter of course; but surely it would be the + duty of a guardian to protect his ward from such a fate, if it were in his + power to do so. + </p> + <p> + Alaric, who saw something of what was going on in his cousin's mind, + essayed to remove the impression which was thus made. 'Besides, you know, + Clementina is no chicken. Her fortune is at her own disposal. All the + guardians on earth cannot prevent her marrying you if she makes up her + mind to do so.' + </p> + <p> + Charley gulped down his glass of wine, and then sat staring at the fire, + saying nothing further. It was true enough that he was very poor—true + enough that Miss Golightly's fortune would set him on his legs, and make a + man of him—true enough, perhaps, that no other expedient of which he + could think would do so. But then there were so many arguments that were + 'strong against the deed.' In the first place, he thought it impossible + that he should be successful in such a suit, and then again it would + hardly be honest to obtain such success, if it were possible; then, + thirdly, he had no sort of affection whatsoever for Miss Golightly; and + fourthly, lastly, and chiefly, he loved so dearly, tenderly, loved poor + Katie Woodward. + </p> + <p> + As he thought of this, he felt horror-stricken with himself at allowing + the idea of his becoming a suitor to another to dwell for an instant on + his mind, and looking up with all the resolution which he was able to + summon, he said—'It's impossible, Alaric, quite impossible! I + couldn't do it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then what do you mean to do?' said Alaric, who was angry at having his + scheme thus thwarted; 'do you mean to be a beggar?—or if not, how do + you intend to get out of your difficulties?' + </p> + <p> + 'I trust not a beggar,' said Charley, sadly. + </p> + <p> + 'What other hope have you? what rational hope of setting yourself right?' + </p> + <p> + 'Perhaps I may do something by writing,' said Charley, very bashfully. + </p> + <p> + 'By writing! ha, ha, ha,' and Alaric laughed somewhat cruelly at the poor + navvy—' do something by writing! what will you do by writing? will + you make £20,000—or 20,000 pence? Of all trades going, that, I + should say, is likely to be the poorest for a poor man—the poorest + and the most heart-breaking. What have you made already to encourage you?' + </p> + <p> + 'The editor says that 'Crinoline and Macassar' will come to £4 10s.' + </p> + <p> + 'And when will you get it?' + </p> + <p> + 'The editor says that the rule is to pay six months after the date of + publication. The <i>Daily Delight</i> is only a new thing, you know. The + editor says that, if the sale comes up to his expectations, he will + increase the scale of pay.' + </p> + <p> + 'A prospect of £4 10s. for a fortnight's hard work! That's a bad look-out, + my boy; you had better take the heiress.' + </p> + <p> + 'It may be a bad look-out,' said Charley, whose spirit was raised by his + cousin's sneers—'but at any rate it's honest. And I'll tell you + what, Alaric, I'd sooner earn £50 by writing for the press, than get + £1,000 in any other way you can think of. It may be a poor trade in one + way; and authors, I believe, are poor; but I am sure it has its + consolations.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Charley, I hope with all my heart that you may find them. For my + own part, seeing what a place the world is, seeing what are the general + aspirations of other men, seeing what, as it appears to me, the Creator + has intended for the goal of our labours, I look for advancement, + prosperity, and such rank and station as I may be able to win for myself. + The labourer is worthy of his hire, and I do not mean to refuse such wages + as may come in my way.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes,' said Charley, who, now that his spirit was roused, determined to + fight his battle manfully, 'yes, the labourer is worthy of his hire; but + were I to get Miss Golightly's fortune I should be taking the hire without + labour.' + </p> + <p> + 'Bah!' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'It would be dishonest in every way, for I do not love her, and should not + love her at the moment that I married her.' + </p> + <p> + 'Honesty!' said Alaric, still sneering; 'there is no sign of the + dishonesty of the age so strong as the continual talk which one hears + about honesty!' It was quite manifest that Alaric had not sat at the feet + of Undy Scott without profiting by the lessons which he had heard. + </p> + <p> + 'With what face,' continued he, 'can you pretend to be more honest than + your neighbours?' + </p> + <p> + 'I know that it is wrong, and unmanly too, to hunt a girl down merely for + what she has got.' + </p> + <p> + 'There are a great many wrong and unmanly men about, then,' said Alaric. + 'Look through the Houses of Parliament, and see how many men there have + married for money; aye, and made excellent husbands afterwards. I'll tell + you what it is, Charley, it is all humbug in you to pretend to be better + than others; you are not a bit better;—mind, I do not say you are + worse. We have none of us too much of this honesty of which we are so fond + of prating. Where was your honesty when you ordered the coat for which you + know you cannot pay? or when you swore to the bootmaker that he should + have the amount of his little bill after next quarter-day, knowing in your + heart at the time that he wouldn't get a farthing of it? If you are so + honest, why did you waste your money to-day in going to Chiswick, instead + of paying some portion of your debts? Honest! you are, I dare say, + indifferently honest as the world goes, like the rest of us. But I think + you might put the burden of Clementina's fortune on your conscience + without feeling much the worse for it after what you have already gone + through.' + </p> + <p> + Charley became very red in the face as he sat silent, listening to + Alaric's address—nor did he speak at once at the first pause, so + Alaric went on. 'The truth, I take it, is, that at the present moment you + have no personal fancy for this girl.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, I have not,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'And you are so incredibly careless as to all prudential considerations as + to prefer your immediate personal fancies to the future welfare of your + whole life. I can say no more. If you will think well of my proposition, I + will do all I can to assist you. I have no doubt you would make a good + husband to Miss Golightly, and that she would be very happy with you. If + you think otherwise there is an end of it; but pray do not talk so much + about your honesty—your tailor would arrest you to-morrow if he + heard you.' + </p> + <p> + 'There are two kinds of honesty, I take it,' said Charley, speaking with + suppressed anger and sorrow visible in his face, 'that which the world + sees and that which it does not see. For myself, I have nothing to say in + my own defence. I have made my bed badly, and must lie on it as it is. I + certainly will not mend it by marrying a girl that I can never love. And + as for you, Alaric, all who know you and love you watch your career with + the greatest hope. We know your ambition, and all look to see you rise in + the world. But in rising, as you will do, you should remember this—that + nothing that is wrong can become right because other people do it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Charley,' said the other, 'thank you for the lecture. I did not + certainly expect it from you; but it is not on that account the less + welcome. And now, suppose we go upstairs and dress for Mrs. Val;' and so + they went upstairs. + </p> + <p> + Katie's heart beat high as she got out of the carriage—Mrs. Val's + private carriage had been kept on for the occasion—and saw before + and above her on the stairs a crowd of muslin crushing its way on towards + the room prepared for dancing. Katie had never been to a ball before. We + hope that the word ball may not bring down on us the adverse criticism of + the <i>Morning Post</i>. It was probably not a ball in the strictly + fashionable sense of the word, but it was so to Katie to all intents and + purposes. Her dancing had hitherto been done either at children's parties, + or as a sort of supplemental amusement to the evening tea-gatherings at + Hampton or Hampton Court. She had never yet seen the muse worshipped with + the premeditated ceremony of banished carpets, chalked floors, and hired + musicians. Her heart consequently beat high as she made her way upstairs, + linked arm-in-arm with Ugolina Neverbend. + </p> + <p> + 'Shall you dance much?' said Ugolina. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, I hope so,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'I shall not. It is an amusement of which I am peculiarly fond, and for + which my active habits suit me.' This was probably said with some allusion + to her sister, who was apt to be short of breath. 'But in the dances of + the present day conversation is impossible, and I look upon any pursuit as + barbaric which stops the "feast of reason and the flow of soul."' + </p> + <p> + Katie did not quite understand this, but she thought in her heart that she + would not at all mind giving up talking for the whole evening if she could + only get dancing enough. But on this matter her heart misgave her. To be + sure, she was engaged to Charley for the first quadrille and second waltz; + but there her engagements stopped, whereas Clementina, as she was aware, + had a whole book full of them. What if she should get no more dancing when + Charley's good nature should have been expended? She had an idea that no + one would care to dance with her when older partners were to be had. Ah, + Katie, you do not yet know the extent of your riches, or half the wealth + of your own attractions! + </p> + <p> + And then they all heard another little speech from Mrs. Val. 'She was + really quite ashamed—she really was—to see so many people; she + could not wish any of her guests away, that would be impossible—though + perhaps one or two might be spared,' she said in a confidential whisper to + Gertrude. Who the one or two might be it would be difficult to decide, as + she had made the same whisper to every one; 'but she really was ashamed; + there was almost a crowd, and she had quite intended that the house should + be nearly empty. The fact was, everybody asked had come, and as she could + not, of course, have counted on that, why, she had got, you see, twice as + many people as she had expected.' And then she went on, and made the same + speech to the next arrival. + </p> + <p> + Katie, who wanted to begin the play at the beginning, kept her eye + anxiously on Charley, who was still standing with Lactimel Neverbend on + his arm. 'Oh, now,' said she to herself, 'if he should forget me and begin + dancing with Miss Neverbend!' But then she remembered how he had jumped + into the water, and determined that, even with such provocation as that, + she must not be angry with him. + </p> + <p> + But there was no danger of Charley's forgetting. 'Come,' said he, 'we must + not lose any more time, if we mean to dance the first set. Alaric will be + our <i>vis-à-vis</i>—he is going to dance with Miss Neverbend,' and + so they stood up. Katie tightened her gloves, gave her dress a little + shake, looked at her shoes, and then the work of the evening began. + </p> + <p> + 'I shouldn't have liked to have sat down for the first dance,' she said + confidentially to Charley, 'because it's my first ball.' + </p> + <p> + 'Sit down! I don't suppose you'll be let to sit down the whole evening. + You'll be crying out for mercy about three or four o'clock in the + morning.' + </p> + <p> + 'It's you to go on now,' said Katie, whose eyes were intent on the figure, + and who would not have gone wrong herself, or allowed her partner to do + so, on any consideration. And so the dance went on right merrily. + </p> + <p> + 'I've got to dance the first polka with Miss Golightly,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'And the next with me,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'You may be sure I shan't forget that.' + </p> + <p> + 'You lucky man to get Miss Golightly for a partner. I am told she is the + most beautiful dancer in the world.' + </p> + <p> + 'O no—Mademoiselle —— is much better,' said Charley, + naming the principal stage performer of the day. 'If one is to go the + whole hog, one had better do it thoroughly.' + </p> + <p> + Katie did not quite understand then what he meant, and merely replied that + she would look at the performance. In this, however, she was destined to + be disappointed, for Charley had hardly left her before Miss Golightly + brought up to her the identical M. Delabarbe de l'Empereur who had so + terribly put her out in the gardens. This was done so suddenly, that + Katie's presence of mind was quite insufficient to provide her with any + means of escape. The Frenchman bowed very low and said nothing. Katie made + a little curtsy, and was equally silent. Then she felt her own arm + gathered up and put within his, and she stood up to take her share in the + awful performance. She felt herself to be in such a nervous fright that + she would willingly have been home again at Hampton if she could; but as + this was utterly impossible, she had only to bethink herself of her steps, + and get through the work as best she might. + </p> + <p> + Away went Charley and Clementina leading the throng; away went M. + Jaquêtanàpe and Linda; away went another Frenchman, clasping in his arms + the happy Ugolina. Away went Lactimel with a young Weights and Measures—and + then came Katie's turn. She pressed her lips together, shut her eyes, and + felt the tall Frenchman's arms behind her back, and made a start. 'Twas + like plunging into cold water on the first bathing day of the season—'<i>ce + n'est que le premier pas que coute.</i>' When once off Katie did not find + it so bad. The Frenchman danced well, and Katie herself was a wicked + little adept. At home, at Surbiton, dancing with another girl, she had + with great triumph tired out the fingers both of her mother and sister, + and forced them to own that it was impossible to put her down. M. de + l'Empereur, therefore, had his work before him, and he did it like a man—as + long as he could. + </p> + <p> + Katie, who had not yet assumed the airs or will of a grown-up young lady, + thought that she was bound to go on as long as her grand partner chose to + go with her. He, on the other hand, accustomed in his gallantry to obey + all ladies' wishes, considered himself bound to leave it to her to stop + when she pleased. And so they went on with apparently interminable + gyrations. Charley and the heiress had twice been in motion, and had twice + stopped, and still they were going on; Ugolina had refreshed herself with + many delicious observations, and Lactimel had thrice paused to advocate + dancing for the million, and still they went on; the circle was gradually + left to themselves, and still they went on; people stood round, some + admiring and others pitying; and still they went on. Katie, thinking of + her steps and her business, did not perceive that she and her partner were + alone; and ever and anon, others of course joined in—and so they + went on—and on—and on. + </p> + <p> + M. Delabarbe de l'Empereur was a strong and active man, but he began to + perceive that the lady was too much for him. He was already melting away + with his exertions, while his partner was as cool as a cucumber. She, with + her active young legs, her lightly filled veins, and small agile frame, + could have gone on almost for ever; but M. de l'Empereur was more + encumbered. Gallantry was at last beat by nature, his overtasked muscles + would do no more for him, and he was fain to stop, dropping his partner + into a chair, and throwing himself in a state of utter exhaustion against + the wall. + </p> + <p> + Katie was hardly out of breath as she received the congratulations of her + friends; but at the moment she could not understand why they were quizzing + her. In after times, however, she was often reproached with having danced + a Frenchman to death in the evening, in revenge for his having bored her + in the morning. It was observed that M. Delabarbe de l'Empereur danced no + more that evening. Indeed, he very soon left the house. + </p> + <p> + Katie had not been able to see Miss Golightly's performance, but it had + been well worth seeing. She was certainly no ordinary performer, and if + she did not quite come up to the remarkable movements which one sees on + the stage under the name of dancing, the fault was neither in her will nor + her ability, but only in her education. Charley also was peculiarly well + suited to give her 'ample verge and room enough' to show off all her + perfections. Her most peculiar merit consisted, perhaps, in her power of + stopping herself suddenly, while going on at the rate of a hunt one way, + and without any pause or apparent difficulty going just as fast the other + way. This was done by a jerk which must, one would be inclined to think, + have dislocated all her bones and entirely upset her internal + arrangements. But no; it was done without injury, or any disagreeable + result either to her brain or elsewhere. We all know how a steamer is + manoeuvred when she has to change her course, how we stop her and ease her + and back her; but Miss Golightly stopped and eased and backed all at once, + and that without collision with any other craft. It was truly very + wonderful, and Katie ought to have looked at her. + </p> + <p> + Katie soon found occasion to cast off her fear that her evening's + happiness would be destroyed by a dearth of partners. Her troubles began + to be of an exactly opposite description. She had almost envied Miss + Golightly her little book full of engagements, and now she found herself + dreadfully bewildered by a book of her own. Some one had given her a card + and a pencil, and every moment she could get to herself was taken up in + endeavouring to guard herself from perfidy on her own part. All down the + card, at intervals which were not very far apart, there were great C's, + which stood for Charley, and her firmest feeling was that no earthly + consideration should be allowed to interfere with those landmarks. And + then there were all manner of hieroglyphics—sometimes, + unfortunately, illegible to Katie herself—French names and English + names mixed together in a manner most vexatious; and to make matters + worse, she found that she had put down both Victoire Jaquêtanàpe and Mr. + Johnson of the Weights, by a great I, and she could not remember with whom + she was bound to dance the lancers, and to which she had promised the last + polka before supper. One thing, however, was quite fixed: when supper + should arrive she was to go downstairs with Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'What dreadful news, Linda!' said Charley; 'did you hear it?' Linda was + standing up with Mr. Neverbend for a sober quadrille, and Katie also was + close by with her partner. 'Dreadful news indeed!' + </p> + <p> + 'What is it?' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'A man can die but once, to be sure; but to be killed in such a manner as + that, is certainly very sad.' + </p> + <p> + 'Killed! who has been killed?' said Neverbend. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, perhaps I shouldn't say killed. He only died in the cab as he went + home.' + </p> + <p> + 'Died in a cab! how dreadful!' said Neverbend. 'Who? who was it, Mr. + Tudor?' + </p> + <p> + 'Didn't you hear? How very odd! Why M. de l'Empereur, to be sure. I wonder + what the coroner will bring it in.' + </p> + <p> + 'How can you talk such nonsense, Charley?' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'Very well, Master Charley,' said Katie. 'All that comes of being a writer + of romances. I suppose that's to be the next contribution to the <i>Daily + Delight</i>.' + </p> + <p> + Neverbend went off on his quadrille not at all pleased with the joke. + Indeed, he was never pleased with a joke, and in this instance he ventured + to suggest to his partner that the idea of a gentleman expiring in a cab + was much too horrid to be laughed at. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, we never mind Charley Tudor,' said Linda; 'he always goes on in that + way. We all like him so much.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Neverbend, who, though not very young, still had a susceptible heart + within his bosom, had been much taken by Linda's charms. He already began + to entertain an idea that as a Mrs. Neverbend would be a desirable adjunct + to his establishment at some future period, he could not do better than + offer himself and his worldly goods to the acceptance of Miss Woodward; he + therefore said nothing further in disparagement of the family friend; but + he resolved that no such alliance should ever induce him to make Mr. + Charles Tudor welcome at his house. But what could he have expected? The + Internal Navigation had ever been a low place, and he was surprised that + the Hon. Mrs. Val should have admitted one of the navvies inside her + drawing-room. + </p> + <p> + And so the ball went on. Mr. Johnson came duly for the lancers, and M. + Jaquêtanàpe for the polka. Johnson was great at the lancers, knowing every + turn and vagary in that most intricate and exclusive of dances; and it + need hardly be said that the polka with M. Jaquêtanàpe was successful. The + last honour, however, was not without evil results, for it excited the + envy of Ugolina, who, proud of her own performance, had longed, but + hitherto in vain, to be whirled round the room by that wondrously expert + foreigner. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, my dear,' said Ugolina, with an air that plainly said that Katie + was to be treated as a child, 'I hope you have had dancing enough.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, indeed I have not,' said Katie, fully appreciating the purport and + cause of her companion's remark; 'not near enough.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ah—but, my dear—you should remember,' said Ugolina; 'your + mamma will be displeased if you fatigue yourself.' + </p> + <p> + 'My mamma is never displeased because we amuse ourselves, and I am not a + bit fatigued;' and so saying Katie walked off, and took refuge with her + sister Gertrude. What business had any Ugolina Neverbend to interfere + between her and her mamma? + </p> + <p> + Then came the supper. There was a great rush to get downstairs, but + Charley was so clever that even this did not put him out. Of course there + was no sitting down; which means that the bashful, retiring, and obedient + guests were to stand on their legs; while those who were forward, and + impudent, and disobedient, found seats for themselves wherever they could. + Charley was certainly among the latter class, and he did not rest + therefore till he had got Katie into an old arm-chair in one corner of the + room, in such a position as to enable himself to eat his own supper + leaning against the chimney-piece. + </p> + <p> + 'I say, Johnson,' said he, 'do bring me some ham and chicken—it's + for a lady—I'm wedged up here and can't get out—and, Johnson, + some sherry.' + </p> + <p> + The good-natured young Weights obeyed, and brought the desired provisions. + </p> + <p> + 'And Johnson—upon my word I'm sorry to be so troublesome—but + one more plateful if you please—for another lady—a good deal, + if you please, for this lady, for she's very hungry; and some more + sherry.' + </p> + <p> + Johnson again obeyed—the Weights are always obedient—and + Charley of course appropriated the second portion to his own purposes. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Charley, that was a fib—now wasn't it? You shouldn't have said + it was for a lady.' + </p> + <p> + 'But then I shouldn't have got it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, but that's no reason; according to that everybody might tell a fib + whenever they wanted anything.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, everybody does—everybody except you, Katie.' + </p> + <p> + 'O no,' said Katie—'no they don't—mamma, and Linda, and + Gertrude never do; nor Harry Norman, he never does, nor Alaric.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, Harry Norman never does,' said Charley, with something like vexation + in his tone. He made no exception to Katie's list of truth-tellers, but he + was thinking within himself whether Alaric had a juster right to be in the + catalogue than himself. 'Harry Norman never does, certainly. You must not + compare me with them, Katie. They are patterns of excellence. I am all the + other way, as everybody knows.' He was half laughing as he spoke, but + Katie's sharp ear knew that he was more than half in earnest, and she felt + she had pained him by what she had said. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Charley, I didn't mean that; indeed I did not. I know that in all + serious things you are as truthful as they are—and quite as good—that + is, in many ways.' Poor Katie! she wanted to console him, she wanted to be + kind, and yet she could not be dishonest. + </p> + <p> + 'Quite as good! no, you know I am not.' + </p> + <p> + 'You are as good-hearted, if not better; and you will be as steady, won't + you, Charley? I am sure you will; and I know you are more clever, really + more clever than either of them.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Katie.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am quite sure you are. I have always said so; don't be angry with me + for what I said.' + </p> + <p> + 'Angry with you! I couldn't be angry with you.' + </p> + <p> + 'I wouldn't, for the world, say anything to vex you. I like you better + than either of them, though Alaric is my brother-in-law. Of course I do; + how could I help it, when you saved my life?' + </p> + <p> + 'Saved your life! Pooh! I didn't save your life. Any boy could have done + the same, or any waterman about the place. When you fell in, the person + who was nearest you pulled you out, that was all.' + </p> + <p> + There was something almost approaching to ferocity in his voice as he said + this; and yet when Katie timidly looked up she saw that he had turned his + back to the room, and that his eyes were full of tears. He had felt that + he was loved by this child, but that he was loved from a feeling of + uncalled-for gratitude. He could not stop to analyse this, to separate the + sweet from the bitter; but he knew that the latter prevailed. It is so + little flattering to be loved when such love is the offspring of + gratitude. And then when that gratitude is unnecessary, when it has been + given in mistake for supposed favours, the acceptance of such love is + little better than a cheat! + </p> + <p> + 'That was not all,' said Katie, very decidedly. 'It never shall be all in + my mind. If you had not been with us I should now have been drowned, and + cold, and dead; and mamma! where would she have been? Oh! Charley, I shall + think myself so wicked if I have said anything to vex you.' + </p> + <p> + Charley did not analyse his feelings, nor did Katie analyse hers. It would + have been impossible for her to do so. But could she have done it, and had + she done it, she would have found that her gratitude was but the excuse + which she made to herself for a passionate love which she could not have + excused, even to herself, in any other way. + </p> + <p> + He said everything he could to reassure her and make her happy, and she + soon smiled and laughed again. + </p> + <p> + 'Now, that's what my editor would call a Nemesis,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, that's a Nemesis, is it?' + </p> + <p> + 'Johnson was cheated into doing my work, and getting me my supper; and + then you scolded me, and took away my appetite, so that I couldn't eat it; + that's a Nemesis. Johnson is avenged, only, unluckily, he doesn't know it, + and wickedness is punished.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, mind you put it into the <i>Daily Delight</i>. But all the girls + are going upstairs; pray let me get out,' and so Katie went upstairs + again. + </p> + <p> + It was then past one. About two hours afterwards, Gertrude, looking for + her sister that she might take her home, found her seated on a bench, with + her feet tucked under her dress. She was very much fatigued, and she + looked to be so; but there was still a bright laughing sparkle in her eye, + which showed that her spirits were not even yet weary. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Katie, have you had enough dancing?' + </p> + <p> + 'Nearly,' said Katie, yawning. + </p> + <p> + 'You look as if you couldn't stand.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, I am too tired to stand; but still I think I could dance a little + more, only—' + </p> + <p> + 'Only what?' + </p> + <p> + 'Whisper,' said Katie; and Gertrude put down her ear near to her sister's + lips. 'Both my shoes are quite worn out, and my toes are all out on the + floor.' + </p> + <p> + It was clearly time for them to go home, so away they all went. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0027" id="link2HCH0027"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXVII. — EXCELSIOR + </h2> + <p> + The last words that Katie spoke as she walked down Mrs. Val's hall, + leaning on Charley's arm, as he led her to the carriage, were these— + </p> + <p> + 'You will be steady, Charley, won't you? you will try to be steady, won't + you, dear Charley?' and as she spoke she almost imperceptibly squeezed the + arm on which she was leaning. Charley pressed her little hand as he parted + from her, but he said nothing. What could he say, in that moment of time, + in answer to such a request? Had he made the reply which would have come + most readily to his lips, it would have been this: 'It is too late, Katie—too + late for me to profit by a caution, even from you—no steadiness now + will save me.' Katie, however, wanted no other answer than the warm + pressure which she felt on her hand. + </p> + <p> + And then, leaning back in the carriage, and shutting her eyes, she tried + to think quietly over the events of the night. But it was, alas! a dream, + and yet so like reality that she could not divest herself of the feeling + that the ball was still going on. She still seemed to see the lights and + hear the music, to feel herself whirled round the room, and to see others + whirling, whirling, whirling on every side of her. She thought over all + the names on her card, and the little contests that had taken place for + her hand, and all Charley's jokes, and M. de l'Empereur's great disaster; + and then as she remembered how long she had gone on twisting round with + the poor unfortunate ill-used Frenchman, she involuntarily burst out into + a fit of laughter. + </p> + <p> + 'Good gracious, Katie, what is the matter? I thought you were asleep,' + said Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + 'So did I,' said Linda. 'What on earth can you be laughing at now?' + </p> + <p> + 'I was laughing at myself,' said Katie, still going on with her + half-suppressed chuckle, 'and thinking what a fool I was to go on dancing + so long with that M. de l'Empereur. Oh dear, Gertrude, I am so tired: + shall we be home soon?' and then she burst out crying. + </p> + <p> + The excitement and fatigue of the day had been too much for her, and she + was now completely overcome. Ugolina Neverbend's advice, though not quite + given in the kindest way, had in itself been good. Mrs. Woodward would, in + truth, have been unhappy could she have seen her child at this moment. + Katie made an attempt to laugh off her tears, but she failed, and her sobs + then became hysterical, and she lay with her head on her married sister's + shoulder, almost choking herself in her attempts to repress them. + </p> + <p> + 'Dear Katie, don't sob so,' said Linda—'don't cry, pray don't cry, + dear Katie.' + </p> + <p> + 'She had better let it have its way,' said Gertrude; 'she will be better + directly, won't you, Katie?' + </p> + <p> + In a little time she was better, and then she burst out laughing again. 'I + wonder why the man went on when he was so tired. What a stupid man he must + be!' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude and Linda both laughed in order to comfort her and bring her + round. + </p> + <p> + 'Do you know, I think it was because he didn't know how to say 'stop' in + English;' and then she burst out laughing again, and that led to another + fit of hysterical tears. + </p> + <p> + When they reached home Gertrude and Linda soon got her into bed. Linda was + to sleep with her, and she also was not very long in laying her head on + her pillow. But before she did so Katie was fast asleep, and twice in her + sleep she cried out, 'Oh, Charley! Oh, Charley!' Then Linda guessed how it + was with her sister, and in the depths of her loving heart she sorrowed + for the coming grief which she foresaw. + </p> + <p> + When the morning came Katie was feverish, and had a headache. It was + thought better that she should remain in town, and Alaric took Linda down + to Hampton. The next day Mrs. Woodward came up, and as the invalid was + better she took her home. But still she was an invalid. The doctor + declared that she had never quite recovered from her fall into the river, + and prescribed quiet and cod-liver oil. All the truth about the Chiswick + fête and the five hours' dancing, and the worn-out shoes, was not told to + him, or he might, perhaps, have acquitted the water-gods of the injury. + Nor was it all, perhaps, told to Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'I'm afraid she tired herself at the ball,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'I think she did a little,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'Did she dance much?' said Mrs. Woodward, looking anxiously. + </p> + <p> + 'She did dance a good deal,' said Linda. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward was too wise to ask any further questions. + </p> + <p> + As it was a fine night Alaric had declared his intention of walking home + from Mrs. Val's party, and he and Charley started together. They soon + parted on their roads, but not before Alaric had had time to notice + Charley's perverse stupidity as to Miss Golightly. + </p> + <p> + 'So you wouldn't take my advice about Clementina?' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'It was quite impossible, Alaric,' said Charley, in an apologetic voice. + 'I couldn't do it, and, what is more, I am sure I never shall.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, not now; you certainly can't do it now. If I am not very much + mistaken, the chance is gone. I think you'll find she engaged herself to + that Frenchman to-night.' + </p> + <p> + 'Very likely,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Well—I did the best I could for you. Good night, old fellow.' + </p> + <p> + 'I'm sure I'm much obliged to you. Good night,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + Alaric's suggestion with reference to the heiress was quite correct: M. + Jaquêtanàpe had that night proposed, and been duly accepted. He was to + present himself to his loved one's honourable mother on the following + morning as her future son-in-law, comforted and supported in his task of + doing so by an assurance from the lady that if her mother would not give + her consent the marriage should go on all the same without it. How + delightful to have such a dancer for her lover! thought Clementina. That + was her 'Excelsior.' + </p> + <p> + Charley walked home with a sad heart. He had that day given a pledge that + he would on the morrow go to the 'Cat and Whistle,' and visit his + lady-love. Since the night when he sat there with Norah Geraghty on his + knee, now nearly a fortnight since, he had spent but little of his time + there. He had, indeed, gone there once or twice with his friend + Scatterall, but had contrived to avoid any confidential intercourse with + either the landlady or the barmaid, alleging, as an excuse for his + extra-ordinary absence, that his time was wholly occupied by the demands + made on it by the editor of the <i>Daily Delight</i>. Mrs. Davis, however, + was much too sharp, and so also we may say was Miss Geraghty, to be + deceived. They well knew that such a young man as Charley would go + wherever his inclination led him. Till lately it had been all but + impossible to get him out of the little back parlour at the 'Cat and + Whistle'; now it was nearly as difficult to get him into it. They both + understood what this meant. + </p> + <p> + 'You'd better take up with Peppermint and have done with it,' said the + widow. 'What's the good of your shilly-shallying till you're as thin as a + whipping-post? If you don't mind what you're after he'll be off too.' + </p> + <p> + 'And the d—— go along with him,' said Miss Geraghty, who had + still about her a twang of the County Clare, from whence she came. + </p> + <p> + 'With all my heart,' said Mrs. Davis; 'I shall save my hundred pounds: but + if you'll be led by me you'll not throw Peppermint over till you're sure + of the other; and, take my word for it, you're——' + </p> + <p> + 'I hate Peppermint.' + </p> + <p> + 'Nonsense; he's an honest good sort of man, and a deal more likely to keep + you out of want than the other.' + </p> + <p> + Hereupon Norah began to cry, and to wipe her beautiful eyes with the + glass-cloth. Hers, indeed, was a cruel position. Her face was her fortune, + and her fortune she knew was deteriorating from day to day. She could not + afford to lose the lover that she loved, and also the lover that she did + not love. Matrimony with her was extremely desirable, and she was driven + to confess that it might very probably be either now or never. Much as she + hated Peppermint, she was quite aware that she would take him if she could + not do better. But then, was it absolutely certain that she must lose the + lover that so completely suited her taste? Mrs. Davis said it was. Norah + herself, confiding, as it is so natural that ladies should do, a little + too much in her own beauty, thought that she couldn't but have a chance + left. She also had her high aspirations; she desired to rise in the world, + to leave goes of gin and screws of tobacco behind her, and to reach some + position more worthy of the tastes of a woman. 'Excelsior,' translated + doubtless into excellent Irish, was her motto also. It would be so great a + thing to be the wife of Charles Tudor, Esq., of the Civil Service, and + more especially as she dearly and truly loved the same Charles Tudor in + her heart of hearts. + </p> + <p> + She knew, however, that it was not for her to indulge in the luxury of a + heart, if circumstances absolutely forbade it. To eat and drink and clothe + herself, and, if possible, to provide eating and drinking and clothes for + her future years, this was the business of life, this was the only real + necessity. She had nothing to say in opposition to Mrs. Davis, and + therefore she went on crying, and again wiped her eyes with the + glass-cloth. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Davis, however, was no stern monitor, unindulgent to the weakness of + human nature. When she saw how Norah took to heart her sad fate, she + resolved to make one more effort in her favour. She consequently dressed + herself very nicely, put on her best bonnet, and took the unprecedented + step of going off to the Internal Navigation, and calling on Charley in + the middle of his office. + </p> + <p> + Charley was poking over the Kennett and Avon lock entries, with his usual + official energy, when the office messenger came up and informed him that a + lady was waiting to see him. + </p> + <p> + 'A lady!' said Charley: 'what lady?' and he immediately began thinking of + the Woodwards, whom he was to meet that afternoon at Chiswick. + </p> + <p> + 'I'm sure I can't say, sir: all that she said was that she was a lady,' + answered the messenger, falsely, for he well knew that the woman was Mrs. + Davis, of the 'Cat and Whistle.' + </p> + <p> + Now the clerks at the Internal Navigation were badly off for a + waiting-room; and in no respect can the different ranks of different + public offices be more plainly seen than in the presence or absence of + such little items of accommodation as this. At the Weights and Measures + there was an elegant little chamber, carpeted, furnished with + leathern-bottomed chairs, and a clock, supplied with cream-laid + note-paper, new pens, and the <i>Times</i> newspaper, quite a little + Elysium, in which to pass half an hour, while the Secretary, whom one had + called to see, was completing his last calculation on the matter of the + decimal coinage. But there were no such comforts at the Internal + Navigation. There was, indeed, a little room at the top of the stairs, in + which visitors were requested to sit down; but even here two men were + always at work—at work, or else at play. + </p> + <p> + Into this room Mrs. Davis was shown, and there Charley found her. Long and + intimately as the young navvy had been acquainted with the landlady of the + 'Cat and Whistle,' he had never before seen her arrayed for the outer + world. It may be doubted whether Sir John Falstaff would, at the first + glance, have known even Dame Quickly in her bonnet, that is, if Dame + Quickly in those days had had a bonnet. At any rate Charley was at fault + for a moment, and was shaking hands with the landlady before he quite + recognized who she was. + </p> + <p> + The men in the room, however, had recognized her, and Charley well knew + that they had done so. + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Tudor,' she began, not a bit abashed, 'I want to know what it is you + are a-going to do?' + </p> + <p> + Though she was not abashed, Charley was, and very much so. However, he + contrived to get her out of the room, so that he might speak to her + somewhat more privately in the passage. The gentlemen at the Internal + Navigation were well accustomed to this mode of colloquy, as their + tradesmen not unfrequently called, with the view of having a little + conversation, which could not conveniently be held in the public room. + </p> + <p> + 'And, Mr. Tudor, what are you a-going to do about that poor girl there?' + said Mrs. Davis, as soon as she found herself in the passage, and saw that + Charley was comfortably settled with his back against the wall. + </p> + <p> + 'She may go to Hong-Kong for me.' That is what Charley should have said. + But he did not say it. He had neither the sternness of heart nor the moral + courage to enable him to do so. He was very anxious, it is true, to get + altogether quit of Norah Geraghty; but his present immediate care was + confined to a desire of getting Mrs. Davis out of the office. + </p> + <p> + 'Do!' said Charley. 'Oh, I don't know; I'll come and settle something some + of these days; let me see when—say next Tuesday.' + </p> + <p> + 'Settle something,' said Mrs. Davis. 'If you are an honest man, as I take + you, there is only one thing to settle; when do you mean to marry her?' + </p> + <p> + 'Hush!' said Charley; for, as she was speaking, Mr. Snape came down the + passage leading from Mr. Oldeschole's room. 'Hush!' Mr. Snape as he passed + walked very slowly, and looked curiously round into the widow's face. + 'I'll be even with you, old fellow, for that,' said Charley to himself; + and it may be taken for granted that he kept his word before long. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! it is no good hushing any more,' said Mrs. Davis, hardly waiting till + Mr. Snape's erect ears were out of hearing. 'Hushing won't do no good; + there's that girl a-dying, and her grave'll be a-top of your head, Mr. + Tudor; mind I tell you that fairly; so now I want to know what it to + you're a-going to do.' And then Mrs. Davis lifted up the lid of a market + basket which hung on her left arm, took out her pocket-handkerchief, and + began to wipe her eyes. + </p> + <p> + Unfortunate Charley! An idea occurred to him that he might bolt and leave + her. But then the chances were that she would make her way into his very + room, and tell her story there, out before them all. He well knew that + this woman was capable of many things if her temper were fairly roused. + And yet what could he say to her to induce her to go out from that + building, and leave him alone to his lesser misfortunes? + </p> + <p> + 'She's a-dying, I tell you, Mr. Tudor,' continued the landlady, 'and if + she do die, be sure of this, I won't be slow to tell the truth about it. + I'm the only friend she's got, and I'm not going to see her put upon. So + just tell me this in two words—what is it you're a-going to do?' And + then Mrs. Davis replaced her kerchief in the basket, stood boldly erect in + the middle of the passage, waiting for Charley's answer. + </p> + <p> + Just at this moment Mr. Snape again appeared in the passage, going towards + Mr. Oldeschole's room. The pernicious old man! He hated Charley Tudor; + and, to tell the truth, there was no love lost between them. Charley, + afflicted and out of spirits as he was at the moment, could not resist the + opportunity of being impertinent to his old foe: 'I'm afraid you'll make + yourself very tired, Mr. Snape, if you walk about so much,' said he. Mr. + Snape merely looked at him, and then hard at Mrs. Davis, and passed on to + Mr. Oldeschole's room. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Mr. Tudor, will you be so good as to tell me what it is you're + going to do about this poor girl?' + </p> + <p> + 'My goodness, Mrs. Davis, you know how I am situated—how can you + expect me to give an answer to such a question in such a place as this? + I'll come to the 'Cat and Whistle' on Tuesday.' + </p> + <p> + 'Gammon!' said the eloquent lady. 'You know you means gammon.' + </p> + <p> + Charley, perhaps, did mean gammon; but he protested that he had never been + more truthfully in earnest in his life. Mr. Oldeschole's door opened, and + Mrs. Davis perceiving it, whipped out her handkerchief in haste, and again + began wiping her eyes, not without audible sobs. 'Confound the woman!' + said Charley to himself; 'what on earth shall I do with her?' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Oldeschole's door opened, and out of it came Mr. Oldeschole, and Mr. + Snape following him. What means the clerk had used to bring forth the + Secretary need not now be inquired. Forth they both came, and passed along + the passage, brushing close by Charley and Mrs. Davis; Mr. Oldeschole, + when he saw that one of the clerks was talking to a woman who apparently + was crying, looked very intently on the ground, and passed by with a quick + step; Mr. Snape looked as intently at the woman, and passed very slowly. + Each acted according to his lights. + </p> + <p> + 'I don't mean gammon at all, Mrs. Davis—indeed, I don't—I'll + be there on Tuesday night certainly, if not sooner—I will indeed—I + shall be in a desperate scrape if they see me here talking to you any + longer; there is a rule against women being in the office at all.' + </p> + <p> + 'And there's a rule against the clerks marrying, I suppose,' said Mrs. + Davis. + </p> + <p> + The colloquy ended in Charley promising to spend the Saturday evening at + the 'Cat and Whistle,' with the view of then and there settling what he + meant to do about 'that there girl'; nothing short of such an undertaking + on his part would induce Mrs. Davis to budge. Had she known her advantage + she might have made even better terms. He would almost rather have given + her a written promise to marry her barmaid, than have suffered her to + remain there till Mr. Oldeschole should return and see her there again. So + Mrs. Davis, with her basket and pocket-handkerchief, went her way about + her marketing, and Charley, as he returned to his room, gave the strictest + injunctions to the messenger that not, on any ground or excuse whatever, + was any woman to be again allowed to see him at the office. + </p> + <p> + When, therefore, on the fine summer morning, with the early daylight all + bright around him, Charley walked home from Mrs. Val's party, he naturally + felt sad enough. He had one sixpence left in his pocket; he was engaged to + spend the evening of the following day with the delightful Norah at the + 'Cat and Whistle,' then and there to plight her his troth, in whatever + formal and most irretrievable manner Mrs. Davis might choose to devise; + and as he thought of these things he had ringing in his ears the last + sounds of that angel voice, 'You will be steady, Charley, won't you? I + know you will, dear Charley—won't you now?' + </p> + <p> + Steady! Would not the best thing for him be to step down to Waterloo + Bridge and throw himself over? He still had money enough left to pay the + toll—though not enough to hire a pistol. And so he went home and got + into bed. + </p> + <p> + On that same day, the day that was to witness Charley's betrothal to Miss + Geraghty, and that of M. Jaquêtanàpe with Miss Golightly, Alaric Tudor had + an appointment with Sir Gregory Hardlines at the new office of the Civil + Service Examination Board. Alaric had been invited to wait upon the great + man, in terms which made him perfectly understand that the communication + to be made was one which would not be unpleasing or uncomplimentary to + himself. Indeed, he pretty well guessed what was to be said to him. Since + his promotion at the Weights and Measures he had gone on rising in + estimation as a man of value to the Civil Service at large. Nearly two + years had now passed since that date, and in these pages nothing has been + said of his official career during the time. It had, however, been + everything that he or his friends could have wished it to be. He had so + put himself forward as absolutely to have satisfied the actual chief clerk + of his office, and was even felt by some of the secretaries to be treading + very closely on their heels. + </p> + <p> + And yet a great portion of his time had been spent, not at the Weights and + Measures, but in giving some sort of special assistance to Sir Gregory's + Board. The authorities at the Weights and Measures did not miss him; they + would have been well content that he should have remained for ever with + Sir Gregory. + </p> + <p> + He had also become somewhat known to the official world, even beyond the + confines of the Weights and Measures, or the Examination Board. He had + changed his club, and now belonged to the Downing. He had there been + introduced by his friend Undy to many men, whom to know should be the very + breath in the nostrils of a rising official aspirant. Mr. Whip Vigil, of + the Treasury, had more than once taken him by the hand, and even the + Chancellor of the Exchequer usually nodded to him whenever that o'ertasked + functionary found a moment to look in at the official club. + </p> + <p> + Things had not been going quite smoothly at the Examination Board. Tidings + had got about that Mr. Jobbles was interfering with Sir Gregory, and that + Sir Gregory didn't like it. To be sure, when this had been indiscreetly + alluded to in the House by one of those gentlemen who pass their leisure + hours in looking out for raws in the hide of the Government carcass, some + other gentleman, some gentleman from the Treasury bench, had been able to + give a very satisfactory reply. For why, indeed, should any gentleman sit + on the Treasury bench if he be not able, when so questioned, to give very + satisfactory replies? Giving satisfactory replies to ill-natured questions + is, one may say, the constitutional work of such gentlemen, who have + generally well learned how to do so, and earned their present places by + asking the selfsame questions themselves, when seated as younger men in + other parts of the House. + </p> + <p> + But though the answer given in this instance was so eminently satisfactory + as to draw down quite a chorus of triumphant acclamations from the + official supporters of Government, nevertheless things had not gone on at + the Board quite as smoothly as might have been desirable. Mr. Jobbles was + enthusiastically intent on examining the whole adult male population of + Great Britain, and had gone so far as to hint that female competitors + might, at some future time, be made subject to his all-measuring rule and + compass. Sir Gregory, however, who, having passed his early days in an + office, may, perhaps, be supposed to have had some slight prejudice + remaining in favour of ancient customs, was not inclined to travel so + quickly. Moreover, he preferred following his own lead, to taking any + other lead whatever that Mr. Jobbles might point out as preferable. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Jobbles wanted to crush all patronage at a blow; any system of + patronage would lamentably limit the number of candidates among whom his + examination papers would be distributed. He longed to behold, crowding + around him, an attendance as copious as Mr. Spurgeon's, and to see every + head bowed over the posing questions which he should have dictated. No + legion could be too many for him. He longed to be at this great work; but + his energies were crushed by the opposition of his colleagues. Sir Gregory + thought—and Sir Warwick, though he hardly gave a firm support to Sir + Gregory, would not lend his countenance to Mr. Jobbles—Sir Gregory + thought that enough would be done for the present, if they merely provided + that every one admitted into the Service should be educated in such a + manner as to be fit for any profession or calling under the sun; and that, + with this slight proviso, the question of patronage might for the present + remain untouched. 'Do you,' he would have said to the great officers of + Government, 'appoint whom you like. In this respect remain quite + unfettered. I, however, I am the St. Peter to whom are confided the keys + of the Elysium. Do you send whatever candidates you please: it is for me + merely to say whether or not they shall enter.' But Mr. Jobbles would have + gone much farther. He would have had all mankind for candidates, and have + selected from the whole mass those most worthy of the high reward. And so + there was a split at the Examination Board, which was not to be healed + even by the very satisfactory reply given by the Treasury gentleman in the + House of Commons. + </p> + <p> + Neither Sir Gregory nor his rival were men likely to give way, and it soon + appeared manifest to the powers that be, that something must be done. It + therefore came to light that Mr. Jobbles had found that his clerical + position was hardly compatible with a seat at a lay board, and he retired + to the more congenial duties of a comfortable prebendal stall at + Westminster. 'So that by his close vicinity,' as was observed by a + newspaper that usually supported the Government, 'he might be able to be + of material use, whenever his advice should be required by the Board of + Commissioners.' Sir Gregory in the meantime was instructed to suggest the + name of another colleague; and, therefore, he sent for Alaric Tudor. + </p> + <p> + Alaric, of course, knew well what had been going on at the Board. He had + been Sir Gregory's confidential man all through; had worked out cases for + him, furnished him with arguments, backed his views, and had assisted him, + whenever such a course had been necessary, in holding Mr. Jobbles' head + under the pump. Alaric knew well on which side his bread was buttered, and + could see with a glance which star was in the ascendant; he perfectly + understood the points and merits of the winning horse. He went in to win + upon Sir Gregory, and he won. When Mr. Jobbles made his last little speech + at the Board, and retired to his house in the Dean's yard, Alaric felt + tolerably certain that he himself would be invited to fill the vacant + place. + </p> + <p> + And he was so invited. 'That is £1,200 a year, at any rate,' said he to + himself, as with many words of submissive gratitude he thanked his patron + for the nomination. 'That is £1,200 a year. So far, so good. And now what + must be the next step? Excelsior! It is very nice to be a Commissioner, + and sit at a Board at Sir Gregory's right hand: much nicer than being a + junior clerk at the Weights and Measures, like Harry Norman. But there are + nicer things even than that; there are greater men even than Sir Gregory; + richer figures than even £1,200 a year!' + </p> + <p> + So he went to his old office, wrote his resignation, and walked home + meditating to what next step above he should now aspire to rise. + 'Excelsior!' he still said to himself, 'Excelsior!' + </p> + <p> + At the same moment Charley was leaving the Internal Navigation, and as he + moved with unusual slowness down the steps, he bethought himself how he + might escape from the fangs of his Norah; how, if such might still be + possible, he might fit himself for the love of Katie Woodward. Excelsior! + such also was the thought of his mind; but he did not dare to bring the + word to utterance. It was destined that his thoughts should be interrupted + by no very friendly hand. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0028" id="link2HCH0028"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXVIII. — OUTERMAN <i>v</i> TUDOR + </h2> + <p> + Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and + unlike himself. What was he to do when his office hours were over? In the + first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner. His + habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to + dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to + be dining out. He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented + in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point. It + would, he was aware, be necessary that it should be decreased, not + augmented, at the next commercial transaction which might take place + between him and the tavern-keeper. + </p> + <p> + This was not the first time by many in which he had been in a similar + plight—but his resource in such case had been to tell the truth + gallantly to his friend Mrs. Davis; and some sort of viands, not at all + unprepossessing to him in his hunger, would always be forthcoming for him + at the 'Cat and Whistle.' This supply was now closed to him. Were he, + under his present circumstances, to seek for his dinner from the fair + hands of Norah Geraghty, it would be tantamount to giving himself up as + lost for ever. + </p> + <p> + This want of a dinner, however, was a small misfortune in comparison with + others which afflicted him. Should or should he not keep his promise to + Mrs. Davis, and go to the 'Cat and Whistle' that evening? That was the + question which disturbed his equanimity, and hindered him from teasing Mr. + Snape in his usual vivacious manner. + </p> + <p> + And here let it not be said that Charley must be altogether despicable in + being so weak; that he is not only a vulgar rake in his present habits, + but a fool also, and altogether spiritless, and of a low disposition. + Persons who may so argue of him, who so argue of those whom they meet in + the real living world, are ignorant of the twists and turns, and rapid + changes in character which are brought about by outward circumstances. + Many a youth, abandoned by his friends to perdition on account of his + folly, might have yet prospered, had his character not been set down as + gone, before, in truth, it was well formed. It is not one calf only that + should be killed for the returning prodigal. Oh, fathers, mothers, uncles, + aunts, guardians, and elderly friends in general, kill seven fatted calves + if seven should unfortunately be necessary! + </p> + <p> + And then there was a third calamity. Charley had, at this moment, in his + pocket a certain document, which in civil but still somewhat peremptory + language invited him to meet a very celebrated learned pundit, being no + less than one of Her Majesty's puisne judges, at some court in + Westminster, to explain why he declined to pay to one Nathaniel Outerman, + a tailor, the sum of &c., &c., &c.; and the document then went + on to say, that any hesitation on Charley's part to accept this invitation + would be regarded as great contempt shown to the said learned pundit, and + would be treated accordingly. Now Charley had not paid the slightest + attention to this requisition from the judge. It would, he conceived, have + been merely putting his head into the lion's mouth to do so. But yet he + knew that such documents meant something; that the day of grace was gone + by, and that Mr. Nathaniel Outerman would very speedily have him locked + up. + </p> + <p> + So Charley sat meditative over his lock entries, and allowed even his + proposed vengeance on Mr. Snape to be delayed. + </p> + <p> + 'I say, Charley,' said Scatterall, coming over and whispering to him, 'you + couldn't lend me half a crown, could you?' + </p> + <p> + Charley said nothing, but looked on his brother navvy in a manner that + made any other kind of reply quite unnecessary. + </p> + <p> + 'I was afraid it was so,' said Scatterall, in a melancholy voice. And + then, as if by the brilliance of his thought he had suddenly recovered his + spirits, he made a little proposition. + </p> + <p> + 'I'll tell you what you might do, Charley. I put my watch up the spout + last week. It's a silver turnip, so I only got fifteen shillings; yours is + a Cox and Savary, and it's gold. I'm sure you'd get £3 for it easily—perhaps + £3 3s. Now, if you'll do that, and take my turnip down, I'll let you have + the turnip to wear, if you'll let me have ten shillings of the money. You + see, you'd get clear—let me see how much.' And Scatterall went to + work with a sheet of foolscap paper, endeavouring to make some estimate of + what amount of ready cash Charley might have in his pocket on completion + of this delicate little arrangement. + </p> + <p> + 'You be d——,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'You'll not do it, then?' said Dick. + </p> + <p> + Charley merely repeated with a little more emphasis the speech which he + had just before made. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, very well,' said Scatterall; 'there couldn't have been a fairer + bargain; at least it was all on your side; for you would have had the + watch to wear, and nearly all the money too.' + </p> + <p> + Charley still repeated the same little speech. This was uncivil; for it + had evidently been looked on by Scatterall as unsatisfactory. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, very well,' said that gentleman, now in a state of mild anger—'only + I saw that you had a fine new purse, and I thought you'd wish to have + something to put in it.' + </p> + <p> + Charley again repeated his offensive mandate; but he did it in a spirit of + bravado, in order to maintain his reputation. The allusion to the purse + made him sadder than ever. He put his hand into his breast-pocket, and + felt that it was near his heart: and then he fancied that he again heard + her words—'You will be steady; won't you, dear Charley?' + </p> + <p> + At four o'clock, he was by no means in his usual hurry to go away, and he + sat there drawing patterns on his blotting-paper, and chopping up a stick + of sealing-wax with his penknife, in a very disconsolate way. Scatterall + went. Corkscrew went. Mr. Snape, having carefully brushed his hat and + taken down from its accustomed peg the old cotton umbrella, also took his + departure; and the fourth navvy, who inhabited the same room, went also. + The iron-fingered hand of time struck a quarter past four on the Somerset + House clock, and still Charley Tudor lingered at his office. The maid who + came to sweep the room was thoroughly amazed, and knew that something must + be wrong. + </p> + <p> + Just as he was about to move, Mr. Oldeschole came bustling into the room. + 'Where is Corkscrew?' said he. 'Gone,' said Charley. 'And Scatterall?' + asked Oldeschole. 'Gone, sir,' said Charley. 'And Mr. Snape?' said the + Secretary. 'Oh, he is gone, of course,' said Charley, taking his revenge + at last. + </p> + <p> + 'Then, Mr. Tudor, I must trouble you to copy these papers for me at once. + They are wanted immediately for Sir Gregory Hardlines.' It was quite clear + that Mr. Oldeschole was very much in earnest about the job, and that he + was rejoiced to find that he still had one clerk to aid him. + </p> + <p> + Charley sat down and did the required work. On any other day he would + greatly have disliked such a summons, but now he did not care much about + it. He made the copies, however, as quickly as he could, and then took + them in to Mr. Oldeschole. + </p> + <p> + The worthy Secretary rewarded him by a lecture; a lecture, however, which, + as Charley well understood, was intended all in kindness. He told him how + Mr. Snape complained of him, how the office books told against him, how + the clerks talked, and all Somerset House made stories of his grotesque + iniquities. With penitential air Charley listened and promised. Mr. + Oldeschole promised also that bygones should be bygones. 'I wonder whether + the old cock would lend me a five-pound note! I dare say he would,' said + Charley to himself, as he left the office. He abstained, however, from + asking for it. + </p> + <p> + Returning to his room, he took his hat and went downstairs. As he was + sauntering forth through the archway into the Strand, a man with a decent + coat but a very bad hat came up to him. + </p> + <p> + 'I'm afraid I must trouble you to go with me, Mr. Tudor,' said the man. + </p> + <p> + 'All right,' said Charley; 'Outerman, I suppose; isn't it?' + </p> + <p> + 'All right,' said the bailiff. + </p> + <p> + And away the two walked together to a sponging-house in Cursitor Street. + </p> + <p> + Charley had been arrested at the suit of Mr. Outerman, the tailor. He + perfectly understood the fact, and made no special objection to following + the bailiff. One case was at any rate off his mind; he could not now, be + his will to do so ever so good, keep his appointment with Norah Geraghty. + Perhaps it was quite as well for him to be arrested just at this moment, + as be left at liberty. It must have come sooner or later. So he walked on + with the bailiff not without some feeling of consolation. + </p> + <p> + The man had suggested to him a cab; but Charley had told him, without the + slightest <i>mauvaise honte</i>, that he had not about him the means of + paying for a cab. The man again suggested that perhaps he had better go + home and get some money, as he would find it in Cursitor Street very + desirable to have some. To this Charley replied that neither had he any + money at home. + </p> + <p> + 'That's blue,' said the man. + </p> + <p> + 'It is rather blue,' said Charley; and on they went very amicably + arm-in-arm. + </p> + <p> + We need not give any detailed description of Charley's prison-house. He + was luckily not detained there so long as to make it necessary that we + should become acquainted with his fellow-captives, or even have much + intercourse with his jailers. He was taken to the sponging-house, and it + was there imparted to him that he had better send for two things—first + of all for money, which was by far the more desirable of the two; and + secondly, for bail, which even if forthcoming was represented as being at + best but a dubious advantage. + </p> + <p> + 'There's Mrs. Davis, she'd bail you, of course, and willing,' said the + bailiff. + </p> + <p> + 'Mrs. Davis!' said Charley, surprised that the man should know aught of + his personal acquaintances. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, Mrs. Davis of the 'Cat and Whistle.' She'd do it in course, along of + Miss Geraghty.' + </p> + <p> + Charley perceived with a shudder that his matrimonial arrangements were + known and talked of even in the distant world of Cursitor Street. He + declined, however, the assistance of the landlady, which no doubt would + have been willingly forthcoming, and was divided between his three + friends, Alaric, Harry, and Mr. M'Ruen. Alaric was his cousin and his + natural resource in such a position, but he had lately rejected Alaric's + advice, and now felt a disinclination to call upon him in his difficulty. + Harry he knew would assist him, would at once pay Mr. Outerman's bill, and + relieve him from all immediate danger; but the sense of what he already + owed to Norman made him unwilling to incur further obligations;—so + he decided on sending for Mr. M'Ruen. In spite of his being so poorly + supplied with immediate cash, it was surmised from his appearance, + clothes, and known rank, that any little outlay made in his behalf would + be probably repaid, and he was therefore furnished with a messenger on + credit. This man was first to call at Mr. M'Ruen's with a note, and then + to go to Charley's lodgings and get his brushes, razors, &c., these + being the first necessaries of life for which a man naturally looks when + once overtaken by such a misfortune as that with which Charley was now + afflicted. + </p> + <p> + In the process of time the brushes and razors came, and so did Mr. M'Ruen. + </p> + <p> + 'This is very kind of you,' said Charley, in rather a doleful voice, for + he was already becoming tired of Cursitor Street. + </p> + <p> + Mr. M'Ruen twisted his head round inside his cravat, and put out three + fingers by way of shaking hands with the prisoner. + </p> + <p> + 'You seem pretty comfortable here,' said M'Ruen. Charley dissented to + this, and said that he was extremely uncomfortable. + </p> + <p> + 'And what is it that I can do for you, Mr. Tudor?' said M'Ruen. + </p> + <p> + 'Do for me! Why, bail me, to be sure; they won't let me out unless + somebody bails me. You know I shan't run away.' + </p> + <p> + 'Bail you!' said M'Ruen. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, bail me,' said Charley. 'You don't mean to say that you have any + objection?' + </p> + <p> + Mr. M'Ruen looked very sharply at his young client from head to foot. 'I + don't know about bail,' he said: 'it's very dangerous, very; why didn't + you send for Mr. Norman or your cousin?' + </p> + <p> + 'Because I didn't choose,' said Charley—'because I preferred sending + to some one I could pay for the trouble.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ha—ha—ha,' laughed M'Ruen; 'but that's just it—can you + pay? You owe me a great deal of money, Mr. Tudor. You are so unpunctual, + you know.' + </p> + <p> + 'There are two ways of telling that story,' said Charley; 'but come, I + don't want to quarrel with you about that now—you go bail for me + now, and you'll find your advantage in it. You know that well enough.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ha—ha—ha,' laughed the good-humoured usurer; 'ha—ha—ha—well, + upon my word I don't know. You owe me a great deal of money, Mr. Tudor. + Now, what o'clock is it by you, I wonder?' + </p> + <p> + Charley took out his watch—the Cox and Savary, before alluded to—and + said that it was past seven. + </p> + <p> + 'Aye; you've a very nice watch, I see. Come, Mr. Tudor, you owe me a great + deal of money, and you are the most unpunctual young man I know; but yet I + don't like to see you distressed. I'll tell you what, now—do you + hand over your watch to me, just as a temporary loan—you can't want + it here, you know; and I'll come down and bail you out to-morrow.' + </p> + <p> + Charley declined dealing on these terms; and then Mr. M'Ruen at last went + away, leaving Charley to his fate, and lamenting quite pathetically that + he was such an unpunctual young man, so very unpunctual that it was + impossible to do anything to assist him. Charley, however, manfully + resisted the second attack upon his devoted watch. + </p> + <p> + 'That's very blue, very blue indeed,' said the master of the house, as Mr. + M'Ruen took his departure—'ha'n't you got no huncles nor hants, nor + nothin' of that sort?' + </p> + <p> + Charley declared that he had lots of uncles and aunts, grandfathers and + grandmothers, and a perfect wealth of cousins, and that he would send for + some of the leading members of his family to-morrow. Satisfied with this, + the man supplied him with bread and cheese, gin and water, and plenty of + tobacco; and, fortified with these comforts, Charley betook himself at + last very lugubriously, to a filthy, uninviting bed. + </p> + <p> + He had, we have seen, sent for his brushes, and hence came escape; but in + a manner that he had little recked of, and of which, had he been asked, he + would as little have approved. Mrs. Richards, his landlady, was not slow + in learning from the messenger how it came to pass that Charley wanted the + articles of his toilet so suddenly demanded. 'Why, you see, he's just been + quodded,' said the boy. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Richards was quite enough up to the world, and had dealt with young + men long enough, to know what this meant; nor indeed was she much + surprised. She had practical knowledge that Charley had no strong + propensity to pay his debts, and she herself was not unaccustomed to + answer the emissaries of Mr. Outerman and other greedy tradesmen who were + similarly situated. To Mrs. Richards herself Charley was not in debt, and + she had therefore nothing to embitter her own feelings against him. + Indeed, she had all that fondness for him which a lodging-house keeper + generally has for a handsome, dissipated, easy-tempered young man; and + when she heard that he had been 'quodded,' immediately made up her mind + that steps must be taken for his release. + </p> + <p> + But what was she to do? Norman, who she was aware would 'unquod' him + immediately, if he were in the way, was down at Hampton, and was not + expected to be at his lodgings for two or three days. After some + cogitation, Mrs. Richards resolved that there was nothing for it but to go + down to Hampton herself, and break the news to his friends. Charley would + not have been a bit obliged to her had he known it, but Mrs. Richards + acted for the best. There was a train down to Hampton Court that night, + and a return train to bring her home again—so off she started. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward had on that same afternoon taken down Katie, who was still + an invalid;—Norman had gone down with them, and was to remain there + for some few days—going up and down every morning and evening. Mrs. + Woodward was sitting in the drawing-room; Linda and Katie were with her, + the latter lying in state on her sofa as invalid young ladies should do; + Captain Cuttwater was at Hampton Court, and Norman was on the water; when + a fly from the railway made its way up to the door of the Cottage. + </p> + <p> + 'Mrs. Richards, ma'am,' said the demure parlour-maid, ushering in the + lodging-house keeper, who in her church-going best made a very decent + appearance. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Mrs. Richards, how are you?' said Mrs. Woodward, who knew the woman + very well—'pray sit down—are there any news from London?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, ma'am, such news—such bad news—Mister Charley—.' Up + jumped Katie from her sofa and stood erect upon the floor. She stood + there, with her mouth slightly open, with her eyes intently fixed on Mrs. + Richards, with her little hands each firmly clenched, drawing her breath + with hard, short, palpitating efforts. There she stood, but said nothing. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Mrs. Richards—what is it?' said Mrs. Woodward; 'for Heaven's + sake what is the matter?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, ma'am; he's been took,' said Mrs. Richards. + </p> + <p> + 'Took!' repeated Mrs. Woodward. 'Katie, dear Katie—sit down, my + child—sit down.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, mamma! oh, mamma!' said she, apparently unable to move, and certainly + all but unable to stand. + </p> + <p> + 'Tell us, Mrs. Richards, what is it—what has happened to Mr. Tudor?' + and as she spoke Mrs. Woodward got up and passed her arm around her + younger daughter's waist—Linda also got up and joined the group. + </p> + <p> + 'Why, ma'am,' said Mrs. Richards, 'he's been took by the bailiffs, and now + he's in prison.' + </p> + <p> + Katie did not faint. She never had fainted, and probably did not know the + way; but she clenched her hands still tighter, breathed harder than + before, and repeated her appeal to her mother in a voice of agony. 'Oh, + mamma! oh, mamma!' + </p> + <p> + Katie had no very accurate conception of what an arrest for debt meant. + She knew that next to death imprisonment was the severest punishment + inflicted on erring mortals, and she now heard that Charley was in prison. + She did not stop to think whether it was for his life, or for some more + limited period. It was enough for her to know, that this terrible + misfortune had come upon him, to him who, to her young fancy, was so + bright, so good, so clever, so excellent, upon him who had saved her life—upon + him whom she so dearly loved. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, mamma! oh, mamma!' she said, and then in agony she shut her eyes and + shuddered violently. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward was greatly afflicted. She was indeed sorry to hear such + tidings of Charley Tudor; but her grief was now deeper even than that. She + could not be longer blind to the sort of feeling which her child evinced + for this young man; she could not think that these passionate bursts of + overpowering sorrow were the result of mere childish friendship; she could + not but see that her Katie's bosom now held a woman's heart, and that that + heart was no longer her own. + </p> + <p> + And then Mrs. Woodward reflected of what nature, of what sort, was this + man whom she had allowed to associate with her darling, almost as a + brother does with his sister; whom she had warmed in her bosom till he had + found an opportunity of inflicting this deadly wound. With terrible + bitterness she upbraided herself as she sat down and bade Mrs. Richards go + on with her tale. She knew that nothing which could now be said would add + to Katie's anguish. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Richards' story was soon told. It simply amounted to this—that + 'Mister Charley,' as she always called him, had been arrested for debt at + the suit of a tailor, and that she had learnt the circumstances from the + fact of the prisoner having sent for his brushes. + </p> + <p> + 'And so I thought the best thing was to come and tell Mr. Norman,' said + Mrs. Richards, concluding her speech. + </p> + <p> + Nothing could be done till Norman came in. Linda went out with Mrs. + Richards to get some refreshment in the dining-room, and Mrs. Woodward sat + with her arm round Katie's neck on the sofa, comforting her with kisses + and little caressing touches, but saying nothing. Katie, still unconscious + of her passion, gave way to spasmodic utterance of her own grief. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, mamma!' she said—' what can be done? What can we do? You will + do something, mamma, won't you? Poor Charley! Dear Charley! Harry will do + something—won't he? Won't Harry go to London, and do something?' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward did what she could to quiet her. Something should be done, + she said. They must wait till Harry came in, and then settle what was + best. Nothing could be done till Harry came in. 'You must be patient, + Katie, or else you will make yourself really ill.' + </p> + <p> + Katie became afraid that she would be sent off to bed on the score of her + illness before Harry had come, and thus lose the advantage of hearing what + was the step decided on. So she sat silent in the corner of her sofa + feigning to be asleep, but pondering in her mind what sort of penalties + were the penalties of imprisonment, how dreadful, how endurable, or how + unendurable. Would they put chains on him? would they starve him? would + they cut off his beautiful brown hair? + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward sat silent waiting for Harry's return. When first she had + watched Katie's extreme misery, and guessed the secret of her child's + heart, she had felt something like hard, bitter anger against Charley. But + by degrees this feeling softened down. It was by no means natural to her, + nor akin to her usual tenderness. After all, the fault hitherto was + probably more her own than his. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Richards was sent back to town. She was thanked for the trouble she + had taken, and told that Mr. Norman would do in the matter all that was + necessary to be done. So she took her departure, and Linda returned to the + drawing-room. + </p> + <p> + Unfortunately Captain Cuttwater came in first. They none of them mentioned + Charley's misfortune to him. Charley was no favourite with Uncle Bat, and + his remarks would not have been of the most cheering tendency. + </p> + <p> + At last Norman came also. He came, as was his wont, through the + drawing-room window, and, throwing himself into a chair, began to tell the + girls how much they had lost by not joining him on the river. + </p> + <p> + 'Harry,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'step into the dining-room with me for a + moment.' + </p> + <p> + Harry got up to follow her. Katie and Linda also instantly jumped from + their seats to do the same. Mrs. Woodward looked round, and motioned to + them to stay with their uncle. Linda obediently, though reluctantly, + remained; but Katie's impulse was too strong for her. She gave one + imploring look at her mother, a look which Mrs. Woodward well understood, + and then taking silence for consent, crept into the dining-room. + </p> + <p> + 'Harry,' said Mrs. Woodward, as soon as the dining-room door was closed, + 'Charley has been arrested;' and then she told him how Mrs. Richards had + been at the Cottage, and what was the nature of the tidings she had + brought. + </p> + <p> + Norman was not much surprised, nor did he feign to be so. He took the news + so coolly that Katie almost hated him. 'Did she say who had arrested him, + or what was the amount?' he asked. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward replied that she knew no more than what she had already + told. Katie stood in the shade with her eyes fixed upon her cousin, but as + yet she said nothing. How cruel, how stony-hearted must he be to hear such + dreadful tidings and remain thus undisturbed! Had Charley heard that + Norman was arrested, he would have been half way to London by this time. + So, at least, thought Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'Something can be done for him, Harry, can there not? We must contrive to + do something—eh, Harry?' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'I fear it is too late to do anything to-night,' said Harry, looking at + his watch. 'The last train is gone, and I could not possibly find him out + before twelve.' + </p> + <p> + 'And to-morrow is Sunday,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Harry, pray do something!' said Katie, 'pray, pray, pray, do! Oh, + Harry, think of Charley being in prison! Oh, Harry, he would do anything + for you!' and then she burst into tears, and caught hold of Harry's arm + and the front of his coat to add force to her entreaty. + </p> + <p> + 'Katie,' said her mother, 'don't be so foolish. Harry will, of course, do + whatever is best.' + </p> + <p> + 'But, mamma, he says he will do nothing; why does he not go at once?' + </p> + <p> + 'I will go at once, dear Katie,' said he; 'I will go now directly. I don't + know whether we can set him free to-night, or even to-morrow, as to-morrow + is Sunday; but it certainly shall be done on Monday, you may be sure of + that at any rate. Whatever can be done shall be done;' and, without + further talk upon the subject, he took his hat and went his way. + </p> + <p> + 'May God Almighty bless him!' said Mrs. Woodward. 'How infinitely greater + are truth and honesty than any talent, however brilliant!' She spoke only + to herself and no one even guessed what was the nature of the comparison + which she thus made. + </p> + <p> + As soon as Norman was gone, Katie went to bed: and in the morning she was + pronounced to be too unwell to get up. And, indeed, she was far from well. + During the night she only slept by short starts, and in her sleep she was + restless and uneasy; then, when she woke, she would burst out into fits of + tears, and lie sobbing hysterically till she slept again. In the morning, + Mrs. Woodward said something about Charley's misconduct, and this threw + her into a wretched state of misery, from which nothing would rouse her + till her mother promised that the prodigal should not be thrown over and + abandoned. + </p> + <p> + Poor Mrs. Woodward was in a dreadful state of doubt as to what it now + behoved her to do. She felt that, however anxious she might be to assist + Charley for his own sake, it was her bounden duty to separate him from her + child. Whatever merits he might have—and in her eyes he had many—at + any rate he had not those which a mother would desire to see in the future + husband of her daughter. He was profligate, extravagant, careless, and + idle; his prospects in life were in every respect bad; he had no + self-respect, no self-reliance, no moral strength. Was it not absolutely + necessary that she should put a stop to any love that might have sprung up + between such a man as this and her own young bright-eyed darling? + </p> + <p> + Put a stop to it! Yes, indeed, most expedient; nay, absolutely necessary—if + it were only possible. Now, when it was too late, she began to perceive + that she had not known of what material her own child was formed. At + sixteen, Gertrude and Linda had in reality been little more than children. + In manner, Katie had been more childish even than them, and yet—Mrs. + Woodward, as she thought of these things, felt her heart faint within her. + </p> + <p> + She was resolved that, cost what it might, Charley must be banished from + the Cottage. But at the first word of assumed displeasure that she + uttered, Katie fell into such an agony of grief that her soft heart gave + way, and she found herself obliged to promise that the sinner should be + forgiven. Katie the while was entirely unconscious of the state of her own + feelings. Had she thought that she loved him as women love, had any + thought of such love and of him together even entered her mind, she could + not have talked of him as she now talked. Had he been her brother, she + could not have been less guarded in her protestations of affection, or + more open in her appeals to her mother that he might be forgiven. Such was + her present state; but it was doomed that her eyes should soon be opened, + and that she should know her own sorrow. + </p> + <p> + On the Sunday afternoon, Norman returned to Hampton with the tidings that + Charley was once more a free man. The key of gold which he had taken with + him had been found potent enough to open all barriers, even those with + which the sanctity of Sunday had surrounded the prisoner. Mr. Outerman, + and the bailiff, and the messenger, had all been paid their full claims, + and Charley, with his combs and brushes, had returned to the more benign + custody of Mrs. Richards. + </p> + <p> + 'And why didn't he come down with you?' said Katie to Norman, who had gone + up to her bedroom to give her the good tidings. + </p> + <p> + Norman looked at Mrs. Woodward, but made no reply. + </p> + <p> + 'He would probably prefer remaining in town at present,' said Mrs. + Woodward. 'It will be more comfortable for him to do so.' + </p> + <p> + And then Katie was left alone to meditate why Charley should be more + comfortable after his arrest in London than at Hampton; and after a while + she thought that she had surmised the truth. 'Poor Charley! perhaps he is + ashamed. He need not be ashamed to come at any rate to me.' + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0029" id="link2HCH0029"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIX. — EASY IS THE SLOPE OF HELL + </h2> + <p> + The electors for the Tillietudlem district burghs, disgusted by the + roguery of Mr. M'Buffer, and anxiously on the alert to replace him by a + strictly honest man, returned our friend Undy by a glorious majority. He + had no less than 312 votes, as opposed to 297, and though threatened with + the pains and penalties of a petition, he was not a little elated by his + success. A petition with regard to the Tillietudlem burghs was almost as + much a matter of course as a contest; at any rate the threat of a petition + was so. Undy, however, had lived through this before, and did not fear but + that he might do so again. Threatened folks live long; parliamentary + petitions are very costly, and Undy's adversaries were, if possible, even + in more need of money than himself. + </p> + <p> + He communicated his good fortune to his friend Alaric in the following + letter:— + </p> + <p> + 'Bellenden Arms, Tillietudlem, July, 185-. + </p> + <p> + 'My DEAR DIRECTOR, + </p> + <p> + 'Here I am once more a constituent part of the legislative wisdom of the + United Kingdom, thanks to the patriotic discretion of the pot-wallopers, + burgage-tenants, and ten-pound freeholders of these loyal towns. The + situation is a proud one; I could only wish that it had been less + expensive. I am plucked as clean as ever was pigeon; and over and above + the loss of every feather I carried, old M'Cleury, my agent here, will + have a bill against me that will hardly be settled before the next + election. I do not complain, however; a man cannot have luxuries without + paying for them; and this special luxury of serving one's country in + Parliament is one for which a man has so often to pay, without the + subsequent fruition of the thing paid for, that a successful candidate + should never grumble, however much he may have been mulcted. They talk of + a petition; but, thank God, there are still such things as recognizances; + and, moreover, to give M'Cleury his due, I do not think he has left a hole + open for them to work at. He is a thorough rascal, but no man does better + work. + </p> + <p> + 'I find there is already a slight rise in the West Corks. Keep your eye + open. If you find you can realize £4 4s. or even £4, sell, and let the + West of Cork and Ballydehob go straight to the devil. We should then be + able to do better with our money. But I doubt of such a sale with so large + a stock as we hold. I got a letter yesterday from that Cork attorney, and + I find that he is quite prepared to give way about the branch. He wants + his price, of course; and he must have it. When once we have carried that + point, then it will be plain sailing; our only regret then will be that we + didn't go further into it. The calls, of course, must be met; I shall be + able to do something in October, but shall not have a shilling sooner—unless + I sell, which I will not do under 80s. + </p> + <p> + 'I was delighted to hear of your promotion; not that you'll remain in the + shop long, but it gives you a better name and a better claim. Old + Golightly was buried yesterday, as of course you have heard. Mrs. Val + quite agrees with me that your name had better be put in as that of Clem's + trustee. She's going to marry that d—— Frenchman. What an + unmitigated ass that cousin of yours must be! I can't say I admire her + taste; but nevertheless she is welcome for me. It would, however, be most + scandalous if we were to allow him to get possession of her money. He + would, as a matter of course, make ducks and drakes of it in no time. + Speculate probably in some Russian railway, or Polish mine, and lose every + shilling. You will of course see it tied up tight in the hands of the + trustees, and merely pay him, or if possible her, the interest of it. Now + that I am once more in, I hope we shall be able to do something to protect + the fortunes of married women. + </p> + <p> + 'You will be quite safe in laying out Clem's money, or a portion of it, in + the West Corks. Indeed, I don't know how you could well do better with it. + You will find Figgs a mere shadow. I think we can pull through in this + manner. If not we must get—to take our joint bill. He would sooner + do that than have the works stopped. But then we should have to pay a + tremendous price for it. + </p> + <p> + 'So we were well out of the Mary Janes at last. The take last month was + next to nothing, and now she's full of water. Manylodes hung on till just + the last, and yet got out on his feet after all. That fellow will make a + mint of money yet. What a pity that he should be such a rogue! If he were + honest, honest enough I mean to be trusted, he might do anything. + </p> + <p> + 'I shall leave this on Wednesday night, take the oaths on Thursday, and + will see you in the evening. M'Carthy Desmond will at once move that I be + put on the West Cork Committee, in place of Nogo, who won't act. My shares + are all at present registered in Val's name. It will be well, however, to + have them all transferred to you. + </p> + <p> + 'Yours ever, + </p> + <h3> + 'U.S. + </h3> + <p> + 'M'Cleury has pledged himself to put me in again without further expense, + if I have to stand before the next general election, in consequence of + taking place under Government. I earnestly hope his sincerity may be + tried.' + </p> + <p> + During the month of July, Alaric was busy enough. He had to do the work of + his new office, to attend to his somewhat critical duties as director of + the West Cork Railway, to look after the interests of Miss Golightly, + whose marriage was to take place in August, and to watch the Parliamentary + career of his friend Undy, with whose pecuniary affairs he was now bound + up in a manner which he could not avoid feeling to be very perilous. + </p> + <p> + July passed by, and was now over, and members were looking to be relieved + from their sultry labours, and to be allowed to seek air and exercise on + the mountains. The Ballydehob branch line had received the sanction of + Parliament through the means which the crafty Undy had so well understood + how to use; but from some cause hitherto not sufficiently fathomed, the + shares had continued to be depressed in value in spite of that desirable + event. It was necessary, however, that calls should be paid up to the + amount of £5 a share, and as Undy and Alaric held nearly a thousand shares + between them, a large amount of money was required. This, however, was + made to be forthcoming from Miss Golightly's fortune. + </p> + <p> + On the first of August that interesting young lady was married to the man—shall + we say of her heart or of her feet? The marriage went off very nicely, but + as we have already had one wedding, and as others may perhaps be before + us, we cannot spare much time or many pages to describe how Miss Golightly + became Madame Jaquêtanàpe. The lady seemed well pleased with everything + that was done, and had even in secret but one care in the world. There was + to be a dance after she and her Victoire were gone, and she could not join + in it! + </p> + <p> + We, however, are in the position, as regards Clementina, in which needy + gentlemen not unfrequently place themselves with reference to rich + heiresses. We have more concern with her money than herself. She was + married, and M. Jaquêtanàpe became the happy possessor of an income of + £800 a year. Everybody conceived him to behave well on the occasion. He + acknowledged that he had very little means of his own—about 4,000 + francs a year, from rents in Paris. He expressed himself willing to agree + to any settlement, thinking, perhaps with wisdom, that he might in this + way best make sure of his wife's income, and was quite content when + informed that he would receive his quarterly payments from so respectable + a source as one of Her Majesty's Commissioners for the regulation of the + Civil Service. The Bank of France could not have offered better security. + </p> + <p> + Thus Alaric obtained full control of Miss Golightly's fortune: for Figgs, + his co-trustee, was, as has been said, a shadow. He obtained the full + control of £20,000, and out of it he paid the calls due upon the West Cork + shares, held both by himself and Undy Scott. But he put a salve upon his + conscience, and among his private memoranda, appertaining to that lady's + money affairs he made an entry, intelligible to any who might read it, + that he had so invested this money on her behalf. The entry was in itself + a lie—a foolish, palpable lie—and yet he found in it something + to quiet remorse and stupefy his conscience. + </p> + <p> + Undy Scott had become tyrannical in his logic as soon as he had persuaded + Alaric to make use of a portion of Madame Jaquêtanàpe's marriage portion. + 'You have taken part of the girl's money,' was Undy's argument; 'you have + already converted to your own purposes so much of her fortune; it is + absurd for you now to talk of conscience and honesty, of your high duties + as a trustee, of the inviolable distinction between meum and tuum. You + have already shown that the distinction is not inviolable; let us have no + more such nonsense; there are still left £15,000 on which we can trade; + open the till, and let us go on swimmingly with the business.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric was not addressed absolutely in these words; he would not probably + have allowed the veil with which he still shrouded his dishonesty to be + withdrawn with so rough a hand; but that which was said was in effect the + same. In September he left town for a few weeks and went down to Scotland, + still with Undy Scott. He had at first much liked this man's society, for + Scott was gay, lively, clever, and a good companion at all points. But + latterly he had become weary of him. He now put up with him as men in + business have to put up with partners whom they may not like; or, perhaps, + to speak the truth openly, he bore with him as a rogue bears with his + confederate, though he absolutely hates his brother rogue on account of + his very roguery. Alaric Tudor was now a rogue; despite his high office, + his grand ideas, his exalted ambition; despite his talent, zeal, and + well-directed official labours, he was a rogue; a thief, a villain who had + stolen the money of the orphan, who had undertaken a trust merely that he + might break it; a robber, doubly disgraced by being a robber with an + education, a Bill Sykes without any of those excuses which a + philanthropist cannot but make for wretches brought up in infamy. + </p> + <p> + Alas, alas! how is it that in these days such men become rogues? How is it + that we see in such frightful instances the impotency of educated men to + withstand the allurements of wealth? Men are not now more keen after the + pleasures which wealth can buy than were their forefathers. One would + rather say that they are less so. The rich labour now, and work with an + assiduity that often puts to shame the sweat in which the poor man earns + his bread. The rich rogue, or the rogue that would be rich, is always a + laborious man. He allows himself but little recreation, for dishonest + labour admits of no cessation. His wheel is one which cannot rest without + disclosing the nature of the works which move it. It is not for pleasure + that men + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Put rancours in the vessel of their peace; +</pre> + <p> + nor yet primarily for ambition. Men do not wish to rise by treachery, or + to become great through dishonesty. The object, the ultimate object, which + a man sets before himself, is generally a good one. But he sets it up in + so enviable a point of view, his imagination makes it so richly desirable, + by being gazed at it becomes so necessary to existence, that its + attainment is imperative. The object is good, but the means of attaining + it—the path to the object—ah! there is the slip. Expediency is + the dangerous wind by which so many of us have wrecked our little boats. + </p> + <p> + And we do so more now than ever, because great ships, swimming in deepest + waters, have unluckily come safe to haven though wafted there by the same + pernicious wind. Every great man, who gains a great end by dishonest + means, does more to deteriorate his country and lower the standard of his + countrymen than legions of vulgar thieves, or nameless unaspiring rogues. + Who has injured us so much in this way as he whose name still stands + highest among modern politicians? Who has given so great a blow to + political honesty, has done so much to banish from men's minds the idea of + a life-ruling principle, as Sir Robert Peel? + </p> + <p> + It would shock many were we to attribute to him the roguery of the + Sadleirs and Camerons, of the Robsons and Redpaths of the present day; but + could we analyse causes and effects, we might perhaps do so with no + injustice. He has taught us as a great lesson, that a man who has before + him a mighty object may dispense with those old-fashioned rules of truth + to his neighbours and honesty to his own principles, which should guide us + in ordinary life. At what point ordinary life ends, at what crisis objects + may be considered great enough to justify the use of a dispensing power, + that he has not taught us; that no Sir Robert Peel can teach us; that must + unfortunately be left to the judgement of the individual. How prone we + are, each of us, to look on our own object as great, how ready to make + excuses for receiving such a lesson for our guide; how willing to think + that we may be allowed to use this dispensing power ourselves—this + experience teaches us in very plain language. + </p> + <p> + Thrice in his political life did Sir Robert Peel change his political + creed, and carry, or assist to carry, with more or less of + self-gratulation, the measures of his adversaries. Thrice by doing so he + kept to himself that political power which he had fairly forfeited by + previous opposition to the requirements of his country. Such an apposition + of circumstances is at any rate suspicious. But let us give him credit for + the expression of a true belief; of a belief at first that the corn-laws + should be maintained, and then of a belief that they should not; let us, + with a forced confidence in his personal honesty, declare so much of him; + nevertheless, he should surely have felt, had he been politically as well + as personally honest, that he was not the man to repeal them. + </p> + <p> + But it was necessary, his apologist will say, that the corn-laws should be + repealed; he saw the necessity, and yielded to it. It certainly was + necessary, very necessary, very unavoidable; absolutely necessary one may + say; a fact, which the united efforts of all the Peels of the day could in + nowise longer delay, having already delayed it to the utmost extent of + their power. It was essential that the corn-laws should be repealed; but + by no means essential that this should be done by Sir Robert Peel. + </p> + <p> + It was a matter of indifference to us Englishmen who did the deed. But to + Sir Robert Peel it was a matter of great moment that he should do it. He + did it, and posterity will point at him as a politician without policy, as + a statesman without a principle, as a worshipper at the altar of + expediency, to whom neither vows sworn to friends, nor declarations made + to his country, were in any way binding. Had Sir Robert Peel lived, and + did the people now resolutely desire that the Church of England should be + abandoned, that Lords and Commons should bow the neck, that the Crown + should fall, who can believe that Sir Robert Peel would not be ready to + carry out their views? Readers, it may be that to you such deeds as those + are horrible even to be thought of or expressed; to me I own that they are + so. So also to Sir Robert Peel was Catholic Emancipation horrible, so was + Reform of Parliament, so was the Corn Law Repeal. They were horrible to + him, horrible to be thought of, horrible to be expressed. But the people + required these measures, and therefore he carried them, arguing on their + behalf with all the astuteness of a practised statesman. + </p> + <p> + That Sir Robert Peel should be a worshipper of expediency might be matter + of small moment to any but his biographer, were it not that we are so + prone to copy the example of those whose names are ever in our mouths. It + has now become the doctrine of a large class of politicians that political + honesty is unnecessary, slow, subversive of a man's interests, and + incompatible with quick onward movement. Such a doctrine in politics is to + be deplored; but alas! who can confine it to politics? It creeps with + gradual, but still with sure and quick motion, into all the doings of our + daily life. How shall the man who has taught himself that he may be false + in the House of Commons, how shall he be true in the Treasury chambers? or + if false there, how true on the Exchange? and if false there, how shall he + longer have any truth within him? + </p> + <p> + And thus Alaric Tudor had become a rogue, and was obliged, as it were in + his own defence, to consort with a rogue. He went down to Scotland with + Undy, leaving his wife and child at home, not because he could thus best + amuse his few leisure days, but because this new work of his, this + laborious trade of roguery, allowed him no leisure days. When can villany + have either days or hours of leisure? + </p> + <p> + Among other things to be done in the north, Alaric was to make + acquaintance with the constituents of the little borough of Strathbogy, + which it was his ambition to represent in the next Parliament. Strathbogy + was on the confines of the Gaberlunzie property; and indeed the lord's + eldest son, who was the present member, lived almost within the municipal + boundary. Ca'stocks Cottage, as his residence was called, was but a humble + house for a peer's eldest son; but Mr. Scott was not ashamed to live + there, and there for a while he entertained his brother Undy and Alaric + Tudor. Mr. Scott intended, when the present session was over, to retire + from the labours of parliamentary life. It may be that he thought that he + had done enough for his country; it may be that the men of Strathbogy + thought that he had not done enough for them; it may be that there was + some family understanding between him and his brother. This, however, was + clear, that he did not intend to stand again himself, and that he + professed himself ready to put forward Alaric Tudor as a worthy successor, + and to give him the full benefit and weight of the Gaberlunzie interest. + </p> + <p> + But not for nothing was Alaric to receive such important assistance. + </p> + <p> + 'There are but 312 electors altogether,' said Undy one morning as they + went out shooting, 'and out of these we can command a hundred and twenty. + It must be odd if you cannot get enough outsiders to turn them into a + majority. Indeed you may look on it as a certain seat. No man in England + or Scotland could give you one more certain.' + </p> + <p> + This was not the first occasion on which Undy had spoken of all that he + was doing for his friend, and Alaric therefore, somewhat disgusted with + the subject, made no reply. + </p> + <p> + 'I never had things made so easy for me when I wasn't in,' continued Undy; + 'nor have I ever found them so easy since. I don't suppose it will cost + you above £500, or at most £600, altogether.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, that will be a comfort,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'A comfort! why I should say it would. What with the election and petition + together, Tillietudlem never cost me less than £2,000. It cost me just as + much, too, when I was thrown out.' + </p> + <p> + 'That was a bore for you,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Upon my word you take it rather coolly,' said Undy; 'another man would + thank a fellow for putting such a nice thing in his way.' + </p> + <p> + 'If the obligation be so deep,' said Alaric, becoming very red in the + face, 'I would rather not accept it. It is not too late for you to take + the cheaper seat to yourself, if you prefer it; and I will look + elsewhere.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, of course; perhaps at Tillietudlem; but for Heaven's sake, my dear + fellow, don't let us quarrel about it. You are perfectly welcome to + whatever assistance we can give you at Strathbogy. I only meant to say + that I hope it will be efficacious. And on the score of expense I'll tell + you what we'll do—that is, if you think that fair; we'll put the + cost of the two elections together, and share and share alike.' + </p> + <p> + 'Considering that the election will not take place for at least more than + twelve months, there will be time enough to settle that,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, that's true, too,' said Undy; and then they went on, and for some + time separated on the mountain, complaining, when they met again, of the + game being scarce and the dogs wild, as men always do. But as they walked + home, Undy, who regretted the loss of good time, again began about money + matters. + </p> + <p> + 'How many of those bridge shares will you take?' said he. This was a + projected bridge from Poplar to Rotherhithe, which had been got up by some + city gentlemen, and as to which Undy Scott was, or pretended to be, very + sanguine. + </p> + <p> + 'None,' said Alaric. 'Unless I can get rid of those confounded West Cork + and Ballydehobs, I can buy nothing more of anything.' + </p> + <p> + 'Believe me, my dear fellow, the Ballydehobs are no such confounded things + at all. If you are ever a rich man it will be through the Ballydehobs. But + what you say about the bridge shares is nonsense. You have a large command + of capital, and you cannot apply it better.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric winced, and wished in his heart that Clementina Jaquêtanàpe, <i>née</i> + Golightly, with all her money, was buried deep in the bogs of Ballydehob. + Though he was a rogue, he could not yet bear his roguery with comfort to + himself. It sat, however, as easy on Undy as though he had been to the + manner born. + </p> + <p> + 'I have no capital now at my disposal,' said he; 'and I doubt whether I + should be doing right to lay out a ward's money in such a manner.' + </p> + <p> + A slight smile came over Undy's gay unconcerned features; it was very + slight, but nevertheless it was very eloquent and very offensive also. + Alaric understood it well; it made him hate the owner of it, but it made + him hate himself still more. + </p> + <p> + 'It is as well to be hung for a sheep as for a lamb,' said Undy's smile; + 'and, moreover,' continued the smile, 'is it not ridiculous enough for + you, Alaric Tudor, rogue as you are, to profess to me, Undy Scott, rogue + as I am, any solicitude as to your ward's welfare, seeing that you have + already taken to yourself, for your own dishonest purposes, a considerable + slice of the fortune that has been trusted to your keeping? You have done + this, and yet you talk to me of not having capital at your disposal! You + have capital, and you will dispose of that capital for your own purposes, + as long as a shilling remains uninvested of your ward's money. We are both + rogues. God knows it, and you and I know it; but I am not such a + hypocritical rogue as to make mock boasts of my honesty to my brother + rogue.' + </p> + <p> + This was certainly a long speech to have been made by a smile which + crossed Mr. Scott's face but for a moment, but every word of it was there + expressed, and every word of it was there read. Alaric did not at all like + being addressed so uncivilly. It seemed to tend but little to that + 'Excelsior' for which his soul panted; but what could he do? how could he + help himself? Was it not all true? could he contradict the smile? Alas! it + was true; it was useless for him now to attempt even to combat such + smiles. 'Excelsior,' indeed! his future course might now probably be + called by some very different designation. Easy, very easy, is the slope + of hell. + </p> + <p> + Before they had returned to Ca'stocks Cottage, Undy had succeeded in + persuading his friend that the game must be played on—on and on, and + out. If a man intends to make a fortune in the share-market he will never + do it by being bold one day and timid the next. No turf betting-book can + be made up safely except on consistent principles. Half-measures are + always ruinous. In matters of speculation one attempt is made safe by + another. No man, it is true, can calculate accurately what may be the + upshot of a single venture; but a sharp fellow may calculate with a fair + average of exactness what will be the aggregate upshot of many ventures. + All mercantile fortunes have been made by the knowledge and understanding + of this rule. If a man speculates but once and again, now and then, as it + were, he must of course be a loser. He will be playing a game which he + does not understand, and playing it against men who do understand it. Men + who so play always lose. But he who speculates daily puts himself exactly + in the reversed position. He plays a game which experience teaches him to + play well, and he plays generally against men who have no such advantage. + Of course he wins. + </p> + <p> + All these valuable lessons did Undy Scott teach to Alaric Tudor, and the + result was that Alaric agreed to order—for self and partner—a + considerable number of shares in the Limehouse Bridge Company. Easy, very + easy, is the slope of hell. + </p> + <p> + And then in the evening, on this evening and other evenings, on all + evenings, they talked over the prospects of the West Cork and Ballydehob + branch, and of the Limehouse Bridge, which according to Undy's theory is + destined to work quite a revolution in the East-end circles of the + metropolis. Undy had noble ideas about this bridge. The shares at the + present moment were greatly at a discount—so much the better, for + they could be bought at a cheaper rate; and they were sure to rise to some + very respectable figure as soon as Undy should have played out with + reference to them the parliamentary game which he had in view. + </p> + <p> + And so from morning to morning, and from night to night, they talked over + their unholy trade till the price of shares and the sounds of sums of + money entered into Alaric's soul. And this, perhaps, is one of the + greatest penalties to which men who embark in such trade are doomed, that + they can never shake off the remembrance of their calculations; they can + never drop the shop; they have no leisure, no ease; they can never throw + themselves with loose limbs and vacant mind at large upon the world's + green sward, and call children to come and play with them. At the Weights + and Measures Alaric's hours of business had been from ten to five. In + Undy's office they continued from one noon till the next, incessantly; + even in his dreams he was working in the share market. + </p> + <p> + On his return to town Alaric found a letter from Captain Cuttwater, + pressing very urgently for the repayment of his money. It had been lent on + the express understanding that it was to be repaid when Parliament broke + up. It was now the end of October, and Uncle Bat was becoming uneasy. + </p> + <p> + Alaric, when he received the letter, crushed it in his hand, and cursed + the strictness of the man who had done so much for him. On the next day + another slice was taken from the fortune of Madame Jaquêtanàpe; and his + money, with the interest, was remitted to Captain Cuttwater. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0030" id="link2HCH0030"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXX. — MRS. WOODWARD'S REQUEST + </h2> + <p> + We will now go back for a while to Hampton. The author, for one, does so + with pleasure. Though those who dwell there be not angels, yet it is + better to live with the Woodwards and Harry Norman, with Uncle Bat, or + even with the unfortunate Charley, than with such as Alaric and Undy + Scott. The man who is ever looking after money is fitting company only for + the devils, of whom, indeed, he is already one. + </p> + <p> + But Charley cannot any longer be called one of the Cottage circle. It was + now the end of October, and since the day of his arrest, he had not yet + been there. He had not been asked; nor would he go uninvited, as after + what had passed at Hampton Court Bridge he surely might have done. + </p> + <p> + And consequently they were all unhappy. No one was more so than Charley. + When the prospect of the happy evening with Norah had been so violently + interrupted by his arrest, he had, among his other messages, sent word to + the 'Cat and Whistle,' excusing his absence by a statement of the true + cause. From that day to this of which we are now speaking he had seen + neither Mrs. Davis nor her fair protégée. + </p> + <p> + Nor were they better contented at the Cottage. Mrs. Woodward was harassed + by different feelings and different fears, which together made her very + unhappy. Her Katie was still ill; not ill indeed so that she was forced to + keep her bed and receive daily visits from pernicious doctors, but, + nevertheless, so ill as to make a mother very anxious. + </p> + <p> + She had never been quite strong, quite herself, from the night of Mrs. + Val's dance. The doctor who had attended her declared that her ducking in + the river had given her cold: and that this, not having been duly checked, + still hung about her. Then she had been taken to a physician in London, + who poked her on the back and tapped her on the breast, listened to her + lungs through a wooden pipe—such was the account which Katie gave + herself when she returned home—and prescribed rum and milk and + cod-liver oil, declaring, with an authoritative nod, that there was no + organic disease—as yet. + </p> + <p> + 'And what shall we do with her, doctor?' asked Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'Go on with the rum and milk and cod-liver oil, you can't do better.' + </p> + <p> + 'And the cough, doctor?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, if that doesn't go before the cold weather begins, you may as well + take her to Torquay for the winter.' + </p> + <p> + Oh! consumption, thou scourge of England's beauty! how many mothers, + gasping with ill-suppressed fears, have listened to such words as these—have + listened and then hoped; listened again and hoped again with fainter + hopes; have listened again, and then hoped no more! + </p> + <p> + But there was much on Mrs. Woodward's mind which she could not bring + herself to tell to any doctor, but which still left in her breast an + impression that she was perhaps keeping back the true cause of Katie's + illness. Charley had not been at Hampton since his arrest, and it was + manifest to all that Katie was therefore wretched. + </p> + <p> + 'But why do you not ask him, mamma?' she had urged when her mother + suggested that he stayed away because he did not like to show himself + after what had occurred. 'What will he think of us? he that saved my life, + mamma! Oh, mamma! you promised to forgive him. Do ask him. You know he + will come if you ask him.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward could not explain to her—could not explain to any one—why + she did not invite him. Norman guessed it all, and Mrs. Woodward saw that + he had done so; but still she could not talk to him of Katie's feelings, + could not tell him that she feared her child was heart-laden with so sad a + love. So Mrs. Woodward had no confidant in her sorrow, no counsel which + she could seek to aid her own wavering judgement. It was prudent, she + thought, that Katie and Charley should be kept apart. Prudent! was it not + even imperative on her to save her child from such a fate? But then, when + she saw the rosy cheek grow pale by degrees, as she watched the plump + little arms grow gradually thin and wan, as those high spirits fell, and + that voice which had ever been so frequent in the house and so clear,—when + the sound of it became low and rare, then her heart would misgive her, and + she would all but resolve to take the only step which she knew would bring + a bright gleam on her child's face, and give a happy tone to her darling's + voice. + </p> + <p> + During the earlier portion of these days, Katie had with eager constancy + reiterated her request that Charley should be asked to Hampton; but of a + sudden her prayers ceased. She spoke no more of Charley, asked no longer + after his coming, ceased even to inquire frequently of his welfare. But + yet, when his name was mentioned, she would open wide her bright eyes, + would listen with all her ears, and show only too plainly to one who + watched her as a mother only can watch, what were the thoughts which + filled her heart. + </p> + <p> + 'Linda,' she had said one night, as they sat in their room, preparing + themselves for bed, 'Linda, why does not mamma invite Charley to come down + to Hampton?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! I don't know,' said Linda; who, however, if she did not know, was not + far wrong in the guess she made. 'I suppose she thinks he'd be ashamed to + show himself after having been in prison.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ashamed! Why should he be ashamed after so long? Didn't you hear Harry + say that the same thing often happens to young men? Is he never to come + here again? Dear Linda, I know you know; do tell me.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I'm sure I do not know, if that's not the reason.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Linda, dear Linda, yes, you do,' said Katie, throwing herself on her + knees, resting her arms on her sister's lap, and looking up wistfully into + her sister's face. Her long hair was streaming down her back; her white, + naked feet peeped out from beneath her bedroom dress, and large tears + glistened in her eyes. Who could have resisted the prayers of such a + suppliant? Certainly not Linda, the soft-hearted Linda. + </p> + <p> + 'Do tell me,' continued Katie, 'do tell me—I am sure you know; and, + Linda, if it is wrong to ask mamma about it, I'll never, never ask her + again. I know mamma is unhappy about it. If my asking is wrong, I'll not + make her unhappy any more in that way.' + </p> + <p> + Linda, for a while, did not know what to answer. Her hesitating manner + immediately revealed to Katie that there was a secret, and that her sister + could tell it if she would. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Linda, do tell me, do tell me, dear Linda; you ought to tell me for + mamma's sake.' + </p> + <p> + At last, with much hesitation, Linda told her the whole tale. + </p> + <p> + 'Perhaps mamma thinks that you are too fond of Charley.' + </p> + <p> + An instant light flashed across Katie's heart—across her heart, and + brain, and senses. Not another word was necessary to explain to her the + whole mystery, to tell the whole tale, to reveal to her the secret of her + own love, of her mother's fears, and of his assumed unwillingness. She got + up slowly from her knees, kissed her sister's cheek and neck, smiled at + her so sweetly, so sadly, and then sitting on her old seat, began playing + with her long hair, and gazing at vacancy. + </p> + <p> + 'It is only what I guess, you know, Katie—you would make me tell + you, but I am sure there is nothing in it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Dear Linda,' said she, 'you are so good; I am so much obliged to you.' + </p> + <p> + After that Katie spoke no further of Charley. But it was evident to them + all, that though she said nothing, she had not ceased to think of him. Nor + did her cheek again become rosy, nor her arms round, nor her voice happy. + She got weaker than ever, and poor Mrs. Woodward was overcome with sorrow. + </p> + <p> + Nor was this the only cause of grief at Surbiton Cottage. During the last + few weeks a bitter estrangement had taken place between the Woodwards and + the Tudors, Alaric Tudor, that is, and Gertrude. Two years had now passed + since Norman had chosen to quarrel with Alaric, and during all that period + the two had never spoken amicably together, though they had met on + business very frequently; on all such occasions Alaric had been + unperturbed and indifferent, whereas Norman had been gloomy, and had + carried a hostile brow and angry eye. At their period of life, two years + generally does much to quiet feelings of ill-will and pacify animosity; + but Norman's feelings had by no means been quieted, nor his animosity + pacified. He had loved Alaric with a close and manly love; now he hated + him with a close and, I fear I may say, a manly hatred. Alaric had, as he + thought, answered his love by treachery; and there was that in Norman's + heart which would not allow him to forgive one who had been a traitor to + him. He had that kind of selfishness so common to us, but of which we are + so unconscious, which will not allow us to pardon a sin against our own <i>amour + propre</i>. Alaric might have been forgiven, though he had taken his + friend's money, distanced him in his office, though he had committed + against him all offences which one friend can commit against another, all + but this. Norman had been proud of his love, and yet ashamed of it—proud + of loving such a girl as Gertrude, and ashamed of being known to be in + love at all. He had confided his love to Alaric, and Alaric had robbed him + of his love, and wounded both his pride and his shame. + </p> + <p> + Norman lacked the charity which should have been capable of forgiving even + this. He now looked at all Alaric's doings through a different glass from + that which he had used when Alaric had been dear to him. He saw, or + thought that he saw, that his successful rival was false, ambitious, + treacherous, and dishonest; he made no excuses for him, gave him no credit + for his industry, accorded no admiration to his talent. He never spoke ill + of Alaric Tudor, to others; but he fed his own heart with speaking and + thinking ill of him to himself. + </p> + <p> + Of Gertrude he thought very differently. He had taught himself to + disconnect her from the treachery of her husband—or rather her + memory; for, from the day on which he had learnt that she was engaged to + Alaric, he had never seen her. He still loved the remembrance of her. In + his solitary walks with Mrs. Woodward he would still speak of her as he + might of one in some distant clime, for whose welfare he was deeply + interested. He had seen and caressed her baby at Hampton. She was still + dear to him. Had Alaric been called to his long account, it would have + been his dearest wish to have become at some future time the husband of + his widow. + </p> + <p> + To all these feelings on Norman's part Alaric was very indifferent; but + their existence operated as a drawback on his wife's comfort, and, to a + certain degree, on his own. Mrs. Woodward would not banish Norman from the + Cottage, even for her daughter's sake, and it came by degrees to be + understood that the Tudors, man and wife, should not go there unless they + were aware that Norman was absent. Norman, on the other hand, did absent + himself when it was understood that Alaric and Gertrude were coming; and + thus the Woodwards kept up their intercourse with both. + </p> + <p> + But this was a bore. Alaric thought it most probable that Norman would + marry one of the younger sisters, and he knew that family quarrels are + uncomfortable and injudicious. When therefore he became a Civil Service + Commissioner, and was thus removed from business intercourse with Norman, + he conceived that it would be wise to arrange a reconciliation. He + discussed the matter with Gertrude, and she, fully agreeing with him, + undertook the task of making the proposal through her mother. This she did + with all the kindness and delicacy of a woman. She desired her mother to + tell Harry how much she had valued his friendship, how greatly she + regretted the loss of it, how anxious her husband was to renew, if + possible, their former terms of affection. Mrs. Woodward, by no means + sanguine, undertook the commission. She undertook it, and utterly failed; + and when Gertrude, in her disappointment, spoke bitterly of Norman's + bitterness, both mother and sister, both Mrs. Woodward and Linda, took + Norman's part. + </p> + <p> + 'I wish it could be otherwise,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'I wish it for all our + sakes; but he is a man not easily to be turned, and I cannot blame him. He + has suffered very much.' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude became very red. Her mother's words contained a reproach against + herself, tacit and unintended indeed, but not the less keenly felt. + </p> + <p> + 'I am not aware that Mr. Norman has any cause of just complaint,' she + said, 'against any one, unless it be himself. For the sake of charity and + old associations we have wished that all ideas of injury should be + forgiven and forgotten. If he chooses still to indulge his rancour, he + must do so. I had taken him to be a better Christian.' + </p> + <p> + More words had sprung from these. Mrs. Woodward, who, in truth, loved + Norman the better for the continuance of his sorrow, would not give up his + part; and so the mother and child parted, and the two sisters parted, not + quarrelling indeed, not absolutely with angry words, but in a tone of mind + towards each other widely differing from that of former years. Mrs. + Woodward had lost none of the love of the parent; but Gertrude had + forgotten somewhat of the reverence of the child. + </p> + <p> + All this had added much to the grief created by Katie's illness. + </p> + <p> + And then of a sudden Katie became silent, as well as sad and ill—silent + and sad, but so soft, so loving in her manner. Her gentle little caresses, + the tender love ever lying in her eye, the constant pressure of her thin + small hand, would all but break her mother's heart. Katie would sit beside + her on the sofa in the drawing-room for hours; a book, taken up as an + excuse, would be in her lap, and she would sit there gazing listlessly + into the vacant daylight till the evening would come; and then, when the + room was shaded and sombre, when the light of the fire merely served to + make the objects indistinct, she would lean gently and by degrees upon her + mother's bosom, would coax her mother's arm round her neck, and would thus + creep as it were into her mother's heart of hearts. And then slow tears + would trickle down her cheeks, very slow, one by one, till they would fall + as telltales on her mother's hand. + </p> + <p> + 'Katie, my darling Katie,' the mother would say. + </p> + <p> + 'I'm only tired, mamma,' would be her answer. 'Don't move, mamma; pray + don't move. I am so comfortable.' + </p> + <p> + And then at night she would put herself to rest close circled in Linda's + arms. She would twist up her little feet, and lie so quiet there, that + Linda would remain motionless that she might not disturb her Katie's + sleep; but soon warm tears would be running on her bosom, and she would + know that Katie was still thinking of her love. + </p> + <p> + Linda, among all her virtues, had not that of reticence, and her mother + had soon learnt from her what had been said that night in their bedroom + about Charley. But this violation of confidence, if it was a violation, + was hardly necessary to make Mrs. Woodward aware of what was passing in + her daughter's bosom. When Katie ceased to ask that Charley might be sent + for, when she ceased to plead for his pardon and to praise his virtues, + Mrs. Woodward knew well the cause of her silence. It was not that others + suspected her love, but that she had learned to suspect it herself. It was + not that she was ashamed of loving Charley, but that she felt at once that + such love would distress her mother's heart. + </p> + <p> + As she sat there that night fingering her silken hair, she had asked + herself whether in truth this man was master of her heart; she had probed + her young bosom, which now, by a sudden growth, became quick with a + woman's impulse, and she had owned to herself that she did love him. He + was dearer to her, she found, than all in the world beside. Fondly as she + loved her sister, sweet to her as were her mother's caresses, their love + was not as precious to her as his might be. And then she remembered what + he was, what was the manner of his life, what his character; how different + he was from Alaric or Harry Norman; she remembered this, and knew that her + love was an unhappy passion. Herself she would have sacrificed: prisoner + as he had been, debtor as he was, drunkard, penniless, and a spendthrift, + she would not have hesitated to take him for her guide through life, and + have done what a woman might to guide him in return. But she would not + sacrifice her mother. She saw now why Charley was not asked, and silently + acquiesced in his banishment. + </p> + <p> + She was not yet quite seventeen. Not yet seventeen! the reader will say. + She was still such a child, and yet arguing to herself about spendthrift + debtors and self-sacrifice! All this bombast at sixteen and a half. No, my + ungentle reader, not all this bombast at sixteen and a half. The bombast + is mine. It is my fault if I cannot put into fitting language the thoughts + which God put into her young heart. In her mind's soliloquy, Charley's + vices were probably all summed up in the one word, unsteady. 'Why is he so + unsteady? Why does he like these wicked things?' And then as regarded Mrs. + Woodward, she did but make a resolve that not even for her love would she + add to the unhappiness of that loving, tenderest mother. There was no + bombast in Katie, either expressed or unexpressed. + </p> + <p> + After much consideration on the matter, Mrs. Woodward determined that she + should ask Charley down to the Cottage. In the first place, she felt + bitterly her apparent ingratitude to him. When last they had been + together, the day after Katie's escape at the bridge, when his tale had + just been read, she had told him, with the warmth of somewhat more than + friendly affection, that henceforth they must be more than common friends. + She had promised him her love, she had almost promised him the affection + and care of a mother; and now how was she keeping her promise? He had + fallen into misfortune, and she had immediately deserted him. Over and + over again she said to herself that her first duty was to her own child; + but even with this reflection, she could hardly reconcile herself to her + neglect of him. + </p> + <p> + And then, moreover, she felt that it was impossible that all their + friendship, all their mutual regard, should die away suddenly without any + explanation. An attempt to bring about this would not cure Katie's love. + If this were done, would not Katie always think of Charley's wrong? + </p> + <p> + And, lastly, it was quite clear that Katie had put a check on her own + heart. A meeting now might be the reverse of dangerous. It would be well + that Katie should use herself to be with him now again; well, at any rate, + that she should see him once before their proposed journey to Torquay; + for, alas, the journey to Torquay was now insisted on by the London + physician—insisted on, although he opined with a nod, somewhat less + authoritative than his former nod, that the young lady was touched by no + organic disease. + </p> + <p> + 'And then,' said Mrs. Woodward to herself, 'his heart is good, and I will + speak openly to him.' And so Charley was again invited to the cottage. + After some demurring between him and Norman, he accepted the invitation. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Val's dance had taken place in June, and it was now late in October. + Four months had intervened, and during that period Charley had seen none + of the Woodwards. He had over and over again tried to convince himself + that this was his own fault, and that he had no right to accuse Mrs. + Woodward of ingratitude. But he was hardly successful. He did feel, in + spite of himself, that he had been dropped because of the disgrace + attaching to his arrest; that Mrs. Woodward had put him aside as being too + bad to associate with her and her daughters; and that it was intended that + henceforth they should be strangers. + </p> + <p> + He still had Katie's purse, and he made a sort of resolve that as long as + he kept that in his possession, as long as he had that near his heart, he + would not go near Norah Geraghty. This resolution he had kept; but though + he did not go to the 'Cat and Whistle,' he frequented other places which + were as discreditable, or more so. He paid many very fruitless visits to + Mr. M'Ruen; contrived to run up a score with the proprietor of the dancing + saloon in Holborn; and was as negligent as ever in the matter of the lock + entries. + </p> + <p> + 'It is no use now,' he would say to himself, when some aspirations for + higher things came across his heart; 'it is too late now to go back. Those + who once cared for me have thrown me over.' And then he would again think + of Waterloo Bridge, and the Monument, and of what might be done for + threepence or fourpence in a pistol gallery. + </p> + <p> + And then at last came the invitation to Hampton. He was once more to talk + to Mrs. Woodward, and associate with Linda—to see Katie once more. + When he had last left the house he had almost been as much at home as any + one of the family; and now he was to return to it as a perfect stranger. + As he travelled down with Norman by the railway, he could not help feeling + that the journey was passing over too quickly. He was like a prisoner + going to his doom. As he crossed the bridge, and remembered how Katie had + looked when she lay struggling in the water, how he had been fêted and + caressed after pulling her out, he made a bitter contrast between his + present position and that which he then enjoyed. Were it not for very + shame, he would have found it in his heart to return to London. + </p> + <p> + And then in a moment they were at the Cottage door. The road had never + been so short. Norman, who had not fathomed Charley's feelings, was happy + and light-hearted—more so than was usual with him, for he was + unaffectedly glad to witness Charley's return to Hampton. He rang sharply + at the door, and when it was opened, walked with happy confidence into the + drawing-room. Charley was bound to follow him, and there he found himself + again in the presence of Mrs. Woodward and her daughters. Katie would fain + have absented herself, but Mrs. Woodward knew that the first meeting could + take place in no more favourable manner. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward bade him welcome with a collected voice, and assured, if not + easy manner. She shook hands with him cordially, and said a few words as + to her pleasure of seeing him again. Then he next took Linda's hand, and + she too made a little speech, more awkwardly than her mother, saying + something mal à propos about the very long time he had been away; and then + she laughed with a little titter, trying to recover herself. And at last + he came to Katie. There was no getting over it. She also stretched out her + now thin hand, and Charley, as he touched it, perceived how altered she + was. Katie looked up into his face, and tried to speak, but she could not + articulate a word. She looked into his face, and then at Mrs. Woodward, as + though imploring her mother's aid to tell her how to act or what to say; + and then finding her power of utterance impeded by rising sobs, she + dropped back again on her seat, and hid her face upon the arm of the sofa. + </p> + <p> + 'Our Katie is not so well as when you last saw her—is she, Charley?' + said Mrs. Woodward. 'She is very weak just now; but thank God she has, we + believe, no dangerous symptoms about her. You have heard, perhaps, that we + are going to Torquay for the winter?' + </p> + <p> + And so they went on talking. The ice was broken and the worst was over. + They did not talk, it is true, as in former days; there was no confidence + between them now, and each of them felt that there was none; but they + nevertheless fell into a way of unembarrassed conversation, and were all + tolerably at their ease. + </p> + <p> + And then they went to dinner, and Charley was called on to discuss + Admiralty matters with Uncle Bat; and then he and Norman sat after dinner + a little longer than usual; and then they had a short walk, during which + Katie remained at home; but short as it was, it was quite long enough, for + it was very dull; and then there was tea; and then more constrained + conversation, in which Katie took no part whatever; and then Mrs. Woodward + and the girls took their candles, and Charley went over to the inn on the + other side of the road. Oh! how different was this from the former + evenings at Surbiton Cottage. + </p> + <p> + Charley had made no plan for any special interview with Katie; had, + indeed, not specially thought about it at all; but he could not but feel + an intense desire to say one word to her in private, and learn whether all + her solicitude for him was over. 'Dear Charley, you will be steady; won't + you?' Those had been her last words to him. Nothing could have been + sweeter; although they brought before his mind the remembrance of his own + unworthy career, they had been inexpressibly sweet, as testifying the + interest she felt in him. And was that all over now? Had it all been + talked away by Mrs. Woodward's cautious wisdom, because he had lain for + one night in a sponging-house? + </p> + <p> + But the next day came, and as it passed, it appeared to him that no + opportunity of speaking one word to her was to be allowed to him. + </p> + <p> + She did not, however, shun him. She was not up at breakfast, but she sat + next to him at lunch, and answered him when he spoke to her. + </p> + <p> + In the evening they again went out to walk, and then Charley found that + Linda and Norman went one way, and that he was alone with Mrs. Woodward. + It was manifest to him that this arrangement had been made on purpose, and + he felt that he was to undergo some private conversation, the nature of + which he dreaded. He dreaded it very much; when he heard it, it made him + very wretched; but it was not the less full of womanly affection and + regard for him. + </p> + <p> + 'I cannot let you go from us, Charley,' began Mrs. Woodward, 'without + telling you how deep a sorrow it has been to me to be so long without + seeing you. I know you have thought me very ungrateful.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ungrateful, Mrs. Woodward! 'O no! I have done nothing to make gratitude + necessary.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, Charley, you have—you have done much, too much. You have saved + my child's life.' + </p> + <p> + 'O no, I did not,' said he; 'besides, I hate gratitude. I don't want any + one to be grateful to me. Gratitude is almost as offensive as pity. Of + course I pulled Kate out of the water when she fell in; and I would have + done as much for your favourite cat.' He said this with something of + bitterness in his tone; it was not much, for though he felt bitterly he + did not intend to show it; but Mrs. Woodward's ear did not fail to catch + it. + </p> + <p> + 'Don't be angry with us, Charley; don't make us more unhappy than we + already are.' + </p> + <p> + 'Unhappy!' said he, as though he thought that all the unhappiness in the + world was at the present moment reserved for his own shoulders. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, we are not so happy now as we were when you were last with us. Poor + Katie is very ill.' + </p> + <p> + 'But you don't think there is any danger, Mrs. Woodward?' + </p> + <p> + There are many tones in which such a question may be asked—and is + asked from day to day—all differing widely from each other, and + giving evidence of various shades of feeling in the speaker. Charley + involuntarily put his whole heart into it. Mrs. Woodward could not but + love him for feeling for her child, though she would have given so much + that the two might have been indifferent to each other. + </p> + <p> + 'I do not know,' she said. 'We hope not. But I should not be sent with her + to Torquay if she were not very ill. She is very ill, and it is absolutely + essential that nothing should be allowed to excite her painfully. I tell + you this, Charley, to excuse our apparent unkindness in not having you + here sooner.' + </p> + <p> + Charley walked by her in silence. Why should his coming excite her more + than Norman's? What could there be painful to her in seeing him? Did the + fact of his having been arrested attach to his visit any peculiar + probability of excitement? + </p> + <p> + 'Do not suppose that we have not thought of you,' continued Mrs. + Woodward.' We have all done so daily. Nay, I have done so myself all but + hourly. Ah, Charley, you will never know how truly I love you.' + </p> + <p> + Charley's heart was as soft as it was inflammable. He was utterly unable + to resist such tenderness as Mrs. Woodward showed to him. He had made a + little resolution to be stiff and stern, to ask for no favour and to + receive none, not to palliate his own conduct, or to allow Mrs. Woodward + to condemn it. He had felt that as the Woodwards had given him up, they + had no longer any right to criticize him. To them at least, one and all, + to Mrs. Woodward and her daughters, his conduct had been <i>sans reproche</i>. + They had no cause to upbraid him on their own account; and they had now + abandoned the right to do so on his own. With such assumed sternness he + began his walk; but now it had all melted before the warmth of one tender + word from a woman's mouth. + </p> + <p> + 'I know I am not worth thinking about,' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'Do not say so; pray do not say so. Do not think that we say so to + ourselves. I grieve for your faults. Charley; I know they are grievous and + wicked; but I know how much there is of good in you. I know how clever you + are, how excellent your heart is, how sweet your disposition. I trust, I + trust in God, you may reform, and be the pride of your friends. I trust + that I yet may be proud of knowing you——' + </p> + <p> + 'No one will ever be proud of me,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'We shall all be proud of you, if you will resolve to turn away from + childish things now that you are no longer a child—your faults are + faults which as yet may be so easily relinquished. But, oh, Charley——' + and then Mrs. Woodward paused and looked wistfully into his face. She had + now come to the point at which she had to make her prayer to him. She had + resolved to tell him the cause of her fears, and to trust to his honour to + free her from them. Now was the moment for her to speak out; but now that + the moment was come, the words were wanting. + </p> + <p> + She looked wistfully into his face, but he did not even guess what was her + meaning. He knew the secret of his own love; but he did not know that + Katie also had her secret. He had never dreamt that his faults, among all + their ill effects, had paled her cheek, made wan her arm, silenced her + voice, and dimmed her eye. When he had heard Katie cough, he had in nowise + connected the hated sound with his own arrest. He had thought only of his + own love. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Charley—I know I can trust you,' said Mrs. Woodward. 'I know + you are gentle and good. You will be gentle and good to us, will you not? + you will not make us all wretched?' + </p> + <p> + Charley declared that he would not willingly do anything to cause pain to + any of them. + </p> + <p> + 'No—I am sure you will not. And therefore, Charley, you must not see + Katie any more.' + </p> + <p> + At this time they had turned off the road into a shady lane, in which the + leaves of autumn were beginning to fall. A path led over a stile away from + the lane into the fields, and Mrs. Woodward had turned towards it, as + though intending to continue their walk in that direction. But when she + had reached the stile, she had sat down upon the steps of it, and Charley + had been listening to her, standing by, leaning on the top rail. + </p> + <p> + 'And therefore, Charley, you must not see Katie any more.' So much she + said, and then she looked into his face with imploring eyes. + </p> + <p> + It was impossible that he should answer her at once. He had to realize so + much that had hitherto not been expressed between them, before he could + fully understand what she meant; and then he was called on to give up so + much that he now learnt for the first time was within his reach! Before he + could answer her he had to assure himself that Katie loved him; he had to + understand that her love for one so abandoned was regarded as fatal; and + he had to reply to a mother's prayer that he would remove himself from the + reach of a passion which to him was worth all the world beside. + </p> + <p> + He turned his face away from her, but still stood leaning on the stile, + with his arms folded on it. She watched him for a while in silence, and at + last she saw big tears drop from his face on to the dust of the path on + the farther side. There they came rolling down, large globules of sorrow. + Nothing is so painful to a woman as a man in tears, and Mrs. Woodward's + heart was wrung to its very core. Why was he not like Alaric or Norman, so + that she might make him welcome to her daughter's heart? + </p> + <p> + She leant towards him and put her hand caressingly on his arm. 'It shall + be so, shall it not, Charley?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, of course, if you say so.' + </p> + <p> + 'I have your word, then? If I have your word, that will be a perfect bond. + I have your word, have I not, Charley?' + </p> + <p> + 'What!—never see her in my life?' said he, turning almost fiercely + on Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'That, you know, is more than you can promise,' said she, very gently. 'It + is not to the letter of the promise that I would bind you, but to its + spirit. You understand well what I mean; you know what I wish, and why I + wish it. Say that you will obey my wish, and I will leave the mode of + doing it to your own honour. Have I your promise?' + </p> + <p> + He shook her hand off his arm almost roughly, though unintentionally, and + turning sharply round leant with his back against the stile. The traces of + tears were still on his cheeks, but he was no longer crying; there was, + however, a look on his face of heart-rending sorrow which Mrs. Woodward + could hardly endure. + </p> + <p> + 'I do understand you,' said he, 'and since you demand it, I will promise;' + and then they walked home side by side, without interchanging a single + word. + </p> + <p> + When they reached the house, Mrs. Woodward went to her room, and Charley + found himself alone with Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'I hope you find yourself better this evening,' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, I am quite well,' she answered, with her sweetest, kindest voice; 'I + am quite well, only sometimes I am a little weak.' + </p> + <p> + He walked up to the window as though to pass on to the lawn; but the + season was too far advanced for that, and the window was locked. He + retraced his steps, therefore, and passing out of the drawing-room into + the hall, stood at the open front door till he heard Mrs. Woodward come + down. Then he followed her into the room. + </p> + <p> + 'Good-bye,' he said to her suddenly; 'I shall start by the early train + to-morrow, and shall not see you.' She pressed his hand, but he in nowise + returned the pressure. 'Good-bye, Linda; good-bye, Katie; good night, + Captain Cuttwater.' And so he went his way, as Adam did when he was driven + out of Paradise. + </p> + <p> + Early on the following morning, the cook, while engaged in her most + matutinal duties, was disturbed by a ring at the front door. She, and she + only of the household, was up, and as she had not completed her toilet + with much minuteness, she was rather embarrassed when, on opening the + door, she saw Mr. Charles Tudor. + </p> + <p> + 'I beg your pardon, cook, for troubling you so early; but I have left + something in the drawing-room. I can find it myself;' and, so saying, he + hurried into the room, so as to prevent the servant from following him. + </p> + <p> + Katie had a well-worn, well-known little workbox, which, in years now long + past; had been given to her either by Alaric or Harry. Doubtless she had + now work-boxes grander both in appearance and size; but, nevertheless, + whether from habit or from choice, her custom was, in her daily + needlework, to use this old friend. Often and often had Charley played + with it many wicked pranks. Once, while Katie had as yet no pretension to + be grown up, he had put a snail into it, and had incurred her severe + displeasure. He had stuffed it full of acorns, and been rewarded by being + pelted with them round the lawn; and had filled it with nuts, for which he + had not found it so difficult to obtain pardon. He knew every hole and + corner in it! he was intimate with all her little feminine nicknacks—her + silver thimble, her scissors, her bit of wax, and the yard-measure, which + twisted itself in and out of an ivory cottage—he knew them all, as + well as though they were his own; and he knew also where the workbox + stood. + </p> + <p> + He closed the door behind him, and then, with his quickest motion, raised + the lid and put within the box, just under the bit of work on which she + was employed, a light small paper parcel. It contained the purse which she + had worked for him, and had given to him with such sweet affection at the + Chiswick flower-show. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0031" id="link2HCH0031"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXXI. — HOW APOLLO SAVED THE NAVVY + </h2> + <p> + About the middle of November, the Woodwards went to Torquay, and remained + there till the following May. Norman went with them to see them properly + settled in their new lodgings, and visited them at Christmas, and once + again during their stay there. He then went down to fetch them home, and + when they all returned, informed Charley, with whom he was still living, + that he was engaged to Linda. It was arranged, he said, that they were to + be married in August. + </p> + <p> + On the whole, the journey to Torquay was considered to have been + successful. Katie's health had been the only object in going there, and + the main consideration while they remained. She returned, if not well, at + any rate not worse. She had got through the winter, and her lungs were + still pronounced to be free from those dreadful signs of decay, the name + of which has broken so many mothers' hearts, and sent dismay into the + breasts of so many fathers. During her sojourn at Torquay she had grown + much, and, as is often the case with those who grow quickly, she had + become weak and thin. People at Torquay are always weak and thin, and Mrs. + Woodward had not, therefore, been greatly frightened at this. Her spirits, + though by no means such as they had been in former days, had improved, she + had occupied herself more than she had done during the last two months at + Hampton, and had, at least so Mrs. Woodward fondly flattered herself, + ceased to be always thinking of Charley Tudor. It was quite clear that she + had firmly made up her mind to some certain line of conduct with reference + to him; she never mentioned his name, nor was it mentioned in her hearing + by either her mother or sister during their stay at Torquay. When Norman + came down, she always found some opportunity of inquiring from him as to + Charley's health and welfare; but she did this in a manner which showed + that she had succeeded in placing her feelings wonderfully under control. + </p> + <p> + On that Monday morning, on which Charley had returned to town after his + early visit to her workbox, she had not failed to find the purse. Linda + was with her when she did so, but she had contrived so to conceal her + emotion, that nothing was seen and nothing suspected. She felt at once + that it was intended that all intercourse should be broken off between + them. She knew instinctively that this was the effect of some precaution + on her mother's part, and with a sad bosom and a broken heart, she + acquiesced in it. She said nothing, even to herself, of the truth and + constancy of her love; she made no mental resolution against any other + passion; she did not even think whether or not she might ever be tempted + to love another; but she felt a dumb aching numbness about her heart; and, + looking round about her, she seemed to feel that all was dark and dismal. + </p> + <p> + And so they sojourned through the winter at Torquay. The effort which + Katie made was undoubtedly salutary to her. She took again to her work and + her lessons—studies we should probably now call them—and + before she left Torquay, she had again learned how to smile; but not to + laugh with that gay ringing silver laughter, ringing, but yet not loud, + which to Charley's ear had been as sweet as heavenly music. During this + time Uncle Bat remained at Hampton, keeping bachelor's house by himself. + </p> + <p> + And then while they were at Torquay, Linda and Norman became engaged to + each other. Their loves were honest, true, and happy; but not of a nature + to give much scope to a novelist of a romantic turn. Linda knew she was + not Norman's first love, and requited Norman, of course, by telling him + something, not much, of Alaric's falseness to her. Norman made but one + ungenerous stipulation. It was this: that in marrying him Linda must give + up all acquaintance with her brother-in-law. He would never, he said, be + the means of separating two sisters; she and Gertrude might have such + intercourse together as their circumstances might render possible; but it + was quite out of the question that either he, Harry Norman, or his wife, + should ever again associate with Alaric Tudor. + </p> + <p> + In such matters Linda had always been guided by others; so she sighed and + promised, and the engagement was duly ratified by all the parties + concerned. + </p> + <p> + We must now return to Charley. When he got back to town, he felt that he + had lost his amulet; his charm had gone from him, and he had nothing now + left whereby to save himself from ruin and destruction. He was utterly + flung over by the Woodwards; that now was to him an undoubted fact. When + Mrs. Woodward told him that he was never again to see Katie, that was, of + course, tantamount to turning him out of the Cottage. It might be all very + well to talk to him of affection and friendship; but it was manifest that + no further signs of either were to be shown to him. He had proved himself + to be unworthy, and was no more to be considered as one of the circle + which made the drawing-room at Surbiton Cottage its centre. He could not + quite explain all this to Norman, as he could not tell him what had passed + between him and Mrs. Woodward; but he said enough to make his friend know + that he intended to go to Hampton no more. + </p> + <p> + It would be wrong, perhaps, to describe Charley as being angry with Mrs. + Woodward. He knew that she was only doing her duty by her child; he knew + that she was actuated by the purest and best of motives; he was not able + to say a word against her even to himself; but, nevertheless, he desired + to be revenged on her—not by injuring her, not by injuring Katie—but + by injuring himself. He would make Mrs. Woodward feel what she had done, + by rushing, himself, on his own ruin. He would return to the 'Cat and + Whistle'—he would keep his promise and marry Norah Geraghty—he + would go utterly to destruction, and then Mrs. Woodward would know and + feel what she had done in banishing him from her daughter's presence! + </p> + <p> + Having arrived at this magnanimous resolution after a fortnight's doubt + and misery, he proceeded to put his purpose into execution. It was now + some considerable time since he had been at the 'Cat and Whistle;' he had + had no further visit from Mrs. Davis, but he had received one or two notes + both from her and Norah, to which, as long as he had Katie's purse, he was + resolute in not replying; messages also had reached him from the landlady + through Dick Scatterall, in the last of which he was reminded that there + was a trifle due at the bar, and another trifle for money lent. + </p> + <p> + One night, having lashed himself up to a fit state of wretched + desperation, he found himself at the well-known corner of the street + leading out of the Strand. On his journey thither he had been trying to + realize to himself what it would be to be the husband of Norah Geraghty; + what would be the joy of returning to a small house in some dingy suburb + and finding her to receive him. Could he really love her when she would be + bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, the wife of his bosom and the + mother of his children? In such a case would he ever be able to forget + that he had known Katie Woodward? Would those words of hers ever ring in + his ears, then as now—'You will be steady, dear Charley; won't you?' + </p> + <p> + There are those who boast that a gentleman must always be a gentleman; + that a man, let him marry whom he will, raises or degrades his wife to the + level of his own condition, and that King Cophetua could share his throne + with a beggar-woman without sullying its splendour or diminishing its + glory. How a king may fare in such a condition, the author, knowing little + of kings, will not pretend to say; nor yet will he offer an opinion + whether a lowly match be fatally injurious to a marquess, duke, or earl; + but this he will be bold to affirm, that a man from the ordinary ranks of + the upper classes, who has had the nurture of a gentleman, prepares for + himself a hell on earth in taking a wife from any rank much below his own—a + hell on earth, and, alas! too often another hell elsewhere also. He must + either leave her or loathe her. She may be endowed with all those moral + virtues which should adorn all women, and which, thank God, are common to + women in this country; but he will have to endure habits, manners, and + ideas, which the close contiguity of married life will force upon his + disgusted palate, and which must banish all love. Man by instinct desires + in his wife something softer, sweeter, more refined than himself; and + though in failing to obtain this, the fault may be all his own, he will + not on that account the more easily reconcile himself to the want. + </p> + <p> + Charley knew that he was preparing such misery for himself. As he went + along, determined to commit a moral suicide by allying himself to the + barmaid, he constrained himself to look with his mind's eye 'upon this + picture and on that.' + </p> + <p> + He had felt of what nature was the sort of love with which Katie Woodward + had inspired his heart; and he felt also what was that other sort of love + to which the charms of Norah Geraghty had given birth. + </p> + <p> + Norah was a fine girl, smart enough in her outward apparel, but apt + occasionally to disclose uncomfortable secrets, if from any accident more + than her outward apparel might momentarily become visible. When dressed up + for a Sunday excursion she had her attractions, and even on ordinary + evenings, a young man such as Charley, after imbibing two or three glasses + of spirits and water, and smoking two or three cigars, might find her to + be what some of her friends would have called 'very good company.' As to + her mind, had Charley been asked about it, he would probably have said + that he was ignorant whether she had any; but this he did know, that she + was sharp and quick, alert in counting change, and gifted with a peculiar + power of detecting bad coin by the touch. Such was Norah Geraghty, whom + Charley was to marry. + </p> + <p> + And then that other portrait was limned with equal accuracy before his + eyes. Katie, with all her juvenile spirit, was delightfully feminine; + every motion of hers was easy, and every form into which she could twist + her young limbs was graceful. She had all the nice ideas and ways which a + girl acquires when she grows from childhood to woman's stature, under the + eye of a mother who is a lady. Katie could be untidy on occasions; but her + very untidiness was inviting. All her belongings were nice; she had no + hidden secrets, the chance revealing of which would disgrace her. She + might come in from her island palaces in a guise which would call down + some would-be-censorious exclamation from her mother; but all others but + her mother would declare that Katie in such moments was more lovely than + ever. And Katie's beauty pleased more than the eye—it came home to + the mind and heart of those who saw her. It spoke at once to the + intelligence, and required, for its full appreciation, an exercise of the + mental faculties, as well as animal senses. If the owner of that outward + form were bad or vile, one would be inclined to say that Nature must have + lied when she endowed her with so fair an index. Such was Katie Woodward, + whom Charley was not to marry. + </p> + <p> + As he turned down Norfolk Street, he thought of all this, as the gambler, + sitting with his razor before him with which he intends to cut his throat, + may be supposed to think of the stakes which he has failed to win, and the + fortune he has failed to make. Norah Geraghty was Charley's razor, and he + plunged boldly into the 'Cat and Whistle,' determined to draw it at once + across his weasand, and sever himself for ever from all that is valuable + in the world. + </p> + <p> + It was now about eleven o'clock, at which hour the 'Cat and Whistle' + generally does its most stirring trade. This Charley knew; but he also + knew that the little back parlour, even if there should be an inmate in it + at the time of his going in, would soon be made private for his purposes. + </p> + <p> + When he went in, Mrs. Davis was standing behind the counter, dressed in a + cap of wonderful grandeur, and a red tabinet gown, which rustled among the + pots and jars, sticking out from her to a tremendous width, inflated by + its own magnificence and a substratum of crinoline. Charley had never + before seen her arrayed in such royal robes. Her accustomed maid was + waiting as usual on the guests, and another girl also was assisting; but + Norah did not appear to Charley's first impatient glance. + </p> + <p> + He at once saw that something wonderful was going on. The front parlour + was quite full, and the ministering angel was going in and out quickly, + with more generous supplies of the gifts of Bacchus than were usual at the + 'Cat and Whistle.' Gin and water was the ordinary tipple in the front + parlour; and any one of its denizens inclined to cut a dash above his + neighbours generally did so with a bottom of brandy. But now Mrs. Davis + was mixing port-wine negus as fast as her hands could make it. + </p> + <p> + And then there were standing round the counter four or five customers, + faces well known to Charley, all of whom seemed to be dressed with a + splendour second only to that of the landlady. One man had on an almost + new brown frock coat with a black velvet collar, and white trousers. Two + had blue swallow-tailed coats with brass buttons; and a fourth, a dashing + young lawyer's clerk from Clement's Inn, was absolutely stirring a + mixture, which he called a mint julep, with a yellow kid glove dangling + out of his hand. + </p> + <p> + They all stood back when Charley entered; they had been accustomed to make + way for him in former days, and though he had latterly ceased to rule at + the 'Cat and Whistle' as he once did, they were too generous to trample on + fallen greatness. He gave his hand to Mrs. Davis across the counter, and + asked her in the most unconcerned voice which he could assume what was in + the wind. She tittered and laughed, told him he had come too late for the + fun, and then retreated into the little back parlour, whither he followed + her. She was at any rate in a good humour, and seemed quite inclined to + forgive his rather uncivil treatment of her notes and messages. + </p> + <p> + In the back parlour Charley found more people drinking, and among them + three ladies of Mrs. Davis's acquaintance. They were all very fine in + their apparel, and very comfortable as to their immediate employment, for + each had before her a glass of hot tipple. One of them, a florid-faced + dame about fifty, Charley had seen before, and knew to be the wife of a + pork butcher and sausage maker in the neighbourhood. Directly he entered + the room, Mrs. Davis formally introduced him to them all. 'A very + particular friend of mine, Mrs. Allchops; and of Norah's too, I can assure + you,' said Mrs. Davis. + </p> + <p> + 'Ah, Mr. Tudor, and how be you? A sight of you is good for sore eyes,' + said she of the sausages, rising with some difficulty from her chair, and + grasping Charley's hand with all the pleasant cordiality of old + friendship. + </p> + <p> + 'The gen'leman seems to be a little too late for the fair,' said a severe + lodging-house keeper from Cecil Street. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + 'Them as wills not, when they may, + When they wills they shall have nay,' +</pre> + <p> + said a sarcastic rival barmaid from a neighbouring public, to whom all + Norah's wrongs and all Mr. Tudor's false promises were fully known. + </p> + <p> + Charley was not the fellow to allow himself to be put down, even by + feminine raillery; so he plucked up his spirit, sad as he was at heart, + and replied to them all <i>en masse</i>. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, ladies, what's in the wind now? You seem to be very cosy here, all + of you; suppose you allow me to join you.' + </p> + <p> + 'With a 'eart and a 'alf,' said Mrs. Allchops, squeezing her corpulence up + to the end of the horsehair sofa, so as to make room for him between + herself and the poetic barmaid. 'I'd sooner have a gentleman next to me + nor a lady hany day of the week; so come and sit down, my birdie.' + </p> + <p> + But Charley, as he was about to accept the invitation of his friend Mrs. + Allchops, caught Mrs. Davis's eye, and followed her out of the room into + the passage. 'Step up to the landing, Mr. Tudor,' said she; and Charley + stepped up. 'Come in here, Mr. Tudor—you won't mind my bedroom for + once.' And Charley followed her in, not minding her bedroom. + </p> + <p> + 'Of course you know what has happened, Mr. Tudor?' said she. + </p> + <p> + 'Devil a bit,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'Laws, now—don't you indeed? Well, that is odd.' + </p> + <p> + 'How the deuce should I know? Where's Norah?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why—she's at Gravesend.' + </p> + <p> + 'At Gravesend—you don't mean to say she's——' + </p> + <p> + 'I just do then; she's just gone and got herself spliced to Peppermint + this morning. They had the banns said these last three Sundays; and this + morning they was at St. Martin's at eight o'clock, and has been here + junketing ever since, and now they're away to Gravesend.' + </p> + <p> + 'Gravesend!' said Charley, struck by the suddenness of his rescue, as the + gambler would have been had some stranger seized the razor at the moment + when it was lifted to his throat. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, Gravesend,' said Mrs. Davis; 'and they'll come up home to his own + house by the first boat to-morrow.' + </p> + <p> + 'So Norah's married!' said Charley, with a slight access of sentimental + softness in his voice. + </p> + <p> + 'She's been and done it now, Mr. Tudor, and no mistake; and it's better + so, ain't it? Why, Lord love you, she'd never have done for you, you know; + and she's the very article for such a man as Peppermint.' + </p> + <p> + There was something good-natured in this, and so Charley felt it. As long + as Mrs. Davis could do anything to assist her cousin's views, by + endeavouring to seduce or persuade her favourite lover into a marriage, + she left no stone unturned, working on her cousin's behalf. But now, now + that all those hopes were over, now that Norah had consented to sacrifice + love to prudence, why should Mrs. Davis quarrel with an old friend any + longer?—why should not things be made pleasant to him as to the + others? + </p> + <p> + 'And now, Mr. Tudor, come down, and drink a glass to their healths, and + wish 'em both well, and don't mind what them women says to you. You're + well out of a mess; and now it's all over, I'm glad it is as it is.' + </p> + <p> + Charley went down and took his glass and drank 'prosperity to the bride + and bridegroom.' The sarcastic rival barmaid said little snappish things + to him, offered him a bit of green ribbon, and told him that if he 'minded + hisself,' somebody might, perhaps, take him yet. But Charley was proof + against this. + </p> + <p> + He sat there about half an hour, and then went his way, shaking hands with + all the ladies and bowing to the gentlemen. On the following day, as soon + as he left his office, he called at the 'Cat and Whistle,' and paid his + little bill there, and said his last farewell to Mrs. Davis. He never + visited the house again. Now that Norah was gone the attractions were not + powerful. Reader, you and I will at the same time say our farewells to + Mrs. Davis, to Mr. Peppermint also, and to his bride. If thou art an + elegant reader, unaccustomed to the contamination of pipes and glasses, I + owe thee an apology in that thou hast been caused to linger a while among + things so unsavoury. But if thou art one who of thine own will hast taken + thine ease in thine inn, hast enjoyed the freedom of a sanded parlour, + hast known 'that ginger is hot in the mouth,' and made thyself + light-hearted with a yard of clay, then thou wilt confess there are worse + establishments than the 'Cat and Whistle,' less generous landladies than + Mrs. Davis. + </p> + <p> + When all this happened the Woodwards had not been long at Torquay. Mr. + Peppermint was made a happy man before Christmas; and therefore Charley + was left to drift before the wind without the ballast of any lady's love + to keep him in sailing trim. Poor fellow! he had had wealth on one side, + beauty and love on another, and on the third all those useful qualities + which Miss Geraghty has been described as possessing. He had been thus + surrounded by feminine attractions, and had lost them all. Two of those, + from whom he had to choose, had married others, and he was banished from + the presence of the third. Under such circumstances what could he do but + drift about the gulfs and straits of the London ocean without compass or + rudder, and bruise his timbers against all the sunken rocks that might + come in his way? + </p> + <p> + And then Norman told him of his coming marriage, and Charley was more sad + than ever. And thus matters went on with him till the period at which our + story will be resumed at the return of the Woodwards to Hampton. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime another winter and another spring had passed over Alaric's + head, and now the full tide of the London season found him still rising, + and receiving every day more of the world's homage. Sir Gregory Hardlines + had had every reason to praise his own judgement in selecting Mr. Tudor + for the vacant seat among the Magi. + </p> + <p> + From that moment all had gone smooth with Sir Gregory; there was no one to + interfere with his hobby, or run counter to his opinion. Alaric was all + that was conciliatory and amiable in a colleague. He was not submissive + and cringing; and had he been so, Sir Gregory, to do him justice, would + have been disgusted; but neither was he self-opinionated nor obstinate + like Mr. Jobbles. He insisted on introducing no crotchets of his own, and + allowed Sir Gregory all the credit of the Commission. + </p> + <p> + This all went on delightfully for a while; but on one morning, early in + May, Alaric somewhat disturbed the equanimity of his chief by + communicating to him his intention of becoming a candidate for the + representation of the borough of Strathbogy, at the next general election, + which was to take place very shortly after the close of the session. Sir + Gregory was dumbfounded, and expressed himself as incapable of believing + that Tudor really meant to throw up £1,200 a year on the mere speculation + of its being possible that he should get into Parliament. Men in general, + as Sir Gregory endeavoured to explain with much eloquence, go into + Parliament for the sake of getting places of £1,200 a year. For what + earthly reason should Alaric again be going to the bottom of the ladder, + seeing that he had already attained a rung of such very respectable + altitude? Alaric said to himself, 'Excelsior!' To Sir Gregory he suggested + that it might be possible that he should get into Parliament without + giving up his seat at the Board. Earth and heaven, it might be hoped, + would not come together, even though so great a violence as this should be + done to the time-honoured practices of the Government. Sir Gregory + suggested that it was contrary to the constitution. Alaric replied that + the constitution had been put upon to as great an extent before this, and + had survived. Sir Gregory regarded it as all but impossible, and declared + it to be quite unusual. Alaric rejoined that something of the same kind + had been done at the Poor Law Board. To this Sir Gregory replied, gently + pluming his feathers with conscious greatness, that at the Poor Law Board + the chief of the Commission was the Parliamentary officer. Alaric declared + that he was perfectly willing to give way if Sir Gregory would go into the + House himself. To this Sir Gregory demurred; not feeling himself called on + to change the sphere of his utility. And so the matter was debated between + them, till at last Sir Gregory promised to consult his friend the + Chancellor of the Exchequer. The ice was thus broken, and Alaric was quite + contented with the part which he had taken in the conversation. + </p> + <p> + With his own official prospects, in spite of the hazardous step which he + now meditated, he was quite contented. He had an idea that in the public + service of the Government, as well as in all other services, men who were + known to be worth their wages would find employment. He was worth his + wages. Men who could serve their country well, who could adapt themselves + to work, who were practical, easy in harness, able to drive and patient to + be driven, were not, unfortunately, as plentiful as blackberries. He began + to perceive that a really useful man could not be found miscellaneously + under every hat in Pall Mall. He knew his own value, and did not fear but + that he should find a price for it in some of the world's markets. He + would not, therefore, allow himself to be deterred from further progress + by any fear that in doing so he risked the security of his daily bread; + no, not though the risk extended to his wife; she had taken him for better + or worse; if the better came she should share it; if the worse, why let + her share that also, with such consolation as his affection might be able + to offer. + </p> + <p> + There was something noble in this courage, in this lack of prudence. It + may be a question whether men, in marrying, do not become too prudent. A + single man may risk anything, says the world; but a man with a wife should + be sure of his means. Why so? A man and a woman are but two units. A man + and a woman with ten children are but twelve units. It is sad to see a man + starving—sad to see a woman starving—very sad to see children + starving. But how often does it come to pass that the man who will work is + seen begging his bread? we may almost say never—unless, indeed, he + be a clergyman. Let the idle man be sure of his wife's bread before he + marries her; but the working man, one would say, may generally trust to + God's goodness without fear. + </p> + <p> + With his official career Alaric was, as we have said, well contented; in + his stock-jobbing line of business he also had had moments of great + exaltation, and some moments of considerable depression. The West Corks + had vacillated. Both he and Undy had sold and bought and sold again; and + on the whole their stake in that stupendous national line of accommodation + was not so all-absorbing as it had once been. But if money had been + withdrawn from this, it had been invested elsewhere, and the great sum + borrowed from Madame Jaquêtanàpe's fortune had been in no part replaced—one + full moiety of it had been taken—may one not say stolen?—to + enable Alaric and Undy to continue their speculations. + </p> + <p> + The undertaking to which they were now both wedded was the Limehouse and + Rotherhithe Bridge. Of this Undy was chairman, and Alaric was a director, + and at the present moment they looked for ample fortune, or what would + nearly be ample ruin, to the decision of a committee of the House of + Commons which was about to sit with the view of making inquiry as to the + necessity of the bridge in question. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Nogo, the member for Mile End, was the parent of this committee. He + asserted that the matter was one of such vital importance not only to the + whole metropolis, but to the country at large, that the Government were + bound in the first place to give a large subsidy towards building the + bridge, and afterwards to pay a heavy annual sum towards the amount which + it would be necessary to raise by tolls. Mr. Whip Vigil, on the other + hand, declared on the part of Government that the bridge was wholly + unnecessary; that if it were built it ought to be pulled down again; and + that not a stiver could be given out of the public purse with such an + object. + </p> + <p> + On this they joined issue. Mr. Nogo prayed for a committee, and Mr. Vigil, + having duly consulted his higher brethren in the Government, conceded this + point. It may easily be conceived how high were now the hopes both of Undy + Scott and Alaric Tudor. It was not at all necessary for them that the + bridge should ever be built; that, probably, was out of the question; + that, very likely, neither of them regarded as a possibility. But if a + committee of the House of Commons could be got to say that it ought to be + built, they might safely calculate on selling out at a large profit. + </p> + <p> + But who were to sit on the committee? That was now the all-momentous + question. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0032" id="link2HCH0032"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXXII. — THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE + </h2> + <p> + There is a sport prevalent among the downs in Hampshire to which, though + not of a high degree, much interest is attached. Men and boys, with social + glee and happy boyish shouts, congregate together on a hill-side, at the + mouth of a narrow hole, and proceed, with the aid of a well-trained + bull-dog, to draw a badger. If the badger be at all commendable in his + class this is by no means an easy thing to do. He is a sturdy animal, and + well fortified with sharp and practised teeth; his hide is of the + toughest; his paws of the strongest, and his dead power of resistance so + great as to give him more than an equal chance with the bull-dog. The + delighted sportsmen stand round listening to the growls and snarls, the + tearings, gnawings, and bloody struggles of the combatants within.—'Well + done, badger!—Well done, bull-dog!—Draw him, bulldog!—Bite + him, badger!' Each has his friends, and the interest of the moment is + intense. The badger, it is true, has done no harm. He has been doing as it + was appointed for him to do, poor badger, in that hole of his. But then, + why were badgers created but to be drawn? Why, indeed, but to be drawn, or + not to be drawn, as the case may be? See! the bull-dog returns minus an + ear, with an eye hanging loose, his nether lip torn off, and one paw + bitten through and through. Limping, dejected, beaten, glaring fearfully + from his one remaining eye, the dog comes out; and the badger within rolls + himself up with affected ease, hiding his bloody wounds from the public + eye. + </p> + <p> + So it is that the sport is played in Hampshire; and so also at Westminster—with + a difference, however. In Hampshire the two brutes retain ever their + appointed natures. The badger is always a badger, and the bull-dog never + other than a bull-dog. At Westminster there is a juster reciprocity of + position. The badger when drawn has to take his place outside the hole, + and fight again for the home of his love; while the victorious bull-dog + assumes a state of badgerdom, dons the skin of his enemy, and, in his + turn, submits to be baited. + </p> + <p> + The pursuit is certainly full of interest, but it is somewhat deficient in + dignity. + </p> + <p> + The parliamentary committee, which was to sit with reference to the + Limehouse and Rotherhithe Bridge, had been one of the effects of a + baiting-match such as that above described. In this contest the enemies of + the proud occupier of the den on the mountain-side had not been contented + to attempt to expel him with a single bull-dog. A whole pack had been let + loose at his devoted throat. Bull-dogs had been at him, and terriers, + mastiffs, blood-hounds, lurchers, and curs; but so accustomed was he to + the contest, so knowing in his fence, so ready with all the weapons given + to him by nature, that, in spite of the numbers and venom of his enemies, + he had contrived to hold his own. Some leading hounds had fallen to rise + no more; others had retreated, yelping to their kennels, to lie quiet for + a while, till time might give them courage for a new attack. The country + round was filled with the noise of their plaints, and the yowling and + howling of canine defeat. The grey old badger meanwhile sat proud in his + hole, with all his badger kin around him, and laughed his well-known + badger laugh at his disconsolate foes. Such a brock had not for years been + seen in the country-side; so cool, so resolute, so knowing in his badger + ways, so impregnable in his badger hole, and so good-humoured withal. He + could bite full sore with those old teeth of his, and yet he never + condescended to show them. A badger indeed of whom the country might well + be proud! + </p> + <p> + But in the scramble of the fight some little curs had been permitted to + run away with some little bones; and, in this way, Mr. Nogo, the member + for Mile End, had been allowed to carry his motion for a committee to + inquire as to the expediency of the Government's advancing a quarter of a + million towards the completion of that momentous national undertaking, the + building of a bridge from Limehouse to Rotherhithe. + </p> + <p> + Very much had been said about this bridge, till men living out of the + light of parliamentary life, nine hundred and ninety-nine men, that is, + out of every thousand in the Queen's dominions, had begun to think that it + was the great want of the age. Men living in the light, the supporters of + the bridge as well as its enemies, knew very well that such an erection + was quite unneeded, and would in all probability never be made. But then + the firm of Blocks, Piles, and Cofferdam, who held a vast quantity of the + bridge shares, and who were to be the contractors for building it, had an + all-powerful influence in the borough of Limehouse. Where would Mr. Nogo + be if he did not cultivate the friendship of such men as Blocks, Piles, + and Cofferdam? + </p> + <p> + And so Mr. Nogo, and those who acted with Mr. Nogo—men, that is, who + had little jobs of their own to do, and in the doing of which Mr. Nogo + occasionally assisted, Undy Scott, for instance, and such-like—these + men, I say, had talked much about the bridge; and gentlemen on the + Treasury bench, who could have afforded to show up the folly of the + scheme, and to put Mr. Nogo down at once, had he been alone, felt + themselves under the necessity of temporizing. As to giving a penny of the + public money for such a purpose, that they knew was out of the question; + that Mr. Nogo never expected; that they all knew Mr. Nogo never expected. + But as Mr. Nogo's numbers were so respectable, it was necessary to oppose + him in a respectable parliamentary steady manner. He had fifteen with him! + Had he been quite alone, Mr. Vigil would have sneered him off; had he had + but four to back him, the old badger would have laughed them out of face + with a brace of grins. But fifteen—! Mr. Whip Vigil thought that the + committee would be the most safe. So would the outer world be brought to + confess that the interests of Limehouse and Poplar, Rotherhithe and + Deptford, had not been overlooked by a careful Government. + </p> + <p> + But of whom was the committee to be made up? That was now the question + which to Mr. Nogo, in his hour of temporary greatness, was truly + momentous. He of course was to be the chairman, and to him appertained the + duty of naming the other members; of naming them indeed—so much he + could undoubtedly do by the strength of his own privilege. But of what use + to name a string of men to whom Mr. Vigil would not consent? Mr. Nogo, did + he do so, would have to divide on every name, and be beaten at every + division. There would be no triumph in that. No; Mr. Nogo fully understood + that his triumph must be achieved—if he were destined to a triumph—by + an astute skill in his selection, not by an open choice of friends. He + must obtain a balance on his side, but one in which the scale would lean + so slightly to his side that Mr. Vigil's eyes might be deceived. Those who + knew Mr. Vigil best were inclined to surmise that such an arrangement was + somewhat beyond Mr. Nogo's political capacity. There is a proverb which + goes to show that a certain little lively animal may be shaved if he be + caught napping; but then the difficulty of so catching him is extreme. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Nogo, at the head of the list, put Mr. Vigil himself. This, of course, + was a necessity to him—would that he could have dispensed with it! + Then he named sundry supporters of the Government, sundry members also of + the opposition; and he filled up the list with certain others who could + not be regarded as sure supporters of one side or the other, but with + whom, for certain reasons, he thought he might in this particular case be + safe. Undy Scott was of course not among the number, as Mr. Nogo would + only have damaged his cause by naming a man known to have a pecuniary + interest in the concern. + </p> + <p> + The member for Mile End was doubtless sharp, but Mr. Vigil was sharper. + His object was, in fact, merely to do his duty to the country by + preventing a profuse and useless expenditure of money. His anxiety was a + perfectly honest one—to save the Exchequer namely. But the + circumstances of the case required that he should fight the battle + according to the tactics of the House, and he well understood how to do + so. + </p> + <p> + When the list was read he objected to two or three names—only to two + or three. They were not those of staunch enemies of the Government; nor + did he propose in their places the names of staunch supporters. He + suggested certain gentlemen who, from their acquaintance with bridges, + tolls, rivers, &c., would, as he said, be probably of use. He, also, + was sure of his men, and as he succeeded with two of them, he was also + pretty sure of his committee. + </p> + <p> + And then the committee met, and a lot of witnesses were in attendance. The + chairman opened his case, and proceeded to prove, by the evidence of + sundry most respectable men connected with Limehouse, and with the + portions of Surrey and Kent lying immediately opposite to it, that the + most intense desire for friendly and commercial intercourse was felt; but + that, though absolutely close to each other, the districts were so divided + by adverse circumstances, circumstances which were monstrous considering + the advance of science in the nineteenth century, that the dearest friends + were constrained to perpetual banishment from each other; and that the men + of Kent were utterly unable to do any trade at Limehouse, and the + Limehousians equally unable to carry on traffic in Surrey. + </p> + <p> + It was wonderful that the narrow river should be so effective for injury. + One gentleman from Poplar proved that, having given his daughter in + marriage to a man of Deptford two years since, he had not yet been able to + see her since that day. Her house, by the crow's flight, was but seven + furlongs from his own; but, as he kept no horse, he could not get to her + residence without a four hours' walk, for which he felt himself to be too + old. He was, however, able to visit his married daughter at Reading, and + be back to tea. The witness declared that his life was made miserable by + his being thus debarred from his child, and he wiped his eyes with his + pocket-handkerchief piteously, sitting there in front of the committee. In + answer to Mr. Vigil he admitted that there might be a ferry, but stated + that he did not know. Having had, from childhood, an aversion to the + water, he had not inquired. He was aware that some rash people had gone + through the Tunnel, but for himself he did not think the Tunnel a safe + mode of transit. + </p> + <p> + Another gentleman belonging to Rotherhithe, who was obliged to be almost + daily at Blackwall, maintained two horses for the express purpose of going + backwards and forwards, round by London Bridge. They cost him £70 per + annum each. Such a bridge as that now proposed, and which the gentleman + declared that he regarded as an embryo monument of national glory, would + save him £140 per annum. He then proceeded to make a little speech about + the spirit of the age, and the influence of routine, which he described as + a gloomy gnome. But his oratory was cruelly cut short by Mr. Vigil, who + demanded of him whether he ever used the river steamers. The witness + shuddered fearfully as he assured the committee that he never did, and + referred to the <i>Cricket</i>, whose boilers burst in the year 1842; + besides, he had, he said, his things to carry with him. + </p> + <p> + Another witness told how unsafe was the transit of heavy goods by barge + from one side of the river to another. He had had a cargo of marine stores + which would go to sea before their time. The strong ebb of the tide, + joined to the river current, had positively carried the barge away, and + its course had not been stopped till it had drifted on shore at Purfleet. + He acknowledged that something had transpired of the bargemen being drunk, + but he had no knowledge himself that such had been the case. No other + cargoes of his own had been carried away, but he had heard that such was + often the case. He thought that the bridge was imperatively demanded. + Would the tolls pay? He felt sure that they would. Why, then, should not + the bridge be built as a commercial speculation, without Government aid? + He thought that in such cases a fostering Government was bound to come + forward and show the way. He had a few shares in the bridge himself. He + had paid up £1 a share. They were now worth 2s. 6d. each. They had been + worth nothing before the committee had been ordered to sit. He declined to + give any opinion as to what the shares would be worth if the money were + granted. + </p> + <p> + Ladies at Limehouse proved that if there were a bridge they could save + 30s. a year each, by buying their tea and sugar at Rotherhithe; and so + singular are the usages of trade, that the ladies of Rotherhithe would + benefit their husbands equally, and return the compliment, by consuming + the bread of Limehouse. The shores of Kent were pining for the beef of the + opposite bank, and only too anxious to give in return the surplus stock of + their own poultry. + </p> + <p> + 'Let but a bridge be opened,' as was asserted by one animated vendor of + rope, 'and Poplar would soon rival Pimlico. Perhaps that might not be + desirable in the eyes of men who lived in the purlieus of the Court, and + who were desirous to build no new bridge, except that over the ornamental + water in St. James's Park.' Upon uttering which the rope-vendor looked at + Mr. Vigil as though he expected him to sink at once under the table. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Blocks, of the great firm of Blocks, Piles, and Cofferdam, then came + forward. He declared that a large sum of money was necessary before this + great national undertaking could be begun in a spirit worthy of the + nineteenth century. It was intended to commence the approaches on each + side of the river a quarter of a mile from the first abutment of the + bridge, in order to acquire the necessary altitude without a steep ascent. + He then described what a glorious bridge this bridge would be; how it + would eclipse all bridges that had ever been built; how the fleets of all + nations would ride under it; how many hundred thousand square feet of + wrought iron would be consumed in its construction; how many tons of + Portland stone in the abutments, parapets, and supporting walls; how much + timber would be buried twenty fathoms deep in the mud of the river; how + many miles of paving-stone would be laid down. Mr. Blocks went on with his + astonishing figures till the committee were bewildered, and even Mr. + Vigil, though well used to calculations, could hardly raise his mind to + the dimensions of the proposed undertaking. + </p> + <p> + The engineer followed, and showed how easily this great work could be + accomplished. There was no difficulty, literally none. The patronage of + the Crown was all that was required. The engineer was asked whether by the + word patronage he meant money, and after a little laughing and a few + counter questions, he admitted that, in his estimation, patronage and + money did mean the same thing. + </p> + <p> + Such was the case made out by the promoters of the bridge, and the + chairman and his party were very sanguine of success. They conceived that + Mr. Blocks' figures had completely cowed their antagonists. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Vigil then took his case in hand, and brought forward his witnesses. + It now appeared that the intercourse between the people living on each + side of the river was immense, and ever on the increase. Limehouse, it + would seem, had nothing to do but to go to Deptford, and that Deptford + consumed all its time in returning the visit. Little children were sent + across continually on the most trifling errands, going and coming for one + halfpenny. An immense income was made by the owners of the ferry. No two + adjacent streets in London had more to do with each other than had the + lanes of Rotherhithe and the lanes of Limehouse. Westminster and Lambeth + were further apart, and less connected by friendly intercourse. The + frequenters of the ferry were found to outnumber the passengers over + Waterloo Bridge by ten to one. + </p> + <p> + Indeed, so lamentable a proposition as this of building a bridge across + the river had never before been mooted by the public. Men conversant with + such matters gave it as their opinion that no amount of tolls that could + reasonably be expected would pay one per cent on the money which it was + proposed to expend; that sum, however, they stated, would not more than + half cover the full cost of the bridge. Traffic would be prohibited by the + heavy charges which would be necessary, and the probability would be that + the ferry would still continue to be the ordinary mode of crossing the + river. + </p> + <p> + A gentleman, accustomed to use strong figures of speech, declared that if + such a bridge were built, the wisest course would be to sow the surface + with grass, and let it out for grazing. This witness was taken specially + in hand by Mr. Nogo, and targed very tightly. Mr. Vigil had contrived to + prove, out of the mouths of inimical witnesses, the very reverse of that + which they had been summoned thither to assert. The secret of the ferry + had been first brought to the light by the gentleman who could not visit + his daughter at Deptford, and so on. These triumphs had evidently been + very pleasant to Mr. Vigil, and Mr. Nogo thought that he might judiciously + take a leaf out of the Treasury book. Actuated by this ambition, he, with + the assistance of his friend, the M'Carthy Desmond, put no less than 2,250 + questions to the gentleman who suggested the grazing, in order to induce + him to say, that if there were a bridge, men would probably walk over it. + But they could not bring him to own to a single passenger, unless they + would abandon the tolls. The most that they could get from him was, that + perhaps an old woman, with more money than wit, might go over it on a + Sunday afternoon, if—which he did not believe—any old woman + existed, <i>in that part of the world</i>, who had more money than wit. + </p> + <p> + This witness was kept in the chair for three days, during which Mr. Vigil + was nearly driven wild by the loss of his valuable time. But he did not + complain. Nor would he have complained, though he might have absented + himself, had the witness been kept in the chair three weeks instead of + three days. The expense of the committee, including witnesses, + shorthand-writers, and printing, was about £60 a day, but it never + occurred to any one of the number to get up and declare with indignation, + that such a waste of money and time on so palpably absurd a scheme was + degrading, and to demand an immediate close of their labours. It all went + smoothly to the end, and Mr. Nogo walked off from his task with the + approving conscience of a patriotic legislator. + </p> + <p> + At the close the members met to prepare their report. It was then the + first week in August, and they were naturally in a hurry to finish their + work. It was now their duty to decide on the merits of what they had + heard, to form a judgement as to the veracity of the witnesses, and + declare, on behalf of the country which they represented, whether or no + this bridge should be built at the expense of the nation. + </p> + <p> + With his decision each was ready enough; but not one of them dreamed of + being influenced by anything which had been said before them. All the + world—that is, all that were in any way concerned in the matter—knew + that the witnesses for the bridge were anxious to have it built, and that + the witnesses against the bridge were anxious to prevent the building. It + would be the worst of ignorance, ignorance of the usage of the world we + live in, to suppose that any member of Parliament could be influenced by + such manoeuvres. Besides, was not the mind of each man fully known before + the committee met? + </p> + <p> + Various propositions were made by the members among themselves, and + various amendments moved. The balance of the different parties had been + nearly preserved. A decided victory was not to be expected on either side. + At last the resolution to which the committee came was this: 'That this + committee is not prepared, under existing circumstances, to recommend a + grant of public money for the purpose of erecting a bridge at Limehouse; + but that the committee consider that the matter is still open to + consideration should further evidence be adduced.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Vigil was perfectly satisfied. He did not wish to acerbate the member + for Mile End, and was quite willing to give him a lift towards keeping his + seat for the borough, if able to do so without cost to the public + exchequer. At Limehouse the report of the committee was declared by + certain persons to be as good as a decision in their favour; it was only + postponing the matter for another session. But Mr. Vigil knew that he had + carried his point, and the world soon agreed with him. He at least did his + work successfully, and, considering the circumstances of his position, he + did it with credit to himself. + </p> + <p> + A huge blue volume was then published, containing, among other things, all + Mr. Nogo's 2,250 questions and their answers; and so the Limehouse and + Rotherhithe bridge dropped into oblivion and was forgotten. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0033" id="link2HCH0033"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXXIII. — TO STAND, OR NOT TO STAND + </h2> + <p> + Sir Gregory Hardlines had been somewhat startled by Alaric's announcement + of his parliamentary intentions. It not unnaturally occurred to that great + man that should Mr. Tudor succeed at Strathbogy, and should he also + succeed in being allowed to hold his office and seat together, he, Tudor, + would very soon become first fiddle at the Civil Service Examination + Board. This was a view of the matter which was by no means agreeable to + Sir Gregory. Not for this had he devoted his time, his energy, and the + best powers of his mind to the office of which he was at present the + chief; not for this had he taken by the hand a young clerk, and brought + him forward, and pushed him up, and seated him in high places. To have + kept Mr. Jobbles would have been better than this; he, at any rate, would + not have aspired to parliamentary honours. + </p> + <p> + And when Sir Gregory came to look into it, he hardly knew whether those + bugbears with which he had tried to frighten Tudor were good serviceable + bugbears, such as would stand the strain of such a man's logic and reason. + Was there really any reason why one of the commissioners should not sit in + Parliament? Would his doing so be subversive of the constitution? Or would + the ministers of the day object to an additional certain vote? This last + point of view was one in which it did not at all delight Sir Gregory to + look at the subject in question. He determined that he would not speak on + the matter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, or to any of the Government + wigs who might be considered to be bigger wigs than himself. + </p> + <p> + And Alaric thought over the matter coolly also. He looked at it till the + bugbears shrank into utter insignificance; till they became no more than + forms of shreds and patches put up to frighten birds out of + cherry-orchards. + </p> + <p> + Why should the constitution be wounded by the presence of one more + commissioner in Parliament? Why should not he do his public duty and hold + his seat at the same time, as was done by so many others? But he would + have to go out if the ministry went out. That was another difficulty, + another bugbear, more substantial perhaps than the others; but he was + prepared to meet even that. He was a poor man; his profession was that of + the Civil Service; his ambition was to sit in Parliament. He would see + whether he could not combine his poverty with his profession, and with his + ambition also. Sir Gregory resolved in his fear that he would not speak to + the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the matter; Alaric, on the other hand, + in his audacity, resolved that he would do so. + </p> + <p> + It was thus that Sir Gregory regarded the matter. 'See all that I have + done for this man,' said he to himself; 'see how I have warmed him in my + bosom, how I have lifted him to fortune and renown, how I have heaped + benefits on his head! If gratitude in this world be possible, that man + should be grateful to me; if one man can ever have another's interest at + heart, that man should have a heartfelt anxiety as to my interest. And yet + how is it? I have placed him in the chair next to my own, and now he is + desirous of sitting above me!' + </p> + <p> + 'Twas thus Sir Gregory communed with himself. But Alaric's soliloquy was + very different. A listener who could have overheard both would hardly have + thought that the same question was being discussed by the two. 'I have got + so high,' said Alaric, 'by my own labour, by my own skill and tact; and + why should I stop here? I have left my earliest colleagues far behind me; + have distanced those who were my competitors in the walk of life; why + should I not still go on and distance others also? why stop when I am only + second or third? It is very natural that Sir Gregory should wish to keep + me out of Parliament; I cannot in the least blame him; let us all fight as + best each may for himself. He does not wish a higher career; I do. Sir + Gregory will now do all that he can to impede my views, because they are + antagonistic to his own; very well; I must only work the harder to + overcome his objections.' There was no word in all this of gratitude; + there was no thought in Alaric's mind that it behoved him to be grateful + to Sir Gregory. It was for his own sake, not for his pupil's, that Sir + Gregory had brought this pupil forward. Grateful, indeed! In public life + when is there time for gratitude? Who ever thinks of other interest than + his own? + </p> + <p> + Such was Alaric's theory of life. But not the less would he have expected + gratitude from those whom he might serve. Such also very probably was Sir + Gregory's theory when he thought of those who had helped him, instead of + those whom he himself had helped. + </p> + <p> + And so they met, and discussed Alaric's little proposition. + </p> + <p> + 'Since I saw you yesterday,' said Sir Gregory, 'I have been thinking much + of what you were saying to me of your wish to go into Parliament.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am very much obliged to you,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'I need hardly tell you, Tudor, how anxious I am to further your + advancement. I greatly value your ability and diligence, and have shown + that I am anxious to make them serviceable to the public.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am fully aware that I owe you a great deal, Sir Gregory.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, I don't mean that; that's nothing; I am not thinking of myself. I + only want you to understand that I am truly anxious to see you take that + line in public matters which may make your services most valuable to the + public, and which may redound the most to your own advantage. I have + thought of what you said to me with the most mature deliberation, and I am + persuaded that I shall best do my duty to you, and to the service, by + recommending you to abandon altogether your idea of going into + Parliament.' + </p> + <p> + Sir Gregory said this in his weightiest manner. He endeavoured to assume + some of that authority with which he had erst cowed the young Tudor at the + Weights and Measures, and as he finished his speech he assumed a profound + look which ought to have been very convincing. + </p> + <p> + But the time was gone by with Alaric when such tricks of legerdemain were + convincing to him. A grave brow, compressed lips, and fixed eyes, had no + longer much effect upon him. He had a point to gain, and he was thinking + of that, and not of Sir Gregory's grimaces. + </p> + <p> + 'Then you will not see the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the subject?' + </p> + <p> + 'No,' said Sir Gregory; 'it would be useless for me to do so. I could not + advocate such a scheme, feeling certain that it would be injurious both to + yourself and to the service; and I would not desire to see the Chancellor + with the view of opposing your wishes.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am much obliged to you for that, at any rate,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'But I do hope that you will not carry your plan any farther. When I tell + you, as I do with the utmost sincerity, that I feel certain that an + attempt to seat yourself in Parliament can only lead to the ruin of your + prospects as a Civil servant—prospects which are brighter now than + those of any other young man in the service—I cannot but think that + you must hesitate before you take any step which will, in my opinion, + render your resignation necessary.' + </p> + <p> + 'I shall be sorry to resign, Sir Gregory, as I have such true pleasure in + serving with you.' + </p> + <p> + 'And, I presume, a salary of £1,200 a year is not unacceptable?' said Sir + Gregory, with the very faintest of smiles. + </p> + <p> + 'By no means,' said Alaric; 'I am a poor man, depending altogether on my + own exertions for an income. I cannot afford to throw away a chance.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then take my word for it, you should give up all idea of Parliament,' + said Sir Gregory, who thought that he had carried his point. + </p> + <p> + 'But I call a seat in Parliament a chance,' said Alaric; 'the best chance + that a man, circumstanced as I am, can possibly have. I have the offer of + a seat, Sir Gregory, and I can't afford to throw it away.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then it is my duty to tell you, as the head of your office, that it will + be your duty to resign before you offer yourself as a candidate.' + </p> + <p> + 'That you mean is your present opinion, Sir Gregory?' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, Mr. Tudor, that is my opinion—an opinion which I shall be + forced to express to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if you persist in + this infatuation.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric looked very grave, but not a whit angry. 'I am sorry for it, Sir + Gregory, very sorry; I had hoped to have had your countenance.' + </p> + <p> + 'I would give it you, Mr. Tudor, if I could consistently with my duty as a + public servant; but as I cannot, I am sure you will not ask for it.' How + Fidus Neverbend would have admired the chief commissioner could he have + seen and heard him at this moment! 'But,' he continued, relaxing for a + while the muscles of his face, 'I hope, I do hope, you will think better + of this. What are you to gain? Come, Tudor, think of it that way. What are + you to gain? You, with a wife and young family coming up about your heels, + what are you to gain by going into Parliament? That is what I ask you. + What are you to gain?' It was delightful to see how pleasantly practical + Sir Gregory could become when he chose to dismount from his high horse. + </p> + <p> + 'It is considered a high position in this country, that of a member of + Parliament,' said Alaric. 'A man in gaining that is generally supposed to + have gained something.' + </p> + <p> + 'True, quite true. It is a desirable position for a rich man, or a rich + man's eldest son, or even for a poor man, if by getting into Parliament he + can put himself in the way of improving his income. But, my dear Tudor, + you are in none of these positions. Abandon the idea, my dear Tudor—pray + abandon it. If not for your own sake, at any rate do so for that of your + wife and child.' + </p> + <p> + Sir Gregory might as well have whistled. Not a word that he said had the + slightest effect on Alaric. How was it possible that his words should have + any effect, seeing that Alaric was convinced that Sir Gregory was pleading + for his own advantage, and not for that of his listener? Alaric did + listen. He received all that Sir Gregory said with the most profound + attention; schooled his face into a look of the most polite deference; and + then, with his most cruel tone, informed Sir Gregory that his mind was + quite made up, and that he did intend to submit himself to the electors of + Strathbogy. + </p> + <p> + 'And as to what you say about my seat at the board, Sir Gregory, you may + probably be right. Perhaps it will be as well that I should see the + Chancellor of the Exchequer myself.' + </p> + <p> + '"Who will to Cupar maun to Cupar,"' said Sir Gregory; 'I can only say, + Mr. Tudor, that I am very sorry for you, and very sorry for your wife—very + sorry, very sorry indeed.' + </p> + <p> + 'And who will to Strathbogy maun to Strathbogy,' said Alaric, laughing; + 'there is certainly an air of truth about the proverb as applied to myself + just at present. But the fact is, whether for good or for bad, I maun to + Strathbogy. That is my present destiny. The fact that I have a wife and a + child does make the step a most momentous one. But, Sir Gregory, I should + never forgive myself were I to throw away such an opportunity.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then I have nothing more to say, Mr. Tudor.' + </p> + <p> + 'Of course I shall try to save my place,' continued Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'I look upon that as quite impossible,' said Sir Gregory. + </p> + <p> + 'It can do me no harm at any rate to see the Chancellor of the Exchequer. + If he tells me that a seat in Parliament and a seat at the board are + incompatible, and that as one of the Civil Service Commissioners I am not + free to stand for the borough, I will in that case, Sir Gregory, put my + resignation in your hands before I publish my address.' + </p> + <p> + And so they parted, each determined to do all that in him lay to thwart + the wishes of the other. Alaric was not in the least influenced by + anything that Sir Gregory had said to him; he had made up his mind, and + was determined to be turned from it by no arguments that his colleague + could use; but nevertheless he could not but be meditative, as, walking + home across the Parks, he thought of his wife and child. It is true that + he had a second trade; he was a stock-jobber as well as a Civil Service + Commissioner; but he already perceived how very difficult it was to + realize an income to which he could trust from that second precarious + pursuit. He had also lived in a style considerably beyond that which his + official income would have enabled him to assume. He had on the whole, he + thought, done very well; but yet it would be a dreadful thing to have to + trust to so precarious a livelihood. He had realized nothing; he had not + yet been able to pay back the money which he had so fraudulently taken, + and to acquit himself of a debt which now lay daily heavier and heavier on + his soul. He felt that he must repay not only that but Undy's share also, + before he could again pass a happy day or a quiet night. This plan of + throwing up £1,200 a year would badly assist him in getting rid of this + incubus. + </p> + <p> + But still that watchword of his goaded him on—'Excelsior!' he still + said to himself; 'Excelsior!' If he halted now, now when the ball was at + his foot, he might never have another chance. Very early in life before a + beard was on his chin, before he could style himself a man according to + the laws of his country, he had determined within himself that a seat in + Parliament was the only fitting ambition for an Englishman. That was now + within his reach. Would he be such a dastard as to draw back his hand, and + be deterred from taking it, by old women's tales of prudence, and the + self-interested lectures of Sir Gregory Hardlines? + </p> + <p> + 'Excelsior!' There was not much that could be so styled in that debt of + his to M. and Madame Jaquêtanàpe. If he could only pay that off he felt + that he could brave the world without a fear. Come what come might he + would sell out and do so. The bridge committee was sitting, and his shares + were already worth more than he had paid for them. Mr. Blocks had just + given his evidence, and the commercial world was willing enough to invest + in the Limehouse bridge. He would sell out and put his conscience at rest. + </p> + <p> + But then to do so successfully, he must induce Undy to do so too; and that + he knew would not at present be an easy task. Who had ever been successful + in getting back money from Undy Scott? He had paid the last half-year's + interest with most commendable punctuality, and was not that a great deal + from Undy Scott? + </p> + <p> + But what if this appropriation of another's money, what if this fraud + should be detected and exposed before he had succeeded in paying back the + £10,000. What if he should wake some morning and find himself in the grip + of some Newgate myrmidon? A terrible new law had just been passed for the + protection of trust property; a law in which he had not felt the slightest + interest when he had first seen in the daily newspapers some tedious + account of the passing of the various clauses, but which was now terrible + to his innermost thoughts. + </p> + <p> + His walk across the Parks was not made happy by much self-triumph. In + spite of his commissionership and coming parliamentary honours, his + solitary moments were seldom very happy. It was at his club, when living + with Undy and Undy's peers, that he was best able to throw off his cares + and enjoy himself. But even then, high as he was mounted on his + fast-trotting horse, black Care would sit behind him, ever mounted on the + same steed. + </p> + <p> + And bitterly did poor Gertrude feel the misery of these evenings which her + husband passed at his club; but she never reviled him or complained; she + never spoke of her sorrow even to her mother or sister. She did not even + blame him in her own heart. She knew that he had other business than that + of his office, higher hopes than those attached to his board; and she + taught herself to believe that his career required him to be among public + men. + </p> + <p> + He had endeavoured to induce her to associate constantly with Mrs. Val, so + that her evenings might not be passed alone; but Gertrude, after trying + Mrs. Val for a time, had quietly repudiated the closeness of this + alliance. Mrs. Val had her ideas of 'Excelsior,' her ambition to rule, and + these ideas and this ambition did not at all suit Gertrude's temper. Not + even for her husband's sake could she bring herself to be patronized by + Mrs. Val. They were still very dear friends, of course; but they did not + live in each other's arms as Alaric had intended they should do. + </p> + <p> + He returned home after his interview with Sir Gregory, and found his wife + in the drawing-room with her child. He usually went down from his office + to his club, and she was therefore the more ready to welcome him for + having broken through his habit on the present occasion. + </p> + <p> + She left her infant sprawling on the floor, and came up to greet him with + a kiss. + </p> + <p> + 'Ger,'—said he, putting his arm round her and embracing her—'I + have come home to consult you on business;' and then he seated himself on + the sofa, taking her with him, and still in his arms. There was but little + doubt that she would consent to anything which he could propose to her + after such a fashion, in such a guise as this; that he knew full well. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, love,' said she, 'and what is the business about? You know that I + always think that to be best which you think to be best.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, Ger; but this is a very important matter;' and then he looked grave, + but managed at the same time to look happy and contented. 'This is a + matter of vital importance to you, and I will do nothing in it without + your consent.' + </p> + <p> + 'What is best for you must be best for me,' said Gertrude, kissing his + forehead. + </p> + <p> + Then he explained to her what had passed between himself and Sir Gregory, + and what his own ideas were as regarded the borough of Strathbogy. 'Sir + Gregory,' said he, 'is determined that I shall not remain at the board and + sit in Parliament at the same time; but I do not see why Sir Gregory is to + have his own way in everything. If you are not afraid of the risk, I will + make up my mind to stand it at all events, and to resign if the Minister + makes it imperative. If, however, you fear the result, I will let the + matter drop, and tell the Scotts to find another candidate. I am anxious + to go into Parliament, I confess; but I will never do so at the expense of + your peace of mind.' + </p> + <p> + The way in which he put upon her the whole weight of the decision was not + generous. Nor was the mode he adopted of inducing her to back his own + wishes. If there were risk to her—and in truth there was fearful + risk—it was his duty to guard her from the chance, not hers to say + whether such danger should be encountered or no. The nature of her answer + may be easily surmised. She was generous, though he was not. She would + never retard his advance, or be felt as a millstone round his neck. She + encouraged him with all her enthusiasm, and bade him throw prudence to the + winds. If he rose, must she not rise also? Whatever step in life was good + for him, must it not be good for her as well? And so that matter was + settled between them—pleasantly enough. + </p> + <p> + He endured a fortnight of considerable excitement, during which he and Sir + Gregory did not smile at each other, and then he saw the Chancellor of the + Exchequer. That gentleman promised to speak to the Prime Minister, feeling + himself unable to answer the question put to him, definitely out of his + own head; and then another fortnight passed on. At the end of that time + the Chancellor of the Exchequer sent for Alaric, and they had a second + interview. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Mr. Tudor,' said the great man, 'this is a matter of very + considerable importance, and one on which I am not even yet prepared to + give you a positive answer.' + </p> + <p> + This was very good news for Alaric. Sir Gregory had spoken of the matter + as one on which there could be no possible doubt. He had asserted that the + British lion would no longer sleep peaceably in his lair, if such a + violence were put on the constitution as that meditated by the young + commissioner. It was quite clear that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and + the Prime Minister also, looked at it in a very different light. They + doubted, and Alaric was well aware that their doubt was as good as + certainty to him. + </p> + <p> + The truth was that the Prime Minister had said to the Chancellor of the + Exchequer, in a half-serious, half-jocular way, that he didn't see why he + should reject a vote when offered to him by a member of the Civil Service. + The man must of course do his work—and should it be found that his + office work and his seat in Parliament interfered with each other, why, he + must take the consequences. And if—or—or—made a row + about it in the House and complained, why in that case also Mr. Tudor must + take the consequences. And then, enough having been said on that matter, + the conversation dropped. + </p> + <p> + 'I am not prepared to give a positive answer,' said the Chancellor of the + Exchequer, who of course did not choose to commit himself. + </p> + <p> + Alaric assured the great man that he was not so unreasonable as to expect + a positive answer. Positive answers, as he well knew, were not often + forthcoming among official men; official men, as he had already learnt, + prefer to do their business by answers which are not positive. He himself + had become adverse to positive answers since he had become a commissioner, + and was quite prepared to dispense with them in the parliamentary career + which he hoped that he was now about to commence. This much, however, was + quite clear, that he might offer himself as a candidate to the electors of + Strathbogy without resigning; and that Sir Gregory's hostile remonstrance + on the subject, should he choose to make one, would not be received as + absolute law by the greater powers. + </p> + <p> + Accordingly as Alaric was elated, Sir Gregory was depressed. He had risen + high, but now this young tyro whom he had fostered was about to climb + above his head. O the ingratitude of men! + </p> + <p> + Alaric, however, showed no triumph. He was more submissive, more gracious + than ever to his chief. It was only to himself that he muttered + 'Excelsior! + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0034" id="link2HCH0034"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXXIV. — WESTMINSTER HALL + </h2> + <p> + The parliamentary committee pursued their animated inquiries respecting + the Limehouse bridge all through the sultry month of July. How Mr. Vigil + must have hated Mr. Nogo, and the M'Carthy Desmond! how sick he must have + been of that eternal witness who, with imperturbable effrontery, answered + the 2,250 questions put to him without admitting anything! To Mr. Vigil it + was all mere nonsense, sheer waste of time. Had he been condemned to sit + for eight days in close contiguity to the clappers of a small mill, he + would have learnt as much as he did from the witnesses before the + committee. Nevertheless he went through it and did not lose his temper. He + smiled sweetly on Mr. Nogo every morning, and greeted the titled Irishman + with his easy familiar nod, as though the continued sitting of this very + committee was of all things to him the most desirable. Such is Mr. Vigil's + peculiar tact, such his special talent; these are the gifts—gifts by + no means ordinary—which have made him Right Honourable, and + recommended him to the confidence of successive badgers. + </p> + <p> + But though the committee was uninteresting to Mr. Vigil, it was not so to + the speculative inhabitants of Limehouse, or to the credulous shopkeepers + of Rotherhithe. On the evening of the day on which Mr. Blocks was + examined, the shares went up 20 per cent; and when his evidence was + published <i>in extenso</i> the next Saturday morning by the <i>Capel + Court Share-buyer</i>, a periodical which served for Bible and + Prayer-book, as well as a Compendium of the Whole Duty of Man, to Undy + Scott and his friends, a further rise in the price of this now valuable + property was the immediate consequence. + </p> + <p> + Now, then, was the time for Alaric to sell and get out of his difficulties + if ever he could do so. Shares which he bought for 30s. were now worth + nearly £2 10s. He was strongly of opinion that they would fall again, and + that the final result of the committee would leave them of a less value + than their original purchase-money, and probably altogether valueless. He + could not, however, act in the matter without consulting Undy, so closely + linked were they in the speculation; and even at the present price his own + shares would not enable him to pay back the full amount of what he had + taken. + </p> + <p> + The joint property of the two was, however, at its present market price, + worth £12,000—£10,000 would make him a free man. He was perfectly + willing to let Undy have the full use of the difference in amount; nay, he + was ready enough to give it to him altogether, if by so doing he could + place the whole of his ward's money once more in safety. With the power of + offering such a douceur to his friend's rapacity, he flattered himself + that he might have a chance of being successful. He was thus prepared to + discuss the matter with his partner. + </p> + <p> + It so happened that at the same moment Undy was desirous of discussing the + same subject, their joint interest, namely, in the Limehouse bridge; there + was no difficulty therefore in their coming together. They met at the door + of the committee-room when Mr. Nogo had just put his 999th question to the + adverse witness; and as the summons to prayers prevented the 1,000th being + proceeded with at that moment, Undy and Alaric sauntered back along the + passages, and then walking up and down the immense space of Westminster + Hall, said each to the other what he had to say on the matter mooted + between them. + </p> + <p> + Undy was in great glee, and seemed to look on his fortune as already made. + They had at first confined their remarks to the special evidence of the + witness who had last been in the chair; and Undy, with the volubility + which was common to him when he was in high spirits, had been denouncing + him as an ass who was injuring his own cause by his over obstinacy. + </p> + <p> + 'Nothing that he can say,' said Undy, 'will tell upon the share-market. + The stock is rising from hour to hour; and Piles himself told me that he + knew from sure intelligence that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is + prepared to give way, whatever Vigil may say to the contrary. Their firm, + Piles says, is buying every share they can lay their hands on.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then in God's name let them buy ours,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Buy ours!' said Undy. 'You don't mean to tell me that you wish to sell + now? You don't mean to say that you want to back out, now that the game is + all going our own way?' + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed I do, and I intend to do so; just listen to me, Undy——' + </p> + <p> + 'I tell you fairly, Tudor, I will not sell a share; what you may choose to + do with your own I cannot say. But if you will be guided by me you will + keep every share you have got. Instead of selling we should both add to + our stock. I at any rate am resolved to do so.' + </p> + <p> + 'Listen to me, Undy,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'The truth is,' said Undy—who at the present moment preferred + talking to listening—'the truth is, you do not understand buying and + selling shares. We should both be ruined very quickly were I to allow + myself to be led by you; you are too timid, too much afraid of risking + your money; your speculative pluck hardly rises higher than the Three per + cents, and never soars above a first-class mortgage on land.' + </p> + <p> + 'I could be as sanguine as you are, and as bold,' said Alaric, 'were I + venturing with my own money.' + </p> + <p> + 'In the name of goodness get that bugbear out of your head,' said Undy. + 'Whatever good it might have done you to think of that some time ago, it + can do you no good now.' There was a bitter truth in this which made + Alaric's heart sink low within his breast. 'Wherever the money came from, + whose property it may have been or be, it has been used; and now your only + safety is in making the best use of it. A little daring, a little audacity—it + is that which ruins men. When you sit down to play brag, you must brag it + out, or lose your money.' + </p> + <p> + 'But, my dear fellow, there is no question here of losing money. If we + sell now we shall realize about £2,000.' + </p> + <p> + 'And will that, or the half of that, satisfy you? Is that your idea of a + good thing? Will that be sufficient to pay for the dozen of bad things + which a fellow is always putting his foot into? It won't satisfy me. I can + tell you that, at any rate.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric felt very desirous of keeping Undy in a good humour. He wished, if + possible, to persuade him rather than to drive him; to coax him into + repaying this money, and not absolutely to demand the repayment. 'Come,' + said he, 'what do you call a good thing yourself?' + </p> + <p> + 'I call cent per cent a good thing, and I'll not sell a share till they + come up to that.' + </p> + <p> + 'They'll never do that, Undy.' + </p> + <p> + 'That's your opinion. I think differently. And I'm sure you will own I + have had more experience of the share-market than you have. When I see + such men as Blocks and Piles buying fast, I know very well which way the + wind blows. A man may be fishing a long time, Tudor, in these waters, + before he gets such a haul as this; but he must be a great fool to let go + his net when he does get it.' + </p> + <p> + They both then remained silent for a time, for each was doubtful how best + to put forward the view which he himself wished to urge. Their projects + were diametrically different, and yet neither could carry his own without + the assistance of the other. + </p> + <p> + 'I tell you what I propose,' said Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'Wait a moment, Undy,' said Alaric; 'listen to me for one moment. I can + hear nothing till you do so, and then I will hear anything.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, what is it?' + </p> + <p> + We have each of us put something near to £5,000 into this venture.' + </p> + <p> + 'I have put more,' said Scott. + </p> + <p> + 'Very well. But we have each of us withdrawn a sum equal to that I have + named from my ward's fortune for this purpose.' + </p> + <p> + 'I deny that,' said Undy. 'I have taken nothing from your ward's fortune. + I have had no power to do so. You have done as you pleased with that + fortune. But I am ready to admit that I have borrowed £5,000—not + from your ward, but from you.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric was nearly beside himself; but he still felt that he should have no + chance of carrying his point if he lost his temper. + </p> + <p> + 'That is ungenerous of you, Scott, to say the least of it; but we'll let + that pass. To enable me to lend you the £5,000, and to enable me to join + you in this speculation, £10,000 has been withdrawn from Clementina's + fortune.' + </p> + <p> + 'I know nothing about that,' said Scott. + </p> + <p> + 'Know nothing about it!' said Alaric, looking at him with withering scorn. + But Undy was not made of withering material, and did not care a straw for + his friend's scorn. + </p> + <p> + 'Nothing whatever,' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, so be it,' said Alaric; 'but the fact is, the money has been + withdrawn.' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't doubt that in the least,' said Undy. 'I am not now going to argue + whether the fault has been most mine or yours,' continued Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, that is kind of you,' said Undy, 'considering that you are the + girl's trustee, and that I have no more to do with it than that fellow in + the wig there.' + </p> + <p> + 'I wish at any rate you would let me explain myself,' said Alaric, who + felt that his patience was fast going, and who could hardly resist the + temptation of seizing his companion by the throat, and punishing him on + the spot for his iniquity. + </p> + <p> + 'I don't prevent you, my dear fellow—only remember this: I will not + permit you to assert, without contradicting you, that I am responsible for + Clem's fortune. Now, go on, and explain away as hard as you like.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric, under these circumstances, found it not very easy to put what he + had to say into any words that his companion would admit. He fully + intended at some future day to thrust Scott's innocence down his throat, + and tell him that he was not only a thief, but a mean, lying, beggarly + thief. But the present was not the time. Too much depended on his inducing + Undy to act with him. + </p> + <p> + 'Ten thousand pounds has at any rate been taken.' + </p> + <p> + 'That I won't deny.' + </p> + <p> + 'And half that sum has been lent to you.' + </p> + <p> + 'I acknowledge a debt of £5,000.' + </p> + <p> + 'It is imperative that £10,000 should at once be repaid.' + </p> + <p> + 'I have no objection in life.' + </p> + <p> + 'I can sell my shares in the Limehouse bridge,' continued Alaric, 'for + £6,000, and I am prepared to do so.' + </p> + <p> + 'The more fool you,' said Undy,' if you do it; especially as £6,000 won't + pay £10,000, and as the same property, if overheld another month or two, + in all probability will do so.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am ready to sacrifice that and more than that,' said Alaric. 'If you + will sell out £4,000, and let me at once have that amount, so as to make + up the full sum I owe, I will make you a free present of the remainder of + the debt. Come, Undy, you cannot but call that a good thing. You will have + pocketed two thousand pounds, according to the present market value of the + shares, and that without the slightest risk.' + </p> + <p> + Undy for a while seemed staggered by the offer. Whether it was Alaric's + extreme simplicity in making it, or his own good luck in receiving it, or + whether by any possible chance some all but dormant remnant of feeling + within his heart was touched, we will not pretend to say. But for a while + he walked on silent, as though wavering in his resolution, and looking as + if he wished to be somewhat more civil, somewhat less of the bully, than + he had been. + </p> + <p> + There was no one else to whom Alaric could dare to open his heart on this + subject of his ward's fortune; there was none other but this ally of his + to whom he could confide, whom he could consult. Unpromising, therefore, + though Undy was as a confederate, Alaric, when he thought he saw this + change in his manner, poured forth at once the full tide of his feelings. + </p> + <p> + 'Undy,' said he, 'pray bear with me a while. The truth is, I cannot endure + this misery any longer. I do not now want to blame anyone but myself. The + thing has been done, and it is useless now to talk of blame. The thing has + been done, and all that now remains for me is to undo it; to put this + girl's money back again, and get this horrid weight from off my breast.' + </p> + <p> + 'Upon my word, my dear fellow, I did not think that you took it in such a + light as that,' said Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'I am miserable about it,' said Alaric. 'It keeps me awake all night, and + destroys all my energy during the day.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, that's all bile,' said Undy. 'You should give up fish for a few days, + and take a blue pill at night.' + </p> + <p> + 'Scott, this money must be paid back at once, or I shall lose my senses. + Fortune has so far favoured me as to enable me to put my hand at once on + the larger portion of it. You must let me have the remainder. In God's + name say that you will do so.' + </p> + <p> + Undy Scott unfortunately had not the power to do as he was asked. Whether + he would have done so, had he had the power, may be doubtful. He was + somewhat gravelled for an answer to Alaric's earnest supplication, and + therefore made none till the request was repeated. + </p> + <p> + 'In God's name let me have this money,' repeated Alaric. 'You will then + have made two thousand pounds by the transaction.' + </p> + <p> + 'My dear Tudor,' said he, 'your stomach is out of order, I can see it as + well as possible from the way you talk.' + </p> + <p> + Here was an answer for a man to get to the most earnest appeal which he + could make! Here was comfort for a wretch suffering from fear, remorse, + and shame, as Alaric was suffering. He had spoken of his feelings and his + heart, but these were regions quite out of Undy Scott's cognizance. 'Take + a blue pill,' said he, 'and you'll be as right as a trivet in a couple of + days.' + </p> + <p> + What was Alaric to say? What could he say to a man who at such a crisis + could talk to him of blue pills? For a while he said nothing; but the form + of his face changed, a darkness came over his brow which Scott had never + before seen there, the colour flew from his face, his eyes sparkled, and a + strange appearance of resolute defiance showed itself round his mouth. + Scott began to perceive that his medical advice would not be taken in good + part. + </p> + <p> + 'Scott,' said he, stopping short in his walk and taking hold of the collar + of his companion's coat, not loosely by the button, but with a firm grip + which Undy felt that it would be difficult to shake off—'Scott, you + will find that I am not to be trifled with. You have made a villain of me. + I can see no way to escape from my ruin without your aid; but by the + living God, if I fall, you shall fall with me. Tell me now; will you let + me have the sum I demand? If you do not, I will go to your brother's wife + and tell her what has become of her daughter's money.' + </p> + <p> + 'You may go to the devil's wife if you like it,' said Undy, 'and tell her + whatever you please.' + </p> + <p> + 'You refuse, then?' said Alaric, still keeping hold of Undy's coat. + </p> + <p> + 'Come, take your hand off,' said Undy. 'You will make me think your head + is wrong as well as your stomach, if you go on like this. Take your hand + off and listen to me. I will then explain to you why I cannot do what you + would have me. Take your hand away, I say; do you not see that people are + looking at us.' + </p> + <p> + They were now standing at the upper end of the hall—close under the + steps which lead to the Houses of Parliament; and, as Undy said, the place + was too public for a display of physical resentment. Alaric took his hand + away. 'Well,' said he, 'now tell me what is to hinder you from letting me + have the money you owe me?' + </p> + <p> + 'Only this,' said Undy, 'that every share I have in the concern is made + over by way of security to old M'Cleury, and he now holds them. Till I + have redeemed them, I have no power of selling.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric, when he heard these words, could hardly prevent himself from + falling in the middle of the hall. All his hopes were then over; he had no + chance of shaking this intolerable burden from his shoulders; he had taken + the woman's money, this money which had been entrusted to his honour and + safe-keeping, and thrown it into a bottomless gulf. + </p> + <p> + 'And now listen to me,' said Undy, looking at his watch. 'I must be in the + House in ten or fifteen minutes, for this bill about married women is on, + and I am interested in it: listen to me now for five minutes. All this + that you have been saying is sheer nonsense.' + </p> + <p> + 'I think you'll find that it is not all nonsense,' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, I am not in the least afraid of your doing anything rash. You'll be + cautious enough I know when you come to be cool; especially if you take a + little physic. What I want to say is this—Clem's money is safe + enough. I tell you these bridge shares will go on rising till the + beginning of next session. Instead of selling, what we should do is to buy + up six or seven thousand pounds more.' + </p> + <p> + 'What, with Clementina's money?' + </p> + <p> + 'It's as well to be hung for a sheep as a lamb. Besides, your doing so is + your only safety. My brother Val insists upon having 250 shares.' + </p> + <p> + 'Your brother Val!' said Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, Val; and why shouldn't he? I would give them to him if I could, but + I can't. M'Cleury, as I tell you, has every share of mine in his + possession.' + </p> + <p> + 'Your brother Val wants 250 shares! And does he expect me to give them to + him?' + </p> + <p> + 'Well—I rather think he does. That is, not to give them, of course; + you don't suppose he wants you to make him a present of money. But he + wants you to accommodate him with the price of them. You can either do + that, or let him have so many of your own; it will be as broad as it is + long; and he'll give you his note of hand for the amount.' + </p> + <p> + Now it was well known among the acquaintance of the Scott family, that the + note of hand of the Honourable Captain Val was not worth the paper on + which it was written. + </p> + <p> + Alaric was so astonished at this monstrous request, coming as it did after + such a conversation, that he did not well know how to take it. + </p> + <p> + Was Undy mad, or was he in joke? What man in his senses would think of + lending six or seven hundred pounds to Val Scott! 'I suppose you are in + jest,' said he, somewhat bitterly. + </p> + <p> + 'I never was more in earnest in my life,' said Undy. 'I'll just explain + how the matter is; and as you are sharp enough, you'll see at once that + you had better oblige him. Val, you know, is always hard up; he can't + touch a shilling of that woman's money, and just at present he has none of + his own. So he came to me this morning to raise the wind.' + </p> + <p> + 'And you are kind enough to pass him on to me.' + </p> + <p> + 'Listen a moment. I did not do anything of the kind. I never lend money to + Val. It's a principle with me not to do so, and he knows it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then just tell him that my principles in this respect are identical with + your own.' + </p> + <p> + 'That's all very well; and you may tell him so yourself, if you like it; + but hear first of all what his arguments are. Of course I told him I could + do nothing for him. 'But,' said he, 'you can get Tudor to do it.' I told + him, of course, that I could do nothing of the kind. 'Oh!' said Val, 'I + know the game you are both playing. I know all about Clem's money.' Val, + you know, never says much. He was playing pool at the time, at the club; + but he came back after his stroke, and whispered to me—'You and + Tudor must let me have 250 of those shares, and then it'll be all right.' + Now Val, you know, is a most determined fellow. + </p> + <p> + Alaric, when he heard this, looked up into his companion's face to see + whether he was talking to the Evil One himself. Oh, what a net of ruin was + closing round him!—how inextricable were the toils into which he had + fallen! + </p> + <p> + 'After all,' continued Undy,' what he asks is not much, and I really think + you should do it for him. He is quite willing to give you his assistance + at Strathbogy, and he is entitled to some accommodation.' + </p> + <p> + 'Some accommodation!' repeated Alaric, almost lost in the consideration of + his own misery. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes; I really think he is. And, Tudor, you may be sure of this, you know; + you will be quite safe with him. Val is the very soul of honour. Do this + for him, and you'll hear no more about it. You may be quite sure he'll ask + for nothing further, and that he'll never say a word to annoy you. He's + devilish honourable is Val; no man can be more so; though, perhaps, you + wouldn't think it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Devilish honourable!' said Alaric. 'Only he would like to have a bribe.' + </p> + <p> + 'A bribe!' said Scott. 'Come, my dear fellow, don't you make an ass of + yourself. Val is like the rest of us; when money is going, he likes to + have a share of it. If you come to that, every man who is paid either for + talking or for not talking is bribed.' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't know that I ever heard of a much clearer case of a bribe than + this which you now demand for your brother.' + </p> + <p> + 'Bribe or no bribe,' said Undy, looking at his watch, 'I strongly advise + you to do for him what he asks; it will be better for all of us. And let + me give you another piece of advice: never use hard words among friends. + Do you remember the Mary Janes which Manylodes brought for you in his + pocket to the hotel at Tavistock?' Here Alaric turned as pale as a + spectre. 'Don't talk of bribes, my dear fellow. We are all of us giving + and taking bribes from our cradles to our graves; but men of the world + generally call them by some prettier names. Now, if you are not desirous + to throw your cards up altogether, get these shares for Val, and let him + or me have them to-morrow morning.' And so saying Undy disappeared into + the House, through the side door out of the hall, which is appropriated to + the use of honourable members. + </p> + <p> + And then Alaric was left alone. He had never hitherto realized the true + facts of the position in which he had placed himself; but now he did so. + He was in the hands of these men, these miscreants, these devils; he was + completely at their mercy, and he already felt that they were as devoid of + mercy as they were of justice. A cold sweat broke out all over him, and he + continued walking up and down the hall, ignorant as to where he was and + what he was doing, almost thoughtless, stunned, as it were, by his misery + and the conviction that he was a ruined man. He had remained there an hour + after Undy had left him, before he roused himself sufficiently to leave + the hall and think of returning home. It was then seven o'clock, and he + remembered that he had asked his cousin to dine with him. He got into a + cab, therefore, and desired to be driven home. + </p> + <p> + What was he to do? On one point he instantly made up his mind. He would + not give one shilling to Captain Val; he would not advance another + shilling to Undy; and he would at once sell out his own shares, and make + such immediate restitution as might now be in his power. The mention of + Manylodes and the mining shares had come home to him with frightful + reality, and nearly stunned him. What right, indeed, had he to talk of + bribes with scorn—he who so early in his own life had allowed + himself to be bought? How could he condemn the itching palm of such a one + as Val Scott—he who had been so ready to open his own when he had + been tempted by no want, by no poverty? + </p> + <p> + He would give nothing to Captain Val to bribe him to silence. He knew that + if he did so, he would be a slave for ever. The appetite of such a shark + as that, when once he has tasted blood, is unappeasable. There is nothing + so ruinous as buying the silence of a rogue who has a secret. + </p> + <p> + What you buy you never possess; and the price that is once paid must be + repaid again and again, as often as the rogue may demand it. Any + alternative must be better than this. + </p> + <p> + And yet what other alternative was there? He did not doubt that Val, when + disappointed of his prey, would reveal whatever he might know to his wife, + or to his stepson. Then there would be nothing for Alaric but confession + and ruin. And how could he believe what Undy Scott had told him? Who else + could have given information against him but Undy himself? Who else could + have put up so heavily stupid a man as Captain Scott to make such a + demand? Was it not clear that his own colleague, his own partner, his own + intimate associate, Undy Scott himself, was positively working out his + ruin? Where were now his high hopes, where now his seat in Parliament, his + authority at the board, his proud name, his soaring ambition, his constant + watchword? 'Excelsior'—ah me—no! no longer 'Excelsior'; but he + thought of the cells of Newgate, of convict prisons, and then of his young + wife and of his baby. + </p> + <p> + He made an effort to assume his ordinary demeanour, and partially + succeeded. He went at once up to his drawing-room, and there he found + Charley and Gertrude waiting dinner for him; luckily he had no other + guests. + </p> + <p> + 'Are you ill, Alaric?' said Gertrude, directly she saw him. + </p> + <p> + 'Ill! No,' said he; 'only fagged, dearest; fagged and worried, and + badgered and bored; but, thank God, not ill;' and he endeavoured to put on + his usual face, and speak in his usual tone. 'I have kept you waiting most + unmercifully for your dinner, Charley; but then I know you navvies always + lunch on mutton chops.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, I am not particularly in a hurry,' said Charley; 'but I deny the + lunch. This has been a bad season for mutton chops in the neighbourhood of + Somerset House; somehow they have not grown this year.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric ran up to prepare for dinner, and his wife followed him. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Alaric,' said she, 'you are so pale: what is the matter? Do tell me,' + and she put her arm through his, took hold of his hand, and looked up into + his face. + </p> + <p> + 'The matter! Nothing is the matter—a man can't always be grinning;' + and he gently shook her off, and walked through their bedroom to his own + dressing-room. Having entered it he shut the door, and then, sitting down, + bowed his head upon a small table and buried it in his hands. All the + world seemed to go round and round with him; he was giddy, and he felt + that he could not stand. + </p> + <p> + Gertrude paused a moment in the bedroom to consider, and then followed + him. 'What is it you want?' said he, as soon as he heard the handle turn, + 'do leave me alone for one moment. I am fagged with the heat, and I want + one minute's rest.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Alaric, I see you are ill,' said she. 'For God's sake do not send me + from you,' and coming into the room she knelt down beside his chair. 'I + know you are suffering, Alaric; do let me do something for you.' + </p> + <p> + He longed to tell her everything. He panted to share his sorrows with one + other bosom; to have one near him to whom he could speak openly of + everything, to have one counsellor in his trouble. In that moment he all + but resolved to disclose everything to her, but at last he found that he + could not do it. Charley was there waiting for his dinner; and were he now + to tell his secret to his wife, neither of them, neither he nor she, would + be able to act the host or hostess. If done at all, it could not at any + rate be done at the present moment. + </p> + <p> + 'I am better now,' said he, giving a long and deep sigh; and then he threw + his arms round his wife and passionately embraced her. 'My own angel, my + best, best love, how much too good or much too noble you are for such a + husband as I am!' + </p> + <p> + 'I wish I could be good enough for you,' she replied, as she began to + arrange his things for dressing. 'You are so tired, dearest; wash your + hands and come down—don't trouble yourself to dress this evening; + unless, indeed, you are going out again.' + </p> + <p> + 'Gertrude,' said he, 'if there be a soul on earth that has not in it a + spark of what is good or generous, it is the soul of Undy Scott;' and so + saying he began the operations of his toilet. + </p> + <p> + Now Gertrude had never liked Undy Scott; she had attributed to him + whatever faults her husband might have as a husband; and at the present + moment she was not inclined to fight for any of the Scott family. + </p> + <p> + 'He is a very worldly man, I think,' said she. + </p> + <p> + 'Worldly!—no—but hellish,' said Alaric; 'hellish, and + damnable, and fiendish.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Alaric, what has he done?' + </p> + <p> + 'Never mind; I cannot tell you; he has done nothing. It is not that he has + done anything, or can do anything to me—but his heart—but + never mind—I wish—I wish I had never seen him.' + </p> + <p> + 'Alaric, if it be about money tell me the worst, and I'll bear it without + a murmur. As long as you are well I care for nothing else—have you + given up your place?' + </p> + <p> + 'No, dearest, no; I can keep my place. It is nothing about that. I have + lost no money; I have rather made money. It is the ingratitude of that man + which almost kills me. But come, dearest, we will go down to Charley. And + Gertrude, mind this, be quite civil to Mrs. Val at present. We will break + from the whole set before long; but in the meantime I would have you be + very civil to Mrs. Val.' + </p> + <p> + And so they went down to dinner, and Alaric, after taking a glass of wine, + played his part almost as though he had no weight upon his soul. After + dinner he drank freely, and as he drank his courage rose. 'Why should I + tell her?' he said to himself as he went to bed. 'The chances are that all + will yet go well.' + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0035" id="link2HCH0035"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXXV. — MRS. VAL'S NEW CARRIAGE + </h2> + <p> + On the next morning Alaric went to his office without speaking further as + to the trouble on his mind, and endeavoured to comfort himself as best he + might as he walked down to his office. Then he had also to decide whether + it would better suit his purpose to sell out at once and pay up every + shilling that he could, or whether he would hold on, and hope that Undy's + predictions would be fulfilled, and that the bridge shares would go on + rising till they would sell for all that was required of him. + </p> + <p> + Unfortunate man! what would he have given now to change his position for + Norman's single clerkship, or even for Charley's comparative poverty! + </p> + <p> + Gertrude stayed within all day; but not all day in solitude. About four in + the afternoon the Hon. Mrs. Val called, and with her came her daughter + Clem, now Madame Jaquêtanàpe, and the two Misses Neverbend. M. Jaquêtanàpe + had since his marriage made himself very agreeable to his honourable + mother-in-law, so much so that he now occupied the place in her good + graces which Undy had formerly filled, and which after Undy's reign had + fallen to Alaric's lot. Mrs. Val liked to have about her some confidential + gentleman; and as she never thought of placing her confidence in her + husband, she was prone to select first one man and then another as her + taste and interest dictated. Immediately after their marriage, Victoire + and Clem had consented to join housekeeping with their parent. Nothing + could be more pleasant than this; their income was unembarrassed, and Mrs. + Val, for the first time in her life, was able to set up her carriage. + Among the effects arising from this cause, the female Neverbends, who had + lately been worshippers of Gertrude, veered round in their idolatry, and + paid their vows before Mrs. Val's new yellow panels. In this new carriage + now came the four ladies to pay a morning visit to Mrs. Tudor. It was + wonderful to see into how small dimensions the Misses Neverbend had + contrived to pack, not themselves, but their crinoline. + </p> + <p> + As has before been hinted, Gertrude did not love Mrs. Val; nor did she + love Clem the danseuse; nor did she specially love the Misses Neverbend. + They were all of a class essentially different from that in which she had + been brought up; and, moreover, Mrs. Val was not content to allow Gertrude + into her set without ruling over her, or at any rate patronizing her. + Gertrude had borne with them all for her husband's sake; and was contented + to do so yet for a while longer, but she thought in her heart that she + would be able to draw some consolation from her husband's misfortune if it + should be the means of freeing her from Mrs. Val. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, my dear,' said Mrs. Val, throwing herself down into a sofa as though + she were exhausted—'what a dreadful journey it is to you up here! + How those poor horses will stand it this weather I don't know, but it + nearly kills me; it does indeed.' The Tudors, as has been said, lived in + one of the quiet streets of Westbournia, not exactly looking into Hyde + Park, but very near to it; Mrs. Val, on the other hand, lived in Ebury + Street, Pimlico; her house was much inferior to that of the Tudors; it was + small, ill built, and afflicted with all the evils which bad drainage and + bad ventilation can produce; but then it was reckoned to be within the + precincts of Belgravia, and was only five minutes' walk from Buckingham + Palace. Mrs. Val, therefore, had fair ground for twitting her dear friend + with living so far away from the limits of fashion. 'You really must come + down somewhat nearer to the world; indeed you must, my dear,' said the + Hon. Mrs. Val. + </p> + <p> + 'We are thinking of moving; but then we are talking of going to St. John's + Wood, or Islington,' said Gertrude, wickedly. + </p> + <p> + 'Islington!' said the Honourable Mrs. Val, nearly fainting. + </p> + <p> + 'Is not Islington and St. Giles' the same place?' asked the innocent Clem, + with some malice, however, to counterbalance her innocence. + </p> + <p> + 'O no!' said Lactimel. 'St Giles' is where the poor wretched starving + Irish dwell. Their utter misery in the middle of this rich metropolis is a + crying disgrace to the Prime Minister.' Poor Badger, how much he has to + bear! 'Only think,' continued Lactimel, with a soft pathetic drawl, 'they + have none to feed them, none to clothe them, none to do for them!' + </p> + <p> + 'It is a great question,' said Ugolina, 'whether promiscuous charity is a + blessing or a curse. It is probably the greatest question of the age. I + myself am inclined to think—' + </p> + <p> + 'But, ma,' said Madame Jaquêtanàpe, 'Mrs. Tudor doesn't really mean that + she is going to live at St. Giles', does she?' + </p> + <p> + 'I said Islington,' said Gertrude. 'We may go to St. Giles' next, + perhaps.' Had she known all, how dreadful would such jokes have been to + her! + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Val saw that she was being quizzed, and, not liking it, changed the + conversation. 'Ugolina,' said she, 'might I trouble you to look out of the + front window? I hope those stupid men of mine are not letting the horses + stand still. They were so warm coming here, that they will be sure to + catch cold.' The stupid men, however, were round the corner at the + public-house, and Ugolina could only report that as she did not see them + she supposed the horses were walking about. + </p> + <p> + 'And so,' said Mrs. Val, 'Mr. Tudor is thinking of resigning his place at + the Civil Service Board, and standing for that borough of Lord + Gaberlunzie's, in Aberdeenshire?' + </p> + <p> + 'I really cannot say,' said Gertrude; 'but I believe he has some idea of + going into Parliament. I rather believe he will continue to hold his + place.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, that I know to be impossible! I was told that by a gentleman who has + been much longer in the service than Mr. Tudor, and who understands all + its bearings.' She here alluded to Fidus Neverbend. + </p> + <p> + 'I cannot say,' said Gertrude. 'I do not think Mr. Tudor has quite made up + his mind yet.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, my dear, I'll tell you fairly what I think about it. You know the + regard I have for you and Mr. Tudor. He, too, is Clementina's trustee; + that is to say, her fortune is partly consigned to his care; so I cannot + but have a very great interest about him, and be very anxious that he + should do well. Now, my dear, I'll tell you fairly what I think, and what + all the world is saying. He ought not to think of Parliament. He ought + not, indeed, my dear. I speak for your sake, and your child's. He is not a + man of fortune, and he ought not to think of Parliament. He has a very + fine situation, and he really should be contented.' + </p> + <p> + This was intolerable to Gertrude. She felt that she must put Mrs. Val + down, and yet she hardly knew how to do it without being absolutely rude; + whereas her husband had specially begged her to be civil to this woman at + present. 'Oh,' said she, with a slight smile, 'Mr. Tudor will be able to + take care of himself; you will find, I hope, that there is no cause for + uneasiness.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I hope not, I am sure I hope not,' said Mrs. Val, looking very + grave. 'But I tell you fairly that the confidence which we all have in + your husband will be much shaken if he does anything rash. He should think + of this, you know. He has no private fortune to back him; we must remember + that.' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude became very red in the face; but she would not trust herself to + answer Mrs. Val at the spur of the moment. + </p> + <p> + 'It makes such a difference, when one has got no private fortune,' said + Madame Jaquêtanàpe, the heiress. 'Does it not, Lactimel?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, indeed it does,' said Lactimel. 'I wish every one had a private + fortune; it would be so nice, wouldn't it?' + </p> + <p> + 'There would be very little poetry in the world if you were to banish + poverty,' said Ugolina. 'Poverty may be called the parent of poetry. Look + at Milton, how poor he was; and Homer, he begged his bread.' + </p> + <p> + 'But Lord Byron was not a beggar,' said Clem, contemptuously. + </p> + <p> + 'I do hope Mr. Tudor will think of what he is doing,' continued Mrs. Val. + 'It is certainly most good-natured and most disinterested of my dear + father-in-law, Lord Gaberlunzie, to place his borough at Mr. Tudor's + disposal. It is just like him, dear good old nobleman. But, my dear, it + will be a thousand pities if Mr. Tudor should be led on by his lordship's + kindness to bring about his own ruin.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Val had once in her life seen his good-natured lordship. Soon after + her marriage she had insisted on Captain Val taking her down to the family + mansion. She stayed there one night, and then left it, and since that had + shown no further desire to visit Cauldkail Castle. She did not the less + delight to talk about her dear good father-in-law, the lord. Why should + she give his son Val board and lodging, but that she might be enabled to + do so? She was not the woman to buy an article, and not make of it all the + use of which it might be capable. + </p> + <p> + 'Pray do not concern yourself,' said Gertrude. 'I can assure you Mr. Tudor + will manage very well for himself—but should any misfortune happen + to him he will not, you may be certain, attribute it to Lord Gaberlunzie.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am told that Sir Gregory is most opposed to it,' continued Mrs. Val. 'I + heard that from Mr. Neverbend, who is altogether in Sir Gregory's + confidence—did not you, my dears?' and she turned round to the + sisters of Fidus for confirmation. + </p> + <p> + 'I heard my brother say that as Mr. Tudor's office is not parliamentary + but permanent, and as he has to attend from ten till four——' + </p> + <p> + 'Alaric has not to attend from ten till four,' said Gertrude, who could + not endure the idea that her husband should be ranked with common clerks, + like Fidus Neverbend. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, I didn't know,' said Lactimel, meekly. 'Perhaps Fidus only meant that + as it is one of those offices where the people have something to do, the + commissioners couldn't be in their offices and in Parliament at the same + time.' + </p> + <p> + 'I did understand,' said Ugolina, 'that Sir Gregory Hardlines had put his + veto upon it; but I must confess that it is a subject which I have not + sufficiently studied to enable me——' + </p> + <p> + 'It's £1,200 a year, isn't it?' asked the bride. + </p> + <p> + 'Twelve hundred pounds a year,' said her mother—'a very serious + consideration when there is no private fortune to back it, on either side. + Now if it were Victoire——' + </p> + <p> + 'He couldn't sit in Parliament, ma, because he's an alien—only for + that I shouldn't think of his doing anything else.' + </p> + <p> + 'Perhaps that may be altered before long,' said Lactimel, graciously. + </p> + <p> + 'If Jews are to be admitted,' said Ugolina, 'who certainly belong to an + alien nation; a nation expressly set apart and separated from all people—a + peculiar nation distinct from all others, I for one cannot discern——' + </p> + <p> + What Ugolina could or could not discern about the Jews was communicated + perhaps to Madame Jaquêtanàpe or to Lactimel, but not to Gertrude or to + Mrs. Val; for the latter, taking Gertrude apart into a corner as it were + of the sofa, began confidentially to repeat to her her fears about her + husband. + </p> + <p> + 'I see, my dear,' said she, 'that you don't like my speaking about it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Upon my word,' said Gertrude, 'I am very indifferent about it. But would + it not be better if you said what you have to say to my husband?' + </p> + <p> + 'I intend to do so. I intend to do that also. But I know that a wife ought + to have influence over her husband, and I believe that you have influence + over yours.' + </p> + <p> + 'Not the least,' said Gertrude, who was determined to contradict Mrs. Val + in everything. + </p> + <p> + 'I am sorry to hear it,' said Mrs. Val, who among all her excellent + acquirements, did not possess that specially excellent one of + understanding repartee. 'I am very sorry to hear it, and I shall certainly + speak to him the more seriously on that account. I think I have some + influence over him; at any rate I ought to have.' + </p> + <p> + 'I dare say you have,' said Gertrude; 'Alaric always says that no + experience is worth anything that is not obtained by years.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Val at least understood this, and continued her lecture with some + additional severity. 'Well, my dear, I am glad he has so much wisdom. But + what I was going to say is this: you know how much we have at stake with + Mr. Tudor—what a very large sum of Clementina's money lies in his + hands. Now I really should not have consented to the arrangement had I + thought it possible that Mr. Tudor would have given up his income with the + idea of going into Parliament. It wouldn't have been right or prudent of + me to do so. I have the greatest opinion of your husband's talents and + judgement, or I should not of course have entrusted him with the + management of Clementina's fortune; but I really shall think it right to + make some change if this project of his goes on.' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, what is it you suspect?' said Gertrude. 'Do you think that Mr. Tudor + intends to use your daughter's income if he loses a portion of his own? I + never heard such a thing in my life.' + </p> + <p> + 'Hush! my dear—gently—I would not for worlds let Clementina + hear a word of this; it might disturb her young happiness. She is so + charmed with her husband; her married life is so fortunate; Victoire is so—so—so + everything that we all wish, that I would not for the world breathe in her + hearing a shadow of a suspicion.' + </p> + <p> + 'Good gracious! Mrs. Scott, what do you mean? Suspicion!—what + suspicion? Do you suspect my husband of robbing you?' Oh, Gertrude; poor + Gertrude! she was doomed to know it all before long. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh dear, no,' said Mrs. Val; 'nothing of the kind, I assure you. Of + course we suspect nothing of the sort. But one does like to have one's + money in safe hands. Of course Mr. Tudor wouldn't have been chosen as + trustee if he hadn't had a good income of his own; and look here, my + dear,'—and Mrs. Val whispered very confidentially—'Mr. Tudor + we all know is greatly concerned in this bridge that the committee is + sitting about; and he and my brother-in-law, Undecimus, are always dealing + in shares. Gentlemen do, I know; and therefore I don't say that there is + anything against it. But considering all, I hope Mr. Tudor won't take it + ill if we propose to change our trustee.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am very certain he will not,' said Gertrude. 'It is a laborious + business, and he will be glad enough to be rid of it. When he was asked to + accept it, he thought it would be ill-natured to refuse; I am certain, + however, he will be very glad to give up the work to any other person who + may be appointed. I will be sure to tell him this evening what you have + said.' + </p> + <p> + 'You need not trouble yourself to do that,' said Mrs. Val. 'I shall see + him myself before long.' + </p> + <p> + 'It will be no trouble,' said Gertrude, very indignantly, for she was very + angry, and had, as she thought, great cause for anger. 'I shall certainly + think it my duty to do so after what has passed. Of course you will now + take steps to relieve him as soon as possible.' + </p> + <p> + 'You have taken me up a great deal too quick, my dear,' said Mrs. Val. 'I + did not intend——' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh—one can't be too quick on such a matter as this,' said Gertrude. + 'When confidence is once lost between two persons it is better that the + connexion which has grown out of confidence should be put an end to as + soon as possible.' + </p> + <p> + 'Lost confidence! I said nothing about lost confidence!' + </p> + <p> + 'Alaric will so understand it, I am quite sure; at any rate I will tell + him what you have said. Suspicion indeed! who has dared to suspect him of + anything not honest or upright?' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude's eyes flashed with anger as she vindicated her absent lord. Mrs. + Val had been speaking with bated breath, so that no one had heard her but + she to whom she was speaking; but Gertrude had been unable so to confine + her answers, and as she made her last reply Madame Jaquêtanàpe and the + Misses Neverbend were all ears. + </p> + <p> + 'Ha, ha, ha!' laughed Mrs. Val. 'Upon my word, my dear, it is amusing to + hear you take it up. However, I assure you I meant nothing but what was + kind and friendly. Come, Clementina, we have been sitting here a most + unconscionable time. Will you allow me, my dear, to ring for my carriage?' + </p> + <p> + 'Mamma,' said Clem, 'have you asked Mrs. Tudor to our little dance?' + </p> + <p> + 'No, my dear; I have left that for you to do. It's your party, you know—but + I sincerely hope Mrs. Tudor will come.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh yes,' said Clementina, the tongue of whose eloquence was now loosened. + 'You must come, Mrs. Tudor; indeed you must. It will be so charming; just + a few nice people, you know, and nothing more.' + </p> + <p> + 'Thank you,' said Gertrude; 'but I never dance now.' She had inwardly + resolved that nothing should ever induce her again to enter Mrs. Val's + house. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, but you must come,' said Clementina. 'It will be so charming. We only + mean to dance one kind of dance—that new thing they have just + brought over from Spain—the Contrabandista. It is a polka step, only + very quick, and you take every other turn by yourself; so you have to take + your partner up and let him go as quick as possible. You don't know how + charming it is, and it will be all the rage. We are to have the music out + in the street, just as they have in Spain.' + </p> + <p> + 'It would be much too difficult for me,' said Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + 'It is difficult,' said the enthusiastic Clem; 'but Victoire gives us + lessons in it everyday from twelve to two—doesn't he, Ugolina?' + </p> + <p> + 'I'm afraid I shouldn't have time to go to school,' said Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, it doesn't take much time—six or seven or eight lessons will do + it pretty well. I have almost learnt it already, and Ugolina is coming on + very fast. Lactimel is not quite so perfect. She has learnt the step, but + she cannot bring herself to let Victoire go quick enough. Do come, and + bring Mr. Tudor with you.' + </p> + <p> + 'As he has not to attend from ten till four, he could come and take + lessons too,' said Lactimel, who, now that she was no longer a hanger-on + of Gertrude's, could afford to have her little revenge. + </p> + <p> + 'That would be delightful,' said Clem. 'Mr. Charles Tudor does come in + sometimes at twelve o'clock, and I think he does it almost as well as + Victoire.' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude, however, would go neither to the rehearsals nor to the finished + performance; and as Mrs. Val's men had by this time been induced to leave + the beershop, the whole party went away, leaving Gertrude to her + meditations. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0036" id="link2HCH0036"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXXVI. — TICKLISH STOCK + </h2> + <p> + Alaric returned from his office worn and almost as wretched as he had been + on the day before. He had spent a miserable day. In the morning Sir + Gregory had asked him whether he had finally made up his mind to address + the electors of Strathbogy. 'No, not finally,' said Alaric, 'but I think I + shall do so.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then I must tell you, Tudor,' said Sir Gregory, speaking more in sorrow + than in anger, 'that you will not have my countenance. I cannot but think + also that you are behaving with ingratitude.' Alaric prepared to make some + petulant answer, but Sir Gregory, in the meantime, left the room. + </p> + <p> + Every one was falling away from him. He felt inclined to rush after Sir + Gregory, and promise to be guided in this matter solely by him, but his + pride prevented him: though he was no longer sanguine and confident as he + had been a week ago, still his ambition was high. 'Those who play brag + must brag it out, or they will lose their money.' This had been said by + Undy; but it was not the less true on that account. Alaric felt that he + was playing brag, and that his only game was to brag it out. + </p> + <p> + He walked home slowly through the Parks. His office and house were so + circumstanced that, though they were some two miles distant, he could walk + from one to the other almost without taking his feet off the grass. This + had been the cause of great enjoyment to him; but now he sauntered on with + his hands behind his back, staring straight before him, with fixed eyes, + going by his accustomed route, but never thinking for a moment where he + was. The time was gone when he could watch the gambols of children, smile + at the courtships of nursery-maids, watch the changes in the dark foliage + of the trees, and bend from his direct path hither and thither to catch + the effects of distant buildings, and make for his eye half-rural + landscapes in the middle of the metropolis. No landscapes had beauty for + him now; the gambols even of his own baby were unattractive to him; leaves + might bud forth and nourish and fall without his notice. How went the + share-market? that was the only question that had an interest for him. The + dallyings of Capel Court were the only courtships that he now cared to + watch. + </p> + <p> + And with what a terribly eager eye had he now to watch them! If his shares + went up quickly, at once, with an unprecedented success, he might possibly + be saved. That was all. But if they did not—! Such was the phase of + life under which at the present moment it behoved him to exist. + </p> + <p> + And then, when he reached his home, how was he welcomed? With all the fond + love which a loving wife can show; so much at least was his; but before he + had felt the sweetness of her caresses, before he had acknowledged how + great was the treasure that he possessed, forth from her eager lips had + come the whole tale of Mrs. Val's impertinence. + </p> + <p> + 'I will never see her again, Alaric! never; she talked of her daughter's + money, and said something of suspicion!' Suspicion! Gertrude's eye again + flashed fire with anger; and she all but stamped with her little foot upon + the ground. Suspicion! suspect him, her husband, the choice of her heart, + her Alaric, the human god whom she worshipped! suspect him of robbery! her + lord, her heart, her soul, the strong staff on which she leaned so + securely, with such true feminine confidence! Suspect him of common vile + dishonesty!—'You will never ask me to see her again—will you, + Alaric?' + </p> + <p> + What was he to say to her? how was he to bear this? His heart yearned to + tell her all; he longed for the luxury of having one bosom to whom he + could entrust his misery, his slight remaining hope. But how could he + himself, at one blow, by one word, destroy the high and polished shaft on + which she whom he loved had placed him? He could not do it. He would + suffer by himself; hope by himself, cease to hope by himself, and endure + all, till either his sufferings or his hopes should be over. + </p> + <p> + He had to pretend that he was indignant at Mrs. Val's interference; he had + to counterfeit the feelings of outraged honour, which was so natural to + Gertrude. This he failed to do well. Had he been truly honest—had + that woman's suspicion really done him injustice—he would have + received his wife's tidings with grave displeasure, and have simply + resolved to acquit himself as soon as possible of the disagreeable trust + which had been reposed in him. But such was not now his conduct. He + contented himself by calling Mrs. Val names, and pretended to laugh at her + displeasure. + </p> + <p> + 'But you will give up this trust, won't you?' said Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + 'I will think about it,' said he. 'Before I do anything I must consult old + Figgs. Things of that kind can't be put out of their course by the spleen + of an old woman like Mrs. Val.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Alaric, I do so wish you had had nothing to do with these Scotts!' + </p> + <p> + 'So do I,' said he, bitterly; 'I hate them—but, Gertrude, don't talk + about them now; my head aches, and I am tired.' + </p> + <p> + He sat at home the whole evening; and though he was by no means gay, and + hardly affectionate in his demeanour to her, yet she could not but feel + that some good effect had sprung from his recent dislike to the Scotts, + since it kept him at home with her. Lately he had generally spent his + evenings at his club. She longed to speak to him of his future career, of + his proposed seat in Parliament, of his office-work; but he gave her no + encouragement to speak of such things, and, as he pleaded that he was ill, + she left him in quiet on the sofa. + </p> + <p> + On the next morning he again went to his office, and in the course of the + morning a note was brought to him from Undy. It ran as follows:— + </p> + <h3> + 'MY DEAR TUDOR, + </h3> + <p> + 'Is Val to have the shares? Let me have a line by the bearer. + </p> + <p> + 'Yours ever, + </p> + <h3> + 'U. S.' + </h3> + <p> + To this he replied by making an appointment to meet Undy before dinner at + his own office. + </p> + <p> + At the time fixed Undy came, and was shown by the sole remaining messenger + into Alaric's private room. The two shook hands together in their + accustomed way. Undy smiled good-humouredly, as he always did; and Alaric + maintained his usual composed and uncommunicative look. + </p> + <p> + 'Well,' said Undy, sitting down, 'how about those shares?' + </p> + <p> + 'I am glad you have come,' said Alaric, 'because I want to speak to you + with some earnestness.' + </p> + <p> + 'I am quite in earnest myself,' said Undy; 'and so, by G—, is Val. I + never saw a fellow more in earnest—nor yet apparently more hard up. + I hope you have the shares ready, or else a cheque for the amount.' + </p> + <p> + 'Look here, Undy; if my doing this were the only means of saving both you + and me from rotting in gaol, by the Creator that made me I would not do + it!' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't know that it will have much effect upon me, one way or the + other,' said Undy, coolly; 'but it seems to me to be the only way that can + save yourself from some such fate. Shall I tell you what the clauses are + of this new bill about trust property?' + </p> + <p> + 'I know the clauses well enough; I know my own position; and I know yours + also.' + </p> + <p> + 'D—— your impudence!' said Undy; 'how do you dare to league me + with your villany? Have I been the girl's trustee? have I drawn, or could + I have drawn, a shilling of her money? I tell you, Tudor, you are in the + wrong box. You have one way of escape, and one only. I don't want to ruin + you; I'll save you if I can; I think you have treated the girl in a most + shameful way, nevertheless I'll save you if I can; but mark this, if this + money be not at once produced I cannot save you.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric felt that he was covered with cold perspiration. His courage did + not fail him; he would willingly have taken Undy by the throat, could his + doing so have done himself or his cause any good; but he felt that he was + nearly overset by the cool deep villany of his companion. + </p> + <p> + 'I have treated the girl badly—very badly,' he said, after a pause; + 'whether or no you have done so too I leave to your own conscience, if you + have a conscience. I do not now mean to accuse you; but you may know this + for certain—my present anxiety is to restore to her that which I + have taken from her; and for no earthly consideration—not to save my + own wife—will I increase the deficiency.' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, man, what nonsense you talk—as if I did not know all the time + that you have your pocket full of these shares.' + </p> + <p> + 'Whatever I have, I hold for her. If I could succeed in getting out of + your hands enough to make up the full sum that I owe her—' + </p> + <p> + 'You will succeed in getting nothing from me. When I borrowed £5,000 from + you, it was not understood that I was to be called upon for the money in + three or four months' time.' + </p> + <p> + 'Now look here, Scott; you have threatened me with ruin and a prison, and + I will not say but your threats may possibly prove true. It may be that I + am ruined; but, if I fall, you shall share my fall.' + </p> + <p> + 'That's false,' said Undy. 'I am free to hold my head before the world, + which you are not. I have done nothing to bring me to shame.' + </p> + <p> + 'Nothing to bring you to shame, and yet you would now have me give you a + further portion of this girl's money!' + </p> + <p> + 'Nothing! I care nothing about the girl's money. I have not touched it, + nor do I want to touch it. I bring you a message from my brother; you have + ample means of your own to comply with his request.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then tell your brother,' said Alaric, now losing all control over his + temper—'tell your brother, if indeed he have any part in this + villany—tell your brother that if it were to save me from the + gallows, he should not have a shilling. I have done very badly in this + matter; I have acted shamefully, and I am ashamed, but——' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, I want to hear none of your rhapsodies,' said Undy. 'If you will not + now do what I ask you, I may as well go, and you may take the + consequences;' and he lifted his hat as though preparing to take his + leave. + </p> + <p> + 'But you shall hear me,' said Alaric, rising quickly from his seat, and + standing between Undy and the door. Undy very coolly walked to the bell + and rang it. 'I have much to answer for,' continued Alaric, 'but I would + not have your sin on my soul, I would not be as black as you are, though, + by being so, I could save myself with certainty from all earthly + punishment.' + </p> + <p> + As he finished, the messenger opened the door. 'Show Mr. Scott out,' said + Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'By, by,' said Undy. 'You will probably hear from Mrs. Val and her + daughter to-morrow,' and so saying he walked jauntily along the passage, + and went jauntily to his dinner at his club. It was part of his philosophy + that nothing should disturb the even tenor of his way, or interfere with + his animal comforts. He was at the present moment over head and ears in + debt; he was playing a game which, in all human probability, would end in + his ruin; the ground was sinking beneath his feet on every side; and yet + he thoroughly enjoyed his dinner. Alaric could not make such use of his + philosophy. Undy Scott might be the worse man of the two, but he was the + better philosopher. + </p> + <p> + Not on the next day, or on the next, did Alaric hear from Mrs. Val, but on + the following Monday he got a note from her begging him to call in Ebury + Street. She underscored every line of it once or twice, and added, in a + postscript, that he would, she was sure, at once acknowledge the NECESSITY + of her request, as she wished to communicate with him on the subject of + her DAUGHTER'S FORTUNE. + </p> + <p> + Alaric immediately sent an answer to her by a messenger. 'My dear Mrs. + Scott,' said he, 'I am very sorry that an engagement prevents my going to + you this evening; but, as I judge by your letter, and by what I have heard + from Gertrude, that you are anxious about this trust arrangement, I will + call at ten to-morrow morning on my way to the office.' + </p> + <p> + Having written and dispatched this, he sat for an hour leaning with his + elbows on the table and his hands clasped, looking with apparent + earnestness at the rows of books which stood inverted before him, trying + to make up his mind as to what step he should now take. + </p> + <p> + Not that he sat an hour undisturbed. Every five minutes some one would + come knocking at the door; the name of some aspirant to the Civil Service + would be brought to him, or the card of some influential gentleman + desirous of having a little job perpetrated in favour of his own + peculiarly interesting, but perhaps not very highly-educated, young + candidate. But on this morning Alaric would see no one; to every such + intruder he sent a reply that he was too deeply engaged at the present + moment to see any one. After one he would be at liberty, &c., &c. + </p> + <p> + And so he sat and looked at the books; but he could in nowise make up his + mind. He could in nowise bring himself even to try to make up his mind—that + is, to make any true effort towards doing so. His thoughts would run off + from him, not into the happy outer world, but into a multitude of noisy, + unpleasant paths, all intimately connected with his present misery, but + none of which led him at all towards the conclusions at which he would + fain arrive. He kept on reflecting what Sir Gregory would think when he + heard of it; what all those clerks would say at the Weights and Measures, + among whom he had held his head so high; what shouts there would be among + the navvies and other low pariahs of the service; how Harry Norman would + exult—(but he did not yet know Harry Norman);—how the + Woodwards would weep; how Gertrude—and then as he thought of that he + bowed his head, for he could no longer endure the open light of day. At + one o'clock he was no nearer to any decision than he had been when he + reached his office. + </p> + <p> + At three he put himself into a cab, and was taken to the city. Oh, the + city, the weary city, where men go daily to look for money, but find none; + where every heart is eaten up by an accursed famishing after gold; where + dark, gloomy banks come thick on each other, like the black, ugly + apertures to the realms below in a mining district, each of them a + separate little pit-mouth into hell. Alaric went into the city, and found + that the shares were still rising. That imperturbable witness was still in + the chair at the committee, and men said that he was disgusting the + members by the impregnable endurance of his hostility. A man who could + answer 2,250 questions without admitting anything must be a liar! Such a + one could convince no one! And so the shares went on rising, rising, and + rising, and Messrs. Blocks, Piles, and Cofferdam were buying up every + share; either doing that openly—or else selling on the sly. + </p> + <p> + Alaric found that he could at once realize £7,600. Were he to do this, + there would be at any rate seven-eighths of his ward's fortune secure. + </p> + <p> + Might he not, in such a case, calculate that even Mrs. Val's heart would + be softened, and that time would be allowed him to make up the small + remainder? Oh, but in such case he must tell Mrs. Val; and could he + calculate on her forbearance? Might he not calculate with much more + certainty on her love of triumphing? Would he not be her slave if she had + the keeping of his secret? And why should he run so terrible a risk of + destroying himself? Why should he confide in Mrs. Val, and deprive himself + of the power of ever holding up his head again, when, possibly, he might + still run out his course with full sails, and bring his vessel into port, + giving no knowledge to the world of the perilous state in which she had + been thus ploughing the deep? He need not, at any rate, tell everything to + Mrs. Val at his coming visit on the morrow. + </p> + <p> + He consulted his broker with his easiest air of common concern as to his + money; and the broker gave him a dubious opinion. 'They may go a little + higher, sir; indeed I think they will. But they are ticklish stock, sir—uncommon + ticklish. I should not like to hold many myself, sir.' Alaric knew that + the man was right; they were ticklish stock: but nevertheless he made up + his mind to hold on a little longer. + </p> + <p> + He then got into another cab and went back to his office; and as he went + he began to bethink himself to whom of all his friends he might apply for + such a loan as would enable him to make up this sum of money, if he sold + his shares on the morrow. Captain Cuttwater was good for £1,000, but he + knew that he could not get more from him. It would be bad borrowing, he + thought, from Sir Gregory. Intimate as he had been with that great man, he + knew nothing of his money concerns; but he had always heard that Sir + Gregory was a close man. Sir Warwick, his other colleague, was in easy + circumstances; but then he had never been intimate with Sir Warwick. + Norman—ah, if he had known Norman now, Norman would have pulled him + through; but hope in that quarter there was, of course, none. Norman was + gone, and Norman's place had been filled by Undy Scott! What could be done + with Undy Scott he had already tried. Fidus Neverbend! he had a little + money saved; but Fidus was not the man to do anything without security. + He, he, Alaric Tudor, he, whose credit had stood, did stand, so high, did + not know where to borrow, how to raise a thousand pounds; and yet he felt + that had he not wanted it so sorely, he could have gotten it easily. + </p> + <p> + He was in a bad state for work when he got back to the office on that day. + He was flurried, ill at ease, wretched, all but distracted; nevertheless + he went rigidly to it, and remained there till late in the evening. He was + a man generally blessed with excellent health; but now he suddenly found + himself ill, and all but unable to accomplish the task which he had + prescribed to himself. His head was heavy and his eyes weak, and he could + not bring himself to think of the papers which lay before him. + </p> + <p> + Then at last he went home, and had another sad and solitary walk across + the Parks, during which he vainly tried to rally himself again, and + collect his energies for the work which he had to do. It was in such + emergencies as this that he knew that it most behoved a man to fall back + upon what manliness there might be within him; now was the time for him to + be true to himself; he had often felt proud of his own energy of purpose; + and now was the opportunity for him to use such energy, if his pride in + this respect had not been all in vain. + </p> + <p> + Such were the lessons with which he endeavoured to strengthen himself, but + it was in vain; he could not feel courageous—he could not feel + hopeful—he could not do other than despair. When he got home, he + again prostrated himself, again declared himself ill, again buried his + face in his hands, and answered the affection of his wife by saying that a + man could not always be cheerful, could not always laugh. Gertrude, though + she was very far indeed from guessing the truth, felt that something + extraordinary was the matter, and knew that her husband's uneasiness was + connected with the Scotts. + </p> + <p> + He came down to dinner, and though he ate but little, he drank glass after + glass of sherry. He thus gave himself courage to go out in the evening and + face the world at his club. He found Undy there as he expected, but he had + no conversation with him, though they did not absolutely cut each other. + Alaric fancied that men stared at him, and sat apart by himself, afraid to + stand up among talking circles, or to put himself forward as it was his + wont to do. He himself avoided other men, and then felt that others were + avoiding him. He took up one evening paper after another, pretending to + read them, but hardly noticing a word that came beneath his eye: at last, + however, a name struck him which riveted his attention, and he read the + following paragraph, which was among many others, containing information + as to the coming elections. + </p> + <p> + 'STRATHBOGY.—We hear that Lord Gaberlunzie's eldest son will retire + from this borough, and that his place will be filled by his brother, the + Honourable Captain Valentine Scott. The family have been so long connected + with Strathbogy by ties of friendship and near neighbourhood, and the + mutual alliance has been so much to the taste of both parties, that no + severance need be anticipated.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric's first emotion was one of anger at the whole Scott tribe, and his + first resolve was to go down to Strathbogy and beat that inanimate fool, + Captain Val, on his own ground; but he was not long in reflecting that, + under his present circumstances, it would be madness in him to bring his + name prominently forward in any quarrel with the Scott family. This + disappointment he might at any rate bear; it would be well for him if this + were all. He put the paper down with an affected air of easy composure, + and walked home through the glaring gas-lights, still trying to think—still + trying, but in vain, to come to some definite resolve. + </p> + <p> + And then on the following morning he went off to call on Mrs. Val. He had + as yet told Gertrude nothing. When she asked him what made him start so + early, he merely replied that he had business to do on his road. As he + went, he had considerable doubt whether or no it would be better for him + to break his word to Mrs. Val, and not go near her at all. In such event + he might be sure that she would at once go to work and do her worst; but, + nevertheless, he would gain a day, or probably two, and one or two days + might do all that he required; whereas he could not see Mrs. Val without + giving her some explanation, which if false would be discovered to be + false, and if true would be self-condemnatory. He again, however, failed + to decide, and at last knocked at Mrs. Val's door merely because he found + himself there. + </p> + <p> + He was shown up into the drawing-room, and found, of course, Mrs. Val + seated on a sofa; and he also found, which was not at all of course, + Captain Val, on a chair on one side of the table, and M. Victoire + Jaquêtanàpe on the other. Mrs. Val shook hands with him much in her usual + way, but still with an air of importance in her face; the Frenchman was + delighted to see M. Tudere, and the Honourable Val got up from his chair, + said 'How do?' and then sat down again. + </p> + <p> + 'I requested you to call, Mr. Tudor,' said Mrs. Val, opening her tale in a + most ceremonious manner, 'because we all think it necessary to know + somewhat more than has yet been told to us of the manner in which my + daughter's money has been invested.' + </p> + <p> + Captain Val wiped his moustache with the middle finger of his right hand, + by way of saying that he quite assented to his wife's proposition; and + Victoire remarked that 'Madame was a leetle anxious, just a leetle + anxious; not that anything could be wrong with M. Tudere, but because she + was one excellent mamma.' + </p> + <p> + 'I thought you knew, Mrs. Scott,' said Alaric, 'that your daughter's money + is in the funds.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then I may understand clearly that none of the amount so invested has + been sold out or otherwise appropriated by you.' said Mrs. Val. + </p> + <p> + 'Will you allow me to inquire what has given rise to these questions just + at the present moment?' asked Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, certainly,' said Mrs. Val; 'rumours have reached my husband—rumours + which, I am happy to say, I do not believe—that my daughter's money + has been used for purposes of speculation.' Whereupon Captain Val again + wiped his upper lip, but did not find it necessary to speak. + </p> + <p> + 'May I venture to ask Captain Scott from what source such rumours have + reached him!' + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +'Ah-ha-what source? d—— lies, very likely; d—— lies, I dare say; but +people do talk—eh—you know,' so much the eloquent embryo member for +Strathbogy vouchsafed. + + 'And therefore, Mr. Tudor, you mustn't be surprised that we +should ask you this question.' +</pre> + <p> + 'It is one simple, simple question,' said Victoire, 'and if M. Tudere will + say that it is all right, I, for myself, will be satisfied.' The amiable + Victoire, to tell the truth, was still quite satisfied to leave his wife's + income in Alaric's hands, and would not have been at all satisfied to + remove it to the hands of his respected step-papa-in-law, or even his + admired mamma-in-law. + </p> + <p> + 'When I undertook this trust,' said Alaric, 'which I did with considerable + hesitation, I certainly did not expect to be subjected to any such + cross-examination as this. I consider such questions as insults, and + therefore I shall refuse to answer them. You, Mrs. Scott, have of course a + right to look after your daughter's interests, as has M. Jaquêtanàpe to + look after those of his wife; but I will not acknowledge that Captain + Scott has any such right whatsoever, nor can I think that his conduct in + this matter is disinterested;' and as he spoke he looked at Captain Val, + but he might just as well have looked at the door; Captain Val only wiped + his moustache with his finger once more. 'My answer to your inquiries, + Mrs. Scott, is this—I shall not condescend to go into any details as + to Madame Jaquêtanàpe's fortune with anyone but my co-trustee. I shall, + however, on Saturday next, be ready to give up my trust to any other + person who may be legally appointed to receive it, and will then produce + all the property that has been entrusted to my keeping:' and so saying, + Alaric got up and took his hat as though to depart. + </p> + <p> + 'And do you mean to say, Mr. Tudor, that you will not answer my question?' + said Mrs. Scott. + </p> + <p> + 'I mean to say, most positively, that I will answer no questions,' said + Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, confound, not do at all; d——,' said the captain. 'The + girl's money all gone, and you won't answer questions!' + </p> + <p> + 'No!' shouted Alaric, walking across the room till he closely confronted + the captain. 'No—no—I will answer no questions that may be + asked in your hearing. But that your wife's presence protects you, I would + kick you down your own stairs before me.' + </p> + <p> + Captain Val retreated a step—he could retreat no more—and + wiped his moustache with both hands at once. Mrs. Val screamed. Victoire + took hold of the back of a chair, as though he thought it well that he + should be armed in the general battle that was to ensue; and Alaric, + without further speech, walked out of the room, and went away to his + office. + </p> + <p> + 'So you have given up Strathbogy?' said Sir Gregory to him, in the course + of the day. + </p> + <p> + 'I think I have,' said Alaric; 'considering all things, I believe it will + be the best for me to do so.' + </p> + <p> + 'Not a doubt of it,' said Sir Gregory—'not a doubt of it, my dear + fellow;' and then Sir Gregory began to evince, by the cordiality of his + official confidence, that he had fully taken Alaric back into his good + graces. It was nothing to him that Strathbogy had given up Alaric instead + of Alaric giving up Strathbogy. He was sufficiently pleased at knowing + that the danger of his being supplanted by his own junior was over. + </p> + <p> + And then Alaric again went into the weary city, again made inquiries about + his shares, and again returned to his office, and thence to his home. + </p> + <p> + But on his return to his office, he found lying on his table a note in + Undy's handwriting, but not signed, in which he was informed that things + would yet be well, if the required shares should be forthcoming on the + following day. + </p> + <p> + He crumpled the note tight in his hand, and was about to fling it among + the waste paper, but in a moment he thought better of it, and smoothing + the paper straight, he folded it, and laid it carefully on his desk. + </p> + <p> + That day, on his visit into the city, he had found that the bridge shares + had fallen to less than the value of their original purchase-money; and + that evening he told Gertrude everything. The author does not dare to + describe the telling. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0037" id="link2HCH0037"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXXVII. — TRIBULATION + </h2> + <p> + We must now return for a short while to Surbiton Cottage. It was not so + gay a place as it once had been; merry laughter was not so often heard + among the shrubbery walks, nor was a boat to be seen so often glancing in + and out between the lawn and the adjacent island. The Cottage had become a + demure, staid abode, of which Captain Cuttwater was in general the most + vivacious inmate; and yet there was soon to be marrying, and giving in + marriage. + </p> + <p> + Linda's wedding-day had twice been fixed. That first-named had been + postponed in consequence of the serious illness of Norman's elder brother. + The life of that brother had been very different in its course from + Harry's; it had been dissipated at college in riotous living, and had + since been stained with debauchery during the career of his early manhood + in London. The consequence had been that his health had been broken down, + and he was now tottering to an early grave. + </p> + <p> + Cuthbert Norman was found to be so ill when the day first named for + Linda's marriage approached, that it had been thought absolutely necessary + to postpone the ceremony. What amount of consolation Mrs. Woodward might + have received from the knowledge that her daughter, by this young man's + decease, would become Mrs. Norman of Normansgrove, we need not inquire; + but such consolation, if it existed at all, did not tend to dispel the + feeling of sombre disappointment which such delay was sure to produce. The + heir, however, rallied, and another day, early in August, was fixed. + </p> + <p> + Katie, the while, was still an invalid; and, as such, puzzled all the + experience of that very experienced medical gentleman, who has the best + aristocratic practice in the neighbourhood of Hampton Court. He, and the + London physician, agreed that her lungs were not affected; but yet she + would not get well. The colour would not come to her cheeks, the flesh + would not return to her arms, nor the spirit of olden days shine forth in + her eyes. She did not keep her bed, or confine herself to her room, but + she went about the house with a slow, noiseless, gentle tread, so unlike + the step of that Katie whom we once knew. + </p> + <p> + But that which was a mystery to the experienced medical gentleman, was no + mystery to her mother. Mrs. Woodward well knew why her child was no longer + rosy, plump, and <i>débonnaire</i>. As she watched her Katie move about so + softly, as she saw her constant attempt to smile whenever her mother's eye + was on her, that mother's heart almost gave way; she almost brought + herself to own that she would rather see her darling the wife of an idle, + ruined spendthrift, than watch her thus drifting away to an early grave. + These days were by no means happy days for Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + When that July day was fixed for Linda's marriage, certain invitations + were sent out to bid the family friends to the wedding. These calls were + not so numerous as they had been when Gertrude became a bride. No Sir + Gregory was to come down from town, no gallant speech-makers from London + clubs were to be gathered there, to wake the echoes of the opposite shore + with matrimonial wit. Mrs. Woodward could not bear that her daughter + should be married altogether, as it were, in the dark; but for many + considerations the guests were to be restricted in numbers, and the mirth + was to be restrained and quiet. + </p> + <p> + When the list was made out, Katie saw it, and saw that Charley's name was + not there. + </p> + <p> + 'Mamma,' she said, touching her mother's arm in her sweet winning way, + 'may not Charley come to Linda's wedding? You know how fond Harry is of + him: would not Harry wish that he should be here?' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward's eyes immediately filled with tears, and she looked at her + daughter, not knowing how to answer her. She had never spoken to Katie of + her love; no word had ever passed between them on the subject which was + now always nearest to the hearts of them both. Mrs. Woodward had much in + her character, as a mother, that was excellent, nay, all but perfect; but + she could not bring herself to question her own children as to the inward + secrets of their bosoms. She knew not at once how to answer Katie's + question; and so she looked up at her with wistful eyes, laden with tears. + </p> + <p> + 'You may do so, mamma,' said Katie. Katie was already a braver woman than + her mother. 'I think Harry would like it, and poor Charley will feel hurt + at being left out; you may do it, mamma, if you like; it will not do any + harm.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward quite understood the nature of the promise conveyed in her + daughter's assurance, and replied that Charley should be asked. He was + asked, and promised, of course, to come. But when the wedding was + postponed, when the other guests were put off, he also was informed that + his attendance at Hampton was not immediately required; and so he still + remained a stranger to the Cottage. + </p> + <p> + And then after a while another day was named, the guests, and Charley with + them, were again invited, and Norman was again assured that he should be + made happy. But, alas! his hopes were again delusive. News arrived at + Surbiton Cottage which made it indispensable that the marriage should be + again postponed, news worse than any which had ever yet been received + there, news which stunned them all, and made it clear to them that this + year was no time for marrying. Alaric had been arrested. Alaric, their own + Gertrude's own husband, their son-in-law and brother-in-law, the proud, + the high, the successful, the towering man of the world, Alaric had been + arrested, and was to be tried for embezzling the money of his ward. + </p> + <p> + These fatal tidings were brought to Hampton by Harry Norman himself; how + they were received we must now endeavour to tell. + </p> + <p> + But that it would be tedious we might describe the amazement with which + that news was received at the Weights and Measures. Though the great men + at the Weights were jealous of Alaric, they were not the less proud of + him. They had watched him rise with a certain amount of displeasure, and + yet they had no inconsiderable gratification in boasting that two of the + Magi, the two working Magi of the Civil Service, had been produced by + their own establishment. When therefore tidings reached them that Tudor + had been summoned in a friendly way to Bow Street, that he had there + passed a whole morning, and that the inquiry had ended in his temporary + suspension from his official duties, and in his having to provide two + bailsmen, each for £1,000, as security that he would on a certain day be + forthcoming to stand his trial at the Old Bailey for defrauding his ward—when, + I say, these tidings were carried from room to room at the Weights and + Measures, the feelings of surprise were equalled by those of shame and + disappointment. + </p> + <p> + No one knew who brought this news to the Weights and Measures. No one ever + does know how such tidings fly; one of the junior clerks had heard it from + a messenger, to whom it had been told downstairs; then another messenger, + who had been across to the Treasury Chambers with an immediate report as + to a projected change in the size of the authorized butter-firkin, heard + the same thing, and so the news by degrees was confirmed. + </p> + <p> + But all this was not sufficient for Norman. As soon as the rumour reached + him, he went off to Bow Street, and there learnt the actual truth as it + has been above stated. Alaric was then there, and the magistrates had + decided on requiring bail; he had, in fact, been committed. + </p> + <p> + It would be dreadful that the Woodwards should first hear all this from + the lips of a stranger, and this reflection induced Norman at once to go + to Hampton; but it was dreadful, also, to find himself burdened with the + task of first telling such tidings. When he found himself knocking at the + Cottage door he was still doubtful how he might best go through the work + he had before him. + </p> + <p> + He found that he had a partial reprieve; but then it was so partial that + it would have been much better for him to have had no such reprieve at + all. Mrs. Woodward was at Sunbury with Linda, and no one was at home but + Katie. What was he to do? was he to tell Katie? or was he to pretend that + all was right, that no special business had brought him unexpectedly to + Hampton? + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Harry, Linda will be so unhappy,' said Katie as soon as she saw him. + 'They have gone to dine at Sunbury, and they won't be home till ten or + eleven. Uncle Bat dined early with me, and he has gone to Hampton Court. + Linda will be so unhappy. But, good gracious, Harry, is there anything the + matter?' + </p> + <p> + 'Mrs. Woodward has not heard from Gertrude to-day, has she?' + </p> + <p> + 'No—not a word—Gertrude is not ill, is she? Oh, do tell me,' + said Katie, who now knew that there was some misfortune to be told. + </p> + <p> + 'No; Gertrude is not ill.' + </p> + <p> + 'Is Alaric ill, then? Is there anything the matter with Alaric?' + </p> + <p> + 'He is not ill,' said Norman, 'but he is in some trouble. I came down as I + thought your mother should be told.' + </p> + <p> + So much he said, but would say no more. In this he probably took the most + unwise course that was open to him. He might have held his tongue + altogether, and let Katie believe that love alone had brought him down, as + it had done so often before; or he might have told her all, feeling sure + that all must be told her before long. But he did neither; he left her in + suspense, and the consequence was that before her mother's return she was + very ill. + </p> + <p> + It was past eleven before the fly was heard in which Linda and her mother + returned home. Katie had then gone upstairs, but not to bed. She had + seated herself in the arm-chair in her mother's dressing-room, and sitting + there waited till she should be told by her mother what had occurred. When + the sound of the wheels caught her ears, she came to the door of the room + and held it in her hand that she might learn what passed. She heard + Linda's sudden and affectionate greeting; she heard Mrs. Woodward's + expression of gratified surprise; and then she heard also Norman's solemn + tone, by which, as was too clear, all joy, all gratification, was at once + suppressed. Then she heard the dining-room door close, and she knew that + he was telling his tale to Linda and her mother. + </p> + <p> + O the misery of that next hour! For an hour they remained there talking, + and Katie knew nothing of what they were talking; she knew only that + Norman had brought unhappiness to them all. A dozen different ideas passed + across her mind. First she thought that Alaric was dismissed, then that he + was dead; was it not possible that Harry had named Alaric's name to + deceive her? might not this misfortune, whatever it was, be with Charley? + might not he be dead? Oh! better so than the other. She knew, and said as + much to herself over and over again; but she did not the less feel that + his death must involve her own also. + </p> + <p> + At last the dining-room door opened, and she heard her mother's step on + the stairs. Her heart beat so that she could hardly support herself. She + did not get up, but sat quite quiet, waiting for the tidings which she + knew that she should now hear. Her mother's face, when she entered the + room, nearly drove her to despair; Mrs. Woodward had been crying, + bitterly, violently, convulsively crying; and when one has reached the age + of forty, the traces of such tears are not easily effaced even from a + woman's cheek. + </p> + <p> + 'Mamma, mamma, what is it? pray, pray tell me; oh! mamma, what is it?' + said Katie, jumping up and rushing into her mother's arms. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Katie,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'why are you not in bed? Oh! my darling, + I wish you were in bed; I do so wish you were in bed—my child, my + child!' and, seating herself in the nearest chair, Mrs. Woodward again + gave herself up to uncontrolled weeping. + </p> + <p> + Then Linda came up with the copious tears still streaming down her face. + She made no effort to control them; at her age tears are the easiest + resource in time of grief. Norman had kept her back a moment to whisper + one word of love, and she then followed her mother into the room. + </p> + <p> + Katie was now kneeling at her mother's feet. 'Linda,' she said, with more + quietness than either of the others was able to assume, 'what has + happened? what makes mamma so unhappy? Has anything happened to Alaric?' + But Linda was in no state to tell anything. + </p> + <p> + 'Do tell me, mamma,' said Katie; 'do tell me all at once. Has anything—anything + happened to—to Charley?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, it is worse than that, a thousand times worse than that!' said Mrs. + Woodward, who, in the agony of her own grief, became for the instant + ungenerous. + </p> + <p> + Katie's blood rushed back to her heart, and for a moment her own hand + relaxed the hold which she had on that of her mother. She had never spoken + of her love; for her mother's sake she had been silent; for her mother's + sake she had determined to suffer and be silent—now, and ever! Well; + she would bear this also. It was but for a moment she relaxed her hold; + and then again she tightened her fingers round her mother's hand, and held + it in a firmer grasp. 'It is Alaric, then?' she said. + </p> + <p> + 'God forgive me,' said Mrs. Woodward, speaking through her sobs—'God + forgive me! I am a brokenhearted woman, and say I know not what. My Katie, + my darling, my best of darlings—will you forgive me?' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, mamma,' said Katie, kissing her mother's hands, and her arms, and the + very hem of her garment, 'oh, mamma, do not speak so. But I wish I knew + what this sorrow is, so that I might share it with you; may I not be told, + mamma? is it about Alaric?' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, Katie. Alaric is in trouble.' + </p> + <p> + 'What trouble—is he ill?' + </p> + <p> + 'No—he is not ill. It is about money.' + </p> + <p> + 'Has he been arrested?' asked Katie, thinking of Charley's misfortune. + 'Could not Harry get him out? Harry is so good; he would do anything, even + for Alaric, when he is in trouble.' + </p> + <p> + 'He will do everything for him that he can,' said Linda, through her + tears. + </p> + <p> + 'He has not been arrested,' said Mrs. Woodward; 'he is still at home; but + he is in trouble about Miss Golightly's money—and—and he is to + be tried.' + </p> + <p> + 'Tried,' said Katie; 'tried like a criminal!' + </p> + <p> + Katie might well express herself as horrified. Yes, he had to be tried + like a criminal; tried as pickpockets, housebreakers, and shoplifters are + tried, and for a somewhat similar offence; with this difference, however, + that pickpockets, housebreakers, and shoplifters, are seldom educated men, + and are in general led on to crime by want. He was to be tried for the + offence of making away with some of Miss Golightly's money for his own + purposes. This was explained to Katie, with more or less perspicuity; and + then Gertrude's mother and sisters lifted up their voices together and + wept. + </p> + <p> + He might, it is true, be acquitted; they would none of them believe him to + be guilty, though they all agreed that he had probably been imprudent; but + then the public shame of the trial! the disgrace which must follow such an + accusation! What a downfall was here! 'Oh, Gertrude! oh, Gertrude!' sobbed + Mrs. Woodward; and indeed, at that time, it did not fare well with + Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + It was very late before Mrs. Woodward and her daughters went to bed that + night; and then Katie, though she did not specially complain, was very + ill. She had lately received more than one wound, which was still + unhealed; and now this additional blow, though she apparently bore it + better than the others, altogether upset her. When the morning came, she + complained of headache, and it was many days after that before she left + her bed. + </p> + <p> + But Mrs. Woodward was up early. Indeed, she could hardly be said to have + been in bed at all; for though she had lain down for an hour or two, she + had not slept. Early in the morning she knocked at Harry's door, and + begged him to come out to her. He was not long in obeying her summons, and + soon joined her in the little breakfast parlour. + </p> + <p> + 'Harry, said she, 'you must go and see Alaric.' + </p> + <p> + Harry's brow grew black. On the previous evening he had spoken of Alaric + without bitterness, nay, almost with affection; of Gertrude he had spoken + with the truest brotherly love; he had assured Mrs. Woodward that he would + do all that was in his power for them; that he would spare neither his + exertions nor his purse. He had a truer idea than she had of what might + probably be the facts of the case, and was prepared, by all the means at + his disposal, to help his sister-in-law, if such aid would help her. But + he had not thought of seeing Alaric. + </p> + <p> + 'I do not think it would do any good,' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, Harry, it will; it will do the greatest good; whom else can I get to + see him? who else can find out and let us know what really is required of + us, what we ought to do? I would do it myself, but I could not understand + it; and he would never trust us sufficiently to tell me all the truth.' + </p> + <p> + 'We will make Charley go to him. He will tell everything to Charley, if he + will to anyone.' + </p> + <p> + 'We cannot trust Charley; he is so thoughtless, so imprudent. Besides, + Harry, I cannot tell everything to Charley as I can to you. If there be + any deficiency in this woman's fortune, of course it must be made good; + and in that case I must raise the money. I could not arrange all this with + Charley.' + </p> + <p> + 'There cannot, I think, be very much wanting,' said Norman, who had hardly + yet realized the idea that Alaric had actually used his ward's money for + his own purposes. 'He has probably made some bad investment, or trusted + persons that he should not have trusted. My small property is in the + funds, and I can get the amount at a moment's notice. I do not think there + will be any necessity to raise more money than that. At any rate, whatever + happens, you must not touch your own income; think of Katie.' + </p> + <p> + 'But, Harry—dear, good, generous Harry—you are so good, so + generous! But, Harry, we need not talk of that now. You will see him, + though, won't you?' + </p> + <p> + 'It will do no good,' said Harry; 'we have no mutual trust in each other.' + </p> + <p> + 'Do not be unforgiving, Harry, now that he requires forgiveness.' + </p> + <p> + 'If he does require forgiveness, Mrs. Woodward, if it shall turn out that + he has been guilty, God knows that I will forgive him. I trust this may + not be the case; and it would be useless for me to thrust myself upon him + now, when a few days may replace us again in our present relations to each + other.' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't understand you, Harry; why should there always be a quarrel + between two brothers, between the husbands of two sisters? I know you mean + to be kind, I know you are most kind, most generous; but why should you be + so stern?' + </p> + <p> + 'What I mean is this—if I find him in adversity, I shall be ready to + offer him my hand; it will then be for him to say whether he will take it. + But if the storm blow over, in such case I would rather that we should + remain as we are.' + </p> + <p> + Norman talked of forgiveness, and accused himself of no want of charity in + this respect. He had no idea that his own heart was still hard as the + nether millstone against Alaric Tudor. But yet such was the truth. His + money he could give; he could give also his time and mind, he could lend + his best abilities to rescue his former friend and his own former love + from misfortune. He could do this, and he thought therefore that he was + forgiving; but there was no forgiveness in such assistance. There was + generosity in it, for he was ready to part with his money; there was + kindness of heart, for he was anxious to do good to his fellow-creature; + but there were with these both pride and revenge. Alaric had out-topped + him in everything, and it was sweet to Norman's pride that his hand should + be the one to raise from his sudden fall the man who had soared so high + above him. Alaric had injured him, and what revenge is so perfect as to + repay gross injuries by great benefits? Is it not thus that we heap coals + of fire on our enemies' heads? Not that Norman indulged in thoughts such + as these; not that he resolved thus to gratify his pride, thus to indulge + his revenge. He was unconscious of his own sin, but he was not the less a + sinner. + </p> + <p> + 'No,' said he, 'I will not see him myself; it will do no good.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward found that it was useless to try to bend him. That, indeed, + she knew from a long experience. It was then settled that she should go up + to Gertrude that morning, travelling up to town together with Norman, and + that when she had learned from her daughter, or from Alaric—if + Alaric would talk to her about his concerns—what was really the + truth of the matter, she should come to Norman's office, and tell him what + it would be necessary for him to do. + </p> + <p> + And then the marriage was again put off. This, in itself, was a great + misery, as young ladies who have just been married, or who may now be + about to be married, will surely own. The words 'put off' are easily + written, the necessity of such a 'put off' is easily arranged in the pages + of a novel; an enforced delay of a month or two in an affair which so many + folk willingly delay for so many years, sounds like a slight thing; but, + nevertheless, a matrimonial 'put off' is, under any circumstances, a great + grief. To have to counter-write those halcyon notes which have given glad + promise of the coming event; to pack up and put out of sight, and, if + possible, out of mind, the now odious finery with which the house has for + the last weeks been strewed; to give the necessary information to the + pastry-cook, from whose counter the sad tidings will be disseminated + through all the neighbourhood; to annul the orders which have probably + been given for rooms and horses for the happy pair; to live, during the + coming interval, a mark for Pity's unpitying finger; to feel, and know, + and hourly calculate, how many slips there may be between the disappointed + lip and the still distant cup; all these things in themselves make up a + great grief, which is hardly lightened by the knowledge that they have + been caused by a still greater grief. + </p> + <p> + These things had Linda now to do, and the poor girl had none to help her + in the doing of them. A few hurried words were spoken on that morning + between her and Norman, and for the second time she set to work to put off + her wedding. Katie, the meantime, lay sick in bed, and Mrs. Woodward had + gone to London to learn the worst and to do the best in this dire + affliction that had come upon them. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0038" id="link2HCH0038"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXXVIII. — ALARIC TUDOR TAKES A WALK + </h2> + <p> + There is, undoubtedly, a propensity in human love to attach itself to + excellence; but it has also, as undoubtedly, a propensity directly + antagonistic to this, and which teaches it to put forth its strongest + efforts in favour of inferiority. Watch any fair flock of children in + which there may be one blighted bud, and you will see that that blighted + one is the mother's darling. What filial affection is ever so strong as + that evinced by a child for a parent in misfortune? Even among the rough, + sympathies of schoolboys, the cripple, the sickly one, or the orphan + without a home, will find the warmest friendship and a stretch of + kindness. Love, that must bow and do reverence to superiority, can protect + and foster inferiority; and what is so sweet as to be able to protect? + </p> + <p> + Gertrude's love for her husband had never been so strong as when she + learnt that that love must now stand in the place of all other sympathies, + of all other tenderness. Alaric told her of his crime, and in his + bitterness he owned that he was no longer worthy of her love. She answered + by opening her arms to him with more warmth than ever, and bidding him + rest his weary head upon her breast. Had they not taken each other for + better or for worse? had not their bargain been that they would be happy + together if such should be their lot, or sad together if God should so + will it?—and would she be the first to cry off from such a bargain? + </p> + <p> + It seldom happens that a woman's love is quenched by a man's crime. Women + in this respect are more enduring than men; they have softer sympathies, + and less acute, less selfish, appreciation of the misery of being joined + to that which has been shamed. It was not many hours since Gertrude had + boasted to herself of the honour and honesty of her lord, and tossed her + head with defiant scorn when a breath of suspicion had been muttered + against his name. Then she heard from his own lips the whole truth, learnt + that that odious woman had only muttered what she soon would have a right + to speak out openly, knew that fame and honour, high position and pride of + life, were all gone; and then in that bitter hour she felt that she had + never loved him as she did then. + </p> + <p> + He had done wrong, he had sinned grievously; but no sooner did she + acknowledge so much than she acknowledged also that a man may sin and yet + not be all sinful; that glory may be tarnished, and yet not utterly + destroyed; that pride may get a fall, and yet live to rise again. He had + sinned, and had repented; and now to her eyes he was again as pure as + snow. Others would now doubt him, that must needs be the case; but she + would never doubt him; no, not a whit the more in that he had once fallen. + He should still be the cynosure of her eyes, the pride of her heart, the + centre of her hopes. Marina said of her lord, when he came to her + shattered in limb, from the hands of the torturer— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + 'I would not change + My exiled, mangled, persecuted husband, + Alive or dead, for prince or paladin, + In story or in fable, with a world + To back his suit.' +</pre> + <p> + Gertrude spoke to herself in the same language. She would not have changed + her Alaric, branded with infamy as he now was, or soon would be, for the + proudest he that carried his head high among the proud ones of the earth. + Such is woman's love; such is the love of which a man's heart is never + capable! + </p> + <p> + Alaric's committal had taken place very much in the manner in which it was + told at the Weights and Measures. He had received a note from one of the + Bow Street magistrates, begging his attendance in the private room at the + police-office. There he had passed nearly the whole of one day; and he was + also obliged to pass nearly the whole of another in the same office. On + this second day the proceedings were not private, and he was accompanied + by his own solicitor. + </p> + <p> + It would be needless to describe how a plain case was, as usual, made + obscure by the lawyers, how Acts of Parliament were consulted, how the + magistrate doubted, how indignant Alaric's attorney became when it was + suggested that some insignificant piece of evidence should be admitted, + which, whether admitted or rejected, could have no real bearing on the + case. In these respects this important examination was like other + important examinations of the same kind, such as one sees in the + newspapers whenever a man above the ordinary felon's rank becomes amenable + to the outraged laws. It ended, however, in Alaric being committed, and + giving bail to stand his trial in about a fortnight's time; and in his + being assured by his attorney that he would most certainly be acquitted. + That bit of paper on which he had made an entry that certain shares bought + by him had been bought on behalf of his ward, would save him; so said the + attorney: to which, however, Alaric answered not much. Could any acutest + lawyer, let him be made of never so fine an assortment of forensic + indignation, now whitewash his name and set him again right before the + world? He, of course, communicated with Sir Gregory, and agreed to be + suspended from his commissionership till the trial should be over. His two + colleagues then became bail for him. + </p> + <p> + So much having been settled, he got into a cab with his attorney, and + having dropped that gentleman on the road, he returned home. The + excitement of the examination and the necessity for action had sustained + him? but now—what was to sustain him now? How was he to get through + the intervening fortnight, banished as he was from his office, from his + club, and from all haunts of men? His attorney, who had other rogues to + attend to besides him, made certain set appointments with him—and + for the rest, he might sit at home and console himself as best he might + with his own thoughts. 'Excelsior!' This was the pass to which 'Excelsior' + had brought <i>Sic itur ad astro!</i>—Alas, his road had taken him + hitherto in quite a different direction. + </p> + <p> + He sent for Charley, and when Charley came he made Gertrude explain to him + what had happened. He had confessed his own fault once, to his own wife, + and he could not bring himself to do it again. Charley was thunderstruck + at the greatness of the ruin, but he offered what assistance he could + give. Anything that he could do, he would. Alaric had sent for him for a + purpose, and that purpose at any rate Charley could fulfil. He went into + the city to ascertain what was now the price of the Limehouse bridge + shares, and returned with the news that they were falling, falling, + falling. + </p> + <p> + No one else called at Alaric's door that day. Mrs. Val, though she did not + come there, by no means allowed her horses to be idle; she went about + sedulously among her acquaintance, dropping tidings of her daughter's + losses. 'They will have enough left to live upon, thank God,' said she; + 'but did you ever hear of so barefaced, so iniquitous a robbery? Well, I + am not cruel; but my own opinion is that he should certainly be hanged.' + </p> + <p> + To this Ugolina assented fully, adding, that she had been so shocked by + the suddenness and horror of the news, as to have become perfectly + incapacitated ever since for any high order of thought. + </p> + <p> + Lactimel, whose soft bosom could not endure the idea of putting an end to + the life of a fellow-creature, suggested perpetual banishment to the penal + colonies; perhaps Norfolk Island. 'And what will she do?' said Lactimel. + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed I cannot guess,' said Ugolina; 'her education has been sadly + deficient.' + </p> + <p> + None but Charley called on Alaric that day, and he found himself shut up + alone with his wife and child. His own house seemed to him a prison. He + did not dare to leave it; he did not dare to walk out and face the public + as long as daylight continued; he was ashamed to show himself, and so he + sat alone in his dining-room thinking, thinking, thinking. Do what he + would, he could not get those shares out of his mind; they had entered + like iron into his soul, as poison into his blood; they might still rise, + they might yet become of vast value, might pay all his debts, and enable + him to begin again. And then this had been a committee day; he had had no + means of knowing how things had gone there, of learning the opinions of + the members, of whispering to Mr. Piles, or hearing the law on the matter + laid down by the heavy deep voice of the great Mr. Blocks. And so he went + on thinking, thinking, thinking, but ever as though he had a clock-weight + fixed to his heart and pulling at its strings. For, after all, what were + the shares or the committee to him? Let the shares rise to ever so + fabulous a value, let the Chancellor of the Exchequer be ever so + complaisant in giving away his money, what avail would it be to him? what + avail now? He must stand his trial for the crime of which he had been + guilty. + </p> + <p> + With the utmost patience Gertrude endeavoured to soothe him, and to bring + his mind into some temper in which it could employ itself. She brought him + their baby, thinking that he would play with his child, but all that he + said was—'My poor boy! I have ruined him already;' and then turning + away from the infant, he thrust his hands deep into his trousers-pockets, + and went on calculating about the shares. + </p> + <p> + When the sun had well set, and the daylight had, at last, dwindled out, he + took up his hat and wandered out among the new streets and rows of houses + which lay between his own house and the Western Railway. He got into a + district in which he had never been before, and as he walked about here, + he thought of the fate of other such swindlers as himself;—yes, + though he did not speak the word, he pronounced it as plainly, and as + often, in the utterance of his mind, as though it was being rung out to + him from every steeple in London; he thought of the fate of such swindlers + as himself; how one had been found dead in the streets, poisoned by + himself; how another, after facing the cleverest lawyers in the land, was + now dying in a felon's prison; how a third had vainly endeavoured to fly + from justice by aid of wigs, false whiskers, painted furrows, and other + disguises. Should he try to escape also, and avoid the ignominy of a + trial? He knew it would be in vain; he knew that, at this moment, he was + dogged at the distance of some thirty yards by an amiable policeman in + mufti, placed to watch his motions by his two kind bailsmen, who preferred + this small expense to the risk of losing a thousand pounds a-piece. + </p> + <p> + As he turned short round a corner, into the main road leading from the + railway station to Bayswater, he came close upon a man who was walking + quickly in the opposite direction, and found himself face to face with + Undy Scott. How on earth should Undy Scott have come out there to + Bayswater, at that hour of the night, he, the constant denizen of clubs, + the well-known frequenter of Pall Mall, the member for the Tillietudlem + burghs, whose every hour was occupied in the looking after things + political, or things commercial? Who could have expected him in a back + road at Bayswater? There, however, he was, and Alaric, before he knew of + his presence, had almost stumbled against him. + </p> + <p> + 'Scott!' said Alaric, starting back. + </p> + <p> + 'Hallo, Tudor, what the deuce brings you here? but I suppose you'll ask me + the same question?' said Undy. + </p> + <p> + Alaric Tudor could not restrain himself. 'You scoundrel,' said he, seizing + Undy by the collar; 'you utterly unmitigated scoundrel! You premeditated, + wilful villain!' and he held Undy as though he intended to choke him. + </p> + <p> + But Undy Scott was not a man to be thus roughly handled with impunity; and + in completing the education which he had received, the use of his fists + had not been overlooked. He let out with his right hand, and struck Alaric + twice with considerable force on the side of his jaw, so that the teeth + rattled in his mouth. + </p> + <p> + But Alaric, at the moment, hardly felt it. 'You have brought me and mine + to ruin,' said he; 'you have done it purposely, like a fiend. But, low as + I have fallen, I would not change places with you for all that the earth + holds. I have been a villain; but such villany as yours—ugh—' + and so saying, he flung his enemy from him, and Undy, tottering back, + saved himself against the wall. + </p> + <p> + In a continued personal contest between the two men, Undy would probably + have had the best of it, for he would certainly have been the cooler of + the two, and was also the more skilful in such warfare; but he felt in a + moment that he could gain nothing by thrashing Tudor, whereas he might + damage himself materially by having his name brought forward at the + present moment in connexion with that of his old friend. + </p> + <p> + 'You reprobate!' said he, preparing to pass on; 'it has been my misfortune + to know you, and one cannot touch pitch and not be defiled. But, thank + God, you'll come by your deserts now. If you will take my advice you'll + hang yourself;' and so they parted. + </p> + <p> + The amiable policeman in mufti remained at a convenient distance during + this little interview, having no special mission to keep the peace, + pending his present employment; but, as he passed by, he peered into + Undy's face, and recognized the honourable member for the Tillietudlem + burghs. A really sharp policeman knows every one of any note in London. It + might, perhaps, be useful that evidence should be given at the forthcoming + trial of the little contest which we have described. If so, our friend in + mufti was prepared to give it. + </p> + <p> + On the following morning, at about eleven, a cab drove up to the door, and + Alaric, standing at the dining-room window, saw Mrs. Woodward get out of + it. + </p> + <p> + 'There's your mother,' said Alaric to his wife. 'I will not see her—let + her go up to the drawing-room.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Alaric, will you not see mamma?' + </p> + <p> + 'How can I, with my face swollen as it is now? Besides, what would be the + good? What can I say to her? I know well enough what she has to say to me, + without listening to it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Dear Alaric, mamma will say nothing to you that is not kind; do see her, + for my sake, Alaric.' + </p> + <p> + But misery had not made him docile. He merely turned from her, and shook + his head impatiently. Gertrude then ran out to welcome her mother, who was + in the hall. + </p> + <p> + And what a welcoming it was! 'Come upstairs, mamma, come into the + drawing-room,' said Gertrude, who would not stop even to kiss her mother + till they found themselves secured from the servants' eyes. She knew that + one word of tenderness would bring her to the ground. + </p> + <p> + 'Mamma, mamma!' she almost shrieked, and throwing herself into her + mother's arms wept convulsively. Mrs. Woodward wanted no more words to + tell her that Alaric had been guilty. + </p> + <p> + 'But, Gertrude, how much is it?' whispered the mother, as, after a few + moments of passionate grief, they sat holding each other's hands on the + sofa. 'How much money is wanting? Can we not make it up? If it be all paid + before the day of trial, will not that do? will not that prevent it?' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude could not say. She knew that £10,000 had been abstracted. Mrs. + Woodward groaned as she heard the sum named. But then there were those + shares, which had not long since been worth much more than half that sum, + which must still be worth a large part of it. + </p> + <p> + 'But we must know, dearest, before Harry can do anything,' said Mrs. + Woodward. + </p> + <p> + Gertrude blushed crimson when Harry Norman's name was mentioned. And had + it come to that—that they must look to him for aid? + </p> + <p> + 'Can you not ask him, love?' said Mrs. Woodward. 'I saw him in the + dining-room; go and ask him; when he knows that we are doing our best for + him, surely he will help us.' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude, with a heavy heart, went down on her message, and did not return + for fifteen or twenty minutes. It may easily be conceived that Norman's + name was not mentioned between her and her husband, but she made him + understand that an effort would be made for him if only the truth could be + ascertained. + </p> + <p> + 'It will be of no use,' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'Don't say so, Alaric; we cannot tell what may be of use. But at any rate + it will be weight off your heart to know that this money has been paid. It + is that which overpowers you now, and not your own misfortune.' + </p> + <p> + At last he suffered her to lead him, and she put down on paper such + figures as he dictated to her. It was, however, impossible to say what was + the actual deficiency; that must depend upon the present value of the + shares; these he said he was prepared to give over to his own attorney, if + it was thought that by so doing he should be taking the best steps towards + repairing the evil he had done; and then he began calculating how much the + shares might possibly be worth, and pointing out under what circumstances + they should be sold, and under what again they should be overheld till the + market had improved. All this was worse than Greek to Gertrude; but she + collected what facts she could, and then returned to her mother. + </p> + <p> + And they discussed the matter with all the wit and all the volubility + which women have on such occasions. Paper was brought forth, and accounts + were made out between them, not such as would please the eyes of a Civil + Service Examiner, but yet accurate in their way. How they worked and + racked their brains, and strained their women's nerves in planning how + justice might be defeated, and the dishonesty of the loved one covered + from shame! Uncle Bat was ready with his share. He had received such + explanation as Mrs. Woodward had been able to give, and though when he + first heard the news he had spoken severely of Alaric, still his money + should be forthcoming for the service of the family. He could produce some + fifteen hundred pounds; and would if needs be that he should do so. Then + Harry—but the pen fell from Gertrude's fingers as she essayed to + write down Harry Norman's contribution to the relief of her husband's + misery. + </p> + <p> + 'Remember, Gertrude, love, in how short a time he will be your brother.' + </p> + <p> + 'But when will it be, mamma? Is it to be on Thursday, as we had planned? + Of course, mamma, I cannot be there.' + </p> + <p> + And then there was a break in their accounts, and Mrs. Woodward explained + to Gertrude that they had all thought it better to postpone Linda's + marriage till after the trial; and this, of course was the source of fresh + grief. When men such as Alaric Tudor stoop to dishonesty, the penalties of + detection are not confined to their own hearthstone. The higher are the + branches of the tree and the wider, the greater will be the extent of + earth which its fall will disturb. + </p> + <p> + Gertrude's pen, however, again went to work. The shares were put down at + £5,000. 'If they can only be sold for so much, I think we may manage it,' + said Mrs. Woodward; 'I am sure that Harry can get the remainder—indeed + he said he could have more than that.' + </p> + <p> + 'And what will Linda do?' + </p> + <p> + 'Linda will never want it, love; and if she did, what of that? would she + not give all she has for you?' + </p> + <p> + And then Mrs. Woodward went her way to Norman's office, without having + spoken to Alaric. 'You will come again soon, mamma,' said Gertrude. Mrs. + Woodward promised that she would. + </p> + <p> + 'And, mamma,' and she whispered close into her mother's ear, as she made + her next request; 'and, mamma, you will be with me on that day?' + </p> + <p> + We need not follow Norman in his efforts to have her full fortune restored + to Madame Jaquêtanàpe. He was daily in connexion with Alaric's lawyer, and + returned sometimes with hope and sometimes without it. Mrs. Val's lawyer + would receive no overtures towards a withdrawal of the charge, or even + towards any mitigation in their proceedings, unless the agent coming + forward on behalf of the lady's late trustee, did so with the full sum of + £20,000 in his hands. + </p> + <p> + We need not follow Charley, who was everyday with Alaric, and who was, + unknown to Alaric, an agent between him and Norman. 'Well, Charley, what + are they doing to-day?' was Alaric's constant question to him, even up to + the very eve of his trial. + </p> + <p> + If any spirit ever walks it must be that of the stock-jobber, for how can + such a one rest in its grave without knowing what shares are doing? + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0039" id="link2HCH0039"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXXIX. — THE LAST BREAKFAST + </h2> + <p> + And that day was not long in coming; indeed, it came with terrible + alacrity; much too quickly for Gertrude, much too quickly for Norman; and + much too quickly for Alaric's lawyer. To Alaric only did the time pass + slowly, for he found himself utterly without employment. + </p> + <p> + Norman and Uncle Bat between them had raised something about £6,000; but + when the day came on which they were prepared to dispose of the shares, + the Limehouse bridge was found to be worth nothing. They were, as the + broker had said, ticklish stock; so ticklish that no one would have them + at any price. When Undy, together with his agent from Tillietudlem, went + into the market about the same time to dispose of theirs, they were + equally unsuccessful. How the agent looked and spoke and felt may be + imagined; for the agent had made large advances, and had no other + security; but Undy had borne such looks and speeches before, and merely + said that it was very odd—extremely odd; he had been greatly + deceived by Mr. Piles. Mr. Piles also said it was very odd; but he did not + appear to be nearly so much annoyed as the agent from Tillietudlem; and it + was whispered that, queer as things now looked, Messrs. Blocks, Piles, and + Cofferdam, had not made a bad thing of the bridge. + </p> + <p> + Overture after overture was made to the lawyer employed by Mrs. Val's + party. Norman first offered the £6,000 and the shares; then when the + shares were utterly rejected by the share-buying world, he offered to make + himself personally responsible for the remainder of the debt, and to bind + himself by bond to pay it within six months. At first these propositions + were listened to, and Alaric's friends were led to believe that the matter + would be handled in such a way that the prosecution would fall to the + ground. But at last all composition was refused. The adverse attorney + declared, first, that he was not able to accept any money payment short of + the full amount with interest, and then he averred, that as criminal + proceedings had been taken they could not now be stayed. Whether or no + Alaric's night attack had anything to do with this, whether Undy had been + the means of instigating this rigid adherence to justice, we are not + prepared to say. + </p> + <p> + That day for which Gertrude had prayed her mother's assistance came all + too soon. They had become at last aware that the trial must go on. Charley + was with them on the last evening, and completed their despair by telling + them that their attorney had resolved to make no further efforts at a + compromise. + </p> + <p> + Perhaps the most painful feeling to Gertrude through the whole of the last + fortnight had been the total prostration of her husband's energy, and + almost of his intellect; he seemed to have lost the power of judging for + himself, and of thinking and deciding what conduct would be best for him + in his present condition. He who had been so energetic, so full of life, + so ready for all emergencies, so clever at devices, so able to manage not + only for himself but for his friends, he was, as it were, paralysed and + unmanned. He sat from morning to night looking at the empty fire-grate, + and hardly ventured to speak of the ordeal that he had to undergo. + </p> + <p> + His lawyer was to call for him on the morning of the trial, and Mrs. + Woodward was to be at the house soon after he had left it. He had not yet + seen her since the inquiry had commenced, and it was very plain that he + did not wish to do so. Mrs. Woodward was to be there and to remain till + his fate had been decided, and then— Not a word had yet been said as + to the chance of his not returning; but Mrs. Woodward was aware that he + would probably be unable to do so, and felt, that if such should be the + case, she could not leave her daughter alone. + </p> + <p> + And so Alaric and his wife sat down to breakfast on that last morning. She + had brought their boy down; but as she perceived that the child's presence + did not please his father, he had been sent back to the nursery, and they + were alone. She poured out his tea for him, put bread upon his plate, and + then sat down close beside him, endeavouring to persuade him to eat. She + had never yet found fault with him, she had never even ventured to give + him counsel, but now she longed to entreat him to collect himself and take + a man's part in the coming trial. He sat in the seat prepared for him, + but, instead of eating, he thrust his hands after his accustomed manner + into his pockets and sat glowering at the tea-cups. + </p> + <p> + 'Come, Alaric, won't you eat your breakfast?' said she. + </p> + <p> + 'No; breakfast! no-how can I eat now? how can you think that I could eat + at such a time as this? Do you take yours; never mind me.' + </p> + <p> + 'But, dearest, you will be faint if you do not eat; think what you have to + go through; remember how many eyes will be on you to-day.' + </p> + <p> + He shuddered violently as she spoke, and motioned to her with his hand not + to go on with what she was saying. + </p> + <p> + 'I know, I know,' said she passionately, 'dearest, dearest love—I + know how dreadful it is; would that I could bear it for you! would that I + could!' + </p> + <p> + He turned away his head, for a tear was in his eye. It was the first that + had come to his assistance since this sorrow had come upon him. + </p> + <p> + 'Don't turn from me, dearest Alaric; do not turn from me now at our last + moments. To me at least you are the same noble Alaric that you ever were.' + </p> + <p> + 'Noble!' said he, with all the self-scorn which he so truly felt. + </p> + <p> + 'To me you are, now as ever; but, Alaric, I do so fear that you will want + strength, physical strength, you know, to go through all this. I would + have you bear yourself like a man before them all.' + </p> + <p> + 'It will be but little matter,' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'It will be matter. It will be matter to me. My darling, darling husband, + rouse yourself,' and she knelt before his knees and prayed to him; 'for my + sake do it; eat and drink that you may have the power of a man when all + the world is looking at you. If God forgives us our sins, surely we should + so carry ourselves that men may not be ashamed to do so.' + </p> + <p> + He did not answer her, but he turned to the table and broke the bread, and + put his lips to the cup. And then she gave him food as she would give it + to a child, and he with a child's obedience ate and drank what was put + before him. As he did so, every now and again a single tear forced itself + beneath his eyelid and trickled down his face, and in some degree Gertrude + was comforted. + </p> + <p> + He had hardly finished his enforced breakfast when the cab and the lawyer + came to the door. The learned gentleman had the good taste not to come in, + and so the servant told them that Mr. Gitemthruet was there. + </p> + <p> + 'Say that your master will be with him in a minute,' said Gertrude, quite + coolly; and then the room door was again closed, and the husband and wife + had now to say adieu. + </p> + <p> + Alaric rose from his chair and made a faint attempt to smile. 'Well, + Gertrude,' said he, 'it has come at last.' + </p> + <p> + She rushed into his embrace, and throwing her arms around him, buried her + face upon his breast. 'Alaric, Alaric, my husband! my love, my best, my + own, my only love!' + </p> + <p> + 'I cannot say much now, Gertrude, but I know how good you are; you will + come and see me, if they will let you, won't you?' + </p> + <p> + 'See you!' said she, starting back, but still holding him and looking up + earnestly into his face. 'See you!' and then she poured out her love with + all the passion of a Ruth: '"Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou + lodgest, I will lodge.... Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I + be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part + thee and me." See you, Alaric; oh, it cannot be that they will hinder the + wife from being with her husband. But, Alaric,' she went on, 'do not droop + now, love—will you?' + </p> + <p> + 'I cannot brazen it out,' said he. 'I know too well what it is that I have + done.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, not that, Alaric; I would not have that. But remember, all is not + over, whatever they may do. Ah, how little will really be over, whatever + they can do! You have repented, have you not, Alaric?' + </p> + <p> + 'I think so, I hope so,' said Alaric, with his eyes upon the ground. + </p> + <p> + 'You have repented, and are right before God; do not fear then what man + can do to you. I would not have you brazen, Alaric; but be manly, be + collected, be your own self, the man that I have loved, the man that I do + now love so well, better, better than ever;' and she threw herself on him + and kissed him and clung to him, and stroked his hair and put her hand + upon his face, and then holding him from her, looked up to him as though + he were a hero whom she all but worshipped. + </p> + <p> + 'Gertrude, Gertrude—that I should have brought you to this!' + </p> + <p> + 'Never mind,' said she; 'we will win through it yet—we will yet be + happy together, far, far away from here—remember that—let that + support you through all. And now, Alaric, you will come up for one moment + and kiss him before you go.' + </p> + <p> + 'The man will be impatient.' + </p> + <p> + 'Never mind; let him be impatient—you shall not go away without + blessing your boy; come up, Alaric.' And she took him by the hand and led + him like a child into the nursery. + </p> + <p> + 'Where is the nurse? bring him here—papa is going away— Alley, + boy, give papa a big kiss.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric, for the first time for the fortnight, took the little fellow into + his arms and kissed him. 'God bless you, my bairn,' said he, 'and grant + that all this may never be visited against you, here or hereafter!' + </p> + <p> + 'And now go,' said Gertrude, as they descended the stairs together, 'and + may God in His mercy watch over and protect you and give you back to me! + And, Alaric, wherever you are I will be close to you, remember that. I + will be quite, quite close to you. Now, one kiss—oh, dearest, + dearest Alaric—there—there—now go.' And so he went, and + Gertrude shutting herself into her room threw herself on to the bed, and + wept aloud. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0040" id="link2HCH0040"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XL + </h2> + <h3> + MR. CHAFFANBRASS + </h3> + <p> + We must now follow Alaric to his trial. He was, of course, much too soon + at court. All people always are, who are brought to the court perforce, + criminals for instance, and witnesses, and other such-like unfortunate + wretches; whereas many of those who only go there to earn their bread are + very often as much too late. He was to be tried at the Old Bailey. As I + have never seen the place, and as so many others have seen it, I will not + attempt to describe it. Here Mr. Gitemthruet was quite at home; he hustled + and jostled, elbowed and ordered, as though he were the second great man + of the place, and the client whom he was to defend was the first. In this + latter opinion he was certainly right. Alaric was the hero of the day, and + people made way for him as though he had won a victory in India, and was + going to receive the freedom of the city in a box. As he passed by, a + gleam of light fell on him from a window, and at the instant three + different artists had him photographed, daguerreotyped, and bedevilled; + four graphic members of the public press took down the details of his hat, + whiskers, coat, trousers, and boots; and the sub-editor of the <i>Daily + Delight</i> observed that 'there was a slight tremor in the first footstep + which he took within the precincts of the prison, but in every other + respect his demeanour was dignified and his presence manly; he had + light-brown gloves, one of which was on his left hand, but the other was + allowed to swing from his fingers. The court was extremely crowded, and + some fair ladies appeared there to grace its customarily ungracious walls. + On the bench we observed Lord Killtime, Sir Gregory Hardlines, and Mr. + Whip Vigil. Mr. Undecimus Scott, who had been summoned as a witness by the + prisoner, was also accommodated by the sheriffs with a seat.' Such was the + opening paragraph of the seven columns which were devoted by the <i>Daily + Delight</i> to the all-absorbing subject. + </p> + <p> + But Mr. Gitemthruet made his way through artists, reporters, and the + agitated crowd with that happy air of command which can so easily be + assumed by men at a moment's notice, when they feel themselves to be for + that moment of importance. 'Come this way, Mr. Tudor; follow me and we + will get on without any trouble; just follow me close,' said Mr. + Gitemthruet to his client, in a whisper which was audible to not a few. + Tudor, who was essaying, and not altogether unsuccessfully, to bear the + public gaze undismayed, did as he was bid, and followed Mr. Gitemthruet. + </p> + <p> + 'Now,' said the attorney, 'we'll sit here—Mr. Chaffanbrass will be + close to us, there; so that I can touch him up as we go along; of course, + you know, you can make any suggestion, only you must do it through me. + Here's his lordship; uncommon well he looks, don't he? You'd hardly + believe him to be seventy-seven, but he's not a day less, if he isn't any + more; and he has as much work in him yet as you or I, pretty nearly. If + you want to insure a man's life, Mr. Tudor, put him on the bench; then + he'll never die. We lawyers are not like bishops, who are always for + giving up, and going out on a pension.' + </p> + <p> + But Alaric was not at the moment inclined to meditate much on the long + years of judges. He was thinking, or perhaps trying to think, whether it + would not be better for him to save this crowd that was now gathered + together all further trouble, and plead guilty at once. He knew he was + guilty, he could not understand that it was possible that any juryman + should have a doubt about it; he had taken the money that did not belong + to him; that would be made quite clear; he had taken it, and had not + repaid it; there was the absolute <i>corpus delicti</i> in court, in the + shape of a deficiency of some thousands of pounds. What possible doubt + would there be in the breast of anyone as to his guilt? Why should he vex + his own soul by making himself for a livelong day the gazing-stock for the + multitude? Why should he trouble all those wigged counsellors, when one + word from him would set all at rest? + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Gitemthruet, I think I'll plead guilty,' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'Plead what!' said Mr. Gitemthruet, turning round upon his client with a + sharp, angry look. It was the first time that his attorney had shown any + sign of disgust, displeasure, or even disapprobation since he had taken + Alaric's matter in hand. 'Plead what! Ah, you're joking, I know; upon my + soul you gave me a start.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric endeavoured to explain to him that he was not joking, nor in a mood + to joke; but that he really thought the least vexatious course would be + for him to plead guilty. + </p> + <p> + 'Then I tell you it would be the most vexatious proceeding ever I heard of + in all my practice. But you are in my hands, Mr. Tudor, and you can't do + it. You have done me the honour to come to me, and now you must be ruled + by me. Plead guilty! Why, with such a case as you have got, you would + disgrace yourself for ever if you did so. Think of your friends, Mr. + Tudor, if you won't think of me or of yourself.' + </p> + <p> + His lawyer's eloquence converted him, and he resolved that he would run + his chance. During this time all manner of little legal preliminaries had + been going on; and now the court was ready for business; the jury were in + their box, the court-keeper cried silence, and Mr. Gitemthruet was busy + among his papers with frantic energy. But nothing was yet seen of the + great Mr. Chaffanbrass. + </p> + <p> + 'I believe we may go on with the trial for breach of trust,' said the + judge. 'I do not know why we are waiting.' + </p> + <p> + Then up and spoke Mr. Younglad, who was Alaric's junior counsel. Mr. + Younglad was a promising common-law barrister, now commencing his career, + of whom his friends were beginning to hope that he might, if he kept his + shoulders well to the collar, at some distant period make a living out of + his profession. He was between forty and forty-five years of age, and had + already overcome the natural diffidence of youth in addressing a learned + bench and a crowded court. + </p> + <p> + 'My lud,' said Younglad, 'my learned friend, Mr. Chaffanbrass, who leads + for the prisoner, is not yet in court. Perhaps, my lud, on behalf of my + client, I may ask for a few moments' delay.' + </p> + <p> + 'And if Mr. Chaffanbrass has undertaken to lead for the prisoner, why is + he not in court?' said the judge, looking as though he had uttered a poser + which must altogether settle Mr. Younglad's business. + </p> + <p> + But Mr. Younglad had not been sitting, and walking and listening, let + alone talking occasionally, in criminal courts, for the last twenty years, + to be settled so easily. + </p> + <p> + 'My lud, if your ludship will indulge me with five minutes' delay—we + will not ask more than five minutes—your ludship knows, no one + better, the very onerous duties—' + </p> + <p> + 'When I was at the bar I took no briefs to which I could not attend,' said + the judge. + </p> + <p> + 'I am sure you did not, my lud; and my learned friend, should he ever sit + in your ludship's seat, will be able to say as much for himself, when at + some future time he may be—; but, my lud, Mr. Chaffanbrass is now in + court.' And as he spoke, Mr. Chaffanbrass, carrying in his hand a huge old + blue bag, which, as he entered, he took from his clerk's hands, and + bearing on the top of his head a wig that apparently had not been dressed + for the last ten years, made his way in among the barristers, caring + little on whose toes he trod, whose papers he upset, or whom he elbowed on + his road. Mr. Chaffanbrass was the cock of this dunghill, and well he knew + how to make his crowing heard there. + </p> + <p> + 'And now, pray, let us lose no more time,' said the judge. + </p> + <p> + 'My lord, if time has been lost through me, I am very sorry; but if your + lordship's horse had fallen down in the street as mine did just now——' + </p> + <p> + 'My horse never falls down in the street, Mr. Chaffanbrass.' + </p> + <p> + 'Some beasts, my lord, can always keep their legs under them, and others + can't; and men are pretty much in the same condition. I hope the former + may be the case with your lordship and your lordship's cob for many + years.' The judge, knowing of old that nothing could prevent Mr. + Chaffanbrass from having the last word, now held his peace, and the trial + began. + </p> + <p> + There are not now too many pages left to us for the completion of our + tale; but, nevertheless, we must say a few words about Mr. Chaffanbrass. + He was one of an order of barristers by no means yet extinct, but of whom + it may be said that their peculiarities are somewhat less often seen than + they were when Mr. Chaffanbrass was in his prime. He confined his practice + almost entirely to one class of work, the defence, namely, of culprits + arraigned for heavy crimes, and in this he was, if not unrivalled, at + least unequalled. Rivals he had, who, thick as the skins of such men may + be presumed to be, not unfrequently writhed beneath the lashes which his + tongue could inflict. To such a perfection had he carried his skill and + power of fence, so certain was he in attack, so invulnerable when + attacked, that few men cared to come within the reach of his forensic + flail. To the old stagers who were generally opposed to him, the gentlemen + who conducted prosecutions on the part of the Crown, and customarily spent + their time and skill in trying to hang those marauders on the public + safety whom it was the special business of Mr. Chaffanbrass to preserve + unhung, to these he was, if not civil, at least forbearing; but when any + barrister, who was comparatively a stranger to him, ventured to oppose + him, there was no measure to his impudent sarcasm and offensive sneers. + </p> + <p> + Those, however, who most dreaded Mr. Chaffanbrass, and who had most + occasion to do so, were the witnesses. A rival lawyer could find a + protection on the bench when his powers of endurance were tried too far; + but a witness in a court of law has no protection. He comes there unfeed, + without hope of guerdon, to give such assistance to the State in + repressing crime and assisting justice as his knowledge in this particular + case may enable him to afford; and justice, in order to ascertain whether + his testimony be true, finds it necessary to subject him to torture. One + would naturally imagine that an undisturbed thread of clear evidence would + be best obtained from a man whose position was made easy and whose mind + was not harassed; but this is not the fact: to turn a witness to good + account, he must be badgered this way and that till he is nearly mad; he + must be made a laughingstock for the court; his very truths must be turned + into falsehoods, so that he may be falsely shamed; he must be accused of + all manner of villany, threatened with all manner of punishment; he must + be made to feel that he has no friend near him, that the world is all + against him; he must be confounded till he forget his right hand from his + left, till his mind be turned into chaos, and his heart into water; and + then let him give his evidence. What will fall from his lips when in this + wretched collapse must be of special value, for the best talents of + practised forensic heroes are daily used to bring it about; and no member + of the Humane Society interferes to protect the wretch. Some sorts of + torture are, as it were, tacitly allowed even among humane people. Eels + are skinned alive, and witnesses are sacrificed, and no one's blood + curdles at the sight, no soft heart is sickened at the cruelty. + </p> + <p> + To apply the thumbscrew, the boot, and the rack to the victim before him + was the work of Mr. Chaffanbrass's life. And it may be said of him that + the labour he delighted in physicked pain. He was as little averse to this + toil as the cat is to that of catching mice. And, indeed, he was not + unlike a cat in his method of proceeding; for he would, as it were, hold + his prey for a while between his paws, and pat him with gentle taps before + he tore him. He would ask a few civil little questions in his softest + voice, glaring out of his wicked old eye as he did so at those around him, + and then, when he had his mouse well in hand, out would come his envenomed + claw, and the wretched animal would feel the fatal wound in his tenderest + part. + </p> + <p> + Mankind in general take pleasure in cruelty, though those who are + civilized abstain from it on principle. On the whole Mr. Chaffanbrass is + popular at the Old Bailey. Men congregate to hear him turn a witness + inside out, and chuckle with an inward pleasure at the success of his + cruelty. This Mr. Chaffanbrass knows, and, like an actor who is kept up to + his high mark by the necessity of maintaining his character, he never + allows himself to grow dull over his work. Therefore Mr. Chaffanbrass + bullies when it is quite unnecessary that he should bully; it is a labour + of love; and though he is now old, and stiff in his joints, though ease + would be dear to him, though like a gladiator satiated with blood, he + would as regards himself be so pleased to sheathe his sword, yet he never + spares himself. He never spares himself, and he never spares his victim. + </p> + <p> + As a lawyer, in the broad and high sense of the word, it may be presumed + that Mr. Chaffanbrass knows little or nothing. He has, indeed, no occasion + for such knowledge. His business is to perplex a witness and bamboozle a + jury, and in doing that he is generally successful. He seldom cares for + carrying the judge with him: such tactics, indeed, as his are not likely + to tell upon a judge. That which he loves is, that a judge should charge + against him, and a jury give a verdict in his favour. When he achieves + that he feels that he has earned his money. Let others, the young lads and + spooneys of his profession, undertake the milk-and-water work of defending + injured innocence; it is all but an insult to his practised ingenuity to + invite his assistance to such tasteless business. Give him a case in which + he has all the world against him; Justice with her sword raised high to + strike; Truth with open mouth and speaking eyes to tell the bloody tale; + outraged humanity shrieking for punishment; a case from which Mercy + herself, with averted eyes, has loathing turned and bade her sterner + sister do her work; give him such a case as this, and then you will see + Mr. Chaffanbrass in his glory. Let him, by the use of his high art, rescue + from the gallows and turn loose upon the world the wretch whose hands are + reeking with the blood of father, mother, wife, and brother, and you may + see Mr. Chaffanbrass, elated with conscious worth, rub his happy hands + with infinite complacency. Then will his ambition be satisfied, and he + will feel that in the verdict of the jury he has received the honour due + to his genius. He will have succeeded in turning black into white, in + washing the blackamoor, in dressing in the fair robe of innocence the + foulest, filthiest wretch of his day; and as he returns to his home, he + will be proudly conscious that he is no little man. + </p> + <p> + In person, however, Mr. Chaffanbrass is a little man, and a very dirty + little man. He has all manner of nasty tricks about him, which make him a + disagreeable neighbour to barristers sitting near to him. He is profuse + with snuff, and very generous with his handkerchief. He is always at work + upon his teeth, which do not do much credit to his industry. His wig is + never at ease upon his head, but is poked about by him, sometimes over one + ear, sometimes over the other, now on the back of his head, and then on + his nose; and it is impossible to say in which guise he looks most cruel, + most sharp, and most intolerable. His linen is never clean, his hands + never washed, and his clothes apparently never new. He is about five feet + six in height, and even with that stoops greatly. His custom is to lean + forward, resting with both hands on the sort of desk before him, and then + to fix his small brown basilisk eye on the victim in the box before him. + In this position he will remain unmoved by the hour together, unless the + elevation and fall of his thick eyebrows and the partial closing of his + wicked eyes can be called motion. But his tongue! that moves; there is the + weapon which he knows how to use! + </p> + <p> + Such is Mr. Chaffanbrass in public life; and those who only know him in + public life can hardly believe that at home he is one of the most easy, + good-tempered, amiable old gentlemen that ever was pooh-poohed by his + grown-up daughters, and occasionally told to keep himself quiet in a + corner. Such, however, is his private character. Not that he is a fool in + his own house; Mr. Chaffanbrass can never be a fool; but he is so + essentially good-natured, so devoid of any feeling of domestic tyranny, so + placid in his domesticities, that he chooses to be ruled by his own + children. But in his own way he is fond of hospitality; he delights in a + cosy glass of old port with an old friend in whose company he may be + allowed to sit in his old coat and old slippers. He delights also in his + books, in his daughters' music, and in three or four live pet dogs, and + birds, and squirrels, whom morning and night he feeds with his own hands. + He is charitable, too, and subscribes largely to hospitals founded for the + relief of the suffering poor. + </p> + <p> + Such was Mr. Chaffanbrass, who had been selected by the astute Mr. + Gitemthruet to act as leading counsel on behalf of Alaric. If any human + wisdom could effect the escape of a client in such jeopardy, the wisdom of + Mr. Chaffanbrass would be likely to do it; but, in truth, the evidence was + so strong against him, that even this Newgate hero almost feared the + result. + </p> + <p> + I will not try the patience of anyone by stating in detail all the + circumstances of the trial. In doing so I should only copy, or, at any + rate, might copy, the proceedings at some of those modern <i>causes + célèbres</i> with which all those who love such subjects are familiar. And + why should I force such matters on those who do not love them? The usual + opening speech was made by the chief man on the prosecuting side, who, in + the usual manner, declared 'that his only object was justice; that his + heart bled within him to see a man of such acknowledged public utility as + Mr. Tudor in such a position; that he sincerely hoped that the jury might + find it possible to acquit him, but that—' And then went into his + 'but' with so much venom that it was clearly discernible to all, that in + spite of his protestations, his heart was set upon a conviction. + </p> + <p> + When he had finished, the witnesses for the prosecution were called—the + poor wretches whose fate it was to be impaled alive that day by Mr. + Chaffanbrass. They gave their evidence, and in due course were impaled. + Mr. Chaffanbrass had never been greater. The day was hot, and he thrust + his wig back till it stuck rather on the top of his coat-collar than on + his head; his forehead seemed to come out like the head of a dog from his + kennel, and he grinned with his black teeth, and his savage eyes twinkled, + till the witnesses sank almost out of sight as they gazed at him. + </p> + <p> + And yet they had very little to prove, and nothing that he could disprove. + They had to speak merely to certain banking transactions, to say that + certain moneys had been so paid in and so drawn out, in stating which they + had their office books to depend on. But not the less on this account were + they made victims. To one clerk it was suggested that he might now and + then, once in three months or so, make an error in a figure; and, having + acknowledged this, he was driven about until he admitted that it was very + possible that every entry he made in the bank books in the course of the + year was false. 'And you, such as you,' said Mr. Chaffanbrass, 'do you + dare to come forward to give evidence on commercial affairs? Go down, sir, + and hide your ignominy.' The wretch, convinced that he was ruined for + ever, slunk out of court, and was ashamed to show himself at his place of + business for the next three days. + </p> + <p> + There were ten or twelve witnesses, all much of the same sort, who proved + among them that this sum of twenty thousand pounds had been placed at + Alaric's disposal, and that now, alas! the twenty thousand pounds were not + forthcoming. It seemed to be a very simple case; and, to Alaric's own + understanding, it seemed impossible that his counsel should do anything + for him. But as each impaled victim shrank with agonized terror from the + torture, Mr. Gitemthruet would turn round to Alaric and assure him that + they were going on well, quite as well as he had expected. Mr. + Chaffanbrass was really exerting himself; and when Mr. Chaffanbrass did + really exert himself he rarely failed. + </p> + <p> + And so the long day faded itself away in the hot sweltering court, and his + lordship, at about seven o'clock, declared his intention of adjourning. Of + course a <i>cause célèbre</i> such as this was not going to decide itself + in one day. Alaric's guilt was clear as daylight to all concerned; but a + man who had risen to be a Civil Service Commissioner, and to be entrusted + with the guardianship of twenty thousand pounds, was not to be treated + like a butcher who had merely smothered his wife in an ordinary way, or a + housebreaker who had followed his professional career to its natural end; + more than that was due to the rank and station of the man, and to the very + respectable retaining fee with which Mr. Gitemthruet had found himself + enabled to secure the venom of Mr. Chaffanbrass. So the jury retired to + regale themselves <i>en masse</i> at a neighbouring coffee-house; Alaric + was again permitted to be at large on bail (the amiable policeman in mufti + still attending him at a distance); and Mr. Chaffanbrass and his lordship + retired to prepare themselves by rest for the morrow's labours. + </p> + <p> + But what was Alaric to do? He soon found himself under the guardianship of + the constant Gitemthruet in a neighbouring tavern, and his cousin Charley + was with him. Charley had been in court the whole day, except that he had + twice posted down to the West End in a cab to let Gertrude and Mrs. + Woodward know how things were going on. He had posted down and posted back + again, and, crowded as the court had been, he had contrived to make his + way in, using that air of authority to which the strongest-minded + policeman will always bow; till at last the very policemen assisted him, + as though he were in some way connected with the trial. + </p> + <p> + On his last visit at Gertrude's house he had told her that it was very + improbable that the trial should be finished that day. She had then said + nothing as to Alaric's return to his own house; it had indeed not occurred + to her that he would be at liberty to do so: Charley at once caught at + this, and strongly recommended his cousin to remain where he was. 'You + will gain nothing by going home,' said he; 'Gertrude does not expect you; + Mrs. Woodward is there; and it will be better for all parties that you + should remain.' Mr. Gitemthruet strongly backed his advice, and Alaric, so + counselled, resolved to remain where he was. Charley promised to stay with + him, and the policeman in mufti, without making any promise at all, + silently acquiesced in the arrangement. Charley made one more visit to the + West, saw Norman at his lodgings, and Mrs. Woodward and Gertrude in Albany + Place, and then returned to make a night of it with Alaric. We need hardly + say that Charley made a night of it in a very different manner from that + to which he and his brother navvies were so well accustomed. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0041" id="link2HCH0041"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XLI. — THE OLD BAILEY + </h2> + <p> + The next morning, at ten o'clock, the court was again crowded. The judge + was again on his bench, prepared for patient endurance; and Lord Killtime + and Sir Gregory Hardlines were alongside of him. The jury were again in + their box, ready with pen and paper to give their brightest attention—a + brightness which will be dim enough before the long day be over; the + counsel for the prosecution were rummaging among their papers; the + witnesses for the defence were sitting there among the attorneys, with the + exception of the Honourable Undecimus Scott, who was accommodated with a + seat near the sheriff, and whose heart, to tell the truth, was sinking + somewhat low within his breast, in spite of the glass of brandy with which + he had fortified himself. Alaric was again present under the wings of Mr. + Gitemthruet; and the great Mr. Chaffanbrass was in his place. He was + leaning over a slip of paper which he held in his hand, and with + compressed lips was meditating his attack upon his enemies; on this + occasion his wig was well over his eyes, and as he peered up from under it + to the judge's face, he cocked his nose with an air of supercilious + contempt for all those who were immediately around him. + </p> + <p> + It was for him to begin the day's sport by making a speech, not so much in + defence of his client as in accusation of the prosecutors. 'It had never,' + he said, 'been his fate, he might say his misfortune, to hear a case + against a man in a respectable position, opened by the Crown with such an + amount of envenomed virulence.' He was then reminded that the prosecution + was not carried on by the Crown. 'Then,' said he, 'we may attribute this + virulence to private malice; that it is not to be attributed to any fear + that this English bride should lose her fortune, or that her French + husband should be deprived of any portion of his spoil, I shall be able to + prove to a certainty. Did I allow myself that audacity of denunciation + which my learned friend has not considered incompatible with the dignity + of his new silk gown? Could I permit myself such latitude of invective as + he has adopted?'—a slight laugh was here heard in the court, and an + involuntary smile played across the judge's face—'yes,' continued + Mr. Chaffanbrass, 'I boldly aver that I have never forgotten myself, and + what is due to humanity, as my learned friend did in his address to the + jury. Gentlemen of the jury, you will not confound the natural indignation + which counsel must feel when defending innocence from the false attacks, + with the uncalled-for, the unprofessional acerbity which has now been used + in promoting such an accusation as this. I may at times be angry, when I + see mean falsehood before me in vain assuming the garb of truth—for + with such juries as I meet here it generally is in vain—I may at + times forget myself in anger; but, if we talk of venom, virulence, and + eager hostility, I yield the palm, without a contest, to my learned friend + in the new silk gown.' + </p> + <p> + He then went on to dispose of the witnesses whom they had heard on the + previous day, and expressed a regret that an <i>exposé</i> should have + been made so disgraceful to the commercial establishments of this great + commercial city. It only showed what was the effect on such establishments + of that undue parsimony which was now one of the crying evils of the + times. Having thus shortly disposed of them, he came to what all men knew + was the real interest of the day's doings. 'But,' said he, 'the evidence + in this case, to which your attention will be chiefly directed, will be, + not that for the accusation, but that for the defence. It will be my + business to show to you, not only that my client is guiltless, but to what + temptations to be guilty he has been purposely and wickedly subjected. I + shall put into that bar an honourable member of the House of Commons, who + will make some revelations as to his own life, who will give us an insight + into the ways and means of a legislator, which will probably surprise us + all, not excluding his lordship on the bench. He will be able to explain + to us—and I trust I may be able to induce him to do so, for it is + possible that he may be a little coy—he will be able to explain to + us why my client, who is in no way connected either with the Scotts, or + the Golightlys, or the Figgs, or the Jaquêtanàpes, why he was made the + lady's trustee; and he will also, perhaps, tell us, after some slight, + gentle persuasion, whether he has himself handled, or attempted to handle, + any of this lady's money.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Chaffanbrass then went on to state that, as the forms of the court + would not give him the power of addressing the jury again, he must now + explain to them what he conceived to be the facts of the case. He then + admitted that his client, in his anxiety to do the best he could with the + fortune entrusted to him, had invested it badly. The present fate of these + unfortunate bridge shares, as to which the commercial world had lately + held so many different opinions, proved that: but it had nevertheless been + a <i>bona fide</i> investment, made in conjunction with, and by the advice + of, Mr. Scott, the lady's uncle, who thus, for his own purposes, got + possession of money which was in truth confided to him for other purposes. + His client, Mr. Chaffanbrass acknowledged, had behaved with great + indiscretion; but the moment he found that the investment would be an + injurious one to the lady whose welfare was in his hands, he at once + resolved to make good the whole amount from his own pocket. That he had + done so, or, at any rate, would have done so, but for this trial, would be + proved to them. Nobler conduct than this it was impossible to imagine. + Whereas, the lady's uncle, the honourable member of Parliament, the + gentleman who had made a stalking-horse of his, Mr. Chaffanbrass's, + client, refused to refund a penny of the spoil, and was now the instigator + of this most unjust proceeding. + </p> + <p> + As Mr. Chaffanbrass thus finished his oration, Undy Scott tried to smile + complacently on those around him. But why did the big drops of sweat stand + on his brow as his eye involuntarily caught those of Mr. Chaffanbrass? Why + did he shuffle his feet, and uneasily move his hands and feet hither and + thither, as a man does when he tries in vain to be unconcerned? Why did he + pull his gloves on and off, and throw himself back with that affected air + which is so unusual to him? All the court was looking at him, and every + one knew that he was wretched. Wretched! aye, indeed he was; for the + assurance even of an Undy Scott, the hardened man of the clubs, the thrice + elected and twice rejected of Tillietudlem, fell prostrate before the + well-known hot pincers of Chaffanbrass, the torturer! + </p> + <p> + The first witness called was Henry Norman. Alaric looked up for a moment + with surprise, and then averted his eyes. Mr. Gitemthruet had concealed + from him the fact that Norman was to be called. He merely proved this, + that having heard from Mrs. Woodward, who was the prisoner's + mother-in-law, and would soon be his own mother-in-law, that a deficiency + had been alleged to exist in the fortune of Madame Jaquêtanàpe, he had, on + the part of Mrs. Woodward, produced what he believed would cover this + deficiency, and that when he had been informed that more money was + wanting, he had offered to give security that the whole should be paid in + six months. Of course, on him Mr. Chaffanbrass exercised none of his + terrible skill, and as the lawyers on the other side declined to + cross-examine him, he was soon able to leave the court. This he did + speedily, for he had no desire to witness Alaric's misery. + </p> + <p> + And then the Honourable Undecimus Scott was put into the witness-box. It + was suggested, on his behalf, that he might give his evidence from the + seat which he then occupied, but this Mr. Chaffanbrass would by no means + allow. His intercourse with Mr. Scott, he said, must be of a nearer, + closer, and more confidential nature than such an arrangement as that + would admit. A witness, to his way of thinking, was never an efficient + witness till he had his arm on the rail of a witness-box. He must trouble + Mr. Scott to descend from the grandeur of his present position; he might + return to his seat after he had been examined—if he then should have + a mind to do so. Our friend Undy found that he had to obey, and he was + soon confronted with Mr. Chaffanbrass in the humbler manner which that + gentleman thought so desirable. + </p> + <p> + 'You are a member of the House of Commons, I believe, Mr. Scott?' began + Mr. Chaffanbrass. + </p> + <p> + Undy acknowledged that he was so. + </p> + <p> + 'And you are the son of a peer, I believe?' + </p> + <p> + 'A Scotch peer,' said Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, a Scotch peer,' said Mr. Chaffanbrass, bringing his wig forward over + his left eye in a manner that was almost irresistible—'a Scotch peer—a + member of Parliament, and son of a Scotch peer; and you have been a member + of the Government, I believe, Mr. Scott?' + </p> + <p> + Undy confessed that he had been in office for a short time. + </p> + <p> + 'A member of Parliament, a son of a peer, and one of the Government of + this great and free country. You ought to be a proud and a happy man. You + are a man of fortune, too, I believe, Mr. Scott?' + </p> + <p> + 'That is a matter of opinion,' said Undy; 'different people have different + ideas. I don't know what you call fortune.' + </p> + <p> + 'Why I call £20,000 a fortune—this sum that the lady had who married + the Frenchman. Have you £20,000?' + </p> + <p> + 'I shall not answer that question.' + </p> + <p> + 'Have you £10,000? You surely must have as much as that, as I know you + married a fortune yourself,—unless, indeed, a false-hearted trustee + has got hold of your money also. Come, have you got £10,000?' + </p> + <p> + 'I shall not answer you.' + </p> + <p> + 'Have you got any income at all? Now, I demand an answer to that on your + oath, sir.' + </p> + <p> + 'My lord, must I answer such questions?' said Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, sir; you must answer them, and many more like them,' said Mr. + Chaffanbrass. 'My lord, it is essential to my client that I should prove + to the jury whether this witness is or is not a penniless adventurer; if + he be a respectable member of society, he can have no objection to let me + know whether he has the means of living.' + </p> + <p> + 'Perhaps, Mr. Scott,' said the judge, 'you will not object to state + whether or no you possess any fixed income.' + </p> + <p> + 'Have you, or have you not, got an income on which you live?' demanded Mr. + Chaffanbrass. + </p> + <p> + 'I have an income,' said Undy, not, however, in a voice that betokened + much self-confidence in the strength of his own answer. + </p> + <p> + 'You have an income, have you? And now, Mr. Scott, will you tell us what + profession you follow at this moment with the object of increasing your + income? I think we may surmise, by the tone of your voice, that your + income is not very abundant.' + </p> + <p> + 'I have no profession,' said Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'On your oath, you are in no profession?' + </p> + <p> + 'Not at present.' + </p> + <p> + 'On your oath, you are not a stock-jobber?' + </p> + <p> + Undy hesitated for a moment. + </p> + <p> + 'By the virtue of your oath, sir, are you a stock-jobber, or are you not?' + </p> + <p> + 'No, I am not. At least, I believe not.' + </p> + <p> + 'You believe not!' said Mr. Chaffanbrass—and it would be necessary + to hear the tone in which this was said to understand the derision which + was implied. 'You believe you are not a stock-jobber! Are you, or are you + not, constantly buying shares and selling shares—railway shares—bridge + shares—mining shares—and such-like?' + </p> + <p> + 'I sometimes buy shares.' + </p> + <p> + 'And sometimes sell them?' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes—and sometimes sell them.' + </p> + <p> + Where Mr. Chaffanbrass had got his exact information, we cannot say; but + very exact information he had acquired respecting Undy's little + transactions. He questioned him about the Mary Janes and Old Friendships, + about the West Corks and the Ballydehob Branch, about sundry other + railways and canals, and finally about the Limehouse bridge; and then + again he asked his former question. 'And now,' said he, 'will you tell the + jury whether you are a stock-jobber or no?' + </p> + <p> + 'It is all a matter of opinion,' said Undy. 'Perhaps I may be, in your + sense of the word.' + </p> + <p> + 'My sense of the word!' said Mr. Chaffanbrass. 'You are as much a + stock-jobber, sir, as that man is a policeman, or his lordship is a judge. + And now, Mr. Scott, I am sorry that I must go back to your private + affairs, respecting which you are so unwilling to speak. I fear I must + trouble you to tell me this—How did you raise the money with which + you bought that latter batch—the large lump of the bridge shares—of + which we were speaking?' + </p> + <p> + 'I borrowed it from Mr. Tudor,' said Undy, who had prepared himself to + answer this question glibly. + </p> + <p> + 'You borrowed it from Mr. Alaric Tudor—that is, from the gentleman + now upon his trial. You borrowed it, I believe, just at the time that he + became the lady's trustee?' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes,' said Undy; 'I did so.' + </p> + <p> + 'You have not repaid him as yet?' + </p> + <p> + 'No—not yet,' said Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'I thought not. Can you at all say when Mr. Tudor may probably get his + money?' + </p> + <p> + 'I am not at present prepared to name a day. When the money was lent it + was not intended that it should be repaid at an early day.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh! Mr. Tudor did not want his money at an early day—didn't he? + But, nevertheless, he has, I believe, asked for it since, and that very + pressingly?' + </p> + <p> + 'He has never asked for it,' said Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'Allow me to remind you, Mr. Scott, that I have the power of putting my + client into that witness-box, although he is on his trial; and, having so + reminded you, let me again beg you to say whether he has not asked you for + repayment of this large sum of money very pressingly.' + </p> + <p> + 'No; he has never done so.' + </p> + <p> + 'By the value of your oath, sir—if it has any value—did not my + client beseech you to allow these shares to be sold while they were yet + saleable, in order that your niece's trust money might be replaced in the + English funds?' + </p> + <p> + 'He said something as to the expediency of selling them, and I differed + from him.' + </p> + <p> + 'You thought it would be better for the lady's interest that they should + remain unsold?' + </p> + <p> + 'I made no question of the lady's interest. I was not her trustee.' + </p> + <p> + 'But the shares were bought with the lady's money.' + </p> + <p> + 'What shares?' asked Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'What shares, sir? Those shares which you had professed to hold on the + lady's behalf, and which afterwards you did not scruple to call your own. + Those shares of yours—since you have the deliberate dishonesty so to + call them—those shares of yours, were they not bought with the + lady's money?' + </p> + <p> + 'They were bought with the money which I borrowed from Mr. Tudor.' + </p> + <p> + 'And where did Mr. Tudor get that money?' + </p> + <p> + 'That is a question you must ask himself,' said Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'It is a question, sir, that just at present I prefer to ask you. Now, + sir, be good enough to tell the jury, whence Mr. Tudor got that money; or + tell them, if you dare do so, that you do not know.' + </p> + <p> + Undy for a minute remained silent, and Mr. Chaffanbrass remained silent + also. But if the fury of his tongue for a moment was at rest, that of his + eyes was as active as ever. He kept his gaze steadily fixed upon the + witness, and stood there with compressed lips, still resting on his two + hands, as though he were quite satisfied thus to watch the prey that was + in his power. For an instant he glanced up to the jury, and then allowed + his eyes to resettle on the face of the witness, as though he might have + said, 'There, gentlemen, there he is—the son of a peer, a member of + Parliament; what do you think of him?' + </p> + <p> + The silence of that minute was horrible to Undy, and yet he could hardly + bring himself to break it. The judge looked at him with eyes which seemed + to read his inmost soul; the jury looked at him, condemning him one and + all; Alaric looked at him with fierce, glaring eyes of hatred, the same + eyes that had glared at him that night when he had been collared in the + street; the whole crowd looked at him derisively; but the eyes of them all + were as nothing to the eyes of Mr. Chaffanbrass. + </p> + <p> + 'I never saw him so great; I never did,' said Mr. Gitemthruet, whispering + to his client; and Alaric, even he, felt some consolation in the terrible + discomfiture of his enemy. + </p> + <p> + 'I don't know where he got it,' said Undy, at last breaking the terrible + silence, and wiping the perspiration from his brow. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, you don't!' said Mr. Chaffanbrass, knocking his wig back, and coming + well out of his kennel. 'After waiting for a quarter of an hour or so, you + are able to tell the jury at last that you don't know anything about it. + He took the small trifle of change out of his pocket, I suppose?' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't know where he took it from.' + </p> + <p> + 'And you didn't ask?' + </p> + <p> + 'No.' + </p> + <p> + 'You got the money; that was all you know. But this was just at the time + that Mr. Tudor became the lady's trustee; I think you have admitted that.' + </p> + <p> + 'It may have been about the time.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes; it may have been about the time, as you justly observe, Mr. Scott. + Luckily, you know, we have the dates of the two transactions. But it never + occurred to your innocent mind that the money which you got into your + hands was a part of the lady's fortune; that never occurred to your + innocent mind—eh, Mr. Scott?' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't know that my mind is a more innocent mind than your own,' said + Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'I dare say not. Well, did the idea ever occur to your guilty mind?' + </p> + <p> + 'Perhaps my mind is not more guilty than your own, either.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then may God help me,' said Mr. Chaffanbrass, 'for I must be at a bad + pass. You told us just now, Mr. Scott, that some time since Mr. Tudor + advised you to sell these shares—what made him give you this + advice?' + </p> + <p> + 'He meant, he said, to sell his own.' + </p> + <p> + 'And he pressed you to sell yours?' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes.' + </p> + <p> + 'He urged you to do so more than once?' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes; I believe he did.' + </p> + <p> + 'And now, Mr. Scott, can you explain to the jury why he was so solicitous + that you should dispose of your property?' + </p> + <p> + 'I do not know why he should have done so, unless he wanted back his + money.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then he did ask for his own money?' + </p> + <p> + 'No; he never asked for it. But if I had sold the shares perhaps he might + have asked for it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh!' said Mr. Chaffanbrass; and as he uttered the monosyllable he looked + up at the jury, and gently shook his head, and gently shook his hands. Mr. + Chaffanbrass was famous for these little silent addresses to the jury-box. + </p> + <p> + But not even yet had he done with this suspicious loan. We cannot follow + him through the whole of his examination; for he kept our old friend under + the harrow for no less than seven hours. Though he himself made no further + statement to the jury, he made it perfectly plain, by Undy's own extracted + admissions, or by the hesitation of his denials, that he had knowingly + received this money out of his niece's fortune, and that he had refused to + sell the shares bought with this money, when pressed to do so by Tudor, in + order that the trust-money might be again made up. + </p> + <p> + There were those who blamed Mr. Chaffanbrass for thus admitting that his + client had made away with his ward's money by lending it to Undy; but that + acute gentleman saw clearly that he could not contend against the fact of + the property having been fraudulently used; but he saw that he might + induce the jury to attach so much guilt to Undy, that Tudor would, as it + were, be whitened by the blackness of the other's villany. The judge, he + well knew, would blow aside all this froth; but then the judge could not + find the verdict. + </p> + <p> + Towards the end of the day, when Undy was thoroughly worn out—at + which time, however, Mr. Chaffanbrass was as brisk as ever, for nothing + ever wore him out when he was pursuing his game—when the interest of + those who had been sweltering in the hot court all the day was observed to + flag, Mr. Chaffanbrass began twisting round his finger a bit of paper, of + which those who were best acquainted with his manner knew that he would + soon make use. + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Scott,' said he, suddenly dropping the derisive sarcasm of his former + tone, and addressing him with all imaginable courtesy, 'could you oblige + me by telling me whose handwriting that is?' and he handed to him the + scrap of paper. Undy took it, and saw that the writing was his own; his + eyes were somewhat dim, and he can hardly be said to have read it. It was + a very short memorandum, and it ran as follows: 'All will yet be well, if + those shares be ready to-morrow morning.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Mr. Scott,' said the lawyer, 'do you recognize the handwriting?' + </p> + <p> + Undy looked at it, and endeavoured to examine it closely, but he could + not; his eyes swam, and his head was giddy, and he felt sick. Could he + have satisfied himself that the writing was not clearly and manifestly his + own, he would have denied the document altogether; but he feared to do + this; the handwriting might be proved to be his own. + </p> + <p> + 'It is something like my own,' said he. + </p> + <p> + 'Something like your own, is it?' said Mr. Chaffanbrass, as though he were + much surprised. 'Like your own! Well, will you have the goodness to read + it?' + </p> + <p> + Undy turned it in his hand as though the proposed task were singularly + disagreeable to him. Why, thought he to himself, should he be thus + browbeaten by a dirty old Newgate lawyer? Why not pluck up his courage, + and, at any rate, show that he was a man? 'No,' said he, 'I will not read + it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then I will. Gentlemen of the jury, have the goodness to listen to me.' + Of course there was a contest then between him and the lawyers on the + other side whether the document might or might not be read; but equally of + course the contest ended in the judge's decision that it should be read. + And Mr. Chaffanbrass did read it in a voice audible to all men. 'All will + yet be well, if those shares be ready to-morrow morning.' We may take it + as admitted, I suppose, that this is in your handwriting, Mr. Scott?' + </p> + <p> + 'It probably may be, though I will not say that it is.' + </p> + <p> + 'Do you not know, sir, with positive certainty that it is your writing?' + </p> + <p> + To this Undy made no direct answer. 'What is your opinion, Mr. Scott?' + said the judge; 'you can probably give an opinion by which the jury would + be much guided.' + </p> + <p> + 'I think it is, my lord,' said Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'He thinks it is, said Mr. Chaffanbrass, addressing the jury. 'Well, for + once I agree with you. I think it is also—and how will you have the + goodness to explain it. To whom was it addressed?' + </p> + <p> + 'I cannot say.' + </p> + <p> + 'When was it written?' + </p> + <p> + 'I do not know.' + </p> + <p> + 'What does it mean?' + </p> + <p> + 'I cannot remember.' + </p> + <p> + 'Was it addressed to Mr. Tudor?' + </p> + <p> + 'I should think not.' + </p> + <p> + 'Now, Mr. Scott, have the goodness to look at the jury, and to speak a + little louder. You are in the habit of addressing a larger audience than + this, and cannot, therefore, be shamefaced. You mean to tell the jury that + you think that that note was not intended by you for Mr. Tudor?' + </p> + <p> + 'I think not,' said Undy. + </p> + <p> + 'But you can't say who it was intended for?' + </p> + <p> + 'No.' + </p> + <p> + 'And by the virtue of your oath, you have told us all that you know about + it?' Undy remained silent, but Mr. Chaffanbrass did not press him for an + answer. 'You have a brother, named Valentine, I think.' Now Captain Val + had been summoned also, and was at this moment in court. Mr. Chaffanbrass + requested that he might be desired to leave it, and, consequently, he was + ordered out in charge of a policeman. + </p> + <p> + 'And now, Mr. Scott—was that note written by you to Mr. Tudor, with + reference to certain shares, which you proposed that Mr. Tudor should + place in your brother's hands? Now, sir, I ask you, as a member of + Parliament, as a member of the Government, as the son of a peer, to give a + true answer to that question.' And then again Undy was silent; and again + Mr. Chaffanbrass leant on the desk and glared at him. 'And remember, sir, + member of Parliament and nobleman as you are, you shall be indicted for + perjury, if you are guilty of perjury.' + </p> + <p> + 'My lord,' said Undy, writhing in torment, 'am I to submit to this?' + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Chaffanbrass,' said the judge, 'you should not threaten your witness. + Mr. Scott—surely you can answer the question.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Chaffanbrass seemed not to have even heard what the judge said, so + intently were his eyes fixed on poor Undy. 'Well, Mr. Scott,' he said at + last, very softly, 'is it convenient for you to answer me? Did that note + refer to a certain number of bridge shares, which you required Mr. Tudor + to hand over to the stepfather of this lady?' + </p> + <p> + Undy had no trust in his brother. He felt all but sure that, under the + fire of Mr. Chaffanbrass, he would confess everything. It would be + terrible to own the truth, but it would be more terrible to be indicted + for perjury. So he sat silent. + </p> + <p> + 'My lord, perhaps you will ask him,' said Mr. Chaffanbrass. + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Scott, you understand the question—why do you not answer it?' + asked the judge. But Undy still remained silent. + </p> + <p> + 'You may go now,' said Mr. Chaffanbrass. 'Your eloquence is of the silent + sort; but, nevertheless, it is very impressive. You may go now, and sit on + that bench again, if, after what has passed, the sheriff thinks proper to + permit it.' + </p> + <p> + Undy, however, did not try that officer's complaisance. He retired from + the witness-box, and was not again seen during the trial in any + conspicuous place in the court. + </p> + <p> + It was then past seven o'clock; but Mr. Chaffanbrass insisted on going on + with the examination of Captain Val. It did not last long. Captain Val, + also, was in that disagreeable position, that he did not know what Undy + had confessed, and what denied. So he, also, refused to answer the + questions of Mr. Chaffanbrass, saying that he might possibly damage + himself should he do so. This was enough for Mr. Chaffanbrass, and then + his work was done. + </p> + <p> + At eight o'clock the court again adjourned; again Charley posted off—for + the third time that day—to let Gertrude know that, even as yet, all + was not over; and again he and Alaric spent a melancholy evening at the + neighbouring tavern; and then, again, on the third morning, all were + re-assembled at the Old Bailey. + </p> + <p> + Or rather they were not all re-assembled. But few came now, and they were + those who were obliged to come. The crack piece of the trial, that portion + to which, among the connoisseurs, the interest was attached, that was all + over. Mr. Chaffanbrass had done his work. Undy Scott, the member of + Parliament, had been gibbeted, and the rest was, in comparison, stale, + flat, and unprofitable. The judge and jury, however, were there, so were + the prosecuting counsel, so were Mr. Chaffanbrass and Mr. Younglad, and so + was poor Alaric. The work of the day was commenced by the judge's charge, + and then Alaric, to his infinite dismay, found how all the sophistry and + laboured arguments of his very talented advocate were blown to the winds, + and shown to be worthless. 'Gentlemen,' said the judge to the jurors, + after he had gone through all the evidence, and told them what was + admissible, and what was not—'gentlemen, I must especially remind + you, that in coming to a verdict in the matter, no amount of guilt on the + part of any other person can render guiltless him whom you are now trying, + or palliate his guilt if he be guilty. An endeavour has been made to affix + a deep stigma on one of the witnesses who has been examined before you; + and to induce you to feel, rather than to think, that Mr. Tudor is, at any + rate, comparatively innocent—innocent as compared with that + gentleman. That is not the issue which you are called on to decide; not + whether Mr. Scott, for purposes of his own, led Mr. Tudor on to guilt, and + then turned against him; but whether Mr. Tudor himself has, or has not, + been guilty under this Act of Parliament that has been explained to you. + </p> + <p> + 'As regards the evidence of Mr. Scott, I am justified in telling you, that + if the prisoner's guilt depended in any way on that evidence, it would be + your duty to receive it with the most extreme caution, and to reject it + altogether if not corroborated. That evidence was not trustworthy, and in + a great measure justified the treatment which the witness encountered from + the learned barrister who examined him. But Mr. Scott was a witness for + the defence, not for the prosecution. The case for the prosecution in no + way hangs on his evidence. + </p> + <p> + 'If it be your opinion that Mr. Tudor is guilty, and that he was unwarily + enticed into guilt by Mr. Scott; that the whole arrangement of this trust + was brought about by Mr. Scott or others, to enable him or them to make a + cat's-paw of this new trustee, and thus use the lady's money for their own + purposes, such an opinion on your part may justify you in recommending the + prisoner to the merciful consideration of the bench; but it cannot justify + you in finding a verdict of not guilty.' + </p> + <p> + As Alaric heard this, and much more to the same effect, his hopes, which + certainly had been high during the examination of Undy Scott, again sank + to zero, and left him in despair. He had almost begun to doubt the fact of + his own guilt, so wondrously had his conduct been glossed over by Mr. + Chaffanbrass, so strikingly had any good attempt on his part been brought + to the light, so black had Scott been made to appear. Ideas floated across + his brain that he might go forth, not only free of the law, but + whitewashed also in men's opinions, that he might again sit on his throne + at the Civil Service Board, again cry to himself 'Excelsior,' and indulge + the old dreams of his ambition. + </p> + <p> + But, alas! the deliberate and well-poised wisdom of the judge seemed to + shower down cold truth upon the jury from his very eyes. His words were + low in their tone, though very clear, impassive, delivered without + gesticulation or artifice, such as that so powerfully used by Mr. + Chaffanbrass; but Alaric himself felt that it was impossible to doubt the + truth of such a man; impossible to suppose that any juryman should do so. + Ah me! why had he brought himself thus to quail beneath the gaze of an old + man seated on a bench? with what object had he forced himself to bend his + once proud neck? He had been before in courts such as this, and had mocked + within his own spirit the paraphernalia of the horsehair wigs, the judges' + faded finery, and the red cloth; he had laughed at the musty, stale + solemnity by which miscreants were awed, and policemen enchanted; now, + these things told on himself heavily enough; he felt now their weight and + import. + </p> + <p> + And then the jury retired from the court to consider their verdict, and + Mr. Gitemthruet predicted that they would be hungry enough before they sat + down to their next meal. 'His lordship was dead against us,' said Mr. + Gitemthruet; 'but that was a matter of course; we must look to the jury, + and the city juries are very fond of Mr. Chaffanbrass; I am not quite + sure, however, that Mr. Chaffanbrass was right: I would not have admitted + so much myself; but then no one knows a city jury so well as Mr. + Chaffanbrass.' + </p> + <p> + Other causes came on, and still the jury did not return to court. Mr. + Chaffanbrass seemed to have forgotten the very existence of Alaric Tudor, + and was deeply engaged in vindicating a city butcher from an imputation of + having vended a dead ass by way of veal. All his indignation was now + forgotten, and he was full of boisterous fun, filling the court with peals + of laughter. One o'clock came, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and + still no verdict. At the latter hour, when the court was about to be + adjourned, the foreman came in, and assured the judge that there was no + probability that they could agree; eleven of them thought one way, while + the twelfth was opposed to them. 'You must reason with the gentleman,' + said the judge. 'I have, my lord,' said the foreman, 'but it's all thrown + away upon him.' 'Reason with him again,' said the judge, rising from his + bench and preparing to go to his dinner. + </p> + <p> + And then one of the great fundamental supports of the British constitution + was brought into play. Reason was thrown away upon this tough juryman, + and, therefore, it was necessary to ascertain what effect starvation might + have upon him. A verdict, that is, a unanimous decision from these twelve + men as to Alaric's guilt, was necessary; it might be that three would + think him innocent, and nine guilty, or that any other division of opinion + might take place; but such divisions among a jury are opposed to the + spirit of the British constitution. Twelve men must think alike; or, if + they will not, they must be made to do so. 'Reason with him again,' said + the judge, as he went to his own dinner. Had the judge bade them remind + him how hungry he would soon be if he remained obstinate, his lordship + would probably have expressed the thought which was passing through his + mind. 'There is one of us, my lord,' said the foreman, 'who will I know be + very ill before long; he is already so bad that he can't sit upright.' + </p> + <p> + There are many ludicrous points in our blessed constitution, but perhaps + nothing so ludicrous as a juryman praying to a judge for mercy. He has + been caught, shut up in a box, perhaps, for five or six days together, + badgered with half a dozen lawyers till he is nearly deaf with their + continual talking, and then he is locked up until he shall die or find a + verdict. Such at least is the intention of the constitution. The death, + however, of three or four jurymen from starvation would not suit the + humanity of the present age, and therefore, when extremities are nigh at + hand, the dying jurymen, with medical certificates, are allowed to be + carried off. It is devoutly to be wished that one juryman might be starved + to death while thus serving the constitution; the absurdity then would + cure itself, and a verdict of a majority would be taken. + </p> + <p> + But in Alaric's case, reason or hunger did prevail at the last moment, and + as the judge was leaving the court, he was called back to receive the + verdict. Alaric, also, was brought back, still under Mr. Gitemthruet's + wing, and with him came Charley. A few officers of the court were there, a + jailer and a policeman or two, those whose attendance was absolutely + necessary, but with these exceptions the place was empty. Not long since + men were crowding for seats, and the policemen were hardly able to + restrain the pressure of those who pushed forward; but now there was no + pushing; the dingy, dirty benches, a few inches of which had lately been + so desirable, were not at all in request, and were anything but inviting + in appearance; Alaric sat himself down on the very spot which had lately + been sacred to Mr. Chaffanbrass, and Mr. Gitemthruet, seated above him, + might also fancy himself a barrister. There they sat for five minutes in + perfect silence; the suspense of the moment cowed even the attorney, and + Charley, who sat on the other side of Alaric, was so affected that he + could hardly have spoken had he wished to do so. + </p> + <p> + And then the judge, who had been obliged to re-array himself before he + returned to the bench, again took his seat, and an officer of the court + inquired of the foreman of the jury, in his usual official language, what + their finding was. + </p> + <p> + 'Guilty on the third count,' said the foreman. 'Not guilty on the four + others. We beg, however, most strongly to recommend the prisoner to your + lordship's merciful consideration, believing that he has been led into + this crime by one who has been much more guilty than himself.' + </p> + <p> + 'I knew Mr. Chaffanbrass was wrong,' said Mr. Gitemthruet. 'I knew he was + wrong when he acknowledged so much. God bless my soul! in a court of law + one should never acknowledge anything! what's the use?' + </p> + <p> + And then came the sentence. He was to be confined at the Penitentiary at + Millbank for six months. 'The offence,' said the judge, 'of which you have + been found guilty, and of which you most certainly have been guilty, is + one most prejudicial to the interests of the community. That trust which + the weaker of mankind should place in the stronger, that reliance which + widows and orphans should feel in their nearest and dearest friends, would + be destroyed, if such crimes as these were allowed to pass unpunished. But + in your case there are circumstances which do doubtless palliate the crime + of which you have been guilty; the money which you took will, I believe, + be restored; the trust which you were courted to undertake should not have + been imposed on you; and in the tale of villany which has been laid before + us, you have by no means been the worst offender. I have, therefore, + inflicted on you the slightest penalty which the law allows me. Mr. Tudor, + I know what has been your career, how great your services to your country, + how unexceptionable your conduct as a public servant; I trust, I do trust, + I most earnestly, most hopefully trust, that your career of utility is not + over. Your abilities are great, and you are blessed with the power of + thinking; I do beseech you to consider, while you undergo that confinement + which you needs must suffer, how little any wealth is worth an uneasy + conscience.' + </p> + <p> + And so the trial was over. Alaric was taken off in custody; the policeman + in mufti was released from his attendance; and Charley, with a heavy + heart, carried the news to Gertrude and Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'And as for me,' said Gertrude, when she had so far recovered from the + first shock as to be able to talk to her mother—'as for me, I will + have lodgings at Millbank.' + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0042" id="link2HCH0042"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XLII. — A PARTING INTERVIEW + </h2> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward remained with her eldest daughter for two days after the + trial, and then she was forced to return to Hampton. She had earnestly + entreated Gertrude to accompany her, with her child; but Mrs. Tudor was + inflexible. She had, she said, very much to do; so much, that she could + not possibly leave London; the house and furniture were on her hands, and + must be disposed of; their future plans must be arranged; and then + nothing, she said, should induce her to sleep out of sight of her + husband's prison, or to omit any opportunity of seeing him which the + prison rules would allow her. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward would not have left one child in such extremity, had not the + state of another child made her presence at the Cottage indispensable. + Katie's anxiety about the trial had of course been intense, so intense as + to give her a false strength, and somewhat to deceive Linda as to her real + state. Tidings of course passed daily between London and the Cottage, but + for three days they told nothing. On the morning of the fourth day, + however, Norman brought the heavy news, and Katie sank completely under + it. When she first heard the result of the trial she swooned away, and + remained for some time nearly unconscious. But returning consciousness + brought with it no relief, and she lay sobbing on her pillow, till she + became so weak, that Linda in her fright wrote up to her mother begging + her to return at once. Then, wretched as it made her to leave Gertrude in + her trouble, Mrs. Woodward did return. + </p> + <p> + For a fortnight after this there was an unhappy household at Surbiton + Cottage. Linda's marriage was put off till the period of Alaric's sentence + should be over, and till something should be settled as to his and + Gertrude's future career. It was now August, and they spoke of the event + as one which perhaps might occur in the course of the following spring. At + this time, also, they were deprived for a while of the comfort of Norman's + visits by his enforced absence at Normansgrove. Harry's eldest brother was + again ill, and at last the news of his death was received at Hampton. + Under other circumstances such tidings as those might, to a certain + extent, have brought their own consolation with them. Harry would now be + Mr. Norman of Normansgrove, and Linda would become Mrs. Norman of + Normansgrove; Harry's mother had long been dead, and his father was an + infirm old man, who would be too glad to give up to his son the full + management of the estate, now that the eldest son was a man to whom that + estate could be trusted. All those circumstances had, of course, been + talked over between Harry and Linda, and it was understood that Harry was + now to resign his situation at the Weights and Measures. But Alaric's + condition, Gertrude's misery, and Katie's illness, threw all such matters + into the background. Katie became no better; but then the doctors said + that she did not become any worse, and gave it as their opinion that she + ought to recover. She had youth, they said, on her side; and then her + lungs were not affected. This was the great question which they were all + asking of each other continually. The poor girl lived beneath a + stethoscope, and bore all their pokings and tappings with exquisite + patience. She herself believed that she was dying, and so she repeatedly + told her mother. Mrs. Woodward could only say that all was in God's hands, + but that the physicians still encouraged them to hope the best. + </p> + <p> + One day Mrs. Woodward was sitting with a book in her usual place at the + side of Katie's bed; she looked every now and again at her patient, and + thought that she was slumbering; and at last she rose from her chair to + creep away, so sure was she that she might be spared for a moment. But + just as she was silently rising, a thin, slight, pale hand crept out from + beneath the clothes, and laid itself on her arm. + </p> + <p> + 'I thought you were asleep, love,' said she. + </p> + <p> + 'No, mamma, I was not asleep. I was thinking of something. Don't go away, + mamma, just now. I want to ask you something.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward again sat down, and taking her daughter's hand in her own, + caressed it. + </p> + <p> + 'I want to ask a favour of you, mamma,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'A favour, my darling! what is it? you know I will do anything in my power + that you ask me.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ah, mamma, I do not know whether you will do this.' + </p> + <p> + 'What is it, Katie? I will do anything that is for your good. I am sure + you know that, Katie.' + </p> + <p> + 'Mamma, I know I am going to die. Oh, mamma, don't say anything now, don't + cry now—dear, dear mamma; I don't say it to make you unhappy; but + you know when I am so ill I ought to think about it, ought I not, mamma?' + </p> + <p> + 'But, Katie, the doctor says that he thinks you are not so dangerously + ill; you should not, therefore, despond; it will increase your illness, + and hinder your chance of getting well. That would be wrong, wouldn't it, + love?' + </p> + <p> + 'Mamma, I feel that I shall never again be well, and therefore—' It + was useless telling Mrs. Woodward not to cry; what else could she do? + 'Dear mamma, I am so sorry to make you unhappy, but you are my own mamma, + and therefore I must tell you. I can be happy still, mamma, if you will + let me talk to you about it.' + </p> + <p> + 'You shall talk, dearest; I will hear what you say; but oh, Katie, I + cannot bear to hear you talk of dying. I do not think you are dying. If I + did think so, my child, my trust in your goodness is so strong that I + should tell you.' + </p> + <p> + 'You know, mamma, it might have been much worse; suppose I had been + drowned, when he, when Charley, you know, saved me;' and as she mentioned + his name a tear for the first time ran down each cheek; 'how much worse + that would have been! think, mamma, what it would be to be drowned without + a moment for one's prayers.' + </p> + <p> + 'It is quite right we should prepare ourselves for death. Whether we live, + or whether we die, we shall be better for doing that.' + </p> + <p> + Katie still held her mother's hand in hers, and lay back against the + pillows which had been placed behind her back. 'And now, mamma,' she said + at last, 'I am going to ask you this favour—I want to see Charley + once more.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward was so much astonished at the request that at first she knew + not what answer to make. 'To see Charley!' she said at last. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, mamma; I want to see Charley once more; there need be no secrets + between us now, mamma.' + </p> + <p> + 'There have never been any secrets between us,' said Mrs. Woodward, + embracing her. 'You have never had any secrets from me?' + </p> + <p> + 'Not intentionally, mamma; I have never meant to keep anything secret from + you. And I know you have known what I felt about Charley.' + </p> + <p> + 'I know that you have behaved like an angel, my child; I know your want of + selfishness, your devotion to others, has been such as to shame me; I know + your conduct has been perfect: oh, my Katie, I have understood it, and I + have so loved you, so admired you.' + </p> + <p> + Katie smiled through her tears as she returned her mother's embrace. + 'Well, mamma,' she said, 'at any rate you know that I love him. Oh, mamma, + I do love him so dearly. It is not now like Gertrude's love, or Linda's. I + know that I can never be his wife. I did know before, that for many + reasons I ought not to wish to be so; but now I know I never, never can + be.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward was past the power of speaking, and so Katie went on. + </p> + <p> + 'But I do not love him the less for that reason; I think I love him the + more. I never, never, could have loved anyone else, mamma; never, never; + and that is one reason why I do not so much mind being ill now.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward bowed forward, and hid her face in the counterpane, but she + still kept hold of her daughter's hand. + </p> + <p> + 'And, mamma,' she continued, 'as I do love him so dearly, I feel that I + should try to do something for him. I ought to do so; and, mamma, I could + not be happy without seeing him. He is not just like a brother or a + brother-in-law, such as Harry and Alaric; we are not bound to each other + as relations are; but yet I feel that something does bind me to him. I + know he doesn't love me as I love him; but yet I think he loves me dearly; + and if I speak to him now, mamma, now that I am—that I am so ill, + perhaps he will mind me. Mamma, it will be as though one came unto him + from the dead.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward did not know how to refuse any request that Katie might now + make to her, and felt herself altogether unequal to the task of refusing + this request. For many reasons she would have done so, had she been able; + in the first place she did not think that all chance of Katie's recovery + was gone; and then at the present moment she felt no inclination to draw + closer to her any of the Tudor family. She could not but feel that Alaric + had been the means of disgracing and degrading one child; and truly, + deeply, warmly, as she sympathized with the other, she could not bring + herself to feel the same sympathy for the object of her love. It was a + sore day for her and hers, that on which the Tudors had first entered her + house. + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless she assented to Katie's proposal, and undertook the task of + asking Charley down to Hampton. + </p> + <p> + Since Alaric's conviction Charley led a busy life; and as men who have + really something to do have seldom time to get into much mischief, he had + been peculiarly moral and respectable. It is not surprising that at such a + moment Gertrude found that Alaric's newer friends fell off from him. Of + course they did; nor is it a sign of ingratitude or heartlessness in the + world that at such a period of great distress new friends should fall off. + New friends, like one's best coat and polished patent-leather dress boots, + are only intended for holiday wear. At other times they are neither + serviceable nor comfortable; they do not answer the required purposes, and + are ill adapted to give us the ease we seek. A new coat, however, has this + advantage, that it will in time become old and comfortable; so much can by + no means be predicted with certainty of a new friend. Woe to those men who + go through the world with none but new coats on their backs, with no boots + but those of polished leather, with none but new friends to comfort them + in adversity. + </p> + <p> + But not the less, when misfortune does come, are we inclined to grumble at + finding ourselves deserted. Gertrude, though she certainly wished to see + no Mrs. Val and no Miss Neverbends, did feel lonely enough when her mother + left her, and wretched enough. But she was not altogether deserted. At + this time Charley was true to her, and did for her all those thousand + nameless things which a woman cannot do for herself. He came to her + everyday after leaving his office, and on one excuse or another remained + with her till late every evening. + </p> + <p> + He was not a little surprised one morning on receiving Mrs. Woodward's + invitation to Hampton. Mrs. Woodward in writing had had some difficulty in + wording her request. She hardly liked asking Charley to come because Katie + was ill; nor did she like to ask him without mentioning Katie's illness. + 'I need not explain to you,' she said in her note, 'that we are all in + great distress; poor Katie is very ill, and you will understand what we + must feel about Alaric and Gertrude. Harry is still at Normansgrove. We + shall all be glad to see you, and Katie, who never forgets what you did + for her, insists on my asking you at once. I am sure you will not refuse + her, so I shall expect you to-morrow.' Charley would not have refused her + anything, and it need hardly be said that he accepted the invitation. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward was at a loss how to receive him, or what to say to him. + Though Katie was so positive that her own illness would be fatal—a + symptom which might have confirmed those who watched her in their opinion + that her disease was not consumption—her mother was by no means so + desponding. She still thought it not impossible that her child might + recover, and so thinking could not but be adverse to any declaration on + Katie's part of her own feelings. She had endeavoured to explain this to + her daughter; but Katie was so carried away by her enthusiasm, was at the + present moment so devoted, and, as it were, exalted above her present + life, that all that her mother said was thrown away upon her. Mrs. + Woodward might have refused her daughter's request, and have run the risk + of breaking her heart by the refusal; but now that the petition had been + granted, it was useless to endeavour to teach her to repress her feelings. + </p> + <p> + 'Charley,' said Mrs. Woodward, when he had been some little time in the + house, 'our dear Katie wants to see you; she is very ill, you know.' + </p> + <p> + Charley said he knew she was ill. + </p> + <p> + 'You remember our walk together, Charley.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes,' said Charley, 'I remember it well. I made you a promise then, and I + have kept it. I have now come here only because you have sent for me.' + This he said in the tone which a man uses when he feels himself to have + been injured. + </p> + <p> + 'I know it, Charley; you have kept your promise; I knew you would, and I + know you will. I have the fullest trust in you; and now you shall come and + see her.' + </p> + <p> + Charley was to return to town that night, and they had not therefore much + time to lose; they went upstairs at once, and found Linda and Uncle Bat in + the patient's room. It was a lovely August evening, and the bedroom window + opening upon the river was unclosed. Katie, as she sat propped up against + the pillows, could look out upon the water and see the reedy island, on + which in happy former days she had so delighted to let her imagination + revel. + </p> + <p> + 'It is very good of you to come and see me, Charley,' said she, as he made + his way up to her bedside. + </p> + <p> + He took her wasted hand in his own and pressed it, and, as he did so, a + tear forced itself into each corner of his eyes. She smiled as though to + cheer him, and said that now she saw him she could be quite happy, only + for poor Alaric and Gertrude. She hoped she might live to see Alaric + again; but if not, Charley was to give him her best-best love. + </p> + <p> + 'Live to see him! of course you will,' said Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + 'What's to hinder you?' Uncle Bat, like the rest of them, tried to cheer + her, and make her think that she might yet live. + </p> + <p> + After a while Uncle Bat went out of the room, and Linda followed him. Mrs. + Woodward would fain have remained, but she perfectly understood that it + was part of the intended arrangement with Katie, that Charley should be + alone with her. 'I will come back in a quarter of an hour,' she said, + rising to follow the others. 'You must not let her talk too much, Charley: + you see how weak she is.' + </p> + <p> + 'Mamma, when you come, knock at the door, will you?' said Katie. Mrs. + Woodward, who found herself obliged to act in complete obedience to her + daughter, promised that she would; and then they were left alone. + </p> + <p> + 'Sit down, Charley,' said she; he was still standing by her bedside, and + now at her bidding he sat in the chair which Captain Cuttwater had + occupied. 'Come here nearer to me,' said she; 'this is where mamma always + sits, and Linda when mamma is not here.' Charley did as he was bid, and, + changing his seat, came and sat down close to her bed-head. + </p> + <p> + 'Charley, do you remember how you went into the water for me?' said she, + again smiling, and pulling her hand out and resting it on his arm which + lay on the bed beside her. + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed I do, Katie—I remember the day very well.' + </p> + <p> + 'That was a very happy day in spite of the tumble, was it not, Charley? + And do you remember the flower-show, and the dance at Mrs. Val's?' + </p> + <p> + Charley did remember them all well. Ah me! how often had he thought of + them! + </p> + <p> + 'I think of those days so often—too often,' continued Katie. 'But, + dear Charley, I cannot remember too often that you saved my life.' + </p> + <p> + Charley once more tried to explain to her that there was nothing worthy of + notice in his exploit of that day. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Charley, I may think as I like, you know,' she said, with something + of the obstinacy of old days. 'I think you did save my life, and all the + people in the world won't make me think anything else; but, Charley, I + have something now to tell you.' + </p> + <p> + He sat and listened. It seemed to him as though he were only there to + listen; as though, were he to make his own voice audible, he would violate + the sanctity of the place. His thoughts were serious enough, but he could + not pitch his voice so as to suit the tone in which she addressed him. + </p> + <p> + 'We were always friends, were we not?' said she; 'we were always good + friends, Charley. Do you remember how you were to build a palace for me in + the dear old island out there? You were always so kind, so good to me.' + </p> + <p> + Charley said he remembered it all—they were happy days; the happiest + days, he said, that he had ever known. + </p> + <p> + 'And you used to love me, Charley?' + </p> + <p> + 'Used!' said he, 'do you think I do not love you now?' + </p> + <p> + 'I am sure you do. And, Charley, I love you also. That it is that I want + to tell you. I love you so well that I cannot go away from this world in + peace without wishing you farewell. Charley, if you love me, you will + think of me when I am gone; and then for my sake you will be steady.' + </p> + <p> + Here were all her old words over again—'You will be steady, won't + you, Charley? I know you will be steady, now.' How much must she have + thought of him! How often must his career have caused her misery and pain! + How laden must that innocent bosom have been with anxiety on his account! + He had promised her then that he would reform; but he had broken his + promise. He now promised her again, but how could he hope that she would + believe him? + </p> + <p> + 'You know how ill I am, don't you? You know that I am dying, Charley?' + </p> + <p> + Charley of course declared that he still hoped that she would recover. + </p> + <p> + 'If I thought so,' said she, 'I should not say what I am now saying; but I + feel that I may tell the truth. Dear Charley, dearest Charley, I love you + with all my heart—I do not know how it came so; I believe I have + always loved you since I first knew you; I used to think it was because + you saved my life; but I know it was not that. I was so glad it was you + that came to me in the water, and not Harry; so that I know I loved you + before that.' + </p> + <p> + 'Dear Katie, you have not loved me, or thought of me, more than I have + loved and thought of you.' + </p> + <p> + 'Ah, Charley,' she said, smiling in her sad sweet way—'I don't think + you know how a girl can love; you have so many things to think of, so much + to amuse you up in London; you don't know what it is to think of one + person for days and days, and nights and nights together. That is the way + I have thought of you, I don't think there can be any harm,' she + continued, 'in loving a person as I have loved you. Indeed, how could I + help it? I did not love you on purpose. But I think I should be wrong to + die without telling you. When I am dead, Charley, will you think of this, + and try—try to give up your bad ways? When I tell you that I love + you so dearly, and ask you on my deathbed, I think you will do this.' + </p> + <p> + Charley went down on his knees, and bowing his head before her and before + his God, he made the promise. He made it, and we may so far anticipate the + approaching end of our story as to declare that the promise he then made + was faithfully kept. + </p> + <p> + 'Katie, Katie, my own Katie, my own, own, own Katie—oh, Katie, you + must not die, you must not leave me! Oh, Katie, I have so dearly loved + you! Oh, Katie, I do so dearly love you! If you knew all, if you could + know all, you would believe me.' + </p> + <p> + At this moment Mrs. Woodward knocked at the door, and Charley rose from + his knees. 'Not quite yet, mamma,' said Katie, as Mrs. Woodward opened the + door. 'Not quite yet; in five minutes, mamma, you may come.' Mrs. + Woodward, not knowing how to refuse, again went away. + </p> + <p> + 'Charley, I never gave you anything but once, and you returned it to me, + did you not?' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes,' said he, 'the purse—I put it in your box, because——' + </p> + <p> + And then he remembered that he could not say why he had returned it + without breaking in a manner that confidence which Mrs. Woodward had put + in him. + </p> + <p> + 'I understand it all. You must not think I am angry with you. I know how + good you were about it. But Charley, you may have it back now; here it + is;' and putting her hand under the pillow, she took it out, carefully + folded up in new tissue paper. 'There, Charley, you must never part with + it again as long as there are two threads of it together; but I know you + never will; and Charley, you must never talk of it to anybody but to your + wife; and you must tell her all about it.' + </p> + <p> + He took the purse, and put it to his lips, and then pressed it to his + heart. 'No,' said he, 'I will never part with it again. I think I can + promise that.' 'And now, dearest, good-bye,' said she; 'dearest, dearest + Charley, good-bye; perhaps we shall know each other in heaven. Kiss me, + Charley, before you go,' So he stooped down over her, and pressed his lips + to hers. + </p> + <p> + Charley, leaving the room, found Mrs. Woodward at the other end of the + passage, standing at the door of her own dressing-room. 'You are to go to + her now,' he said. 'Good-bye,' and without further speech to any of them + he hurried out of the house. + </p> + <p> + None but Mrs. Woodward had seen him; but she saw that the tears were + streaming down his cheeks as he passed her, and she expressed no surprise + that he had left the Cottage without going through the formality of making + his adieux. + </p> + <p> + And then he walked up to town, as Norman once had done after a parting + interview with her whom he had loved. It might be difficult to say which + at the moment suffered the bitterest grief. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0043" id="link2HCH0043"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XLIII. — MILLBANK + </h2> + <p> + The immediate neighbourhood of Millbank Penitentiary is not one which we + should, for its own sake, choose for our residence, either on account of + its natural beauty, or the excellence of its habitations. That it is a + salubrious locality must be presumed from the fact that it has been + selected for the site of the institution in question; but salubrity, + though doubtless a great recommendation, would hardly reconcile us to the + extremely dull, and one might almost say, ugly aspect which this district + bears. + </p> + <p> + To this district, however, ugly as it is, we must ask our readers to + accompany us, while we pay a short visit to poor Gertrude. It was + certainly a sad change from her comfortable nursery and elegant + drawing-room near Hyde Park. Gertrude had hitherto never lived in an ugly + house. Surbiton Cottage and Albany Place were the only two homes that she + remembered, and neither of them was such as to give her much fitting + preparation for the melancholy shelter which she found at No. 5, Paradise + Row, Millbank. + </p> + <p> + But Gertrude did not think much of this when she changed her residence. + Early one morning, leaning on Charley's arm, she had trudged down across + the Park, through Westminster, and on to the close vicinity of the prison; + and here they sought for and obtained such accommodation as she thought + fitting to her present situation. Charley had begged her to get into a + cab, and when she refused that, had implored her to indulge in the luxury + of an omnibus; but Gertrude's mind was now set upon economy; she would + come back, she said, in an omnibus when the day would be hotter, and she + would be alone, but she was very well able to walk the distance once. + </p> + <p> + She procured, for seven shillings a week, a sitting-room and bedroom, from + whence she could see the gloomy prison walls, and also a truckle-bed for + the young girl whom she was to bring with her as her maid. This was a + little Hampton maiden, whom she had brought from the country to act as fag + and deputy to her grand nurse; but the grand nurse was now gone, and the + fag was promoted to the various offices of nurse, lady's-maid, and parlour + servant. The rest of the household in Albany Place had already dispersed + with the discreet view of bettering their situations. + </p> + <p> + Everything in the house was given up to pay what Alaric owed. + Independently of his dreadful liability to Madame Jaquêtanàpe, he could + not have been said to be in debt; but still, like most other men who live + as he had done, when his career was thus brought to a sudden close, it was + found that there were many people looking for money. There were little + bills, as the owners said of them, which had been forgotten, of course, on + account of their insignificance, but which being so very little might now + be paid, equally of course, without any trouble. It is astonishing how + easy it is to accumulate three or four hundred pounds' worth of little + bills, when one lives before the world in a good house and in visible + possession of a good income. + </p> + <p> + At the moment of Alaric's conviction, there was but a slender stock of + money forthcoming for these little bills. The necessary expense of his + trial,—and it had been by no means trifling,—he had, of + course, been obliged to pay. His salary had been suspended, and all the + money that he could lay his hands on had been given up towards making + restitution towards the dreadful sum of £20,000 that had been his ruin. + The bills, however, did not come in till after his trial, and then there + was but little left but the furniture. + </p> + <p> + As the new trustees employed on behalf of Madame Jaquêtanàpe and Mr. Figgs + were well aware that they had much more to expect from the generosity of + Tudor's friends than from any legal seizure of his property, they did not + interfere in the disposal of the chairs and tables. But not on that + account did Gertrude conceive herself entitled to make any use on her own + behalf of such money as might come into her hands. The bills should be + paid, and then every farthing that could be collected should be given + towards lessening the deficiency. Six thousand pounds had already been + made up by the joint efforts of Norman and Captain Cuttwater. Undy Scott's + acknowledgement for the other four thousand had been offered, but the new + trustees declined to accept it as of any value whatsoever. They were + equally incredulous as to the bridge shares, which from that day to this + have never held up their heads, even to the modest height of half a crown + a share. + </p> + <p> + Gertrude's efforts to make the most of everything had been unceasing. When + her husband was sentenced, she had in her possession a new dress and some + finery for her baby, which were not yet paid for; these she took back with + her own hand, offering to the milliners her own trinkets by way of + compensation for their loss. When the day for removal came, she took with + her nothing that she imagined could be sold. She would have left the + grander part of her own wardrobe, if the auctioneers would have undertaken + to sell it. Some few things, books and trifling household articles, which + she thought were dear to Alaric, she packed up; and such were sent to + Hampton. On the day of her departure she dressed herself in a plain dark + gown, one that was almost mourning, and then, with her baby in her lap, + and her young maid beside her, and Charley fronting her in the cab, she + started for her new home. + </p> + <p> + I had almost said that her pride had left her. Such an assertion would be + a gross libel on her. No; she was perhaps prouder than ever, as she left + her old home. There was a humility in her cheap dress, in her large straw + bonnet coming far over her face, in her dark gloves and little simple + collar; nay, there was a humility in her altered voice, and somewhat + chastened mien; but the spirit of the woman was wholly unbroken. She had + even a pride in her very position, in her close and dear tie with the + convicted prisoner. She was his for better and for worse; she would now + show him what was her idea of the vow she had made. To the men who came to + ticket and number the furniture, to the tradesmen's messengers who called + for money, to the various workmen with whom the house was then invaded, + she was humble enough; but had Mrs. Val come across her with pity, or the + Miss Neverbends with their sententious twaddlings, she would have been + prouder than ever. Fallen indeed! She had had no fall; nor had he; he was + still a man, with a greater aggregate of good in him than falls to the + average lot of mortals. Who would dare to tell her that he had fallen? + 'Twas thus that her pride was still strong within her; and as it supported + her through this misery, who can blame her for it? + </p> + <p> + She was allowed into the prison twice a week; on Tuesdays and Fridays she + was permitted to spend one hour with her husband, and to take her child + with her. It is hardly necessary to say that she was punctual to the + appointed times. This, however, occupied but a short period, even of those + looked-for days; and in spite of her pride, and her constant needle, the + weary six months went from her all too slowly. + </p> + <p> + Nor did they pass with swifter foot within the prison. Alaric was allowed + the use of books and pens and paper, but even with these he found a day in + prison to be almost an unendurable eternity. This was the real punishment + of his guilt; it was not that he could not eat well, and lie soft, or + enjoy the comforts which had always surrounded him; but that the day would + not pass away. The slowness of the lagging hours nearly drove him mad. He + made a thousand resolutions as to reading, writing, and employment for his + mind. He attempted to learn whole pages by rote, and to fatigue himself to + rest by exercise of his memory. But his memory would not work; his mind + would continue idle; he was impotent over his own faculties. Oh, if he + could only sleep while these horrid weeks were passing over him! + </p> + <p> + All hope of regaining his situation had of course passed from him, all + hope of employment in England. Emigration must now be his lot; and hers + also, and the lot of that young one that was already born to them, and of + that other one who was, alas! now coming to the world, whose fate it would + be first to see the light under the walls of its father's prison.—Yes, + they must emigrate.—But there was nothing so very terrible in that. + Alaric felt that even his utter poverty would be no misfortune if only his + captivity were over. Poverty!—how could any man be poor who had + liberty to roam the world? + </p> + <p> + We all of us acknowledge that the educated man who breaks the laws is + justly liable to a heavier punishment than he who has been born in + ignorance, and bred, as it were, in the lap of sin; but we hardly realize + how much greater is the punishment which, when he be punished, the + educated man is forced to undergo. Confinement to the man whose mind has + never been lifted above vacancy is simply remission from labour. + Confinement, with labour, is simply the enforcement of that which has + hitherto been his daily lot. But what must a prison be to him whose + intellect has received the polish of the world's poetry, who has known + what it is to feed more than the belly, to require other aliment than + bread and meat? + </p> + <p> + And then, what does the poor criminal lose? His all, it will be said; and + the rich can lose no more. But this is not so. No man loses his all by any + sentence which a human judge can inflict. No man so loses anything + approaching to his all, however much he may have lost before. But the one + man has too often had no self-respect to risk; the other has stood high in + his own esteem, has held his head proudly before the world, has aspired to + walk in some way after the fashion of a god. Alaric had so aspired, and + how must he have felt during those prison days! Of what nature must his + thoughts have been when they turned to Gertrude and his child! His sin had + indeed been heavy, and heavy was the penalty which he suffered. When they + had been thus living for about three months, Gertrude's second child was + born. Mrs. Woodward was with her at the time, and she had suffered but + little except that for three weeks she was unable to see her husband; + then, in the teeth of all counsel, and in opposition to all medical + warning, she could resist no longer, and carried the newborn stranger to + his father. + </p> + <p> + 'Poor little wretch!' said Alaric, as he stooped to kiss him. + </p> + <p> + 'Wretch!' said Gertrude, looking up to him with a smile upon her face—'he + is no wretch. He is a sturdy little man, that shall yet live to make your + heart dance with joy.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward came often to see her. She did not stay, for there was no + bed in which she could have slept; but the train put her down at Vauxhall, + and she had but to pass the bridge, and she was close to Gertrude's + lodgings. And now the six months had nearly gone by, when, by appointment, + she brought Norman with her. At this time he had given up his clerkship at + the Weights and Measures, and was about to go to Normansgrove for the + remainder of the winter. Both Alaric and Norman had shown a great distaste + to meet each other. But Harry's heart softened towards Gertrude. Her + conduct during her husband's troubles had been so excellent, that he could + not but forgive her the injuries which he fancied he owed to her. + </p> + <p> + Everything was now prepared for their departure. They were to sail on the + very day after Alaric's liberation, so as to save him from the misery of + meeting those who might know him. And now Harry came with Mrs. Woodward to + bid farewell, probably for ever on this side the grave, to her whom he had + once looked on as his own. How different were their lots now! Harry was + Mr. Norman of Normansgrove, immediately about to take his place as the + squire of his parish, to sit among brother magistrates, to decide about + roads and poachers, parish rates and other all-absorbing topics, to be a + rural magistrate, and fill a place among perhaps the most fortunate of the + world's inhabitants. Gertrude was the wife of a convicted felon, who was + about to come forth from his prison in utter poverty, a man who, in such a + catalogue as the world makes of its inhabitants, would be ranked among the + very lowest. + </p> + <p> + And did Gertrude even now regret her choice? No, not for a moment! She + still felt certain in her heart of hearts that she had loved the one who + was the most worthy of a woman's love. We cannot, probably, all agree in + her opinion; but we will agree in this, at least, that she was now right + to hold such opinion. Had Normansgrove stretched from one boundary of the + county to the other, it would have weighed as nothing. Had Harry's virtues + been as bright as burnished gold—and indeed they had been bright—they + would have weighed as nothing. A nobler stamp of manhood was on her + husband—so at least Gertrude felt;—and manhood is the one + virtue which in a woman's breast outweighs all others. + </p> + <p> + They had not met since the evening on which Gertrude had declared to him + that she never could love him; and Norman, as he got out of the cab with + Mrs. Woodward, at No. 5, Paradise Row, Millbank, felt his heart beat + within him almost as strongly as he had done when he was about to propose + to her. He followed Mrs. Woodward into the dingy little house, and + immediately found himself in Gertrude's presence. + </p> + <p> + I should exaggerate the fact were I to say that he would not have known + her; but had he met her elsewhere, met her where he did not expect to meet + her, he would have looked at her more than once before he felt assured + that he was looking at Gertrude Woodward. It was not that she had grown + pale, or worn, or haggard; though, indeed, her face had on it that weighty + look of endurance which care will always give; it was not that she had + lost her beauty, and become unattractive in his eyes; but that the whole + nature of her mien and form, the very trick of her gait was changed. Her + eye was as bright as ever, but it was steady, composed, and resolved; her + lips were set and compressed, and there was no playfulness round her + mouth. Her hair was still smooth and bright, but it was more brushed off + from her temples than it had been of yore, and was partly covered by a bit + of black lace, which we presume we must call a cap; here and there, too, + through it, Norman's quick eye detected a few grey hairs. She was stouter + too than she had been, or else she seemed to be so from the changes in her + dress. Her step fell heavier on the floor than it used to do, and her + voice was quicker and more decisive in its tones. When she spoke to her + mother, she did so as one sister might do to another; and, indeed, Mrs. + Woodward seemed to exercise over her very little of the authority of a + parent. The truth was that Gertrude had altogether ceased to be a girl, + had altogether become a woman. Linda, with whom Norman at once compared + her, though but one year younger, was still a child in comparison with her + elder sister. Happy, happy Linda! + </p> + <p> + Gertrude had certainly proved herself to be an excellent wife; but perhaps + she might have made herself more pleasing to others if she had not so + entirely thrown off from herself all traces of juvenility. Could she, in + this respect, have taken a lesson from her mother, she would have been a + wiser woman. We have said that she consorted with Mrs. Woodward as though + they had been sisters; but one might have said that Gertrude took on + herself the manners of the elder sister. It is true that she had hard + duties to perform, a stern world to overcome, an uphill fight before her + with poverty, distress, and almost, nay, absolutely, with degradation. It + was well for her and Alaric that she could face it all with the true + courage of an honest woman. But yet those who had known her in her radiant + early beauty could not but regret that the young freshness of early years + should all have been laid aside so soon. + </p> + <p> + 'Linda, at any rate, far exceeds her in beauty,' was Norman's first + thought, as he stood for a moment to look at her—'and then Linda too + is so much more feminine.' 'Twas thus that Harry Norman consoled himself + in the first moment of his first interview with Alaric's wife. And he was + right in his thoughts. The world would now have called Linda the more + lovely of the two, and certainly the more feminine in the ladylike sense + of the word. If, however, devotion be feminine, and truth to one selected + life's companion, if motherly care be so, and an indomitable sense of the + duties due to one's own household, then Gertrude was not deficient in + feminine character. + </p> + <p> + 'You find me greatly altered, Harry, do you not?' said she, taking his + hand frankly, and perceiving immediately the effect which she had made + upon him. 'I am a steady old matron, am I not?—with a bairn on each + side of me,' and she pointed to her baby in the cradle, and to her other + boy sitting on his grandmother's knee. + </p> + <p> + Harry said he did find her altered. It was her dress, he said, and the cap + on her head. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, Harry; and some care and trouble too. To you, you know, to a friend + such as you are, I must own that care and trouble do tell upon one. Not, + thank God, that I have more than I can bear; not that I have not blessings + for which I cannot but be too thankful.' + </p> + <p> + 'And so these are your boys, Gertrude?' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes,' said she, cheerfully; 'these are the little men, that in the good + times coming will be managing vast kingdoms, and giving orders to this + worn-out old island of yours. Alley, my boy, sing your new song about the + 'good and happy land.' But Alley, who had got hold of his grandmother's + watch, and was staring with all his eyes at the stranger, did not seem + much inclined to be musical at the present moment. + </p> + <p> + 'And this is Charley's godson,' continued Gertrude, taking up the baby. + 'Dear Charley! he has been such a comfort to me.' + </p> + <p> + 'I have heard all about you daily from him,' said Harry. + </p> + <p> + 'I know you have—and he is daily talking of you, Harry. And so he + should do; so we all should do. What a glorious change this is for him! is + it not, Harry?' + </p> + <p> + Charley by this time had torn himself away from Mr. Snape and the navvies, + and transferred the whole of his official zeal and energies to the Weights + and Measures. The manner and reason of this must, however, be explained in + a subsequent chapter. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes,' said Harry, 'he has certainly got into a better office.' + </p> + <p> + 'And he will do well there?' + </p> + <p> + 'I am sure he will. It was impossible he should do well at that other + place. No man could do so. He is quite an altered man now. The only fault + I find with him is that he is so full of his heroes and heroines.' + </p> + <p> + 'So he is, Harry; he is always asking me what he is to do with some + forlorn lady or gentleman, 'Oh, smother her!' I said the other day. + 'Well,' said he, with a melancholy gravity, 'I'll try it; but I fear it + won't answer.' Poor Charley! what a friend you have been to him, Harry!' + </p> + <p> + 'A friend!' said Mrs. Woodward, who was still true to her adoration of + Norman. 'Indeed he has been a friend—a friend to us all. Who is + there like him?' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude could have found it in her heart to go back to the subject of old + days, and tell her mother that there was somebody much better even than + Harry Norman. But the present was hardly a time for such an assertion of + her own peculiar opinion. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, Harry,' she said, 'we have all much, too much, to thank you for. I + have to thank you on his account.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh no,' said he, ungraciously; 'there is nothing to thank me for,—not + on his account. Your mother and Captain Cuttwater——' and then + he stopped himself. What he meant was that he had sacrificed his little + fortune—for at the time his elder brother had still been living—not + to rescue, or in attempting to rescue, his old friend from misfortune—not, + at least, because that man had been his friend; but because he was the + husband of Gertrude Woodward, and of Mrs. Woodward's daughter. Could he + have laid bare his heart, he would have declared that Alaric Tudor owed + him nothing; that he had never forgiven, never could forgive, the wrongs + he had received from him; but that he had forgiven Alaric's wife; and that + having done so in the tenderness of his heart, he had been ready to give + up all that he possessed for her protection. He would have spared Gertrude + what pain he could; but he would not lie, and speak of Alaric Tudor with + affection. + </p> + <p> + 'But there is, Harry; there is,' said Gertrude; 'much—too much + —greatly too much. It is that now weighs me down more than anything. + Oh! Harry, how are we to pay to you all this money?' + </p> + <p> + 'It is with Mrs. Woodward,' said he coldly, 'and Captain Cuttwater, not + with me, that you should speak of that. Mr. Tudor owes me nothing.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Harry, Harry,' said she, 'do not call him Mr. Tudor—pray, pray; + now that we are going—now that we shall never wound your sight + again! do not call him Mr. Tudor. + </p> + <p> + He has done wrong; I do not deny it; but which of us is there that has + not?' + </p> + <p> + 'It was not on that account,' said he; 'I could forgive all that.' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude understood him, and her cheeks and brow became tinged with red. + It was not from shame, nor yet wholly from a sense of anger, but mingled + feelings filled her heart; feelings which she could in nowise explain. 'If + you have forgiven him that'—she would have said, had she thought it + right to speak out her mind—'if you have forgiven him that, then + there is nothing left for further forgiveness.' + </p> + <p> + Gertrude had twice a better knowledge of the world than he had, twice a + quicker perception of how things were going, and should be made to go. She + saw that it was useless to refer further to her husband. Norman had come + there at her request to say adieu to her; that she and he, who had been + friends since she was a child, might see each other before they were + separated for ever by half a world, and that they might part in love and + charity. She would be his sister-in-law, he would be son to her mother, + husband to her Linda; he had been, though he now denied it, her husband's + staunchest friend in his extremity; and it would have added greatly to the + bitterness of her departure had she been forced to go without speaking to + him one kindly word. The opportunity was given to her, and she would not + utterly mar its sweetness by insisting on his injustice to her husband. + </p> + <p> + They all remained silent for a while, during which Gertrude fondled her + baby, and Norman produced before the elder boy some present that he had + brought for him. + </p> + <p> + 'Now, Alley,' said Mrs. Woodward, 'you're a made man; won't that do + beautifully to play with on board the big ship?' + </p> + <p> + 'And so, Harry, you have given up official life altogether,' said + Gertrude. + </p> + <p> + 'Yes,' said he—'the last day of the last year saw my finale at the + Weights and Measures. I did not live long—officially—to enjoy + my promotion. I almost wish myself back again.' + </p> + <p> + 'You'll go in on melting days, like the retired tallow-chandler,' said + Gertrude; 'but, joking apart, I wish you joy on your freedom from + thraldom; a government office in England is thraldom. If a man were to + give his work only, it would be well. All men who have to live by labour + must do that; but a man has to give himself as well as his work; to + sacrifice his individuality; to become body and soul a part of a lumbering + old machine.' + </p> + <p> + This hardly came well from Gertrude, seeing that Alaric at any rate had + never been required to sacrifice any of his individuality. But she was + determined to hate all the antecedents of his life, as though those + antecedents, and not the laxity of his own principles, had brought about + his ruin. She was prepared to live entirely for the future, and to look + back on her London life as bad, tasteless, and demoralizing. England to + her was no longer a glorious country; for England's laws had made a felon + of her husband. She would go to a new land, new hopes, new ideas, new + freedom, new work, new life, and new ambition. 'Excelsior!' there was no + longer an excelsior left for talent and perseverance in this effete + country. She and hers would soon find room for their energies in a younger + land; and as she went she could not but pity those whom she left behind. + Her reasoning was hardly logical, but, perhaps, it was not unfortunate. + </p> + <p> + 'For myself,' said Norman, not quite following all this—'I always + liked the Civil Service, and now I leave it with a sort of regret. I am + quite glad that Charley has my old desk; it will keep up a sort of tie + between me and the place.' + </p> + <p> + 'What does Linda say about it, mamma?' + </p> + <p> + 'Linda and I are both of Harry's way of thinking,' said Mrs. Woodward, + 'because Normansgrove is such a distance.' + </p> + <p> + 'Distance!' repeated Gertrude, with something of sorrow, but more of scorn + in her tone. 'Distance, mamma! why you can get to her between breakfast + and dinner. Think where Melbourne is, mamma!' + </p> + <p> + 'It has nearly broken my heart to think of it,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'And you will still have Linda, mamma, and our darling Katie, and Harry, + and dear Charley. If the idea of distance should frighten anyone it is me. + But nothing shall frighten me while I have my husband and children. Harry, + you must not let mamma be too often alone when some other knight shall + have come and taken away Katie.' + </p> + <p> + 'We will take her to Normansgrove for good and all, if she will let us,' + said Harry. + </p> + <p> + And now the time came for them to part. Harry was to say good-bye to her, + and then to see her no more. Early on the following morning Gertrude was + to go to Hampton and see Katie for the last time; to see Katie for the + last time, and the Cottage, and the shining river, and all the well-known + objects among which she had passed her life. To Mrs. Woodward, to Linda, + and Katie, all this was subject of inexpressible melancholy; but with + Gertrude every feeling of romance seemed to have been absorbed by the + realities of life. She would, of course, go to Katie and give her a + farewell embrace, since Katie was still too weak to come to her; she would + say farewell to Uncle Bat, to whom she and Alaric owed so much; she would + doubtless shed a tear or two, and feel some emotion at parting, even from + the inanimate associations of her youth; but all this would now impress no + lasting sorrow on her. + </p> + <p> + She was eager to be off, eager for her new career, eager that he should + stand on a soil where he could once more face his fellow-creatures without + shame. She panted to put thousands of leagues of ocean between him and his + disgrace. + </p> + <p> + On the following morning Gertrude was to go to Hampton for two hours, and + then to return to Millbank, with her mother and sister, for whose + accommodation a bed had been hired in the neighbourhood. On that evening + Alaric would be released from his prison; and then before daybreak on the + following day they were to take their way to the far-off docks, and place + themselves on board the vessel which was to carry them to their distant + home. + </p> + <p> + 'God bless you, Gertrude,' said Norman, whose eyes were not dry. + </p> + <p> + 'God Almighty bless you, Harry, you and Linda—and make you happy. If + Linda does not write constantly very constantly, you must do it for her. + We have delayed the happiness of your marriage, Harry—you must + forgive us that, as well as all our other trespasses. I fear Linda will + never forgive that.' + </p> + <p> + 'You won't find her unmerciful on that score,' said he. 'Dear Gertrude, + good-bye.' + </p> + <p> + She put up her face to him, and he kissed her, for the first time in his + life. 'He bade me give you his love,' said she, in her last whisper; 'I + must, you know, do his bidding.' + </p> + <p> + Norman's heart palpitated so that he could hardly compose his voice for + his last answer; but even then he would not be untrue to his inexorable + obstinacy; he could not send his love to a man he did not love. 'Tell + him,' said he, 'that he has my sincerest wishes for success wherever he + may be; and Gertrude, I need hardly say——' but he could get no + further. + </p> + <p> + And so they parted. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0044" id="link2HCH0044"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XLIV. — THE CRIMINAL POPULATION IS DISPOSED OF + </h2> + <p> + Before we put Alaric on board the ship which is to take him away from the + land in which he might have run so exalted a career, we must say one word + as to the fate and fortunes of his old friend Undy Scott. This gentleman + has not been represented in our pages as an amiable or high-minded person. + He has indeed been the bad spirit of the tale, the Siva of our mythology, + the devil that has led our hero into temptation, the incarnation of evil, + which it is always necessary that the novelist should have personified in + one of his characters to enable him to bring about his misfortunes, his + tragedies, and various requisite catastrophes. Scott had his Varney and + such-like; Dickens his Bill Sykes and such-like; all of whom are properly + disposed of before the end of those volumes in which are described their + respective careers. + </p> + <p> + I have ventured to introduce to my readers, as my devil, Mr. Undy Scott, + M.P. for the Tillietudlem district burghs; and I also feel myself bound to + dispose of him, though of him I regret I cannot make so decent an end as + was done with Sir Richard Varney and Bill Sykes. + </p> + <p> + He deserves, however, as severe a fate as either of those heroes. With the + former we will not attempt to compare him, as the vices and devilry of the + days of Queen Elizabeth are in no way similar to those in which we + indulge; but with Bill Sykes we may contrast him, as they flourished in + the same era, and had their points of similitude, as well as their points + of difference. + </p> + <p> + They were both apparently born to prey on their own species; they both + resolutely adhered to a fixed rule that they would in nowise earn their + bread, and to a rule equally fixed that, though they would earn no bread, + they would consume much. They were both of them blessed with a total + absence of sensibility and an utter disregard to the pain of others, and + had no other use for a heart than that of a machine for maintaining the + circulation of the blood. It is but little to say that neither of them + ever acted on principle, on a knowledge, that is, of right and wrong, and + a selection of the right; in their studies of the science of evil they had + progressed much further than this, and had taught themselves to believe + that that which other men called virtue was, on its own account, to be + regarded as mawkish, insipid, and useless for such purposes as the + acquisition of money or pleasure; whereas vice was, on its own account, to + be preferred, as offering the only road to those things which they were + desirous of possessing. + </p> + <p> + So far there was a great resemblance between Bill Sykes and Mr. Scott; but + then came the points of difference, which must give to the latter a great + pre-eminence in the eyes of that master whom they had both so worthily + served. Bill could not boast the merit of selecting the course which he + had run; he had served the Devil, having had, as it were, no choice in the + matter; he was born and bred and educated an evil-doer, and could hardly + have deserted from the colours of his great Captain, without some + spiritual interposition to enable him to do so. To Undy a warmer reward + must surely be due: he had been placed fairly on the world's surface, with + power to choose between good and bad, and had deliberately taken the + latter; to him had, at any rate, been explained the theory of <i>meum</i> + and <i>tuum</i>, and he had resolved that he liked <i>tuum</i> better than + <i>meum</i>; he had learnt that there is a God ruling over us, and a Devil + hankering after us, and had made up his mind that he would belong to the + latter. Bread and water would have come to him naturally without any + villany on his part, aye, and meat and milk, and wine and oil, the fat + things of the world; but he elected to be a villain; he liked to do the + Devil's bidding.—Surely he was the better servant; surely he shall + have the richer reward. + </p> + <p> + And yet poor Bill Sykes, for whom here I would willingly say a word or + two, could I, by so saying, mitigate the wrath against him, is always held + as the more detestable scoundrel. Lady, you now know them both. Is it not + the fact, that, knowing him as you do, you could spend a pleasant hour + enough with Mr. Scott, sitting next to him at dinner; whereas your blood + would creep within you, your hair would stand on end, your voice would + stick in your throat, if you were suddenly told that Bill Sykes was in + your presence? + </p> + <p> + Poor Bill! I have a sort of love for him, as he walks about wretched with + that dog of his, though I know that it is necessary to hang him. Yes, + Bill; I, your friend, cannot gainsay that, must acknowledge that. Hard as + the case may be, you must be hung; hung out of the way of further + mischief; my spoons, my wife's throat, my children's brains, demand that. + You, Bill, and polecats, and such-like, must be squelched when we can come + across you, seeing that you make yourself so universally disagreeable. It + is your ordained nature to be disagreeable; you plead silently. I know it; + I admit the hardship of your case; but still, my Bill, self-preservation + is the first law of nature. You must be hung. But, while hanging you, I + admit that you are more sinned against than sinning. There is another, + Bill, another, who will surely take account of this in some way, though it + is not for me to tell you how. + </p> + <p> + Yes, I hang Bill Sykes with soft regret; but with what a savage joy, with + what exultation of heart, with what alacrity of eager soul, with what + aptitude of mind to the deed, would I hang my friend, Undy Scott, the + member of Parliament for the Tillietudlem burghs, if I could but get at + his throat for such a purpose! Hang him! aye, as high as Haman! In this + there would be no regret, no vacillation of purpose, no doubt as to the + propriety of the sacrifice, no feeling that I was so treating him, not for + his own desert, but for my advantage. + </p> + <p> + We hang men, I believe, with this object only, that we should deter others + from crime; but in hanging Bill we shall hardly deter his brother. Bill + Sykes must look to crime for his bread, seeing that he has been so + educated, seeing that we have not yet taught him another trade. + </p> + <p> + But if I could hang Undy Scott, I think I should deter some others. The + figure of Undy swinging from a gibbet at the broad end of Lombard Street + would have an effect. Ah! my fingers itch to be at the rope. + </p> + <p> + Fate, however, and the laws are averse. To gibbet him, in one sense, would + have been my privilege, had I drunk deeper from that Castalian rill whose + dark waters are tinged with the gall of poetic indignation; but as in + other sense I may not hang him, I will tell how he was driven from his + club, and how he ceased to number himself among the legislators of his + country. + </p> + <p> + Undy Scott, among his other good qualities, possessed an enormous quantity + of that which schoolboys in these days call 'cheek.' He was not easily + browbeaten, and was generally prepared to browbeat others. Mr. + Chaffanbrass certainly did get the better of him; but then Mr. + Chaffanbrass was on his own dunghill. Could Undy Scott have had Mr. + Chaffanbrass down at the clubs, there would have been, perhaps, another + tale to tell. + </p> + <p> + Give me the cock that can crow in any yard; such cocks, however, we know + are scarce. Undy Scott, as he left the Old Bailey, was aware that he had + cut a sorry figure, and felt that he must immediately do something to put + himself right again, at any rate before his portion of the world. He must + perform some exploit uncommonly cheeky in order to cover his late + discomfiture. To get the better of Mr. Chaffanbrass at the Old Bailey had + been beyond him; but he might yet do something at the clubs to set aside + the unanimous verdict which had been given against him in the city. Nay, + he must do something, unless he was prepared to go to the wall utterly, + and at once. + </p> + <p> + Going to the wall with Undy would mean absolute ruin; he lived but on the + cheekiness of his gait and habits; he had become member of Parliament, + Government official, railway director, and club aristocrat, merely by dint + of cheek. He had now received a great blow; he had stood before a crowd, + and been annihilated by the better cheek of Mr. Chaffanbrass, and, + therefore, it behoved him at once to do something. When the perfume of the + rose grows stale, the flower is at once thrown aside, and carried off as + foul refuse. It behoved Undy to see that his perfume was maintained in its + purity, or he, too, would be carried off. + </p> + <p> + The club to which Undy more especially belonged was called the Downing; + and of this Alaric was also a member, having been introduced into it by + his friend. Here had Alaric spent by far too many of the hours of his + married life, and had become well known and popular. At the time of his + conviction, the summer was far advanced; it was then August; but + Parliament was still sitting, and there were sufficient club men remaining + in London to create a daily gathering at the Downing. + </p> + <p> + On the day following that on which the verdict was found, Undy convened a + special committee of the club, in order that he might submit to it a + proposition which he thought it indispensable should come from him; so, at + least, he declared. The committee did assemble, and when Undy met it, he + saw among the faces before him not a few with whom he would willingly have + dispensed. However, he had come there to exercise his cheek; no one there + should cow him; the wig of Mr. Chaffanbrass was, at any rate, absent. + </p> + <p> + And so he submitted his proposition. I need not trouble my readers with + the neat little speech in which it was made. Undy was true to himself, and + the speech was neat. The proposition was this: that as he had + unfortunately been the means of introducing Mr. Alaric Tudor to the club, + he considered it to be his duty to suggest that the name of that gentleman + should be struck off the books. He then expressed his unmitigated disgust + at the crime of which Tudor had been found guilty, uttered some nice + little platitudes in the cause of virtue, and expressed a hope 'that he + might so far refer to a personal matter as to say that his father's family + would take care that the lady, whose fortune had been the subject of the + trial, should not lose one penny through the dishonesty of her trustee.' + </p> + <p> + Oh, Undy, as high as Haman, if I could! as high as Haman! and if not in + Lombard Street, then on that open ground where Waterloo Place bisects Pall + Mall, so that all the clubs might see thee! + </p> + <p> + 'He would advert,' he said, 'to one other matter, though, perhaps, his + doing so was unnecessary. It was probably known to them all that he had + been a witness at the late trial; an iniquitous attempt had been made by + the prisoner's counsel to connect his name with the prisoner's guilt. They + all too well knew the latitude allowed to lawyers in the criminal courts, + to pay much attention to this. Had he' (Undy Scott) 'in any way infringed + the laws of his country, he was there to answer for it. But he would go + further than this, and declare that if any member of that club doubted his + probity in the matter, he was perfectly willing to submit to such member + documents which would,' &c., &c. + </p> + <p> + He finished his speech, and an awful silence reigned around him. No + enthusiastic ardour welcomed the well-loved Undy back to his club, and + comforted him after the rough usage of the unpolished Chaffanbrass. No ten + or twenty combined voices expressed, by their clamorous negation of the + last-proposed process, that their Undy was above reproach. The eyes around + looked into him with no friendly alacrity. Undy, Undy, more cheek still, + still more cheek, or you are surely lost. + </p> + <p> + 'If,' said he, in a well-assumed indignant tone of injured innocence, + 'there be any in the club who do suspect me of anything unbecoming a + gentleman in this affair, I am willing to retire from it till the matter + shall have been investigated; but in such case I demand that the + investigation be immediate.' + </p> + <p> + Oh, Undy, Undy, the supply of cheek is not bad; it is all but unlimited; + but yet it suffices thee not. 'Can there be positions in this modern West + End world of mine,' thought Undy to himself, 'in which cheek, unbounded + cheek, will not suffice?' Oh, Undy, they are rare; but still there are + such, and this, unfortunately for thee, seemeth to be one of them. + </p> + <p> + And then got up a discreet old baronet, one who moveth not often in the + affairs around him, but who, when he moveth, stirreth many waters; a man + of broad acres, and a quiet, well-assured fame which has grown to him + without his seeking it, as barnacles grow to the stout keel when it has + been long a-swimming; him, of all men, would Undy have wished to see + unconcerned with these matters. + </p> + <p> + Not in many words, nor eloquent did Sir Thomas speak. 'He felt it his + duty,' he said, 'to second the proposal made by Mr. Scott for removing Mr. + Tudor from amongst them. He had watched this trial with some care, and he + pitied Mr. Tudor from the bottom of his heart. He would not have thought + that he could have felt so strong a sympathy for a man convicted of + dishonesty. But, Mr. Tudor had been convicted, and he must incur the + penalties of his fault. One of these penalties must, undoubtedly, be his + banishment from this club. He therefore seconded Mr. Scott's proposal.' + </p> + <p> + He then stood silent for a moment, having finished that task; but yet he + did not sit down. Why, oh, why does he not sit down? why, O Undy, does he + thus stand, looking at the surface of the table on which he is leaning? + </p> + <p> + 'And now,' he said, 'he had another proposition to make; and that was that + Mr. Undecimus Scott should also be expelled from the club,' and having so + spoken, in a voice of unusual energy, he then sat down. + </p> + <p> + And now, Undy, you may as well pack up, and be off, without further fuss, + to Boulogne, Ostend, or some such idle Elysium, with such money-scrapings + as you may be able to collect together. No importunity will avail thee + anything against the judges and jurymen who are now trying thee. One word + from that silent old baronet was worse to thee than all that Mr. + Chaffanbrass could say. Come! pack up; and begone. + </p> + <p> + But he was still a Member of Parliament. The Parliament, however, was + about to be dissolved, and, of course, it would be useless for him to + stand again; he, like Mr. M'Buffer had had his spell of it, and he + recognized the necessity of vanishing. He at first thought that his life + as a legislator might be allowed to come to a natural end, that he might + die as it were in his bed, without suffering the acute pain of applying + for the Chiltern Hundreds. In this, however, he found himself wrong. The + injured honour of all the Tillietudlemites rose against him with one + indignant shout; and a rumour, a horrid rumour, of a severer fate met his + ears. He applied at once for the now coveted sinecure,—and was + refused. Her Majesty could not consent to entrust to him the duties of the + situation in question—; and in lieu thereof the House expelled him + by its unanimous voice. + </p> + <p> + And now, indeed, it was time for him to pack and begone. He was now liable + to the vulgarest persecution from the vulgar herd; his very tailor and + bootmaker would beleaguer him, and coarse unwashed bailiffs take him by + the collar. Yes, now indeed, it was time to be off. + </p> + <p> + And off he was. He paid one fleeting visit to my Lord at Cauldkail Castle, + collecting what little he might; another to his honourable wife, adding + some slender increase to his little budget, and then he was off. Whither, + it is needless to say—to Hamburg perhaps, or to Ems, or the richer + tables of Homburg. How he flourished for a while with ambiguous success; + how he talked to the young English tourists of what he had done when in + Parliament, especially for the rights of married women; how he poked his + 'Honourable' card in every one's way, and lugged Lord Gaberlunzie into all + conversations; how his face became pimply and his wardrobe seedy; and how + at last his wretched life will ooze out from him in some dark corner, like + the filthy juice of a decayed fungus which makes hideous the hidden wall + on which it bursts, all this is unnecessary more particularly to describe. + He is probably still living, and those who desire his acquaintance will + find him creeping round some gambling table, and trying to look as though + he had in his pocket ample means to secure those hoards of money which men + are so listlessly raking about. From our view he has now vanished. + </p> + <p> + It was a bitter February morning, when two cabs stood packing themselves + at No. 5, Paradise Row, Millbank. It was hardly yet six o'clock, and + Paradise Row was dark as Erebus; that solitary gas-light sticking out from + the wall of the prison only made darkness visible; the tallow candles + which were brought in and out with every article that was stuffed under a + seat, or into a corner, would get themselves blown out; and the sleet + which was falling fast made the wicks wet, so that they could with + difficulty be relighted. + </p> + <p> + But at last the cabs were packed with luggage, and into one got Gertrude + with her husband, her baby, and her mother; and into the other Charley + handed Linda, then Alley, and lastly, the youthful maiden, who humbly + begged his pardon as she stepped up to the vehicle; and then, having given + due directions to the driver, he not without difficulty squeezed himself + into the remaining space. + </p> + <p> + Such journeys as these are always made at a slow pace. Cabmen know very + well who must go fast, and who may go slow. Women with children going on + board an emigrant vessel at six o'clock on a February morning may be taken + very slowly. And very slowly Gertrude and her party were taken. Time had + been—nay, it was but the other day—when Alaric's impatient + soul would have spurned at such a pace as this. But now he sat tranquil + enough. His wife held one of his hands, and the other he pressed against + his eyes, as though shading them from the light. Light there was none, but + he had not yet learnt to face Mrs. Woodward even in the darkness. + </p> + <p> + He had come out of the prison on the day before, and had spent an evening + with her. It is needless to say that no one had upbraided him, that no one + had hinted that his backslidings had caused all this present misery, had + brought them all to that wretched cabin, and would on the morrow separate, + perhaps for ever, a mother and a child who loved each other so dearly. No + one spoke to him of this; perhaps no one thought of it; he, however, did + so think of it that he could not hold his head up before them. + </p> + <p> + 'He was ill,' Gertrude said; 'his long confinement had prostrated him; but + the sea air would revive him in a day or two.' And then she made herself + busy, and got the tea for them, and strove, not wholly in vain,' to drive + dull care away!' + </p> + <p> + But slowly as the cabs went in spite of Charley's vocal execrations, they + did get to the docks in time. Who, indeed, was ever too late at the docks? + Who, that ever went there, had not to linger, linger, linger, till every + shred of patience was clean worn out? They got to the docks in time, and + got on board that fast-sailing, clipper-built, never-beaten, + always-healthy ship, the <i>Flash of Lightning</i>, 5,600 tons, A 1. Why, + we have often wondered, are ships designated as A 1, seeing that all ships + are of that class? Where is the excellence, seeing that all share it? Of + course the <i>Flash of Lightning</i> was A 1. The author has for years + been looking out, and has not yet found a ship advertised as A 2, or even + as B 1. What is this catalogue of comparative excellence, of which there + is but one visible number? + </p> + <p> + The world, we think, makes a great mistake on the subject of saying, or + acting, farewell. The word or deed should partake of the suddenness of + electricity; but we all drawl through it at a snail's pace. We are + supposed to tear ourselves from our friends; but tearing is a process + which should be done quickly. What is so wretched as lingering over a last + kiss, giving the hand for the third time, saying over and over again, + 'Good-bye, John, God bless you; and mind you write!' Who has not seen his + dearest friends standing round the window of a railway carriage, while the + train would not start, and has not longed to say to them, 'Stand not upon + the order of your going, but go at once!' And of all such farewells, the + ship's farewell is the longest and the most dreary. One sits on a damp + bench, snuffing up the odour of oil and ropes, cudgelling one's brains to + think what further word of increased tenderness can be spoken. No tenderer + word can be spoken. One returns again and again to the weather, to coats + and cloaks, perhaps even to sandwiches and the sherry flask. All effect is + thus destroyed, and a trespass is made even on the domain of feeling. + </p> + <p> + I remember a line of poetry, learnt in my earliest youth, and which I + believe to have emanated from a sentimental Frenchman, a man of genius, + with whom my parents were acquainted. It is as follows:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Are you go?—Is you gone?—And I left?—Vera vell! +</pre> + <p> + Now the whole business of a farewell is contained in that line. When the + moment comes, let that be said; let that be said and felt, and then let + the dear ones depart. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward and Gertrude—God bless them!—had never studied + the subject. They knew no better than to sit in the nasty cabin, + surrounded by boxes, stewards, porters, children, and abominations of + every kind, holding each other's hands, and pressing damp handkerchiefs to + their eyes. The delay, the lingering, upset even Gertrude, and brought her + for a moment down to the usual level of leave-taking womanhood. Alaric, + the meanwhile, stood leaning over the taffrail with Charley, as mute as + the fishes beneath him. + </p> + <p> + 'Write to us the moment you get there,' said Charley. How often had the + injunction been given! 'And now we had better get off—you'll be + better when we are gone, Alaric,'—Charley had some sense of the + truth about him—'and, Alaric, take my word for it, I'll come and set + the Melbourne Weights and Measures to rights before long—I'll come + and weigh your gold for you.' + </p> + <p> + 'We had better be going now,' said Charley, looking down into the cabin; + 'they may let loose and be off any moment now.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Charley, not yet, not yet,' said Linda, clinging to her sister. + </p> + <p> + 'You'll have to go down to the Nore, if you stay; that's all,' said + Charley. + </p> + <p> + And then again began the kissing and the crying. Yes, ye dear ones—it + is hard to part—it is hard for the mother to see the child of her + bosom torn from her for ever; it is cruel that sisters should be severed: + it is a harsh sentence for the world to give, that of such a separation as + this. These, O ye loving hearts, are the penalties of love! Those that are + content to love must always be content to pay them. + </p> + <p> + 'Go, mamma, go,' said Gertrude; 'dearest, best, sweetest mother—my + own, own mother; go, Linda, darling Linda. Give my kindest love to Harry—Charley, + you and Harry will be good to mamma, I know you will. And mamma'—and + then she whispered to her mother one last prayer in Charley's favour—'she + may love him now, indeed she may.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric came to them at the last moment—'Mrs. Woodward,' said he, + 'say that you forgive me.' + </p> + <p> + 'I do,' said she, embracing him—'God knows that I do;—but, + Alaric, remember what a treasure you possess.' + </p> + <p> + And so they parted. May God speed the wanderers! + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0045" id="link2HCH0045"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XLV. — THE FATE OF THE NAVVIES + </h2> + <p> + And now, having dispatched Alaric and his wife and bairns on their long + journey, we must go back for a while and tell how Charley had been + transformed from an impudent, idle young Navvy into a well-conducted, + zealous young Weights. + </p> + <p> + When Alaric was convicted, Charley had, as we all know, belonged to the + Internal Navigation; when the six months' sentence had expired, Charley + was in full blow at the decorous office in Whitehall; and during the same + period Norman had resigned and taken on himself the new duties of a + country squire. The change which had been made had affected others than + Charley. It had been produced by one of those far-stretching, world-moving + commotions which now and then occur, sometimes twice or thrice in a + generation, and, perhaps, not again for half a century, causing timid men + to whisper in corners, and the brave and high-spirited to struggle with + the struggling waves, so that when the storm subsides they may be found + floating on the surface. A moral earthquake had been endured by a portion + of the Civil Service of the country. + </p> + <p> + The Internal Navigation had—No, my prognostic reader, it had not + been reformed; no new blood had been infused into it; no attempt had been + made to produce a better discipline by the appointment of a younger + secretary; there had been no carting away of decayed wood in the shape of + Mr. Snape, or gathering of rank weeds in the form of Mr. Corkscrew; + nothing of the kind had been attempted. No—the disease had gone too + far either for phlebotomy, purging, or cautery. The Internal Navigation + had ceased to exist! Its demise had been in this wise.—It may be + remembered that some time since Mr. Oldeschole had mentioned in the + hearing of Mr. Snape that things were going wrong. Sir Gregory Hardlines + had expressed an adverse opinion as to the Internal Navigation, and worse, + ten times worse than that, there had been an article in the <i>Times</i>. + Now, we all know that if anything is ever done in any way towards + improvement in these days, the public press does it. And we all know, + also, of what the public press consists. Mr. Oldeschole knew this well, + and even Mr. Snape had a glimmering idea of the truth. When he read that + article, Mr. Oldeschole felt that his days were numbered, and Mr. Snape, + when he heard of it, began to calculate for the hundredth time to what + highest amount of pension he might be adjudged to be entitled by a + liberal-minded Treasury minute. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Oldeschole began to set his house in order, hopelessly; for any such + effort the time was gone by. It was too late for the office to be so done + by, and too late for Mr. Oldeschole to do it. He had no aptitude for new + styles and modern improvements; he could not understand Sir Gregory's code + of rules, and was dumbfounded by the Civil Service requisitions that were + made upon him from time to time. Then came frequent calls for him to + attend at Sir Gregory's office. There a new broom had been brought in, in + the place of our poor friend Alaric, a broom which seemed determined to + sweep all before it with an unmitigable energy. Mr. Oldeschole found that + he could not stand at all before this young Hercules, seeing that his + special stall was considered to be the foulest in the whole range of the + Augean stables. He soon saw that the river was to be turned in on him, and + that he was to be officially obliterated in the flood. + </p> + <p> + The civility of those wonder-doing demigods—those Magi of the Civil + Service office—was most oppressive to him. When he got to the board, + he was always treated with a deference which he knew was but a prelude to + barbaric tortures. They would ask him to sit down in a beautiful new + leathern arm-chair, as though he were really some great man, and then + examine him as they would a candidate for the Custom House, smiling + always, but looking at him as though they were determined to see through + him. + </p> + <p> + They asked him all manner of questions; but there was one question which + they put to him, day after day, for four days, that nearly drove him mad. + It was always put by that horrid young lynx-eyed new commissioner, who sat + there with his hair brushed high from off his forehead, peering out of his + capacious, excellently-washed shirt-collars, a personification of + conscious official zeal. + </p> + <p> + 'And now, Mr. Oldeschole, if you have had leisure to consider the question + more fully, perhaps you can define to us what is the—hum—hm—the + use—hm—hm—the exact use of the Internal Navigation + Office?' + </p> + <p> + And then Sir Warwick would go on looking through his millstone as though + now he really had a hope of seeing something, and Sir Gregory would lean + back in his chair, and rubbing his hands slowly over each other, like a + great Akinetos as he was, wait leisurely for Mr. Oldeschole's answer, or + rather for his no answer. + </p> + <p> + What a question was this to ask of a man who had spent all his life in the + Internal Navigation Office! O reader! should it chance that thou art a + clergyman, imagine what it would be to thee, wert thou asked what is the + exact use of the Church of England; and that, too, by some stubborn + catechist whom thou wert bound to answer; or, if a lady, happy in a + husband and family, say, what would be thy feelings if demanded to define + the exact use of matrimony? Use! Is it not all in all to thee? + </p> + <p> + Mr. Oldeschole felt a hearty inward conviction that his office had been of + very great use. In the first place, had he not drawn from it a thousand a + year for the last five-and-twenty years? had it not given maintenance and + employment to many worthy men who might perhaps have found it difficult to + obtain maintenance elsewhere? had it not always been an office, a public + office of note and reputation, with proper work assigned to it? The use of + it—the exact use of it? Mr. Oldeschole at last declared, with some + indignation in his tone, that he had been there for forty years and knew + well that the office was very useful; but that he would not undertake to + define its exact use. 'Thank you, thank you, Mr. Oldeschole—that + will do, I think,' said the very spruce-looking new gentleman out of his + shirt-collars. + </p> + <p> + In these days there was a kind of prescience at the Internal Navigation + that something special was going to be done with them. Mr. Oldeschole said + nothing openly; but it may be presumed that he did whisper somewhat to + those of the seniors around him in whom he most confided. And then, his + frequent visits to Whitehall were spoken of even by the most thoughtless + of the navvies, and the threatenings of the coming storm revealed + themselves with more or less distinctness to every mind. + </p> + <p> + At last the thunder-cloud broke and the bolt fell. Mr. Oldeschole was + informed that the Lords of the Treasury had resolved on breaking up the + establishment and providing for the duties in another way. As the word + duties passed Sir Gregory's lips a slight smile was seen to hover round + the mouth of the new commissioner. Mr. Oldeschole would, he was informed, + receive an official notification to this effect on the following morning; + and on the following morning accordingly a dispatch arrived, of great + length, containing the resolution of my Lords, and putting an absolute + extinguisher on the life of every navvy. + </p> + <p> + How Mr. Oldeschole, with tears streaming down his cheeks, communicated the + tidings to the elder brethren; and how the elder brethren, with + palpitating hearts and quivering voices, repeated the tale to the + listening juniors, I cannot now describe. The boldest spirits were then + cowed, the loudest miscreants were then silenced, there were but few + gibes, but little jeering at the Internal Navigation on that day; though + Charley, who had already other hopes, contrived to keep up his spirits. + The men stood about talking in clusters, and old animosities were at an + end. The lamb sat down with the wolf, and Mr. Snape and Dick Scatterall + became quite confidential. + </p> + <p> + 'I knew it was going to happen,' said Mr. Snape to him. 'Indeed, Mr. + Oldeschole has been consulting us about it for some time; but I must own I + did not think it would be so sudden; I must own that.' + </p> + <p> + 'If you knew it was coming,' said Corkscrew, 'why didn't you tell a chap?' + </p> + <p> + 'I was not at liberty,' said Mr. Snape, looking very wise. + </p> + <p> + 'We shall all have liberty enough now,' said Scatterall; 'I wonder what + they'll do with us; eh, Charley?' + </p> + <p> + 'I believe they will send the worst of us to Spike Island or Dartmoor + prison,' said Charley; 'but Mr. Snape, no doubt, has heard and can tell + us.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, come, Charley! It don't do to chaff now,' said a young navvy, who was + especially down in the mouth. 'I wonder will they do anything for a + fellow?' + </p> + <p> + 'I heard my uncle, in Parliament Street, say, that when a chap has got any + <i>infested</i> interest in a thing, they can't turn him out,' said + Corkscrew; 'and my uncle is a parliamentary agent.' + </p> + <p> + 'Can't they though!' said Scatterall. 'It seems to me that they mean to, + at any rate; there wasn't a word about pensions or anything of that sort, + was there, Mr. Snape?' + </p> + <p> + 'Not a word,' said Snape. 'But those who are entitled to pensions can't be + affected injuriously. As far as I can see they must give me my whole + salary. I don't think they can do less.' + </p> + <p> + 'You're all serene then, Mr. Snape,' said Charley; 'you're in the right + box. Looking at matters in that light, Mr. Snape, I think you ought to + stand something handsome in the shape of lunch. Come, what do you say to + chops and stout all round? Dick will go over and order it in a minute.' + </p> + <p> + 'I wish you wouldn't, Charley,' said the navvy who seemed to be most + affected, and who, in his present humour, could not endure a joke, As Mr. + Snape did not seem to accede to Charley's views, the liberal proposition + fell to the ground. + </p> + <p> + 'Care killed a cat,' said Scatterall. 'I shan't break my heart about it. I + never liked the shop—did you, Charley?' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I must say I think we have been very comfortable here, under Mr. + Snape,' said Charley. But if Mr. Snape is to go, why the office certainly + would be deuced dull without him.' + </p> + <p> + 'Charley!' said the broken-hearted young navvy, in a tone of reproach. + </p> + <p> + Sorrow, however, did not take away their appetite, and as Mr. Snape did + not see fitting occasion for providing a banquet, they clubbed together, + and among them managed to get a spread of beefsteaks and porter. + Scatterall, as requested, went across the Strand to order it at the + cookshop, while Corkscrew and Charley prepared the tables. 'And now mind + it's the thing,' said Dick, who, with intimate familiarity, had penetrated + into the eating-house kitchen; 'not dry, you know, or too much done; and + lots of fat.' + </p> + <p> + And then, as the generous viands renewed their strength, and as the potent + stout warmed their blood, happier ideas came to them, and they began to + hope that the world was not all over. 'Well, I shall try for the Customs,' + said the unhappy one, after a deep pull at the pewter. 'I shall try for + the Customs; one does get such stunning feeds for tenpence at that place + in Thames Street.' Poor youth! his ideas of earning his bread did not in + their wildest flight spread beyond the public offices of the Civil + Service. + </p> + <p> + For a few days longer they hung about the old office, doing nothing—how + could men so circumstanced do anything?—and waiting for their fate. + At last their fate was announced. Mr. Oldeschole retired with his full + salary. Secretaries and such-like always retire with full pay, as it is + necessary that dignity should be supported. Mr. Snape and the other + seniors were pensioned, with a careful respect to their years of service; + with which arrangement they all of them expressed themselves highly + indignant, and loudly threatened to bring the cruelty of their treatment + before Parliament, by the aid of sundry members, who were supposed to be + on the look out for such work; but as nothing further was ever heard of + them, it may be presumed that the members in question did not regard the + case as one on which the Government of the day was sufficiently vulnerable + to make it worth their while to trouble themselves. Of the younger clerks, + two or three, including the unhappy one, were drafted into other offices; + some others received one or more years' pay, and then tore themselves away + from the fascinations of London life; among those was Mr. R. Scatterall, + who, in after years, will doubtless become a lawgiver in Hong-Kong; for to + that colony has he betaken himself. Some few others, more unfortunate than + the rest, among whom poor Screwy was the most conspicuous, were treated + with a more absolute rigour, and were sent upon the world portionless. + Screwy had been constant in his devotion to pork chops, and had persisted + in spelling blue without the final 'e.' He was therefore, declared + unworthy of any further public confidence whatever. He is now in his + uncle's office in Parliament Street; and it is to be hoped that his + peculiar talents may there be found useful. + </p> + <p> + And so the Internal Navigation Office came to an end, and the dull, dingy + rooms were vacant. Ruthless men shovelled off as waste paper all the lock + entries of which Charley had once been so proud; and the ponderous + ledgers, which Mr. Snape had delighted to haul about, were sent away into + Cimmerian darkness, and probably to utter destruction. And then the + Internal Navigation was no more. + </p> + <p> + Among those who were drafted into other offices was Charley, whom + propitious fate took to the Weights and Measures. But it must not be + imagined that chance took him there. The Weights and Measures was an + Elysium, the door of which was never casually open. + </p> + <p> + Charley at this time was a much-altered man; not that he had become a good + clerk at his old office—such a change one may say was impossible; + there were no good clerks at the Internal Navigation, and Charley had so + long been among navvies the most knavish or navviest, that any such + transformation would have met with no credence—but out of his office + he had become a much-altered man. As Katie had said, it was as though some + one had come to him from the dead. He could not go back to his old haunts, + he could not return like a dog to his vomit, as long as he had that purse + so near his heart, as long as that voice sounded in his ear, while the + memory of that kiss lingered in his heart. + </p> + <p> + He now told everything to Gertrude, all his debts, all his love, and all + his despair. There is no relief for sorrow like the sympathy of a friend, + if one can only find it. But then the sympathy must be real; mock sympathy + always tells the truth against itself, always fails to deceive. He told + everything to Gertrude, and by her counsel he told much to Norman. He + could not speak to him, true friend as he was, of Katie and her love. + There was that about the subject which made it too sacred for man's ears, + too full of tenderness to be spoken of without feminine tears. It was only + in the little parlour at Paradise Row, when the evening had grown dark, + and Gertrude was sitting with her baby in her arms, that the boisterous + young navvy could bring himself to speak of his love. + </p> + <p> + During these months Katie's health had greatly improved, and as she + herself had gained in strength, she had gradually begun to think that it + was yet possible for her to live. Little was now said by her about + Charley, and not much was said of him in her hearing; but still she did + learn how he had changed his office, and with his office his mode of life; + she did hear of his literary efforts, and of his kindness to Gertrude, and + it would seem as though it were ordained that his moral life and her + physical life were to gain strength together. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0046" id="link2HCH0046"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XLVI. — MR. NOGO'S LAST QUESTION + </h2> + <p> + But at this time Charley was not idle. The fate of 'Crinoline and + Macassar' has not yet been told; nor has that of the two rival chieftains, + the 'Baron of Ballyporeen and Sir Anthony Allan-a-dale.' These + heart-rending tales appeared in due course, bit by bit, in the pages of + the <i>Daily Delight</i>. On every morning of the week, Sundays excepted, + a page and a half of Charley's narrative was given to the expectant + public; and though I am not prepared to say that the public received the + offering with any violent acclamations of applause, that his name became + suddenly that of a great unknown, that literary cliques talked about him + to the exclusion of other topics, or that he rose famous one morning as + Byron did after the publication of the 'Corsair,' nevertheless something + was said in his praise. The <i>Daily Delight</i>, on the whole, was rather + belittled by its grander brethren of the press; but a word or two was said + here and there to exempt Charley's fictions from the general pooh-poohing + with which the remainder of the publication was treated. + </p> + <p> + Success, such as this even, is dear to the mind of a young author, and + Charley began to feel that he had done something. The editor was + proportionably civil to him, and he was encouraged to commence a third + historiette. + </p> + <p> + 'We have polished off poison and petticoats pretty well,' said the editor; + 'what do you say to something political?' + </p> + <p> + Charley had no objection in life. + </p> + <p> + 'This Divorce Bill, now—we could have half a dozen married couples + all separating, getting rid of their ribs and buckling again, + helter-skelter, every man to somebody else's wife; and the parish parson + refusing to do the work; just to show the immorality of the thing.' + </p> + <p> + Charley said he'd think about it. + </p> + <p> + 'Or the Danubian Principalities and the French Alliance—could you + manage now to lay your scene in Constantinople?' + </p> + <p> + Charley doubted whether he could. + </p> + <p> + 'Or perhaps India is the thing? The Cawnpore massacre would work up into + any lengths you pleased. You could get a file of the <i>Times</i>, you + know, for your facts.' + </p> + <p> + But while the editor was giving these various valuable hints as to the + author's future subjects, the author himself, with base mind, was thinking + how much he should be paid for his past labours. At last he ventured, in + the mildest manner, to allude to the subject. + </p> + <p> + 'Payment!' said the editor. + </p> + <p> + Charley said that he had understood that there was to be some fixed scale + of pay; so much per sheet, or something of that sort. + </p> + <p> + 'Undoubtedly there will,' said the editor; 'and those who will have the + courage and perseverance to work through with us, till the publication has + obtained that wide popularity which it is sure to achieve, will doubtless + be paid,—be paid as no writers for any periodical in this metropolis + have ever yet been paid. But at present, Mr. Tudor, you really must be + aware that it is quite out of the question.' + </p> + <p> + Charley had not the courage and perseverance to work through with the <i>Daily + Delight</i> till it had achieved its promised popularity, and consequently + left its ranks like a dastard. He consulted both Gertrude and Norman on + the subject, and on their advice set himself to work on his own bottom. + 'You may perhaps manage to fly alone,' said Gertrude; 'but you will find + it very difficult to fly if you tie the whole weight of the <i>Daily + Delight</i> under your wings.' So Charley prepared himself for solitary + soaring. + </p> + <p> + While he was thus working, the time arrived at which Norman was to leave + his office, and it occurred to him that it might be possible that he + should bequeath his vacancy to Charley. He went himself to Sir Gregory, + and explained, not only his own circumstances, and his former friendship + with Alaric Tudor, but also the relationship between Alaric and Charley. + He then learnt, in the strictest confidence of course, that the doom of + the Internal Navigation had just been settled, and that it would be + necessary to place in other offices those young men who could in any way + be regarded as worth their salt, and, after considerable manoeuvring, had + it so arranged that the ne'er-do-well young navvy should recommence his + official life under better auspices. + </p> + <p> + Nor did Charley come in at the bottom of his office, but was allowed, by + some inscrutable order of the great men who arranged those things, to take + a position in the Weights and Measures equal in seniority and standing to + that which he had held at the Navigation, and much higher, of course, in + pay. There is an old saying, which the unenlightened credit, and which + declares that that which is sauce for the goose is sauce also for the + gander. Nothing put into a proverb since the days of Solomon was ever more + untrue. That which is sauce for the goose is not sauce for the gander, and + especially is not so in official life. Poor Screwy was the goose, and + certainly got the sauce best suited to him when he was turned adrift out + of the Civil Service. Charley was the gander, and fond as I am of him for + his many excellent qualities, I am fain to own that justice might fairly + have demanded that he should be cooked after the same receipt. But it + suited certain potent personages to make a swan of him; and therefore, + though it had long been an assured fact through the whole service that no + man was ever known to enter the Weights and Measures without the strictest + examination, though the character of aspirants for that high office was + always subjected to a rigid scrutiny, though knowledge, accomplishments, + industry, morality, outward decency, inward zeal, and all the cardinal + virtues were absolutely requisite, still Charley was admitted, without any + examination or scrutiny whatever, during the commotion consequent upon the + earthquake above described. + </p> + <p> + Charley went to the Weights some time during the recess. In the process of + the next session Mr. Nogo gave notice that he meant to ask the Government + a question as to a gross act of injustice which had been perpetrated—so + at least the matter had been represented to him—on the suppression + of the Internal Navigation Office. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Nogo did not at first find it very easy to get a fitting opportunity + for asking his question. He had to give notice, and inquiries had to be + made, and the responsible people were away, and various customary + accidents happened, so that it was late in June before the question was + put. Mr. Nogo, however, persevered ruthlessly, and after six months' + labour, did deliver himself of an indignant, and, as his friends declared + to him, a very telling speech. + </p> + <p> + It was reported at the time by the opposition newspapers, and need not + therefore be given here. But the upshot was this: two men bearing equal + character—Mr. Nogo would not say whether the characters of the + gentlemen were good or bad; he would only say equal characters—sat + in the same room at this now defunct office; one was Mr. Corkscrew and the + other Mr. Tudor. One had no friends in the Civil Service, but the other + was more fortunate. Mr. Corkscrew had been sent upon the world a ruined, + blighted man, without any compensation, without any regard for his + interests, without any consideration for his past services or future + prospects. They would be told that the Government had no further need of + his labours, and that they could not dare to saddle the country with a + pension for so young a man. But what had been done in the case of the + other gentleman? Why, he had been put into a valuable situation, in the + best Government office in London, had been placed over the heads of a + dozen others, who had been there before him, &c., &c., &c. And + then Mr. Nogo ended with so vehement an attack on Sir Gregory, and the + Government as connected with him, that the dogs began to whet their teeth + and prepare for a tug at the great badger. + </p> + <p> + But circumstances were mischancy with Mr. Nogo, and all he said redounded + only to the credit of our friend Charley. His black undoubtedly was black; + the merits of Charley and Mr. Corkscrew, as public servants, had been + about equal; but Mr. Whip Vigil turned the black into white in three + minutes. + </p> + <p> + As he got upon his legs, smiling after the manner of his great exemplar, + he held in his hand a small note and a newspaper. 'A comparison,' he said, + 'had been instituted between the merits of two gentlemen formerly in the + employment of the Crown, one of them had been selected for further + employment, and the other rejected. The honourable member for Mile End + had, he regretted to say, instituted this comparison. They all knew what + was the proverbial character of a comparison. It was, however, ready made + to his hands, and there was nothing left for him, Mr. Whip Vigil, but to + go on with it. This, however, he would do in as light a manner as + possible. It had been thought that the one gentleman would not suit the + public service, and that the other would do so. It was for him merely to + defend this opinion. He now held in his hand a letter written by the + protégé of the honourable member for Limehouse; he would not read it—' + (cries of 'Read, read!') 'no, he would not read it, but the honourable + member might if he would—and could. He himself was prepared to say + that a gentleman who chose to express himself in such a style in his + private notes—this note, however, was not private in the usual sense—could + hardly be expected to command a proper supply of wholesome English, such + as the service of the Crown demanded!' Then Mr. Vigil handed across to Mr. + Nogo poor Screwy's unfortunate letter about the pork chops. 'As to the + other gentleman, whose name was now respectably known in the lighter walks + of literature, he would, if permitted, read the opinion expressed as to + his style of language by a literary publication of the day; and then the + House would see whether or no the produce of the Civil Service field had + not been properly winnowed; whether the wheat had not been garnered, and + the chaff neglected.' And then the right honourable gentleman read some + half-dozen lines, highly eulogistic of Charley's first solitary flight. + </p> + <p> + Poor Mr. Nogo remained in silence, feeling that his black had become white + to all intents and purposes; and the big badger sat by and grinned, not + deigning to notice the dogs around him. Thus it may be seen that that + which is sauce for the goose is not sauce for the gander. + </p> + <p> + Early in the spring Norman was married; and then, as had been before + arranged, Charley once more went to Surbiton Cottage. The marriage was a + very quiet affair. The feeling of disgrace which had fallen upon them all + since the days of Alaric's trial had by no means worn itself away. There + were none of them yet—no, not one of the Cottage circle, from Uncle + Bat down to the parlour-maid—who felt that they had a right to hold + up their faces before the light of day as they had formerly done. There + was a cloud over their house, visible perhaps with more or less + distinctness to all eyes, but which to themselves appeared black as night. + That evil which Alaric had done to them was not to be undone in a few + moons. We are all of us responsible for our friends, fathers-in-law for + their sons-in-law, brothers for their sisters, husbands for their wives, + parents for their children, and children even for their parents. We cannot + wipe off from us, as with a wet cloth, the stains left by the fault of + those who are near to us. The ink-spot will cling. Oh! Alaric, Alaric, + that thou, thou who knewest all this, that thou shouldest have done this + thing! They had forgiven his offence against them, but they could not + forget their own involuntary participation in his disgrace. It was not for + them now to shine forth to the world with fine gala doings, and gay gaudy + colours, as they had done when Gertrude had been married. + </p> + <p> + But still there was happiness—quiet, staid happiness—at the + Cottage. Mrs. Woodward could not but be happy to see Linda married to + Harry Norman, her own favourite, him whom she had selected in her heart + for her son-in-law from out of all the world. And now, too, she was + beginning to be conscious that Harry and Linda were better suited for each + other than he and Gertrude would have been. What would have been Linda's + fate, how unendurable, had she been Alaric's wife, when Alaric fell? How + would she have borne such a fall? What could she have done, poor lamb, + towards mending the broken thread or binding the bruised limbs? What balm + could she have poured into such wounds as those which fate had inflicted + on Gertrude and her household? But at Normansgrove, with a steady old + housekeeper at her back, and her husband always by to give her courage, + Linda would find the very place for which she was suited. + </p> + <p> + And then Mrs. Woodward had another source of joy, of liveliest joy, in + Katie's mending looks. She was at the wedding, though hardly with her + mother's approval. + </p> + <p> + As she got better her old spirit returned to her, and it became difficult + to refuse her anything. It was in vain that her mother talked of the cold + church, and easterly winds, and the necessary lightness of a bridesmaid's + attire. Katie argued that the church was only two hundred yards off, that + she never suffered from the cold, and that though dressed in light + colours, as became a bridesmaid, she would, if allowed to go, wear over + her white frock any amount of cloaks which her mother chose to impose on + her. Of course she went, and we will not say how beautiful she looked, + when she clung to Linda in the vestry-room, and all her mother's wrappings + fell in disorder from her shoulders. + </p> + <p> + So Linda was married and carried off to Normansgrove, and Katie remained + with her mother and Uncle Bat. + </p> + <p> + 'Mamma, we will never part—will we, mamma?' said she, as they + comforted each other that evening after the Normans were gone, and when + Charley also had returned to London. + </p> + <p> + 'When you go, Katie, I think you must take me with you,' said her mother, + smiling through her tears. 'But what will poor Uncle Bat do? I fear you + can't take him also.' + </p> + <p> + 'I will never go from you, mamma.' + </p> + <p> + Her mother knew what she meant. Charley had been there, Charley to whom + she had declared her love when lying, as she thought, on her bed of death—Charley + had been there again, and had stood close to her, and touched her hand, + and looked—oh, how much handsomer he was than Harry, how much + brighter than Alaric!—he had touched her hand, and spoken to her one + word of joy at her recovered health. But that had been all. There was a + sort of compact, Katie knew, that there should be no other Tudor marriage. + Charley was not now the scamp he had been, but still—it was + understood that her love was not to win its object. + </p> + <p> + 'I will never go from you, mamma.' + </p> + <p> + But Mrs. Woodward's heart was not hard as the nether millstone. She drew + her daughter to her, and as she pressed her to her bosom, she whispered + into her ears that she now hoped they might all be happy. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0047" id="link2HCH0047"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XLVII. — CONCLUSION + </h2> + <p> + Our tale and toils have now drawn nigh to an end; our loves and our + sorrows are over; and we are soon to part company with the three clerks + and their three wives. Their three wives? Why, yes. It need hardly be told + in so many words to an habitual novel-reader that Charley did get his + bride at last. + </p> + <p> + Nevertheless, Katie kept her promise to Mrs. Woodward. What promise did + she ever make and not keep? She kept her promise, and did not go from her + mother. She married Mr. Charles Tudor, of the Weights and Measures, that + distinguished master of modern fiction, as the <i>Literary Censor</i> very + civilly called him the other day; and Mr. Charles Tudor became master of + Surbiton Cottage. + </p> + <p> + Reader! take one last leap with me, and presume that two years have flown + from us since the end of the last chapter; or rather somewhat more than + two years, for we would have it high midsummer when we take our last + farewell of Surbiton Cottage. + </p> + <p> + But sundry changes had taken place at the Cottage, and of such a nature, + that were it not for the old name's sake, we should now find ourselves + bound to call the place Surbiton Villa, or Surbiton Hall, or Surbiton + House. It certainly had no longer any right to the title of a cottage; for + Charley, in anticipation of what Lucina might do for him, had added on + sundry rooms, a children's room on the ground floor, and a nursery above, + and a couple of additional bedrooms on the other side, so that the house + was now a comfortable abode for an increasing family. + </p> + <p> + At the time of which we are now speaking Lucina had not as yet done much; + for, in truth, Charley had been married but little over twelve months; but + there appeared every reason to believe that the goddess would be + propitious. There was already one little rocking shrine, up in that cosy + temple opening out of Katie's bedroom—we beg her pardon, we should + have said Mrs. Charles Tudor's bedroom—one precious tabernacle in + which was laid a little man-deity, a young Charley, to whom was daily paid + a multitude of very sincere devotions. + </p> + <p> + How precious are all the belongings of a first baby; how dear are the + cradle, the lace-caps, the first coral, all the little duds which are made + with such punctilious care and anxious efforts of nicest needlework to + encircle that small lump of pink humanity! What care is taken that all + shall be in order! See that basket lined with crimson silk, prepared to + hold his various garments, while the mother, jealous of her nurse, insists + on tying every string with her own fingers. And then how soon the change + comes; how different it is when there are ten of them, and the tenth is + allowed to inherit the well-worn wealth which the ninth, a year ago, had + received from the eighth. There is no crimson silk basket then, I trow. + </p> + <p> + 'Jane, Jane, where are my boots?' 'Mary, I've lost my trousers!' Such + sounds are heard, shouted through the house from powerful lungs. + </p> + <p> + 'Why, Charley,' says the mother, as her eldest hope rushes in to breakfast + with dishevelled hair and dirty hands, 'you've got no handkerchief on your + neck—what have you done with your handkerchief?' + </p> + <p> + 'No, mamma; it came off in the hay-loft, and I can't find it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Papa,' says the lady wife, turning to her lord, who is reading his + newspaper over his coffee—'papa, you really must speak to Charley; + he will not mind me. He was dressed quite nicely an hour ago, and do see + what a figure he has made himself.' + </p> + <p> + 'Charley,' says papa, not quite relishing this disturbance in the midst of + a very interesting badger-baiting—'Charley, my boy, if you don't + mind your P's and Q's, you and I shall fall out; mind that;' and he again + goes on with his sport; and mamma goes on with her teapot, looking not + exactly like Patience on a monument. + </p> + <p> + Such are the joys which await you, Mr. Charles Tudor; but not to such have + you as yet arrived. As yet there is but the one little pink deity in the + rocking shrine above; but one, at least, of your own. At the moment of + which we are now speaking there were visitors at Surbiton Cottage, and the + new nursery was brought into full use. Mr. and Mrs. Norman of Normansgrove + were there with their two children and two maids, and grandmamma Woodward + had her hands quite full in the family nursery line. + </p> + <p> + It was a beautiful summer evening, and the two young mothers were sitting + with Mrs. Woodward and Uncle Bat in the drawing-room, waiting for their + lords' return from London. As usual, when they stayed late, the two men + were to dine at their club and come down to tea. The nursemaids were + walking on the lawn before the window with their charges, and the three + ladies were busily employed with some fairly-written manuscript pages, + which they were cutting carefully into shape, and arranging in particular + form. + </p> + <p> + 'Now, mamma,' said Katie, 'if you laugh once while you are reading it, + you'll spoil it all.' + </p> + <p> + 'I'll do the best I can, my dear, but I'm sure I shall break down; you + have made it so very abusive,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'Mamma, I think I'll take out that about official priggism—hadn't I + better, Linda?' + </p> + <p> + 'Indeed, I think you had; I'm sure mamma would break down there,' said + Linda. 'Mamma, I'm sure you would never get over the official priggism.' + </p> + <p> + 'I don't think I should, my dear,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'What is it you are all concocting?' said Captain Cuttwater; 'some + infernal mischief, I know, craving your pardons.' + </p> + <p> + 'If you tell, Uncle Bat, I'll never forgive you,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, you may trust me; I never spoil sport, if I can't make any; but the + fun ought to be very good, for you've been a mortal long time about it.' + </p> + <p> + And then the two younger ladies again went on clipping and arranging their + papers, while Mrs. Woodward renewed her protest that she would do her best + as to reading their production. While they were thus employed the + postman's knock was heard, and a letter was brought in from the far-away + Australian exiles. The period at which these monthly missives arrived were + moments of intense anxiety, and the letter was seized upon with eager + avidity. It was from Gertrude to her mother, as all these letters were; + but in such a production they had a joint property, and it was hardly + possible to say who first mastered its contents. + </p> + <p> + It will only be necessary here to give some extracts from the letter, + which was by no means a short one. So much must be done in order that our + readers may know something of the fate of those who perhaps may be called + the hero and heroine of the tale. The author does not so call them; he + professes to do his work without any such appendages to his story—heroism + there may be, and he hopes there is—more or less of it there should + be in a true picture of most characters; but heroes and heroines, as so + called, are not commonly met with in our daily walks of life. + </p> + <p> + Before Gertrude's letter had been disposed of, Norman and Charley came in, + and it was therefore discussed in full conclave. Alaric's path in the land + of his banishment had not been over roses. The upward struggle of men, who + have fallen from a high place once gained, that second mounting of the + ladder of life, seldom is an easy path. He, and with him Gertrude and his + children, had been called on to pay the full price of his backsliding. His + history had gone with him to the Antipodes; and, though the knowledge of + what he had done was not there so absolute a clog upon his efforts, so + overpowering a burden, as it would have been in London, still it was a + burden and a heavy one. + </p> + <p> + It had been well for Gertrude that she had prepared herself to give up all + her luxuries by her six months' residence in that Millbank Paradise of + luxuries: for some time she had little enough in the 'good and happy + land,' to which she had taught herself and her children to look forward. + That land of promise had not flowed with milk and honey when first she put + her foot upon its soil; its produce for her had been gall and bitter herbs + for many a weary month after she first landed. But her heart had never + sunk within her. She had never forgotten that he, if he were to work well, + should have at least one cheerful companion by his side. She had been true + to him, then as ever. And yet it is so hard to be true to high principles + in little things. The heroism of the Roman, who, for his country's sake, + leapt his horse into a bottomless gulf, was as nothing to that of a woman + who can keep her temper through poverty, and be cheerful in adversity. + </p> + <p> + Through poverty, scorn, and bad repute, under the privations of a hard + life, separated from so many that she had loved, and from everything that + she had liked, Gertrude had still been true to her ideas of her marriage + vow; true, also, to her pure and single love. She had entwined herself + with him in sunny weather; and when the storm came she did her best to + shelter the battered stem to which she had trusted herself. + </p> + <p> + By degrees things mended with them; and in this letter, which is now + passing from eager hand to hand in Katie's drawing-room, Gertrude spoke + with better hope of their future prospects. + </p> + <p> + 'Thank God, we are once more all well,' she said; 'and Alaric's spirits + are higher than they were. He has, indeed, had much to try them. They + think, I believe, in England, that any kind of work here is sure to + command a high price; of this I am quite sure, that in no employment in + England are people so tasked as they are here. Alaric was four months in + these men's counting-house, and I am sure another four months would have + seen him in his grave. Though I knew not then what other provision might + be made for us, I implored him, almost on my knees, to give up that. He + was expected to be there for ten, sometimes twelve, hours a day; and they + thought he should always be kept going like a steam-engine. You know + Alaric never was afraid of work; but that would have killed him. And what + was it for? What did they give him for that—for all his talent, all + his experience, all his skill? And he did give them all. His salary was + two pounds ten a week! And then, when he told them of all he was doing for + them, they had the baseness to remind him of——. Dearest + mother, is not the world hard? It was that that made me insist that he + should leave them.' + </p> + <p> + Alaric's present path was by no means over roses. This certainly was a + change from those days on which he had sat, one of a mighty trio, at the + Civil Service Examination Board, striking terror into candidates by a + scratch of his pen, and making happy the desponding heart by his approving + nod. His ambition now was not to sit among the magnates of Great Britain, + and make his voice thunder through the columns of the <i>Times</i>; it + ranged somewhat lower at this period, and was confined for the present to + a strong desire to see his wife and bairns sufficiently fed, and not left + absolutely without clothing. He inquired little as to the feeling of the + electors of Strathbogy. + </p> + <p> + And had he utterly forgotten the stirring motto of his early days? Did he + ever mutter 'Excelsior' to himself, as, with weary steps, he dragged + himself home from that hated counting-house? Ah! he had fatally mistaken + the meaning of the word which he had so often used. There had been the + error of his life. 'Excelsior!' When he took such a watchword for his use, + he should surely have taught himself the meaning of it. + </p> + <p> + He had now learnt that lesson in a school somewhat of the sternest; but, + as time wore kindly over him, he did teach himself to accept the lesson + with humility. His spirit had been wellnigh broken as he was carried from + that court-house in the Old Bailey to his prison on the river-side; and a + broken spirit, like a broken goblet, can never again become whole. But + Nature was a kind mother to him, and did not permit him to be wholly + crushed. She still left within the plant the germ of life, which enabled + it again to spring up and vivify, though sorely bruised by the heels of + those who had ridden over it. He still repeated to himself the old + watchword, though now in humbler tone and more bated breath; and it may be + presumed that he had now a clearer meaning of its import. + </p> + <p> + 'But his present place,' continued Gertrude, 'is much—very much more + suited to him. He is corresponding clerk in the first bank here, and + though his pay is nearly double what it was at the other place, his hours + of work are not so oppressive. He goes at nine and gets away at five—that + is, except on the arrival or dispatch of the English mails.' Here was a + place of bliss for a man who had been a commissioner, attending at the + office at such hours as best suited himself, and having clerks at his beck + to do all that he listed. And yet, as Gertrude said, this was a place of + bliss to him. It was a heaven as compared with that other hell. + </p> + <p> + 'Alley is such a noble boy,' said Gertrude, becoming almost joyous as she + spoke of her own immediate cares. 'He is most like Katie, I think, of us + all; and yet he is very like his papa. He goes to a day-school now, with + his books slung over his back in a bag. You never saw such a proud little + fellow as he is, and so manly. Charley is just like you—oh! so like. + It makes me so happy that he is. He did not talk so early as Alley, but, + nevertheless, he is more forward than the other children I see here. The + little monkeys! they are neither of them the least like me. But one can + always see oneself, and it don't matter if one does not.' + </p> + <p> + 'If ever there was a brick, Gertrude is one,' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'A brick!' said Charley—'why you might cut her to pieces, and build + another Kensington palace out of the slices. I believe she is a brick.' + </p> + <p> + 'I wonder whether I shall ever see her again?' said Mrs. Woodward, not + with dry eyes. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh yes, mamma,' said Katie. 'She shall come home to us some day, and we + will endeavour to reward her for it all.' + </p> + <p> + Dear Katie, who will not love you for such endeavour? But, indeed, the + reward for heroism cometh not here. + </p> + <p> + There was much more in the letter, but enough has been given for our + purpose. It will be seen that hope yet remained both for Alaric and his + wife; and hope not without a reasonable base. Bad as he had been, it had + not been with him as with Undy Scott. The devil had not contrived to put + his whole claw upon him. He had not divested himself of human affections + and celestial hopes. He had not reduced himself to the present level of a + beast, with the disadvantages of a soul and of an eternity, as the other + man had done. He had not put himself beyond the pale of true brotherhood + with his fellow-men. We would have hanged Undy had the law permitted us; + but now we will say farewell to the other, hoping that he may yet achieve + exaltation of another kind. + </p> + <p> + And to thee, Gertrude—how shall we say farewell to thee, excluded as + thou art from that dear home, where those who love thee so well are now so + happy? Their only care remaining is now thy absence. Adversity has tried + thee in its crucible, and thou art found to be of virgin gold, unalloyed; + hadst thou still been lapped in prosperity, the true ring of thy sterling + metal would never have been heard. Farewell to thee, and may those young + budding flowerets of thine break forth into golden fruit to gladden thy + heart in coming days! + </p> + <p> + The reading of Gertrude's letter, and the consequent discussion, somewhat + put off the execution of the little scheme which had been devised for that + evening's amusement; but, nevertheless, it was still broad daylight when + Mrs. Woodward consigned the precious document to her desk; the + drawing-room windows were still open, and the bairns were still being + fondled in the room. It was the first week in July, when the night almost + loses her dominion, and when those hours which she generally claims as her + own, become the pleasantest of the day. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, Charley,' said Katie, at last, 'we have great news for you, too. Here + is another review on "The World's Last Wonder."' + </p> + <p> + Now 'The World's Last Wonder' was Charley's third novel; but he was still + sensitive enough on the subject of reviews to look with much anxiety for + what was said of him. These notices were habitually sent down to him at + Hampton, and his custom was to make his wife or her mother read them, + while he sat by in lordly ease in his arm-chair, receiving homage when + homage came to him, and criticizing the critics when they were uncivil. + </p> + <p> + 'Have you?' said Charley. 'What is it? Why did you not show it me before?' + </p> + <p> + 'Why, we were talking of dear Gertrude,' said Katie; 'and it is not so + pleasant but that it will keep. What paper do you think it is?' + </p> + <p> + 'What paper? how on earth can I tell?—show it me.' + </p> + <p> + 'No; but do guess, Charley; and then mamma will read it—pray guess + now.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, bother, I can't guess. <i>The Literary Censor</i>, I suppose—I + know they have turned against me.' + </p> + <p> + 'No, it's not that,' said Linda; 'guess again.' + </p> + <p> + '<i>The Guardian Angel</i>,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'No—that angel has not taken you under his wings as yet,' said + Katie. + </p> + <p> + 'I know it's not the <i>Times</i>,' said Charley, 'for I have seen that.' + </p> + <p> + 'O no,' said Katie, seriously; 'if it was anything of that sort, we would + not keep you in suspense.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, I'll be shot if I guess any more—there are such thousands of + them.' + </p> + <p> + 'But there is only one <i>Daily Delight</i>,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'Nonsense!' said Charley. 'You don't mean to tell me that my dear old + friend and foster-father has fallen foul of me—my old teacher and + master, if not spiritual pastor; well—well—well! The + ingratitude of the age! I gave him my two beautiful stories, the + first-fruits of my vine, all for love; to think that he should now lay his + treacherous axe to the root of the young tree—well, give it here.' + </p> + <p> + 'No—mamma will read it—we want Harry to hear it.' + </p> + <p> + 'O yes—let Mrs. Woodward read it,' said Harry. 'I trust it is + severe. I know no man who wants a dragging over the coals more + peremptorily than you do.' + </p> + <p> + 'Thankee, sir. Well, grandmamma, go on; but if there be anything very bad, + give me a little notice, for I am nervous.' + </p> + <p> + And then Mrs. Woodward began to read, Linda sitting with Katie's baby in + her arms, and Katie performing a similar office for her sister. + </p> + <p> + "'The World's Last Wonder,' by Charles Tudor, Esq." + </p> + <p> + 'He begins with a lie,' said Charley, 'for I never called myself Esquire.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, that was a mistake,' said Katie, forgetting herself. + </p> + <p> + 'Men of that kind shouldn't make such mistakes,' said Charley. 'When one + fellow attempts to cut up another fellow, he ought to take special care + that he does it fairly.' + </p> + <p> + "By the author of 'Bathos.'" + </p> + <p> + 'I didn't put that in,' said Charley, 'that was the publisher. I only put + Charles Tudor.' + </p> + <p> + 'Don't be so touchy, Charley, and let me go on,' said Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, fire away—it's good fun to you, I dare say, as the fly said + to the spider.' + </p> + <p> + 'Well, Charley, at any rate we are not the spiders,' said Linda. Katie + said nothing, but she could not help feeling that she must look rather + spiderish. + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Tudor has acquired some little reputation as a humorist, but as is so + often the case with those who make us laugh, his very success will prove + his ruin.' + </p> + <p> + 'Then upon my word the <i>Daily Delight</i> is safe,' said Charley. 'It + will never be ruined in that way.' + </p> + <p> + 'There is an elaborate jocosity about him, a determined eternity of most + industrious fun, which gives us the idea of a boy who is being rewarded + for having duly learnt by rote his daily lesson out of Joe Miller.' + </p> + <p> + 'Now, I'll bet ten to one he has never read the book at all—well, + never mind—go on.' + </p> + <p> + "'The World's Last Wonder' is the description of a woman who kept a secret + under certain temptations to reveal it, which, as Mr. Tudor supposes, + might have moved any daughter of Eve to break her faith." + </p> + <p> + 'I haven't supposed anything of the kind,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'This secret, which we shall not disclose, as we would not wish to be + thought less trustworthy than Mr. Tudor's wonderful woman—' + </p> + <p> + 'We shall find that he does disclose it, of course; that is the way with + all of them.' + </p> + <p> + —'Is presumed to permeate the whole three volumes.' + </p> + <p> + 'It is told at full length in the middle of the second,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'And the effect upon the reader of course is, that he has ceased to + interest himself about it, long before it is disclosed to him! + </p> + <p> + 'The lady in question is engaged to be married to a gentleman, a + circumstance which in the pages of a novel is not calculated to attract + much special attention. She is engaged to be married, but the gentleman + who has the honour of being her intended sposo——' + </p> + <p> + 'Intended sposo!' said Charley, expressing by his upturned lip a withering + amount of scorn—'how well I know the fellow's low attempts at wit! + That's the editor himself—that's my literary papa. I know him as + well as though I had seen him at it.' + </p> + <p> + Katie and Mrs. Woodward exchanged furtive glances, but neither of them + moved a muscle of her face. + </p> + <p> + 'But the gentleman who has the honour of being her intended sposo,' + continued Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'What the devil's a sposo?' said Uncle Bat, who was sitting in an + arm-chair with a handkerchief over his head. + </p> + <p> + 'Why, you're not a sposo, Uncle Bat,' said Linda; 'but Harry is, and so is + Charley.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, I see,' said the captain; 'it's a bird with his wings clipped.' + </p> + <p> + 'But the gentleman who has the honour of being her intended sposo——' + again read Mrs. Woodward. + </p> + <p> + 'Now I'm sure I'm speaking by the card,' said Charley, 'when I say that + there is not another man in London who could have written that line, and + who would have used so detestable a word. I think I remember his using it + in one of his lectures to me; indeed I'm sure I do. Sposo! I should like + to tweak his nose oh!' + </p> + <p> + 'Are you going to let me go on?' said Mrs. Woodward—'her intended + sposo'—Charley gave a kick with his foot and satisfied himself with + that—'is determined to have nothing to say to her in the matrimonial + line till she has revealed to him this secret which he thinks concerns his + own honour.' + </p> + <p> + 'There, I knew he'd tell it.' + </p> + <p> + 'He has not told it yet,' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'The lady, however, is obdurate, wonderfully so, of course, seeing that + she is the world's last wonder, and so the match is broken off. But the + secret is of such a nature that the lady's invincible objection to + revealing it is bound up with the fact of her being a promised bride.' + </p> + <p> + 'I wonder he didn't say sposa,' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'I never thought of that,' said Katie. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Woodward and Linda looked at her, but Charley did not, and her + blunder passed by unnoticed. + </p> + <p> + 'Now that she is free from her matrimonial bonds, she is free also to tell + the secret; and indeed the welfare both of the gentleman and of the lady + imperiously demands that it should be told. Should he marry her, he is + destined to learn it after his marriage; should he not marry her, he may + hear it at any time. She sends for him and tells him, not the first of + these facts, by doing which all difficulty would have at once been put an + end to—' + </p> + <p> + 'It is quite clear he has never read the story, quite clear,' said + Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'She tells him only the last, viz., that as they are now strangers he may + know the secret; but that when once known it will raise a barrier between + them that no years, no penance, no sorrow on his part, no tenderness on + hers, can ever break down. She then asks him—will he hear the + secret?' + </p> + <p> + 'She does not ask any such thing,' said Charley; 'the letter that contains + it has been already sent to him. She merely gives him an opportunity of + returning it unopened.' + </p> + <p> + 'The gentleman, who is not without a grain of obstinacy in his own + composition and many grains of curiosity, declares it to be impossible + that he can go to the altar in ignorance of facts which he is bound to + know, and the lady, who seems to be of an affectionate disposition, falls + in tenderness at his feet. She is indeed in a very winning mood, and quite + inclined to use every means allowable to a lady for retaining her lover; + every means that is short of that specially feminine one of telling her + secret. + </p> + <p> + 'We will give an extract from this love scene, partly for the sake of its + grotesque absurdity—' + </p> + <p> + Charley kicked out another foot, as though he thought that the editor of + the <i>Daily Delight</i> might perhaps be within reach. + </p> + <p> + '—And partly because it gives a fair example of the manner in which + Mr. Tudor endeavours to be droll even in the midst of his most tender + passages. + </p> + <p> + 'Leonora was at this time seated—' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, skip the extract,' said Charley; 'I suppose there are three or four + pages of it?' + </p> + <p> + 'It goes down to where Leonora says that his fate and her own are in his + hands.' + </p> + <p> + 'Yes, about three columns,' said Charley; 'that's an easy way of making an + article—eh, Harry?' + </p> + <p> + '<i>Aliter non fit, amice, liber</i>,' said the classical Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, skip the extract, grandmamma.' + </p> + <p> + 'Now, did anyone ever before read such a mixture of the bombastic and the + burlesque? We are called upon to cry over every joke, and, for the life of + us, we cannot hold our sides when the catastrophes occur. It is a salad in + which the pungency of the vinegar has been wholly subdued by the oil, and + the fatness of the oil destroyed by the tartness of the vinegar.' + </p> + <p> + 'His old simile,' said Charley; 'he was always talking about literary + salads.' + </p> + <p> + 'The gentleman, of course, gives way at the last minute,' continued Mrs. + Woodward. 'The scene in which he sits with the unopened letter lying on + his table before him has some merit; but this probably arises from the + fact that the letter is dumb, and the gentleman equally so.' + </p> + <p> + 'D——nation!' said Charley, whose patience could not stand such + impudence at this. + </p> + <p> + 'The gentleman, who, as we should have before said, is the eldest son of a + man of large reputed fortune——' + </p> + <p> + 'There—I knew he'd tell it.' + </p> + <p> + 'Oh, but he hasn't told it,' said Norman. + </p> + <p> + 'Doesn't the word 'reputed' tell it?' + </p> + <p> + '—The eldest son of a man of large reputed fortune, does at last + marry the heroine; and then he discovers—But what he discovers, + those who feel any interest in the matter may learn from the book itself; + we must profess that we felt none. + </p> + <p> + 'We will not say there is nothing in the work indicative of talent. The + hero's valet, Jacob Brush, and the heroine's lady's-maid, Jacintha + Pintail, are both humorous and good in their way. Why it should be so, we + do not pretend to say; but it certainly does appear to us that Mr. Tudor + is more at home in the servants' hall than in the lady's boudoir.' + </p> + <p> + 'Abominable scoundrel!' said Charley. + </p> + <p> + 'But what we must chiefly notice,' continued the article, 'in the + furtherance of those views by which we profess that we are governed—' + </p> + <p> + 'Now, I know, we are to have something very grandiloquent and very false,' + said Charley. + </p> + <p> + '—Is this: that no moral purpose can be served by the volumes before + us. The hero acts wrongly throughout, but nevertheless he is rewarded at + last. There is no Nemesis—' + </p> + <p> + 'No what?' said Charley, jumping up from his chair and looking over the + table. + </p> + <p> + 'No Nemesis,' said Mrs. Woodward, speaking with only half-sustained voice, + and covering with her arms the document which she had been reading. + </p> + <p> + Charley looked sharply at his wife, then at Linda, then at Mrs. Woodward. + Not one of them could keep her face. He made a snatch at the patched-up + manuscript, and as he did so, Katie almost threw out of her arms the baby + she was holding. + </p> + <p> + 'Take him, Harry, take him,' said she, handing over the child to his + father. And then gliding quick as thought through the furniture of the + drawing-room, she darted out upon the lawn, to save herself from the + coming storm. + </p> + <p> + Charley was quickly after her; but as he made his exit, one chair fell to + the right of him, and another to the left. Mrs. Woodward followed them, + and so did Harry and Linda, each with a baby. + </p> + <p> + And then Captain Cuttwater, waking from his placid nap, rubbed his eyes in + wondering amazement. + </p> + <p> + 'What the devil is all the row about?' said he. But there was nobody to + answer him. + </p> + <div style="height: 6em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THREE CLERKS*** + + +******* This file should be named 7481-h.htm or 7481-h.zip ******* + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/7/4/8/7481 + + +E-text prepared by Charles Franks, Delphine Lettau, Mark Sherwood, and +the people at Distributed Proofreading + +HTML file produced by David Widger + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be +renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one +owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and +you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission +and without paying copyright royalties. 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