Tales and Novels Volume VII Part 37

Lord Oldborough's reverie was interrupted by seeing, at this instant, the commissioner returning from his ride.

"Not a word, Mr. Percy, of what has pa.s.sed between us, to Commissioner Falconer--not a word of the _Ga.s.soc_. I put you on your guard, because you live with those in whom you have entire confidence," said Lord Oldborough; "but that is what a public man, a minister, cannot do."

Another reason why I should not like to be a minister, thought Mr.

Percy. "I took it for granted that the commissioner was entirely in your lords.h.i.+p's confidence."

"I thought you were too good a philosopher to take any thing for granted, Mr. Percy. Consider, if you please, that I am in a situation where I must have tools, and use them, as long as I can make them serviceable to my purposes. Sir, I am not a missionary, but a minister.

I must work with men, and upon men, such as I find them. I am not a chemist, to a.n.a.lyze and purify the gold. I make no objection to that alloy, which I am told is necessary, and fits it for being moulded to my purposes. But here comes the ductile commissioner."

Lord Oldborough began to talk to him of the borough, without any mercy for his curiosity, and without any attempt to evade the various dexterous pushes he made to discover the business which had this morning occupied his lords.h.i.+p. Mr. Percy was surprised, in the course of this day, to see the manner in which the commissioner, a gentleman well-born, of originally independent fortune and station, humbled and abased himself to a patron. Mr. Falconer had contracted a certain cringing servility of manner, which completely altered his whole appearance, and which quite prevented him even from looking like a gentleman. It was his principle never to contradict a great man, never to give him any sort of pain; and his idea of the deference due to rank, and of the danger of losing favour by giving offence, was carried so far, that not only his att.i.tude and language, but his whole mind, seemed to be new modified. He had not the free use of his faculties. He seemed really so to subdue and submit his powers, that his understanding was annihilated. Mr. Percy was astonished at the change in his cousin; the commissioner was equally surprised, nay, actually terrified, by Mr. Percy's freedom and boldness.

"Good Heavens! how can you speak in this manner?" said Mr. Falconer, as they were going down stairs together, after parting with Lord Oldborough.

"And why not?--I have nothing to fear or to hope, nothing to gain or to lose. Lord Oldborough can give me nothing that I would accept, but his esteem, and that I am sure of never losing."

Heigho! if I had your favour with my lord, what I would make of it!

thought the commissioner, as he stepped into his chariot. Mr. Percy mounted his horse, and rode back to his humble home, glad to have done his friend Lord Oldborough a service, still more glad that he was not bound to the minister by any of the chains of political dependence.

Rejoiced to quit Tourville papers--state intrigues--lists of enemies,--and all the necessity for reserve and _management_, and all the turmoil of ambition.

CHAPTER XXV.

Count Altenberg arrived at Clermont-park, and as Lord Oldborough was still confined by the gout, Commissioner Falconer, to his lady's infinite satisfaction, was deputed to show him every thing that was worth seeing in this part of the country. Every morning some party was formed by Mrs. Falconer, and so happily arranged that her Georgiana and the count were necessarily thrown together. The count rode extremely well; Miss Falconers had been taught to ride in a celebrated riding-house, and were delighted to display their equestrian graces.

When they were not disposed to ride, the count had a phaeton; and Mrs.

Falconer a barouche; and either in the phaeton, or the barouche seat, Miss Georgiana Falconer was seated with the count, who, as she discovered, drove uncommonly well.

The count had expressed a desire to see the place where M. de Tourville had been s.h.i.+pwrecked, and he really wished to be introduced to the Percy family, of whom, from the specimen he had seen in Alfred, and from all the hospitality they had shown the distressed mariners (some of whom were his countrymen), he had formed a favourable opinion. Half his wish was granted, the rest dispersed in empty air. Mrs. Falconer with alacrity arranged a party for Percy-hall, to show the count the scene of the s.h.i.+pwreck. She should be so glad to see it herself, for she was absent from the country at the time of the sad disaster; but the commissioner, who knew the spot, and all the circ.u.mstances, better than any other person, would show them every thing--and Sir Robert Percy, she was sure, would think himself much honoured by Count Altenberg's visiting his place.

Count Altenberg had some confused recollection of Mr. Alfred Percy's having told him that his father no longer lived at Percy hall; but this speech of Mrs. Falconer's led the count to believe that he had misunderstood what Alfred had said.

The party arranged for Percy-hall consisted of the Miss Falconers, the two Lady Arlingtons, and some other young people, who were at Falconer-court. It was a fine morning, Mrs. Falconer was all suavity and smiles, both the Miss Falconers in charming hopes, and consequently in charming spirits.

Percy-hall was really a beautiful place, and Miss Arabella Falconer now looked at it with the pleasure of antic.i.p.ated possession. Sir Robert Percy was not at home, he had been obliged that morning to be absent on some special business; but he had left orders with his steward and housekeeper to show the party of visitors the house and grounds. In going through the apartments they came to the gallery leading to the library, where they were stopped by some workmen's trestles, on which were lying two painted gla.s.s windows, one that had been taken down, and another which was to be put in its stead. Whilst the workmen were moving the obstacles out of the way, the company had leisure to admire the painted windows. One of them was covered with coats of arms: the other represented the fire at Percy-hall, and the portrait of Caroline a.s.sisting the old nurse down the staircase. This painting immediately fixed Count Altenberg's eye, and Miss Georgiana Falconer, not knowing whose portrait it was, exclaimed, as she looked at the figure of Caroline, "Beautiful! Exquisite! What a lovely creature that is a.s.sisting the old woman!"

"Yes," said Count Altenberg, "it is one of the finest countenances I ever beheld."

All the ladies eagerly pressed forward to look at it.

"Beautiful! Don't you think it is something like Lady Anne Cope?" said Miss Falconer.

"Oh! dear, no!" cried Miss Georgiana Falconer: "it is a great deal handsomer than any of the Copes ever were, or ever will be!"

"It has a look of Lady Mary Nesbitt," said one of the Lady Arlingtons.

"The eyes are so like Lady Coningsby, who is my delight," said Georgiana.

"And it has quite the Arlington nose," said Mrs. Falconer, glancing her eye upon the Lady Arlingtons. Count Altenberg, without moving his eye, repeated, "It is the most beautiful face I ever beheld."

"Not nearly so beautiful as the original, sir," said the painter.

"The original?--Is it a copy?"

"A portrait, sir."

"Oh! a family portrait of one of our great, great grandmother Percys, I suppose," said Miss Georgiana, "done in her youth--in a fancy piece, you know, according to the taste of those times--she must have been superlatively lovely."

"Ma'am," said the painter, "the young lady, of whom this is a portrait, is, I hope and believe, now living."

"Where?--and who can she be?--for I am sure I don't recollect ever having seen her in all my life--never met her in town any where--Pray, sir, who may it be?" added she, turning to the artist, with a mixture of affected negligence and real pride.

"Miss Caroline Percy, ma'am."

"A daughter of Sir Robert Percy--of the gentleman of this house?" said Count Altenberg eagerly.

Mrs. Falconer, and her daughter Georgiana, answered rapidly, with looks of alarm, as they stood a little behind the count.

"Oh! no, no, Count Altenberg," cried Mrs. Falconer, advancing, "not a daughter of the gentleman of this house--another family, relations, but distant relations of the commissioner's: _he_ formerly knew something of them, but _we_ know nothing of them."

The painter however knew a great deal, and seemed anxious to tell all he knew: but Mrs. Falconer walked on immediately, saying, "This is our way, is not it? This leads to the library, where, I dare say, we shall find the book which the count wanted." The count heard her not, for with his eyes fixed on the picture he was listening to the account which the painter was giving of the circ.u.mstance it recorded of the fire at Percy-hall--of the presence of mind and humanity of Miss Caroline Percy, who had saved the life of the poor decrepit woman, who in the picture was represented as leaning upon her arm. The painter paused when he came to this part of his story--"That woman was my mother, sir."--He went on, and with all the eloquence of filial affection and of grat.i.tude, p.r.o.nounced in a few words a panegyric on the family who had been his first and his best benefactors: all who heard him were touched with his honest warmth, except the Miss Falconers.

"I dare say _those_ Percys were very good people in their day," said Miss Falconer; "but their day is over, and no doubt you'll find, in the present possessor of the estate, sir, as good a patron at least."

The artist took up his pencil without making any reply, and went on with some heraldic devices he was painting.

"I am amazed how you could see any likeness in that face or figure to Lady Anne Cope, or Lady Mary Nesbitt, or any of the Arlingtons," said Miss Georgiana Falconer, looking through her hand at the portrait of Caroline: "it's the most beautiful thing I ever saw, certainly; but there's nothing of an air of fas.h.i.+on, and without that--"

"Count Altenberg, I have found for you the very book I heard you tell the commissioner last night you wished so much to see," said Mrs.

Falconer. The count went forward to receive the book, and to thank the lady for her polite attention; she turned over the leaves, and showed him some uncommonly fine prints, which he was bound to admire--and whilst he was admiring, Mrs. Falconer found a moment to whisper to her daughter Georgiana, "Not a word more about the picture: let it alone, and it is only a picture--dwell upon it, and you make it a reality."

Miss Georgiana had quickness and ability sufficient to feel the value of her mother's knowledge of the world and of human nature, but she had seldom sufficient command of temper to imitate or to benefit by Mrs.

Falconer's address. On this occasion she contented herself with venting her spleen on the poor painter, whose colouring and drapery she began to criticize unmercifully. Mrs. Falconer, however, carried off the count with her into the library, and kept him there, till the commissioner, who had been detained in the neighbouring village by some electioneering business, arrived; and then they pursued their walk together through the park. Miss Falconer was particularly delighted with the beauties of the grounds. Miss Georgiana, recovering her good-humour, was again charming--and all went on well; till they came near the sea-sh.o.r.e, and the count asked Commissioner Falconer to show him the place where the s.h.i.+pwreck had happened. She was provoked that his attention should be withdrawn from her, and again by these Percys. The commissioner called to one of the boatmen who had been ordered to be in readiness, and asked him to point out the place where the Dutch vessel had been wrecked. The man, who seemed rather surly, replied that they could not see the right place where they stood, and if they had a mind to see it, they must come into the boat, and _row a piece_ up farther.

Now some of these town-bred ladies were alarmed at the idea of going to sea, and though Miss Georgiana was very unwilling to be separated from the count, and though her mother encouraged the young lady to vanquish her fears as much by precept and as little by example as possible, yet when she was to be handed into the boat, she drew back in pretty terror, put her hands before her face, and protested she could not venture even with Count Altenberg. After as much waste of words as the discussion of such arrangements on a party of pleasure usually involves, it was at length settled that only the commissioner should accompany the count, that the rest of the gentlemen and ladies should pursue their walk, and that they should all meet again at the park-gate. The surly boatman rowed off, but he soon ceased to be surly when the count spoke of the humanity and hospitality which had been shown to some of his countrymen by Mr. Percy. Immediately the boatman's tongue was loosed.

"Why, ay, sir, if you bees curous about _that_ there gentleman, I can tell you a deal about him. But them as comes to see the new man does not covet to hear talk of the old master; but, nevertheless, there's none like him--he gave me and wife that there white cottage yonder, half ways up the bank, where you see the smoke rising between the trees--as snug a cottage it is!--But that is no matter to you, sir. But I wish you had but _seed_ him the night of the s.h.i.+pwreck, he and his son, G.o.d above bless him, and them--wherever they are, if they're above ground. I'd row out the worse night ever we had, to set my eyes on them again before I die, but for a minute. Ay, that night of the s.h.i.+pwreck, not a man was willing to go out with them, or could be got out the first turn, but myself."

Upon this text he spoke at large, entering into a most circ.u.mstantial and diffuse history of the s.h.i.+pwreck, mingling his own praises with those which he heartily bestowed upon the Percys of the right good old branch. Commissioner Falconer meantime was not in a condition to throw in any thing in favour of his new friend Sir Robert Percy; he was taking pinch after pinch of snuff, looking alternately at the water and the boat, sitting stiffly upright in anxious silence. Although in the incessant practice of suppressing his own feelings, corporeal and mental, from respect or complaisance to his superiors in rank and station, yet he presently found it beyond the utmost efforts of his courtly philosophy to endure his qualms of mind and body. Interrupting the talkative boatman, he first conjured the orator to mind what he was about; at last, Mr. Falconer complaining of growing very sick, the count gave up all thoughts of proceeding farther, and begged the boatman to put them ash.o.r.e as soon as he could. They landed near the village, which it was necessary that they should pa.s.s through, before they could reach the appointed place of meeting. The poor commissioner, whose stomach was still disordered, and whose head was giddy, observed that they had yet a long walk to take, and proposed sending for one of the carriages--accordingly they waited for it at the village inn. The commissioner, after having made a mult.i.tude of apologies to the count, retired to rest himself--during his absence, the count, who, wherever he was, endeavoured to see as much as possible of the manners of the people, began talking to the landlord and landlady. Again the conversation turned upon the characters of the late and the present possessors of Percy-hall; and the good people, by all the anecdotes they told, and still more by the warm attachment they expressed for the old banished family, increased every moment his desire to be personally acquainted with those who in adversity were preferred to persons in present power and prosperity. Count Altenberg, young as he was, had seen enough of the world to feel the full value of eulogiums bestowed on those who are poor, and who have no means of serving in any way the interests of their panegyrists.

When the carriage came, and the commissioner was sufficiently refitted for conversation, the count repeatedly expressed his earnest wish to become acquainted with that Mr. Percy and his family, to whom his countrymen had been so much obliged, and of whom he said he had this morning heard so many interesting anecdotes. The commissioner had not been present when the count saw the picture of Caroline, nor indeed did he enter into Mrs. Falconer's matrimonial designs for her daughter Georgiana. The commissioner generally saw the folly, and despaired of the success, of all castle-building but his own, and his castles in the air were always on a political plan. So without difficulty he immediately replied that nothing would give him more pleasure than to introduce the count to his relations, the Percys. The moment this was mentioned, however, to Mrs. Falconer, the commissioner saw through the complacent countenance, with which she forced herself to listen to him, that he had made some terrible blunder, for which he should have to answer in private.

Accordingly the first moment they were alone, Mrs. Falconer reproached him with the rash promise he had made. "I shall have all the difficulty in the world to put this out of the count's head. I thought, Mr.

Falconer, that you had agreed to let _those_ Percys drop."

"So I would if I could, my dear; but how can I, when Lord Oldborough persists in holding them up?--You must go and see them, my dear."

"I!" cried Mrs. Falconer, with a look of horror; "I!--not I, indeed!