Frank Fairlegh Part 8

-49--Having said this, he took up a book which was lying by his side, and, murmuring something about "talking being so fatiguing," soon became buried in its contents.

Whilst I was dressing for dinner Lawless came into my room, and told me that he had been speaking to c.u.mberland with regard to the way in which he had behaved to me about the mare, and that c.u.mberland professed himself exceedingly sorry that the affair had so nearly turned out a serious one, declaring he meant it quite as a joke, never expecting that when I saw the mare I should venture to mount her.

"So you see," continued Lawless, "he merely wanted to have a good laugh at you--nothing more. It was a thoughtless thing to do, but not so bad as you had fancied it, by any means."

"Well," replied I, "as he says so, I am bound to believe him; but his manner certainly gave me the impression that he intended me to ride her.

He went the right way to make me do so, at all events, by hinting that I was afraid."

"Ah! he could not know that by intuition, you see," said Lawless; "he thought, I daresay, as I did, that you were a mere molly-coddle, brought up at your mother's ap.r.o.n-string, and had not pluck enough in you to do anything sporting."

"It's not worth saying anything more about," replied I; "it will never happen again: I am very much obliged to you, though."

"Oh, that's nothing," said Lawless; "if c.u.mberland had really meant to break your neck, I should have fallen out with him; that would have been too much of a good thing: however, as it is it's all right."

And so the conversation ended, though I felt far from satisfied in my own mind as to the innocence of c.u.mberland's intentions.

On reaching the drawing-room I found the whole party a.s.sembled with the exception of Mr. Henry Oaklands, who had not yet made his appearance.

At the moment of my entrance Mrs. Mildman, who had not seen the new arrival, and who, like the rest of her s.e.x, was somewhat curious, was examining Coleman (who stood bolt upright before her, with his hands behind him, looking like a boy saying his lesson) as to his manners and appearance.

"Very tall, and dark hair and large eyes," continued Mrs. Mildman; "why, he must be very handsome."

"He seems as if he were half-asleep," observed I.

-50--"Not always," said Coleman; "did you see the look he gave me? he seemed wide-awake enough then; I thought he was going to eat me."

"Dear me I why he must be quite a cannibal! besides, I don't think you would be at all nice to eat, Mr. Coleman," said Mrs. Mildman, with a smile.

"Horrid nasty, I'm sure," muttered Mullins, who was seated on the very edge of his chair, and looked thoroughly uncomfortable, as was his wont in anything like civilised society.

At this moment the door opened, and Oaklands entered. If one had doubted about his height before, when lying on the chairs, the question was set at rest the instant he was seen standing: he must have measured at least six feet two inches, though the extreme breadth of his chest and shoulders, and the graceful setting-on of his finely formed head, together with the perfect symmetry and proportion of his limbs, prevented his appearing too tall. He went through the ceremony of introduction with the greatest ease and self-possession; and though he infused rather more courtesy into his manner towards Mrs. Mildman than he had taken the trouble to bestow on us, his behaviour was still characterised by the same indolence and listlessness I had previously noticed, and which indeed seemed part and parcel of himself. Having bowed slightly to c.u.mberland and Lawless he seated himself very leisurely on the sofa by Mrs. Mildman's side, altering one of the pillows so as to make himself thoroughly comfortable as he did so.

Having settled it to his satisfaction, he addressed Mrs. Mildman with:--

"What a very fatiguing day this has been; haven't you found it so?"

"No, I can't say I have," was the reply; "I daresay it was warm travelling: I'm afraid, in that case, Dr. Mildman will not have a very pleasant journey--he's gone to town to-day."

"Ah, so that short, stout young gentleman" (the first two adjectives he p.r.o.nounced very slowly and distinctly) "told me."

"Mr. Coleman," insinuated Mrs. Mildman.

"Pleasant that," whispered Coleman to me.

"Take care," replied I, "he will hear you."

"I'm afraid," continued Oaklands, "the old gentleman will be quite knocked up. I wonder he does not make two days' journey of it."

"Dr. Mildman is not so _very_ old," observed Mrs. Mildman, in rather an annoyed tone of voice.

-51--"I really beg pardon, I scarcely know why I said it," replied Oaklands, "only I somehow fancied all tutors were between sixty and seventy--very absurd of me. My father sent all kind of civil messages to the o---- to Dr. Mildman, only it is so much trouble to remember that sort of thing."

At this point the conversation was interrupted by the announcement of dinner. Oaklands (from whom I could not withdraw my eyes, so unlike anything I had ever met with before was he) was evidently preparing to hand Mrs. Mildman down to dinner, as soon as he could summon sufficient energy to move, but, perceiving c.u.mberland approach her for that purpose, he appeared to recollect himself, smiled slightly as if at what he had been about to do, and, taking me by the arm, said:--

"Come, Master Curlylocks, you shall be my lady, and a very pretty girl you would make, too, if you were properly bemuslined"; adding, as we went downstairs together, "You and I shall be great friends, I'm sure; I like your face particularly. What a lot of stairs there are in this house! they'll tire me to death."

When we returned to the pupils' room after dinner Lawless found, lying on the table, the note Dr. Mildman had written in such a mysterious manner before he left home in the morning, and proceeded to open it forthwith. Scarcely had he glanced his eye over it, when he was seized with so violent a fit of laughter, that I expected every moment to see him fall out of his chair. As soon as he had in some measure recovered the power of speaking he exclaimed:--

"Here, listen to this! and tell me if it is not the very best thing you ever heard in your lives ". He then read as follows:--

"'It is not without much pain that I bring myself to write this note; but I feel that I should not be doing my duty towards your excellent father, if I were to allow such extreme misconduct on the part of his son to pa.s.s unreproved. I know not towards what scene of vulgar dissipation you might be directing your steps, but the simple fact (to which I was myself witness) of your leaving my house _in the low disguise of a carter's smock-frock_, affords in itself sufficient proof that your a.s.sociates must belong to a cla.s.s of persons utterly unfitted for the companions.h.i.+p of a gentleman. Let me hope this hint may be enough, and that conduct so thoroughly disgraceful in one brought up as you have been may not occur again. I presume I need scarcely say that, in the event of your -52--disregarding my wishes upon this point, the only course left open to me would be to expel you, a measure to which it would deeply grieve me to be obliged to resort.'"

His voice was here drowned by a chorus of laughter from all present who were aware of the true state of the case, which lasted without interruption for several minutes. At length Lawless observed:--

"I'll tell you what, it will be a death-blow to Smithson; a Macintosh made by him to be taken for a smock-frock! he'll never recover it ".

"Mildman might well look like a thunder-cloud," said Coleman, "if that was the notion he had got in his head; what a jolly lark, to be sure!"

"How do you mean to undeceive him?" inquired c.u.mberland.

"Oh, trust me for finding a way to do that," replied Lawless; "'the low disguise of a carter's smock-frock,' indeed! What fun it would be if he were to meet my governor in town to-day, and tell him of my evil courses! why, the old boy would go into fits! I wonder what he means by his 'scenes of vulgar dissipation'? I daresay he fancies me playing all-fours with a beery coalheaver, and kissing his sooty-faced wife; or drinking alternate goes of gin-and-water with a dustman for the purpose of insinuating myself into the affections of Miss Cinderella s.m.u.t, his interesting sister. By Jove! it's as good as a play!"

More laughter followed Lawless's ill.u.s.tration of Dr. Mildman's note.

The subject was discussed for some time, and a plan arranged for enlightening the Doctor as to the true character of the mysterious garment.

At length there was a pause, when I heard Coleman whisper to Lawless:--

"Thomas was pretty right in saying that new fellow knows how to make himself comfortable, at all events".

"He's a precious deal too free and easy to please me," muttered Lawless, in an undertone; "I shall take the liberty of seeing whether his self-possession cannot be disturbed a little. I have no notion of such airs. Here, Mullins!"

And laying hold of Mullins by the arm, he pulled him into a chair by his side, and proceeded to give him some instructions in a whisper. The subject of their remarks, Harry Oaklands, who had, on re-entering the room, taken possession of the three chairs near the window, was still reclining, book in hand, in the same indolent position, apparently enjoying the beauty of the autumnal sunset, without concerning himself in the slightest degree about anything which might be going on inside the room.

-53--Lawless, whose proceedings I was watching with an anxious eye, having evidently succeeded, by a judicious mixture of bullying and cajollery, in persuading Mullins to a.s.sist him in whatever he was about to attempt, now drew a chair to the other side of the window, and seated himself exactly opposite to Oaklands.

"How tired riding makes a fellow! I declare I'm regularly baked, used completely up," he observed, and then continued, glancing at Oaklands, "Not such a bad idea, that. Mullins, give us a chair; I don't see why elevating the extremities should not pay in my case, as well as in other people's."

He then placed his legs across the chair which Mullins brought him, and, folding his arms so as exactly to imitate the att.i.tude of his opposite neighbour, sat for some minutes gazing out of the window with a countenance of mock solemnity. Finding this did not produce any effect on Oaklands, who, having slightly raised his eyes when Lawless first seated himself, immediately cast them upon the book again, Lawless stretched himself, yawned, and once more addressed Mullins.

"Shocking bad sunset as ever I saw--it's no go staring at that. I must have a book--give me the Byron."

To this Mullins replied that he believed Mr. Oaklands was reading it.

"Indeed! the book belongs to you, does it not?"

Mullins replied in the affirmative.

"Have you any objection to lend it to me?"

Mullins would be most happy to do so.