The Weird Of The Wentworths Volume I Part 17

"I thank you; I never smoke."

"Neither drink nor smoke! No wonder you feel hot and weary. Egad! Sir, you should have been with me through the Peninsula; and I should like to have seen how the devil you would have stood the marching under a sun which this is a joke to? Brandy to wet our lips, and cigars when we had little to eat, kept our fellows going. You would have never been here now, with your principles, had you fought in Spain! Heat cures heat!

Hair of the dog good for the bite."

Mr. Lennox, accompanied by his das.h.i.+ng companion, then walked on to the Towers, devoutly wis.h.i.+ng he had never met him, and anathematizing himself for walking, as he felt he should cut a poor figure with his boy and baggage; and the old rhyme came into his head--

"Them what is rich, them rides in chaises, Them what is poor, them walks like blazes."

He had hoped to have slipped in un.o.bserved; but had the misluck to meet the Earl and a bevy of visitors at the door; amongst them was Johnny.

"Ah! how do you do, Lennox?" said the Earl. "Taken advantage of the fine day and walked out, I see. You must have found it hot, did you not?"

"Only from the Lodge-gates; I took the coach so far," said Mr. Lennox; but we fear his answer was hardly heard. "Confound it," he muttered, almost aloud; "they will think I walked out all the way; and I wouldn't for the world Johnny Ravensworth should think so. I do not care for these people of rank half so much as I do for that boy."

"You are just in time, sir," said a footman. "Is that your bag, sir?

Follow me to your room; dressing-bell has gone."

Mr. Lennox was the very first who entered the drawing-room. After he had been alone some minutes the door opened and a middle-aged gentleman entered, and soon commenced a conversation with him.

"Do you not admire the prospect, sir? This is the finest park I think I have ever seen. Why, I had no idea you had such parks in Scotland."

"It is indeed a fine one; but cannot, I think, be compared to many I have seen in England. I am myself English, though residing here--such parks as Goodwood, in Suss.e.x, for instance?"

"Is that a finer one? I had not thought it."

"Oh, dear, yes. Goodwood, the Duke of Richmond's, as I suppose you know; this cannot compare with it."

"Indeed! Why, G.o.d a-mercy, sir! I do not think so."

"You cannot surely have seen it, sir,--or must forget it. You surely cannot know Goodwood, to say so."

"Indeed, sir, if I do not know it, I wonder who else does, considering I am its owner?" said the gentleman, smiling.

Mr. Lennox's surprise was great.

"You the Duke of Richmond. I am sure I beg your Grace's pardon."

"There is no need--thought is free--every one may have his own opinion."

"Then I may claim the honour of relations.h.i.+p to your Grace, being a Lennox myself."

"I doubt it not," said the Duke, shaking hands. "The Duke of Leinster, you know, was not ashamed to claim cousins.h.i.+p with every beggar who bore the name of Fitzgerald; and I am sure I am honoured by claiming it with you."

Mr. Lennox felt that beneath this compliment indirectly he had been called a beggar, and was not over-pleased with his first interview with his n.o.ble relative--nor with his conversation.

Meanwhile, the room had filled with ladies and gentlemen; and when the gong sounded more than thirty descended to dinner. Mr. Lennox, owing to the scarcity of ladies, and general rank of the other gentlemen, was forced to walk down with Johnny as a companion.

"We cut but poor figures," said Johnny, "with no ladies to take down."

Mr. Lennox vouchsafed no reply to this, as he thought, impertinent remark.

"You must be tired after your long trudge."

"I came sir, by the _coach_, and only walked from the Lodge," said Mr.

Lennox, exceedingly annoyed.

"It is a good grind from the Lodge," replied his tormentor, as they entered the dining-room.

Lord Wentworth had so arranged that Ellen Ravensworth sat next him at table, though of course he had not brought her down. Opposite was an empty chair. When dinner was begun, a young officer, in full uniform, entered the room and took possession of the vacant place. Ellen naturally glanced to see who it was--Horror untold! she had not dreamed of this. Opposite her sat who? but Captain L'Estrange! She felt her cheek blush, though aware the Earl's eye was upon her, at this unexpected rencontre, as she called to mind where and how she had last seen him. L'Estrange concealed his feelings better, and seemed quite unconcerned at her presence, and after apologising for his lateness on the plea he had taken a long ride, he addressed her with the utmost nonchalance.

"I am glad to see you looking so blooming, Miss Ravensworth; I hope you are now quite recovered?"

Ellen marvelled at his coolness when she remembered his last words only a few days before.

"Thank you, I am very well now," she answered, trying to a.s.sume an unconcerned air and speak naturally, but she knew how ill she played her part, and again felt the blood rising to her cheek, and fancied all eyes were turned on her. Her ill-concealed agitation did not escape the Earl, who, however, imputed it entirely to nervousness, and relieved her from the trying position by addressing her on another subject. By-and-by her constraint wore off, and she actually found herself talking and even laughing with L'Estrange before the table broke up. Either, she thought, he told me false when he expressed himself most miserable, or he has a strange power of hiding mental agony by a smiling guise. The rest of the evening was spent in music and conversation upstairs, though some preferred strolling among the flower gardens till the bats began to flit about. The ladies then retired to their rooms; and the gentlemen, excepting Mr. Lennox and his friend Mr. Ravensworth, Johnny, Mr. Power the clergyman, and a few other quiet persons, retreated to the smoking room, where they kept up the fun to a late hour. One by one they too dropped off to bed, leaving only the Marquis, equal to any amount of strong drink, the Captain and L'Estrange. At last the Marquis went off, alleging as a reason it was "a shame to keep his wife awake so long."

"Egad! and do you really think she will keep awake for you? Hang marriage, it spoils all good fellows; but get along," said the Captain, anxious to be alone with L'Estrange, yet unwilling the Marquis should think so. As soon as they were left alone, he continued, "I think, Ned, a foul fiend is against us; who the devil would have thought the Earl would have chosen Cessford's Peel for his double d--d picnic! I tried all I could to throw him off, and so did Musgrave, but it was no go, so I must warn Bill, and get Juana stowed away. I told that rascal Forbes to send a fellow along to-night; I wonder why the deuce he has not done so!"

At this moment old Andrew opened the door and introduced a smart-looking young man. "A laddie who wished to see you, Captain."

"Show him in--and begone: what the devil are you standing eavesdropping there for, you old blackguard?"

"Heaven sain us," said Andrew, quickly departing.

"Have a gla.s.s of spirits, my lad--whisky, or brandy, or what?"

"Whisky, please your honour."

"There you are," said the Captain, filling him a gla.s.s.

"Your healths, sirs," draining the gla.s.s and smacking his lips--"that's the rale gude stuff."

"Take another gla.s.s--and look you here, you know Cessford's Peel?"

"Ay, sir, seeven mile, or thereby, sou-east o' the Towers."

"Exactly; ride there to-night, and give this note to the old man; stay for an answer, and meet me to-morrow with it in the Holly Walk, at two.

Do not keep me waiting, on your life,--and breathe not a word of this to living soul, or, by Heaven, I would not be you!"

"Nae fears, your secret is safe with me."

"And there is for your trouble," said the Captain, dropping some gold into his hand; "and now begone, and remember _two_ o'clock!"

"Do not say," continued the Captain, when the young man had departed, "that I am not a zealous ally. G.o.d knows, I have to think and plan everything, though I wish to G.o.d that girl had never come,--it was not my doing; and now let us go to roost."

And so saying the two young men left the room and proceeded to their different apartments.