The Weird Of The Wentworths Volume I Part 6

"No fear for that, I'll go," answered the Marquis.

"You will come with me, girls?"

"Yes, we are not afraid of you, Wentworth."

Accordingly after breakfast the sleighs were brought round to the door, and all clad in furs ready to face the cold. First the Captain had to get off, and though he was a first-rate whip it was no easy matter, and twice he was nearly over ere he could get the ponies under control. At last he was off at a das.h.i.+ng rate, and had apparently lost all control of his horses long before he was out of sight. In a more dignified manner the Earl and Frank drove off with Lady Edith and Florence inside, wrapped in the costliest furs. Following the traces of the Captain's sledge they soon came to a spot where it was evident a disaster had occurred--a broken trace--wild plunges in the snow--and a shattered fir-tree, the cause of the mishap. The tracks, however, afterwards went on more regularly, which showed no one had been hurt.

"I had better call for my cloak, Frank," said the Earl, as he neared Ellen's house; "but," continued he, pointing to two figures on the snow, "I should know that girl."

"Miss Ravensworth, and young Nimrod,--love has lynx eyes," replied Frank. In a few moments the sleigh caught them up.

"Hallo there! where are you running to? that's one way of treating your friends, Miss Ravensworth," said Lord Wentworth, as he stopped the sleigh.

"I was hastening to fetch your cloak, my Lord: it was such a comfort to me last night," she replied, as she shook hands with the Earl, who had leaped down and proposed giving them a drive.

"I am sure my sisters will be delighted, won't you Edie? here is Miss Ravensworth coming for a drive with us--Frank, you may drive now--Johnny, you get up on the box, and your sister and I will get inside."

"How do you do?" said Lady Edith and Florence as Ellen and the Earl entered; "how glad we are we met you!"

"How kind of you to say so, Lady Edith."

"Well, how did you like the ball?" said the Earl, as the sleigh glided off.

"Oh! so much. I felt a little dull till you came."

"Till _I_ came; what had I to do with it?"

Ellen saw her blunder, and blushed crimson as she perceived her friends all smile.

"I hope you found my brother's cloak acceptable?" said Lady Edith, perceiving her embarra.s.sment, and changing the conversation.

"Oh, so warm, I don't know what I should have done without it."

"I shall now have a double value for it, Miss Ravensworth, since you have worn it."

"Oh, don't say so," exclaimed Ellen.

"Well, I hope we may have the pleasure of seeing you at the Towers some day. Do you know, Miss Ravensworth, I dreamed about you last night!"

"What nonsense you do talk, Wentworth," said Lady Florence.

"No nonsense; it is true."

"What did you dream, Lord Wentworth?" said Ellen, regaining her courage.

"Oh, do tell me."

"No, you would be so angry."

"Oh, I wouldn't, do tell me."

"Very well, you have promised. I dreamed then--but mercy on us, where are we going to?"

This exclamation was caused by a sudden swerve, and then as sudden a descent of the sleigh downwards at an angle of 45. Frank had driven on steadily enough till he came to the Queen's Drive,[C] a fine road surrounding Arthur's Seat. Just as the sleigh was gliding along above the Loch of Duddingston, feeling cold, he had given the reins to Johnny for a moment, while he lighted a cigar and took a pull at the brandy flask; but no sooner did the spirited horses perceive another, and weaker, hand guided them, than they left the road, and swinging round plunged down the steep decline towards the Loch.

"G.o.d save us!" cried Frank as he seized the reins from the terrified boy, "where _are_ you going?" He then by a masterpiece of driving managed to guide the impetuous horses down without overthrowing the sleigh, and adroitly brought them round just as they seemed to be about plunging into the thinly frozen-over lake; he then brought them up with a sharp turn, and as he viewed their tracks down the hill now that danger was over, burst into a fit of laughter as his brother put out his head from the inside, and sternly demanded from Frank the meaning of such an ill-timed practical joke. As soon as Frank could speak, he told the whole occurrence, which in its turn made the occupants of the inside laugh too, though the ladies but a few minutes before were screaming in terror; at least two of them, for Lady Edith was as self-possessed as any of her brothers. Frank promised not to trust Johnny again, and they then proceeded homewards, dropping Ellen and her brother at their home, and getting in return the far-famed cloak. They found the Captain and Arranmore already at the Towers, and the former told in great glee how they had twice come to grief--nearly overturned the mail coach, and quite overthrown a cart full of apples.

The winter now set in with greater severity than ever, and the mercury once or twice sank below 0. Duddingston was of course frozen strongly over, and presented a gay appearance with all the skaters, and the numbers of fair Scotch ladies that graced the scene with their presence.

The Earl's sleigh often honoured the ice, and once he and his sisters called for Ellen and Johnny, and on that occasion Ellen had been chaperoned by her admirer over the Loch. On her return home she found an invitation, including all of them, even to Maude, asking the pleasure of their company at dinner on Christmas day, and concluding by saying that a sleigh would be sent for them in plenty of time, as the snow now lay too deep in the country to render any other mode of conveyance safe. On that--to Ellen--eventful day the sleigh drew up before Seaview about half-past six o'clock; the cold was intense, but abundance of furs had been provided, including the Earl's own cloak for Ellen's especial use.

"So here you are, Miss Ravensworth. Welcome to the Towers," said the Earl, as in true olden fas.h.i.+on he handed the fair lady out of the sleigh. "How are you, Ravensworth? how are you, Johnny? and Maude, this is the first time I have seen you, I hope it will not be the last."

He then ushered them to the drawing-room, where as warm a welcome awaited them from the ladies. It was quite a family party, and the only strangers besides themselves were Mr. Lennox and Sir Richard Musgrave; Lord Arranmore was counted as one of the family. They thus sat down twelve to a real Christmas dinner, and never did a happier or merrier party meet together. Mr. Lennox was in high feather at his good fortune, and most a.s.siduous in his attention to the Ladies de Vere, perhaps as much as the Earl was to Ellen, whom he had taken down to dinner. After the ladies and Johnny left, the gentlemen drew nearer the fire and began to make themselves comfortable. Mr. Lennox introduced the subject of the new clergyman at St. John's, which was in the Earl's gift, and asked if it was his lords.h.i.+p's intention to give the inc.u.mbency to Mr.

Power, then doing duty.

"I am sure I do not care, Mr. Lennox; whatever is pleasing to you and the Vestry is the same to me: let Power have it if you like."

"I am d--d if I'd give it to Power," said the Captain.

"Why not, Captain de Vere?" said Mr. Lennox, much aghast at his conversation.

"Why not? because he is such a tedious fool."

"When did you ever hear him preach?" said Frank.

"I never knew you troubled his church."

"I never yet met him but what he tried to force one of his d--d sermons on me, whether a fellow wanted it or no; I cut his gab short, I know."

"Well, Captain, you are sincere certainly! but, asking your pardon, I should say Mr. Power's sermons would do you good perhaps."

"You are right, Lennox, I _am_ sincere; I thank G.o.d, whatever I am, I am not a hypocrite."

"I am glad you thank G.o.d for anything," replied Lord Arranmore.

"If I had thought I wouldn't have then," retorted the G.o.dless young man.

"Well, well, don't quarrel," said the Earl; "let Power have the living, and let the matter end."

"He'll do a power of harm," said the Captain, levelling a last shot at the head of the clergyman, to whom, in common with his kind, he had a great antipathy, and regarded as his natural enemy.

"Apropos of changing the subject, how do you like the idea of our regiment going to Brighton?" said Sir Richard.

"Famously," answered the Captain, "we shall have a rare lark with the Regent. Do you remember the last time he supped with us, Musgrave?"

"I should think I did just: what a spree we had that night!"

"What was it?" said Frank; "out with it, John--now you are in for a story."

The Captain then told how the Prince and one of his royal brothers, Musgrave and he, had gone out for a spree in London, knocked down the Charlies, and going into a tavern, how the Prince had got up a row, and when they were all milling, unb.u.t.toned his coat and shown them his Star and Garter. His narrative was intermingled with dreadful oaths, and during the recital he and Musgrave, as well as Arranmore, who was also a hard drinker, had plied themselves with a heavy quant.i.ty of liquor in Lennox's opinion, but a quant.i.ty that the Captain only regarded as a milksop's allowance. By-and-by, as they imbibed more wine, the mirth grew faster and more furious, and queer stories were told, till the Earl, seeing the scene was distasteful both to Lennox and Ravensworth, ended it by a proposition to join the ladies, much to the Captain's horror, who, as he tossed off a gla.s.s of raw brandy, wondered "why the deuce his brother was in such a jolly hurry that night."