CHAPTER LXXXVI. At Home
Such an appeal as this of our mother would have softened hearts muchless obdurate than ours; and we talked of a speedy visit to Virginia,and of hiring all the Young Rachel's cabin accommodation. But our childmust fall ill, for whom the voyage would be dangerous, and from whom themother of course could not part; and the Young Rachel made her voyagewithout us that year. Another year there was another difficulty, in myworship's first attack of the gout (which occupied me a good deal, andafterwards certainly cleared my wits and enlivened my spirits); and nowcame another much sadder cause for delay in the sad news we receivedfrom Jamaica. Some two years after our establishment at the Manor,our dear General returned from his government, a little richer in theworld's goods than when he went away, but having undergone a loss forwhich no wealth could console him, and after which, indeed, he didnot care to remain in the West Indies. My Theo's poor mother--the mosttender and affectionate friend (save one) I have ever had--died abroadof the fever. Her last regret was that she should not be allowed to liveto see our children and ourselves in prosperity.
"She sees us, though we do not see her; and she thanks you, George, forhaving been good to her children," her husband said.
He, we thought, would not be long ere he joined her. His love for herhad been the happiness and business of his whole life. To be away fromher seemed living no more. It was pitiable to watch the good man ashe sate with us. My wife, in her air and in many tones and gestures,constantly recalled her mother to the bereaved widower's heart. Whatcheer we could give him in his calamity we offered; but, especially,little Hetty was now, under Heaven, his chief support and consolation.She had refused more than one advantageous match in the Island, theGeneral told us; and on her return to England, my Lord Wrotham's heirlaid himself at her feet. But she loved best to stay with her father,Hetty said. As long as he was not tired of her she cared for no husband.
"Nay," said we, when this last great match was proposed, "let theGeneral stay six months with us at the Manor here, and you can have himat Oakhurst for the other six."
But Hetty declared her father never could bear Oakhurst again now thather mother was gone; and she would marry no man for his coronet andmoney--not she! The General, when we talked this matter over, saidgravely that the child had no desire for marrying, owing possibly tosome disappointment in early life, of which she never spoke; and we,respecting her feelings, were for our parts equally silent. My brotherLambert had by this time a college living near to Winchester, and a wifeof course to adorn his parsonage. We professed but a moderate degree ofliking for this lady, though we made her welcome when she came to us.Her idea regarding our poor Hetty's determined celibacy was differentto that which I had. This Mrs. Jack was a chatterbox of a woman, inthe habit of speaking her mind very freely, and of priding herselfexcessively on her skill in giving pain to her friends.
"My dear Sir George," she was pleased to say, "I have often and oftentold our dear Theo that I wouldn't have a pretty sister in my house tomake tea for Jack when I was upstairs, and always to be at hand when Iwas wanted in the kitchen or nursery, and always to be dressed neat andin her best when I was very likely making pies or puddings or looking tothe children. I have every confidence in Jack, of course. I should liketo see him look at another woman, indeed! And so I have in Jemima butthey don't come together in my house when I'm upstairs--that I promiseyou! And so I told my sister Warrington."
"Am I to understand," says the General, "that you have done my LadyWarrington the favour to warn her against her sister, my daughter MissHester?"
"Yes, pa, of course I have. A duty is a duty, and a woman is a woman,and a man's a man, as I know very well. Don't tell me! He is a man.Every man is a man, with all his sanctified airs!"
"You yourself have a married sister, with whom you were staying when myson Jack first had the happiness of making your acquaintance?" remarksthe General.
"Yes, of course I have a married sister; every one knows that and I havebeen as good as a mother to her children, that I have!"
"And am I to gather from your conversation that your attractions proveda powerful temptation for your sister's husband?"
"Law, General! I don't know how you can go for to say I ever said anysuch a thing!" cries Mrs. Jack, red and voluble.
"Don't you perceive, my dear madam, that it is you who have insinuatedas much, not only regarding yourself, but regarding my own twodaughters?"
"Never, never, never, as I'm a Christian woman! And it's most cruel ofyou to say so, sir. And I do say a sister is best out of the house, thatI do! And as Theo's time is coming, I warn her, that's all."
"Have you discovered, my good madam, whether my poor Hetty has stolenany of the spoons? When I came to breakfast this morning, my daughterwas alone, and there must have been a score of pieces of silver on thetable."
"Law, sir! who ever said a word about spoons? Did I ever accuse the poordear? If I did, may I drop down dead at this moment on this hearth-rug!And I ain't used to be spoke to in this way. And me and Jack have bothremarked it; and I've done my duty, that I have." And here Mrs. Jackflounces out of the room, in tears.
"And has the woman had the impudence to tell you this, my child?"asks the General, when Theo (who is a little delicate) comes to thetea-table.
"She has told me every day since she has been here. She comes into mydressing-room to tell me. She comes to my nursery, and says, 'Ah, Iwouldn't have a sister prowling about my nursery, that I wouldn't.' Ah,how pleasant it is to have amiable and well-bred relatives, say I."
"Thy poor mother has been spared this woman," groans the General.
"Our mother would have made her better, papa," says Theo, kissing him.
"Yes, dear." And I see that both of them are at their prayers.
But this must be owned, that to love one's relatives is not always aneasy task; to live with one's neighbours is sometimes not amusing. FromJack Lambert's demeanour next day, I could see that his wife had givenhim her version of the conversation. Jack was sulky, but not dignified.He was angry, but his anger did not prevent his appetite. He preached asermon for us which was entirely stupid. And little Miles, once more insables, sate at his grandfather's side, his little hand placed in thatof the kind old man.
Would he stay and keep house for us during our Virginian trip? Thehousekeeper should be put under the full domination of Hetty. Thebutler's keys should be handed over to him; for Gumbo, not I thoughtwith an over good grace, was to come with us to Virginia: having,it must be premised, united himself with Mrs. Molly in the bonds ofmatrimony, and peopled a cottage in my park with sundry tawny Gumbos.Under the care of our good General and his daughter we left our house,then; we travelled to London, and thence to Bristol, and our obsequiousagent there had the opportunity of declaring that he should offer upprayers for our prosperity, and of vowing that children so beautiful asours (we had an infant by this time to accompany Miles) were never seenon any ship before. We made a voyage without accident. How strange thefeeling was as we landed from our boat at Richmond! A coach and a hostof negroes were there in waiting to receive us; and hard by a gentlemanon horseback, with negroes in our livery, too, who sprang from his horseand rushed up to embrace us. Not a little charmed were both of us to seeour dearest Hal. He rode with us to our mother's door. Yonder she stoodon the steps to welcome us; and Theo knelt down to ask her blessing.
Harry rode in the coach with us as far as our mother's house; but wouldnot, as he said, spoil sport by entering with us. "She sees me," heowned, "and we are pretty good friends; but Fanny and she are bestapart; and there is no love lost between 'em, I can promise you. Comeover to me at the Tavern, George, when thou art free. And to-morrow Ishall have the honour to present her sister to Theo. 'Twas only fromhappening to be in town yesterday that I heard the ship was signalled,and waited to see you. I have sent a negro boy home to my wife, andshe'll be here to pay her respects to my Lady Warrington." And Harry,after this brief greeting, jumped out of the carriage, and left us tomeet our mo
ther alone.
Since I parted from her I had seen a great deal of fine company, andTheo and I had paid our respects to the King and Queen at St. James's;but we had seen no more stately person than this who welcomed us, andraising my wife from her knee, embraced her and led her into the house.'Twas a plain, wood-built place, with a gallery round, as our Virginianhouses are; but if it had been a palace, with a little empress inside,our reception could not have been more courteous. There was old Nathan,still the major-domo, a score of kind black faces of blacks, grinningwelcome. Some whose names I remembered as children were grown out ofremembrance, to be sure, to be buxom lads and lasses; and some I hadleft with black pates were grizzling now with snowy polls: and some whowere born since my time were peering at doorways with their great eyesand little naked feet. It was, "I'm little Sip, Master George!" and "I'mDinah, Sir George!" and "I'm Master Miles's boy!" says a little chap ina new livery and boots of nature's blacking. Ere the day was over thewhole household had found a pretext for passing before us, and grinningand bowing and making us welcome. I don't know how many repasts wereserved to us. In the evening my Lady Warrington had to receive allthe gentry of the little town, which she did with perfect grace andgood-humour, and I had to shake hands with a few old acquaintances--oldenemies I was going to say; but I had come into a fortune and was nolonger a naughty prodigal. Why, a drove of fatted calves was killedin my honour! My poor Hal was of the entertainment, but gloomy andcrestfallen. His mother spoke to him, but it was as a queen to arebellious prince, her son who was not yet forgiven. We two slipped awayfrom the company, and went up to the rooms assigned to me: but there, aswe began a free conversation, our mother, taper in hand, appeared withher pale face. Did I want anything? Was everything quite as I wishedit? She had peeped in at the dearest children, who were sleeping likecherubs. How she did caress them, and delight over them! How she wascharmed with Miles's dominating airs, and the little Theo's smiles anddimples! "Supper is just coming on the table, Sir George. If you likeour cookery better than the tavern, Henry, I beg you to stay." What adifferent welcome there was in the words and tone addressed to each ofus! Hal hung down his head, and followed to the lower room. A clergymanbegged a blessing on the meal. He touched with not a little art andeloquence upon our arrival at home, upon our safe passage across thestormy waters, upon the love and forgiveness which awaited us in themansions of the Heavenly Parent when the storms of life were over.
Here was a new clergyman, quite unlike some whom I remembered about usin earlier days, and I praised him, but Madam Esmond shook her head. Shewas afraid his principles were very dangerous: she was afraid others hadadopted those dangerous principles. Had I not seen the paper signed bythe burgesses and merchants at Williamsburg the year before--the Lees,Randolphs, Bassets, Washingtons, and the like, and oh, my dear, thatI should have to say it, our name, that is, your brother's (by whatinfluence I do not like to say), and this unhappy Mr. Belman's whobegged a blessing last night?
If there had been quarrels in our little colonial society when I lefthome, what were these to the feuds I found raging on my return? We hadsent the Stamp Act to America, and been forced to repeal it. Then wemust try a new set of duties on glass, paper, and what not, and repealthat Act too, with the exception of a duty on tea. From Boston toCharleston the tea was confiscated. Even my mother, loyal as she was,gave up her favourite drink; and my poor wife would have had to forgohers, but we had brought a quantity for our private drinking on boardship, which had paid four times as much duty at home. Not that I for mypart would have hesitated about paying duty. The home Government musthave some means of revenue, or its pretensions to authority were idle.They say the colonies were tried and tyrannised over; I say the homeGovernment was tried and tyrannised over. ('Tis but an affair ofargument and history, now; we tried the question, and were beat; andthe matter is settled as completely as the conquest of Britain by theNormans.) And all along, from conviction I trust, I own to havetaken the British side of the quarrel. In that brief and unfortunateexperience of war which I had had in my early life, the universal cry ofthe army and well-affected persons was, that Mr. Braddock's expeditionhad failed, and defeat and disaster had fallen upon us in consequenceof the remissness, the selfishness, and the rapacity of many of the verypeople for whose defence against the French arms had been taken up. Thecolonists were for having all done for them, and for doing nothing, Theymade extortionate bargains with the champions who came to defend them;they failed in contracts; they furnished niggardly supplies; theymultiplied delays until the hour for beneficial action was past, anduntil the catastrophe came which never need have occurred but for theirill-will. What shouts of joy were there, and what ovations for the greatBritish Minister who had devised and effected the conquest of Canada!Monsieur de Vaudreuil said justly that that conquest was the signal forthe defection of the North American colonies from their allegiance toGreat Britain; and my Lord Chatham, having done his best to achievethe first part of the scheme, contributed more than any man in Englandtowards the completion of it. The colonies were insurgent, and heapplauded their rebellion. What scores of thousands of waverers must hehave encouraged into resistance! It was a general who says to an armyin revolt, "God save the king! My men, you have a right to mutiny!" Nowonder they set up his statue in this town, and his picture in t'other;whilst here and there they hanged Ministers and Governors in effigy.To our Virginian town of Williamsburg, some wiseacres must subscribeto bring over a portrait of my lord, in the habit of a Roman oratorspeaking in the Forum, to be sure, and pointing to the palace ofWhitehall, and the special window out of which Charles I. was beheaded!Here was a neat allegory, and a pretty compliment to a Britishstatesman! I hear, however, that my lord's head was painted from a bust,and so was taken off without his knowledge.
Now my country is England, not America or Virginia; and I take, orrather took, the English side of the dispute. My sympathies had alwaysbeen with home, where I was now a squire and a citizen: but had my lotbeen to plant tobacco, and live on the banks of James River or Potomac,no doubt my opinions had been altered. When, for instance, I visitedmy brother at his new house and plantation, I found him and his wife asstaunch Americans as we were British. We had some words upon the matterin dispute,--who had not in those troublesome times?--but our argumentwas carried on without rancour; even my new sister could not bring us tothat, though she did her best when we were together, and in the curtainlectures which I have no doubt she inflicted on her spouse, like anotable housewife as she was. But we trusted in each other so entirelythat even Harry's duty towards his wife would not make him quarrel withhis brother. He loved me from old times, when my word was law with him;he still protested that he and every Virginian gentleman of his sidewas loyal to the Crown. War was not declared as yet, and gentlemen ofdifferent opinions were courteous enough to one another. Nay, atour public dinners and festivals, the health of the King was stillostentatiously drunk; and the assembly of every colony, though preparingfor Congress, though resisting all attempts at taxation on the part ofthe home authorities, was loud in its expressions of regard for the Kingour Father, and pathetic in its appeals to that paternal sovereignto put away evil counsellors from him, and listen to the voice ofmoderation and reason. Up to the last, our Virginian gentry were agrave, orderly, aristocratic folk, with the strongest sense of their owndignity and station. In later days, and nearer home, we have heard offraternisation and equality. Amongst the great folks of our Old World Ihave never seen a gentleman standing more on his dignity and maintainingit better than Mr. Washington: no--not the King against whom he tookarms. In the eyes of all the gentry of the French court, who gailyjoined in the crusade against us, and so took their revenge for Canada,the great American chief always appeared as anax andron, and theyallowed that his better could not be seen in Versailles itself. Thoughthey were quarrelling with the Governor, the gentlemen of the House ofBurgesses still maintained amicable relations with him, and exchangeddignified courtesies. When my Lord Bottetourt arrived, and held hiscourt at
Williamsburg in no small splendour and state, all the gentrywaited upon him, Madam Esmond included. And at his death, Lord Dunmore,who succeeded him, and brought a fine family with him, was treated withthe utmost respect by our gentry privately, though publicly the House ofAssembly and the Governor were at war.
Their quarrels are a matter of history, and concern me personally onlyso far as this, that our burgesses being convened for the 1st of Marchin the year after my arrival in Virginia, it was agreed that we shouldall pay a visit to our capital, and our duty to the Governor. SinceHarry's unfortunate marriage Madam Esmond had not performed this duty,though always previously accustomed to pay it; but now that her eldestson was arrived in the colony, my mother opined that we must certainlywait upon his Excellency the Governor, nor were we sorry, perhaps,to get away from our little Richmond to enjoy the gaieties of theprovincial capital. Madam engaged, and at a great price, the best houseto be had at Richmond for herself and her family. Now I was rich, hergenerosity was curious. I had more than once to interpose (her oldservants likewise wondering at her new way of life), and beg her not tobe so lavish. But she gently said, in former days she had occasion tosave, which now existed no more. Harry had enough, sure, with such awife as he had taken out of the housekeeper's room. If she chose to be alittle extravagant now, why should she hesitate? She had not her dearestdaughter and grandchildren with her every day (she fell in love with allthree of them, and spoiled them as much as they were capable of beingspoiled). Besides, in former days I could not accuse her of too muchextravagance, and this I think was almost the only allusion she made tothe pecuniary differences between us. So she had her people dressed intheir best, and her best wines, plate, and furniture from Castlewood bysea at no small charge, and her dress in which she had been married inGeorge II.'s reign, and we all flattered ourselves that our coach madethe greatest figure of any except his Excellency's, and we engagedSignor Formicalo, his Excellency's major-domo, to superintend the seriesof feasts that were given in my honour; and more fleshpots were seta-stewing in our kitchens in one month, our servants said, than had beenknown in the family since the young gentlemen went away. So great wasTheo's influence over my mother, that she actually persuaded her, thatyear, to receive our sister Fanny, Hal's wife, who would have stayedupon the plantation rather than face Madam Esmond. But, trusting toTheo's promise of amnesty, Fanny (to whose house we had paid more thanone visit) came up to town, and made her curtsey to Madam Esmond, andwas forgiven. And rather than be forgiven in that way, I own, for mypart, that I would prefer perdition or utter persecution.
"You know these, my dear?" says Madam Esmond, pointing to her finesilver sconces. "Fanny hath often cleaned them when she was with meat Castlewood. And this dress, too, Fanny knows, I dare say? Her poormother had the care of it. I always had the greatest confidence in her."
Here there is wrath flashing from Fanny's eyes, which our mother, whohas forgiven her, does not perceive--not she!
"Oh, she was a treasure to me!" Madam resumes. "I never should havenursed my boys through their illnesses but for your mother's admirablecare of them. Colonel Lee, permit me to present you to my daughter,my Lady Warrington. Her ladyship is a neighbour of your relatives theBunburys at home. Here comes his Excellency. Welcome, my lord!"
And our princess performs before his lordship one of those curtseys ofwhich she was not a little proud; and I fancy I see some of the companyventuring to smile.
"By George! madam," says Mr. Lee, "since Count Borulawski, I have notseen a bow so elegant as your ladyship's."
"And pray, sir, who was Count Borulawski?" asks Madam.
"He was a nobleman high in favour with his Polish Majesty," replies Mr.Lee. "May I ask you, madam, to present me to your distinguished son?"
"This is Sir George Warrington," says my mother, pointing to me.
"Pardon me, madam. I meant Captain Warrington, who was by Mr. Wolfe'sside when he died. I had been contented to share his fate, so I had beennear him."
And the ardent Lee swaggers up to Harry, and takes his hand withrespect, and pays him a compliment or two, which makes me, at least,pardon him for his late impertinence; for my dearest Hal walks gloomilythrough his mother's rooms in his old uniform of the famous corps whichhe has quitted.
We had had many meetings, which the stern mother could not interrupt,and in which that instinctive love which bound us to one another, andwhich nothing could destroy, had opportunity to speak. Entirely unlikeeach other in our pursuits, our tastes, our opinions--his life being oneof eager exercise, active sport, and all the amusements of the field,while mine is to dawdle over books and spend my time in languidself-contemplation--we have, nevertheless, had such a sympathy as almostpasses the love of women. My poor Hal confessed as much to me, forhis part, in his artless manner, when we went away without wives orwomankind, except a few negroes left in the place, and passed a week atCastlewood together.
The ladies did not love each other. I know enough of my Lady Theo,to see after a very few glances whether or not she takes a liking toanother of her amiable sex. All my powers of persuasion or command failto change the stubborn creature's opinion. Had she ever said a wordagainst Mrs. This or Miss That? Not she! Has she been otherwise thancivil? No, assuredly! My Lady Theo is polite to a beggar-woman, treatsher kitchenmaids like duchesses, and murmurs a compliment to the dentistfor his elegant manner of pulling her tooth out. She would black myboots, or clean the grate, if I ordained it (always looking like aduchess the while); but as soon as I say to her, "My dear creature, befond of this lady, or t'other!" all obedience ceases; she executes themost refined curtseys; smiles and kisses even to order; but performsthat mysterious undefinable freemasonic signal, which passes betweenwomen, by which each knows that the other hates her. So, with regardto Fanny, we had met at her house, and at others. I remembered heraffectionately from old days, I fully credited poor Hal's violentprotests and tearful oaths, that, by George, it was our mother'spersecution which made him marry her. He couldn't stand by and see apoor thing tortured as she was, without coming to her rescue; no,by heavens, he couldn't! I say I believed all this; and had for mysister-in-law a genuine compassion, as well as an early regard; and yetI had no love to give her; and, in reply to Hal's passionate outbreaksin praise of her beauty and worth, and eager queries to me whether Idid not think her a perfect paragon? I could only answer with faintcompliments or vague approval, feeling all the while that I wasdisappointing my poor ardent fellow, and cursing inwardly that revoltagainst flattery and falsehood into which I sometimes frantically rush.Why should I not say, "Yes dear Hal, thy wife is a paragon; her singingis delightful, her hair and shape are beautiful;" as I might have saidby a little common stretch of politeness? Why could I not cajole thisor that stupid neighbour or relative, as I have heard Theo do a thousandtimes, finding all sorts of lively prattle to amuse them, whilst I sitbefore them dumb and gloomy? I say it was a sin not to have more wordsto say in praise of Fanny. We ought to have praised her, we ought tohave liked her. My Lady Warrington certainly ought to have liked her,for she can play the hypocrite, and I cannot. And there was this youngcreature--pretty, graceful, shaped like a nymph, with beautiful blackeyes--and we cared for them no more than for two gooseberries!At Warrington my wife and I, when we pretended to compare notes,elaborately complimented each other on our new sister's beauty. Whatlovely eyes!--Oh yes! What a sweet little dimple on her chin!--Ah oui!What wonderful little feet!--Perfectly Chinese! where should we inLondon get slippers small enough for her? And, these complimentsexhausted, we knew that we did not like Fanny the value of onepenny-piece; we knew that we disliked her; we knew that we ha... Well,what hypocrites women are! We heard from many quarters how eagerly mybrother had taken up the new anti-English opinion, and what a championhe was of so-called American rights and freedom. "It is her doing, mydear," says I to my wife. "If I had said so much, I am sure youwould have scolded me," says my Lady Warrington, laughing: and I didstraightway begin to scold her, and say it was most cruel of her tosuspect our
new sister; and what earthly right had we to do so? ButI say again, I know Madam Theo so well, that when once she has got aprejudice against a person in her little head, not all the king's horsesnor all the king's men will get it out again. I vow nothing would induceher to believe that Harry was not henpecked--nothing.
Well, we went to Castlewood together without the women, and stayed atthe dreary, dear old place, where we had been so happy, and I, at least,so gloomy. It was winter, and duck-time, and Harry went away to theriver, and shot dozens and scores and bushels of canvasbacks, whilst Iremained in my grandfather's library amongst the old mouldering bookswhich I loved in my childhood--which I see in a dim vision still restingon a little boy's lap, as he sits by an old white-headed gentleman'sknee. I read my books; I slept in my own bed and room--religiously kept,as my mother told me, and left as on the day when I went to Europe.Hal's cheery voice would wake me, as of old. Like all men who love togo a-field, he was an early riser: he would come and wake me, and siton the foot of the bed and perfume the air with his morning pipe, asthe house negroes laid great logs on the fire. It was a happy time! OldNathan had told me of cunning crypts where ancestral rum and claretwere deposited. We had had cares, struggles, battles, bitter griefs, anddisappointments; we were boys again as we sat there together. I am a boynow even as I think of the time.
That unlucky tea-tax, which alone of the taxes lately imposed upon thecolonies, the home Government was determined to retain, was met withdefiance throughout America. 'Tis true we paid a shilling in the poundat home, and asked only threepence from Boston or Charleston; but as aquestion of principle, the impost was refused by the provinces, whichindeed ever showed a most spirited determination to pay as little asthey could help. In Charleston the tea-ships were unloaded, and thecargoes stored in cellars. From New York and Philadelphia, the vesselswere turned back to London. In Boston (where there was an armed force,whom the inhabitants were perpetually mobbing), certain patriots,painted and disguised as Indians, boarded the ships, and flung theobnoxious cargoes into the water. The wrath of our white Father waskindled against this city of Mohocks in masquerade. The notable BostonPort Bill was brought forward in the British House of Commons; the portwas closed, and the Custom House removed to Salem. The MassachusettsCharter was annulled; and,--in just apprehension that riots might ensue,in dealing with the perpetrators of which the colonial courts might beled to act partially,--Parliament decreed that persons indicted foracts of violence and armed resistance, might be sent home, or toanother colony, for trial. If such acts set all America in a flame, theycertainly drove all wellwisbers of our country into a fury. I might havesentenced Master Miles Warrington, at five years old, to a whipping, andhe would have cried, taken down his little small-clothes and submitted:but suppose I offered (and he richly deserving it) to chastise CaptainMiles of the Prince's Dragoons? He would whirl my paternal cane out ofmy hand, box my hair-powder out of my ears. Lord a-mercy! I tremble atthe very idea of the controversy? He would assert his independence ina word; and if, I say, I think the home Parliament had a right to levytaxes in the colonies, I own that we took means most captious, mostinsolent, most irritating, and, above all, most impotent, to assert ourclaim.
My Lord Dunmore, our Governor of Virginia, upon Lord Bottetourt's death,received me into some intimacy soon after my arrival in the colony,being willing to live on good terms with all our gentry. My mother'ssevere loyalty was no secret to him; indeed, she waved the king's bannerin all companies, and talked so loudly and resolutely, that Randolph andPatrick Henry himself were struck dumb before her. It was Madam Esmond'scelebrated reputation for loyalty (his Excellency laughingly told me)which induced him to receive her eldest son to grace.
"I have had the worst character of you from home," his lordship said."Little birds whisper to me, Sir George, that you are a man of themost dangerous principles. You are a friend of Mr. Wilkes and AldermanBeckford. I am not sure you have not been at Medmenham Abbey. You havelived with players, poets, and all sorts of wild people. I have beenwarned against you, sir, and I find you----"
"Not so black as I have been painted," I interrupted his lordship, witha smile.
"Faith," says my lord, "if I tell Sir George Warrington that he seems tome a very harmless, quiet gentleman, and that 'tis a great relief to meto talk to him amidst these loud politicians; these lawyers with theirperpetual noise about Greece and Rome; these Virginian squires who arefor ever professing their loyalty and respect, whilst they are shakingtheir fists in my face--I hope nobody overhears us," says my lord, withan arch smile, "and nobody will carry my opinions home."
His lordship's ill opinion having been removed by a better knowledge ofme, our acquaintance daily grew more intimate; and, especially betweenthe ladies of his family and my own, a close friendship arose--betweenthem and my wife at least. Hal's wife, received kindly at the littleprovincial court, as all ladies were, made herself by no means popularthere by the hot and eager political tone which she adopted. Sheassailed all the Government measures with indiscriminating acrimony.Were they lenient? She said the perfidious British Government was onlypreparing a snare, and biding its time until it could forge heavierchains for unhappy America. Were they angry? Why did not every Americancitizen rise, assert his rights as a freeman, and serve every Britishgovernor, officer, soldier, as they had treated the East India Company'stea? My mother, on the other hand, was pleased to express her opinionswith equal frankness, and, indeed, to press her advice upon hisExcellency with a volubility which may have fatigued that representativeof the Sovereign. Call out the militia; send for fresh troops from NewYork, from home, from anywhere; lock up the Capitol! (this advicewas followed, it must be owned) and send every one of the ringleadersamongst those wicked burgesses to prison! was Madam Esmond's dailycounsel to the Governor by word and letter. And if not only theburgesses, but the burgesses' wives could have been led off topunishment and captivity, I think this Brutus of a woman would scarcehave appealed against the sentence.