There was music as they re-entered the drawing-room. Sir Vavasourattached himself to Egremont.
"It is a great pleasure for me to see you again, Mr Egremont;" saidthe worthy baronet. "Your father was my earliest and kindest friend. Iremember you at Firebrace, a very little boy. Happy to see you again,Sir, in so eminent a position a legislator--one of our legislators. Itgave me a sincere satisfaction to observe your return."
"You are very kind, Sir Vavasour."
"But it is a responsible position," continued the baronet. "Think youthey'll stand? A majority. I suppose, they have; but, I conclude, intime; Sir Robert will have it in time? We must not be in a hurry; 'themore haste'--you know the rest. The country is decidedly conservative.All that we want now is a strong government, that will put all things torights. If the poor king had lived--"
"He would have sent these men to the right-abouts;" said Egremont, ayoung politician, proud of his secret intelligence.
"Ah! the poor king!" said Sir Vavasour, shaking his head.
"He was entirely with us," said Egremont.
"Poor man" said Sir Vavasour.
"You think it was too late, then?" said his companion.
"You are a young man entering political life," said the baronet, takingEgremont kindly by the arm, and leading him to a sofa; "everythingdepends on the first step. You have a great opportunity. Nothing can bedone by a mere individual. The most powerful body in this country wantsa champion."
"But you can depend on Peel?" said Egremont.
"He is one of us: we ought to be able to depend on him. But I havespoken to him for an hour, and could get nothing out of him."
"He is cautious; but depend upon it, he will stand or fall by the land."
"I am not thinking of the land," said Sir Vavasour; "of something muchmore important; with all the influence of the land, and a great dealmore besides; of an order of men who are ready to rally round thethrone, and are, indeed, if justice were done to them, its natural andhereditary champions (Egremont looked perplexity); I am speaking," addedSir Vavasour, in a solemn voice, "I am speaking of the baronets."
"The baronets! And what do they want?"
"Their rights; their long withheld rights. The poor king was with us. Hehas frequently expressed to me and other deputies, his determination todo us justice; but he was not a strong-minded man," said Sir Vavasour,with a sigh; "and in these revolutionary and levelling times, he hada hard task perhaps. And the peers, who are our brethren, they were,I fear, against us. But in spite of the ministers, and in spite of thepeers, had the poor king lived, we should at least have had the badge,"added Sir Vavasour mournfully.
"The badge!"
"It would have satisfied Sir Grosvenor le Draughte," said Sir Vavasour;"and he had a strong party with him; he was for compromise, but d-- him,his father was only an accoucheur."
"And you wanted more?" inquired Egremont, with a demure look.
"All, or nothing," said Sir Vavasour; "principle is ever my motto--noexpediency. I made a speech to the order at the Clarendon there werefour hundred of us; the feeling was very strong."
"A powerful party," said Egremont.
"And a military order, sir, if properly understood. What could standagainst us? The Reform Bill could never have passed if the baronets hadbeen organized."
"I have no doubt you could bring us in now," said Egremont.
"That is exactly what I told Sir Robert. I want him to be brought in byhis own order. It would be a grand thing."
"There is nothing like esprit de corps," said Egremont.
"And such a body!" exclaimed Sir Vavasour, with animation. "Picture usfor a moment, to yourself going down in procession to Westminster forexample to hold a chapter. Five or six hundred baronets in dark greencostume,--the appropriate dress of equites aurati; each not only withhis badge, but with his collar of S.S.; belted and scarfed; his starglittering; his pennon flying; his hat white with a plume of whitefeathers; of course the sword and the gilt spurs. In our hand, the thumbring and signet not forgotten, we hold our coronet of two balls!"
Egremont stared with irrepressible astonishment at the excited being,who unconsciously pressed his companion's arm, as he drew this rapidsketch of the glories so unconstitutionally withheld from him.
"A magnificent spectacle!" said Egremont.
"Evidently the body destined to save this country," eagerly continuedSir Vavasour. "Blending all sympathies: the crown of which they are thepeculiar champions; the nobles of whom they are the popular branch; thepeople who recognize in them their natural leaders. But the picture isnot complete. We should be accompanied by an equal number of gallantknights, our elder sons, who, the moment they come of age, have theright to claim knighthood of their sovereign, while their mothers andwives, no longer degraded to the nomenclature of a sheriff's lady, butresuming their legal or analogical dignities, and styled the 'honourablebaronetess,' with her coronet and robe, or the 'honourable knightess,'with her golden collar of S.S., and chaplet or cap of dignity, mayeither accompany the procession, or ranged in galleries in a becomingsituation, rain influence from above."
"I am all for their going in the procession," said Egremont.
"The point is not so clear," said Sir Vavasour solemnly; "and indeed,although we have been firm in defining our rightful claims in ourpetitions, as for 'honorary epithets, secondary titles, personaldecorations, and augmented heraldic bearings.' I am not clear ifthe government evinced a disposition for a liberal settlement of thequestion, I would not urge a too stringent adherence to every point. Forinstance, I am prepared myself, great as would be the sacrifice, evento renounce the claim of secondary titles for our eldest sons, if forinstance they would secure us our coronet."
"Fie, fie, Sir Vavasour," said Egremont very seriously, "rememberprinciple: no expediency, no compromise."
"You are right," said the baronet, colouring a little; "and do youknow, Mr Egremont, you are the only individual I have yet met out ofthe Order, who has taken a sensible view of this great question, which,after all, is the question of the day."
Book 2 Chapter 3