CHAPTER XXXVIII. IN WHICH I AM ROUNDLY BROUGHT TO TASK
I would have gone to Arlington Street direct, but my friends had nonotion of letting me escape. They carried me off to Brooks's Club, wherea bowl of punch was brewed directly, and my health was drunk to threetimes three. Mr. Storer commanded a turtle dinner in my honour. We werenot many, fortunately,--only Mr. Fox's little coterie. And it was noneother than Mr. Fox who made the speech of the evening. "May I be strungas high as Haman," said he, amid a tempest of laughter, "if ever I sawhalf so edifying a sight as his Grace pitching into the Serpentine,unless it were his Grace dragged out again. Mr. Carvel's advent has beena Godsend to us narrow ignoramuses of this island, gentlemen. To theEnglishmen of our colonies, sirs, and that we may never underrate ormisunderstand them more!"
"Nay, Charles," cried my Lord Comyn. "Where is our gallantry? I give youfirst the Englishwomen of our colonies, and in particular the pride ofMaryland, who has brought back to the old country all the graces of thenew,--Miss Manners."
His voice was drowned by a deafening shout, and we charged our glassesto drain them brimming. And then we all went to Drury Lane to see Mrs.Clive romp through 'The Wonder' in the spirit of the "immortal Peg." Shespoke an epilogue that Mr. Walpole had writ especial for her, andmade some witty and sarcastic remarks directed at the gentlemen in ourstagebox. We topped off a very full day by a supper at the Bedford Arms,where I must draw the certain.
The next morning I was abed at an hour which the sobriety of old agemakes me blush abed think of. Banks had just concluded a discreetdiscourse upon my accomplishment of the day before, and had left formy newspapers, when he came running back with the information that MissManners would see my honour that day. There was no note. Between uswe made my toilet in a jiffy, and presently I was walking in at theManners's door in an amazing hurry, and scarcely waited for a direction.But as I ran up the stairs, I heard the tinkle of the spinet, and thenotes of an old, familiar tune fell upon my ears. The words rose in myhead with the cadence.
"Love me little, love me long, Is the burthen of my song, Love that is too hot and strong Runneth soon to waste."
That simple air, already mellowed by an hundred years, had always beenher favourite. She used to sing it softly to herself as we roamed thewoods and fields of the Eastern Shore. Instinctively I paused at thedressing-room door. Nay, my dears, you need not cry out, such was thecustom of the times. A dainty bower it was, filled with the perfume offlowers, and rosy cupids disporting on the ceiling; and china and silverand gold filigree strewn about, with my tea-cups on the table. Thesunlight fell like a halo round Dorothy's head, her hands strayed overthe keys, and her eyes were far away. She had not heard me. I rememberher dress,--a silk with blue cornflowers on a light ground, and theflimsiest of lace caps resting on her hair. I thought her face paler;but beyond that she did not show her illness.
She looked up, and perceived me, I thought, with a start. "So it isyou!" she said demurely enough; "you are come at last to give an accountof yourself."
"Are you better, Dorothy?" I asked earnestly.
"Why should you think that I have been ill?" she replied, her fingersgoing back to the spinet. "It is a mistake, sir. Dr. James has givenme near a gross of his infamous powders, and is now exploiting anothercure. I have been resting from the fatigues of London, while you havebeen wearing yourself out."
"Dr. James himself told me your condition was serious," I said.
"Of course," said she; "the worse the disease, the more remarkable thecure, the more sought after the physician. When will you get over yourprovincial simplicity?"
I saw there was nothing to be got out of her while in this bafflinghumour. I wondered what devil impelled a woman to write one way and talkanother. In her note to me she had confessed her illness. The wordsI had formed to say to her were tied on my tongue. But on the whole Icongratulated myself. She knew how to step better than I, and there weremany awkward things between us of late best not spoken of. But she keptme standing an unconscionable time without a word, which on the wholewas cruelty, while she played over some of Dibdin's ballads.
"Are you in a hurry, sir," she asked at length, turning on me witha smile, "are you in a hurry to join my Lord March or his Grace ofGrafton? And have you writ Captain Clapsaddle and your Whig friends athome of your new intimacies, of Mr. Fox and my Lord Sandwich?"
I was dumb.
"Yes, you must be wishing to get away," she continued cruelly, pickingup the newspaper. "I had forgotten this notice. When I saw it thismorning I thought of you, and despaired of a glimpse of you to-day."(Reading.) "At the Three Hats, Islington, this day, the 10th of May,will be played a grand match at that ancient and much renowned manlydiversion called Double Stick by a sect of chosen young men at thatexercise from different parts of the West Country, for two guineas givenfree; those who break the most heads to bear away the prize. Before theabove-mentioned diversion begins, Mr. Sampson and his young German willdisplay alternately on one, two, and three horses, various surprisingand curious feats of famous horsemanship in like manner as at the GrandJubilee at Stratford-upon-Avon. Admittance one shilling each person.'Before you leave, Mr. Richard," she continued, with her eyes still onthe sheet, "I should like to talk over one or two little matters."
"Dolly--!"
"Will you sit, sir?"
I sat down uneasily, expecting the worst. She disappointed me, as usual.
"What an unspeakable place must you keep in Dover Street! I cannot sendeven a footman there but what he comes back reeling."
I had to laugh at this. But there was no smile out of my lady.
"It took me near an hour and a half to answer your note," I replied.
"And 'twas a masterpiece!" exclaimed Dolly, with withering sarcasm;"oh, a most amazing masterpiece, I'll be bound! His worship the FrenchAmbassador is a kitten at diplomacy beside you, sir. An hour and a half,did you say, sir? Gemini, the Secretary of State and his whole corpscould not have composed the like in a day."
"Faith!" I cried, with feeling enough; "and if that is diplomacy, Iwould rather make leather breeches than be given an embassy."
She fixed her eyes upon me so disconcertingly that mine fell.
"There was a time," she said, with a change of tone, "there was a timewhen a request of mine, and it were not granted outright, would havereceived some attention. This is my first experience at being ignored."
"I had made a wager," said I, "and could not retract with honour."
"So you had made a wager! Now we are to have some news at last. Howstupid of you, Richard, not to tell me before. I confess I wonder whatthese wits find in your company. Here am I who have seen naught but dullwomen for a fortnight, and you have failed to say anything amusing in aquarter of an hour. Let us hear about the wager."
"Where is little to tell," I answered shortly, considerably piqued. "Ibet your friend, the Duke of Chartersea, some hundreds of pounds I couldride Lord Baltimore's Pollux for twenty minutes, after which his Gracewas to get on and ride twenty more."
"Where did you see the duke?" Dolly interrupted, without much show ofinterest.
I explained how we had met him at Brooks's, and had gone to his house.
"You went to his house?" she repeated, raising her eyebrows a trifle;"and Comyn and Mr. Fox? And pray, how did this pretty subject come up?"
I related, very badly, I fear, Fox's story of young Wrottlesey and thetea-merchant's daughter. And what does my lady do but get up and turnher back, arranging some pinks in the window. I could have sworn she waslaughing, had I not known better.
"Well?"
"Well, that was a reference to a little pleasantry Mr. Fox had put upon him some time before. His Grace flared, but tried not to show it. Hesaid he had heard I could do something with a horse (I believe he madeit up), and Comyn gave oath that I could; and then he offered to betComyn that I could not ride this Pollux, who had killed his groom.That made me angry, and I told the duke I was no jockey to be put u
p todecide wagers, and that he must make his offers to me."
"La!" said Dolly, "you fell in head over heels."
"What do you mean by that?" I demanded.
"Nothing," said she, biting her lip. "Come, you are as ponderous as Dr.Johnson."
"Then Mr. Fox proposed that his Grace should ride after me."
Here Dolly laughed in her handkerchief.
"I'll be bound," said she.
"Then the duke went to York," I continued hurriedly; and when he cameback we met him at the Star and Garter. He insisted that the matchshould come off in Hyde Park. I should have preferred the open roadsnorth of Bedford House."
"Where there is no Serpentine," she interrupted, with the faintestsuspicion of a twinkle about her eyes. "On, sir, on! You are asreluctant as our pump at Wilmot House in the dry season. I see you werenot killed, as you richly deserved. Let us have the rest of your tale."
"There is very little more to it, save that I contrived to master thebeast, and his Grace--"
"--Was disgraced. A vastly fine achievement, surely. But where are youto stop? You will be shaming the King next by outwalking him. Pray, howdid the duke appear as he was going into the Serpentine?"
"You have heard?" I exclaimed, the trick she had played me dawning uponme.
"Upon my word, Richard, you are more of a simpleton than I thought you.Have you not seen your newspaper this morning?"
I explained how it was that I had not. She took up the Chronicle.
"'This Mr. Carvel has made no inconsiderable noise since his arrivalin town, and yesterday crowned his performances by defeating publiclya noble duke at a riding match in Hyde Park, before half the quality ofthe kingdom. His Lordship of March and Ruglen acted as umpire.' There,sir, was I not right to beg Sir John Fielding to put you in safe keepinguntil your grandfather can send for you?"
I made to seize the paper, but she held it from me.
"'If Mr. Carvel remains long enough in England, he bids fair to sharethe talk of Mayfair with a certain honourable young gentleman ofBrooks's and the Admiralty, whose debts and doings now furnish mostof the gossip for the clubs and the card tables. Their names are bothconnected with this contest. 'Tis whispered that the wager upon whichthe match was ridden arose--'" here Dolly stopped shortly, her colourmounting, and cried out with a stamp of her foot. "You are not contentto bring publicity upon yourself, who deserve it, but must needs draginnocent names into the newspapers."
"What have they said?" I demanded, ready to roll every printer in Londonin the kennel.
"Nay, you may read for yourself," said she. And, flinging the paper inmy lap, left the room.
They had not said much more, Heaven be praised. But I was angry andmortified as I had never been before, realizing for the first timewhat a botch I had made of my stay in London. In great dejection, I waspicking up my hat to leave the house, when Mrs. Manners came in uponme, and insisted that I should stay for dinner. She was very white, andseemed troubled and preoccupied, and said that Mr. Manners had come backfrom York with a cold on his chest, but would insist upon joining theparty to Vauxhall on Monday. I asked her when she was going to thebaths, and suggested that the change would do her good. Indeed, shelooked badly.
"We are not going, Richard," she replied; "Dorothy will not hear ofit. In spite of the doctor she says she is not ill, and must attend atVauxhall, too. You are asked?"
I said that Mr. Storer had included me. I am sure, from the way shelooked at me, that she did not heed my answer. She appeared to hesitateon the verge of a speech, and glanced once or twice at the doors.
"Richard, I suppose you are old enough to take care of yourself, tho'you seem still a child to me. I pray you will be careful, my boy," shesaid, with something of the affection she had always borne me, "for yourgrandfather's sake, I pray you will run into no more danger. I--we areyour old friends, and the only ones here to advise you."
She stopped, seemingly, to weigh the wisdom of what was to come next,while I leaned forward with an eagerness I could not hide. Was she tospeak of the Duke of Chartersea? Alas, I was not to know. For at thatmoment Dorothy came back to inquire why I was not gone to the cudgellingat the Three Hats. I said I had been invited to stay to dinner.
"Why, I have writ a note asking Comyn," said she. "Do you think thehouse will hold you both?"
His Lordship came in as we were sitting down, bursting with some news,and he could hardly wait to congratulate Dolly on her recovery before hedelivered it.
"Why, Richard," says the dog, "what do you think some wag has done now?They believe at Brooks's 'twas that jackanapes of a parson, Dr. Warner,who was there yesterday with March." He drew a clipping from his pocket."Listen, Miss Dolly:
"On Wednesday did a carter see His Grace, the Duke of Ch-rt--s-a, As plump and helpless as a bag, A-straddle of a big-boned nag. "Lord, Sam!" the carter loudly yelled, On by this wondrous sight impelled, "We'll run and watch this noble gander Master a steed, like Alexander." But, when the carter reached the Row, His Grace had left it, long ago. Bucephalus had leaped the green, The duke was in the Serpentine. The fervent wish of all good men That he may ne'er come out again!'"
Comyn's impudence took my breath, tho' the experiment interested me nota little. My lady was pleased to laugh at the doggerel, and even Mrs.Manners. Its effect upon Mr. Marmaduke was not so spontaneous. His smilewas half-hearted. Indeed, the little gentleman seemed to have lost hisspirits, and said so little (for him), that I was encouraged to cornerhim that very evening and force him to a confession. But I might haveknown he was not to be caught. It appeared almost as if he guessed mypurpose, for as soon as ever the claret was come on, he excused himself,saying he was promised to Lady Harrington, who wanted one.
Comyn and I departed early on account of Dorothy. She had denied a dozenwho had left cards upon her.
"Egad, Richard," said my Lord, when we had got to my lodgings, "I madehim change colour, did I not? Do you know how the little fool looks tome? 'Od's life, he looks hunted, and cursed near brought to earth.We must fetch this thing to a point, Richard. And I am wondering whatChartersea's next move will be," he added thoughtfully.