Ravenshoe

  CHAPTER XXII.

  THE LAST GLIMPSE OF OXFORD.

  Oxford. The front of Magdalen Hall, about which the least said thesoonest mended. On the left, further on, All Souls, which seems to havebeen built by the same happy hand which built the new courts of St.John's, Cambridge (for they are about equally bad). On the right, theClarendon and the Schools, blocking out the western sky. Still more tothe right, a bit of Exeter, and all Brazenose. In front, the Radcliff,the third dome in England, and, beyond, the straight facade of St.Mary's, gathering its lines upward ever, till tired of window andbuttress, of crocket, finial, gargoyle, and all the rest of it, it leapsup aloft in one glorious crystal, and carries up one's heart with itinto the heaven above.

  Charles Ravenshoe and Marston. They stood side by side on the pavement,and their eyes roamed together over the noble mass of architecture,passing from the straight lines, and abrupt corner of the Radcliffe, onto the steeple of St. Mary's. They stood silent for a moment, and thenMarston said--

  "Serve him right."

  "Why?" said Charles.

  "Because he had no business to be driving tandem at all. He can't affordit. And, besides, if he could, why should he defy the authorities bydriving tandem? Nobody would drive tandem if it wasn't forbidden."

  "Well, he is sent down, and therefore your virtue may spare him."

  "Sent down!" said Marston, testily, "he never ought to have come up. Hewas only sent here to be pitchforked through the Schools, and get afamily living."

  "Well, well," said Charles; "I was very fond of him."

  "Pish!" said Marston. Whereat Charles laughed uproariously, and stood inthe gutter. His mirth was stopped by his being attacked by a toothlessblack-and-tan terrier, who was so old that he could only bark in awhisper, but whose privilege it was to follow about one of the firstdivinity scholars of the day, round the sunniest spots in the town. Thedog having been appeased, Charles and Marston stood aside, and got akindly smile from the good old man, in recognition of their havingtouched their caps to him.

  "Charley," said Marston, "I am so glad to hear of your going on sowell. Mind you, if you had stuck to your work sooner, you would have hadmore than a second in Moderations. You must, and you shall, get a first,you know. I will have it."

  "Never, my boy, never;" said Charles: "I haven't head for it."

  "Nonsense. You are a great fool; but you may get your first."

  Thereupon Charles laughed again, louder than before, and wanted to knowwhat his friend had been eating to upset his liver. To which Marstonanswered "Bosh!" and then they went down Oriel Lane, "And so by Merton,"as the fox-hunters say, to Christ Church Meadow.

  "I am glad you are in the University eight," said Marston; "it will doyou a vast deal of good. You used to over-value that sort of thing, butI don't think that you do so now. You can't row or ride yourself into aplace in the world, but that is no reason why you should not row orride. I wish I was heavy enough to row. Who steers to-day?"

  "The great Panjandrum."

  "I don't like the great Panjandrum. I think him slangy. And I don'tpardon slang in any one beyond a very young bachelor."

  "I am very fond of him," said Charles, "and you are bilious, and out ofhumour with every one in heaven and earth, except apparently me. But,seriously speaking, old man, I think you have had something to vex you,since you came up yesterday. I haven't seen you since you were atRavenshoe, and you are deucedly altered, do you know?"

  "I am sure you are wrong, Charles. I have had nothing--Well, I neverlie. I have been disappointed in something, but I have fought against itso, that I am sure you must be wrong. I cannot be altered."

  "Tell me what has gone wrong, Marston. Is it in money matters? If it is,I know I can help you there."

  "Money. Oh! dear no;" said Marston. "Charley, you are a good fellow. Youare the best fellow I ever met, do you know? But I can't tell you whatis the matter now."

  "Have I been doing anything?" said Charles, eagerly.

  "You have been doing a great deal to make me like and respect you,Charles; but nothing to make me unhappy. Now answer me some questions,and let us change the subject. How is your father?"

  "Dear old dad is very well. I got a letter from him to-day."

  "And how is your brother?"

  "Well in health, but weak in mind, I fear. I am very much afraid that Ishall be heir of Ravenshoe."

  "Why? is he going mad?"

  "Not a bit of it, poor lad. He is going into a religious house, I amafraid. At least he mentioned that sort of thing the last time he wroteto me, as if he were trying to bring me face to face with the idea; andbe sure my dearly beloved Father Mackworth will never let the idearest."

  "Poor fellow! And how is Adelaide the beautiful?"

  "_She's_ all right," said Charles. "She and aunt are the best friends inthe world."

  "They always were, weren't they?"

  "Why, you see," said Charles, "sometimes aunt was cross, and Adelaide isvery high-spirited, you know. Exceedingly high-spirited."

  "Indeed?"

  "Oh, yes, very much so; she didn't take much nonsense from LadyHainault, I can tell you."

  "Well," said Marston, "to continue my catechising, how is William?"

  "He is very well. Is there no one else you were going to ask after?"

  "Oh, yes. Miss Corby?"

  "She is pretty well, I believe, in health, but she does not seem quiteso happy as she was," said Charles, looking at Marston, suddenly.

  He might as well have looked at the Taylor building, if he expected anychange to take place in Marston's face. He regarded him with a stonystare, and said--

  "Indeed. I am sorry to hear that."

  "Marston," said Charles, "I once thought that there was somethingbetween you and her."

  "That is a remarkable instance of what silly notions get into vacantminds," said Marston, steadily. Whereat Charles laughed again.

  At this point, being opposite the University barge, Charles was hailedby a West-countryman of Exeter, whom we shall call Lee, who never metwith Charles without having a turn at talking Devonshire with him. Henow began at the top of his voice, to the great astonishment of thesurrounding dandies.

  "Where be gwine? Charles Ravenshoe, where be gwine?"

  "We'm gwine for a ride on the watter, Jan Lee."

  "Be gwine in the 'Varsity eight, Charles Ravenshoe?"

  "Iss, sure."

  "How do'e feel? Dont'e feel afeard?"

  "Ma dear soul, I've got such a wambling in my innards, and--"

  "We are waiting for you, Ravenshoe," said the Captain; and, a fewminutes after, the University eight rushed forth on her glorious career,clearing her way through the crowd of boats, and their admiring rowers,towards Iffley.

  And Marston sat on the top of the University barge, and watched hersweeping on towards the distance, and then he said to himself--

  "Ah! there goes the man I like best in the world, who don't care for thewoman I love best in the world, who is in love with the man beforementioned, who is in love with a woman who don't care a hang for him.There is a certain left-handedness in human affairs."