CHAPTER XXXI.
LIEUTENANT HORNBY.
Charles had always been passionately fond of horses and of riding. Hewas a consummate horseman, and was so perfectly accomplished ineverything relating to horses, that I really believe that in time hemight actually have risen to the dizzy height of being stud-groom to agreat gentleman or nobleman. He had been brought up in a greathorse-riding house, and had actually gained so much experience, and hadso much to say on matters of this kind, that once, at Oxford, apromising young nobleman cast, so to speak, an adverse opinion ofCharles's into George Simmond's own face. Mr. Simmonds looked round onthe offender mildly and compassionately, and said, "If any undergraduate_could_ know, my lord, that undergraduate's name would be Ravenshoe ofPaul's. But he is young, my lord; and, in consequence, ignorant." Hislordship didn't say anything after that.
I have kept this fact in the background rather, hitherto, because it hasnot been of any very great consequence. It becomes of some consequencenow, for the first time. I enlarged a little on Charles being a rowingman, because rowing and training had, for good or for evil, a certaineffect on his character. (Whether for good or for evil, you mustdetermine for yourselves.) And I now mention the fact of his being aconsummate horseman, because a considerable part of the incidents whichfollow arise from the fact.
Don't think for one moment that you are going to be bored bystable-talk. You will have simply none of it. It only amounts tothis--that Charles, being fond of horses, took up with a certain line oflife, and in that line of life met with certain adventures which havemade his history worth relating.
When he met the "horsy" man next morning, he was not dressed like agentleman. In his store he had some old clothes, which he used to wearat Ravenshoe, in the merry old days when he would be up with daylight toexercise the horses on the moor--cord trousers, and so on--which, beingnow old and worn, made him look uncommonly like a groom out of place.And what contributed to the delusion was, that for the first time in hislife he wore no shirt collar, but allowed his blue-spotted neckcloth toborder on his honest red face, without one single quarter of an inch oflinen. And, if it ever pleases your lordship's noble excellence to looklike a blackguard for any reason, allow me to recommend you to wear adark necktie and no collar. Your success will be beyond your utmosthopes.
Charles met his new friend in the bar, and touched his hat to him. Hisfriend laughed, and said, that would do, but asked how long he thoughthe could keep that sort of thing going. Charles said, as long as wasnecessary; and they went out together.
They walked as far as a street leading out of one of the largest andbest squares (I mean B--lg--e Sq--e, but I don't like to write it atfull length), and stopped at the door of a handsome shop. Charles knewenough of London to surmise that the first floor was let to a man ofsome wealth; and he was right.
The door was opened, and his friend was shown up stairs, while he wastold to wait in the hall. Now Charles began to perceive, withconsiderable amusement, that he was acting a part--that he was playing,so to speak, at being something other than what he really was, and thathe was, perhaps, overdoing it. In this house, which yesterday he wouldhave entered as an equal, he was now playing at being a servant. It wasimmensely amusing. He wiped his shoes very clean, and sat down on abench in the hall, with his hat between his knees, as he had seen groomsdo. It is no use wondering; one never finds out anything by that. But Ido wonder, nevertheless, whether Charles, had he only known in whatrelation the master of that house stood to himself, would or would nothave set the house on fire, or cut its owner's throat. When he did findout, he did neither the one thing nor the other; but he had been a gooddeal tamed by that time.
Presently a servant came down, and, eyeing Charles curiously as aprospective fellow-servant, told him civilly to walk up stairs. He wentup. The room was one of a handsome suite, and overlooked the street.Charles saw at a glance that it was the room of a great dandy. A dandy,if not of the first water, most assuredly high up in the second. Twothings only jurred on his eye in his hurried glance round the room.There was too much bric-a-brac, and too many flowers. "I wonder if he isa gentleman," thought Charles. His friend of the night before wasstanding in a respectful attitude, leaning on the back of a chair, andCharles looked round for the master of the house, eagerly. He had tocast his eyes downward to see him, for he was lying back on an easychair, half hidden by the breakfast table.
There he was--Charles's master: the man who was going to buy him.Charles cast one intensely eager glance at him, and was satisfied. "Hewill do at a pinch," said he to himself.
There were a great many handsome and splendid things in that room, butthe owner of them was by far the handsomest and most splendid thingthere.
He was a young man, with very pale and delicate features, and asingularly amiable cast of face, who wore a moustache, with the longwhiskers which were just then coming into fashion; and he was dressedin a splendid uniform of blue, gold, and scarlet, for he had been onduty that morning, and had just come in. His sabre was cast upon thefloor before him, and his shako was on the table. As Charles looked athim, he passed his hand over his hair. There was one ring on it, but_such_ a ring! "That's a high-bred hand enough," said Charles tohimself. "And he hasn't got too much jewellery on him. I wonder who thedeuce he is?"
"This is the young man, sir," said Charles's new friend.
Lieutenant Hornby was looking at Charles, and after a pause, said--
"I take him on your recommendation, Sloane. I have no doubt he will do.He seems a good fellow. You are a good fellow, ain't you?" he continued,addressing Charles personally, with that happy graceful insolence whichis the peculiar property of prosperous and entirely amiable young men,and which charms one in spite of oneself.
Charles replied, "I am quarrelsome sometimes among my equals, but I amalways good-tempered among horses."
"That will do very well. You may punch the other two lads' heads as muchas you like. They don't mind me; perhaps they may you. You will be overthem. You will have the management of everything. You will haveunlimited opportunities of robbing and plundering me, with an entireabsence of all chance of detection. But you won't do it. It isn't yourline, I saw at once. Let me look at your hand."
Charles gave him the great ribbed paw which served him in that capacity.And Hornby said--
"Ha! Gentleman's hand. No business of mine. Don't wear that ring, willyou? A groom mustn't wear such rings as that. Any character?"
Charles showed him the letter Lord Ascot had written.
"Lord Ascot, eh? I know Lord Welter, slightly."
"The deuce you do," thought Charles.
"Were you in Lord Ascot's stables?"
"No, sir. I am the son of Squire Ravenshoe's gamekeeper. The Ravenshoesand my Lord Ascot's family are connected by marriage. Ravenshoe is inthe west country, sir. Lord Ascot knows me by repute, sir, and has agood opinion of me."
"It is perfectly satisfactory. Sloane, will you put him in the way ofhis duties? Make the other lads understand that he is master, will you?You may go."