CHAPTER III.
'Well, I am not surprised that you should have passed your timedelightfully here,' said Lord Cadurcis to Lady Annabel, when they hadentered the villa; 'for I never beheld so delightful a retreat. It iseven more exquisite than your villa on the lake, of which George gaveme so glowing a description. I was almost tempted to hasten to you.Would you have smiled on me!' he added, rather archly, and in acoaxing tone.
'I am more gratified that we have met here,' said Lady Annabel.
'And thus,' added Cadurcis.
'You have been a great traveller since we last met?' said LadyAnnabel, a little embarrassed.
'My days of restlessness are over,' said Cadurcis. 'I desire nothingmore dearly than to settle down in the bosom of these green hills asyou have done.'
'This life suits Mr. Herbert,' said Lady Annabel. 'He is fond ofseclusion, and you know I am accustomed to it.'
'Ah! yes,' said Cadurcis, mournfully. 'When I was in Greece, I usedoften to wish that none of us had ever left dear Cherbury; but I donot now.'
'We must forget Cherbury,' said Lady Annabel.
'I cannot: I cannot forget her who cherished my melancholy childhood.Dear Lady Annabel,' he added in a voice of emotion, and offering herhis hand, 'forget all my follies, and remember that I was your child,once as dutiful as you were affectionate.'
Who could resist this appeal? Lady Annabel, not without agitation,yielded him her hand, which he pressed to his lips. 'Now I am againhappy,' said Cadurcis; 'now we are all happy. Sweetest of friends, youhave removed in a moment the bitterness of years.'
Although lights were in the saloon, the windows opening on the porticowere not closed. The evening air was soft and balmy, and though themoon had not risen, the distant hills were clear in the starlight.Venetia was standing in the portico conversing with George Cadurcis.
'I suppose you are too much of a Turk to drink our coffee, LordCadurcis,' said Herbert. Cadurcis turned and joined him, together withLady Annabel.
'Nay,' said Lord Cadurcis, in a joyous tone, 'Lady Annabel will answerfor me that I always find everything perfect under her roof.'
Captain Cadurcis and Venetia now re-entered the villa; they clusteredround the table, and seated themselves.
'Why, Venetia,' said Cadurcis, 'George met me in Sicily and quitefrightened me about you. Is it the air of the Apennines that hasworked these marvels? for, really, you appear to me exactly the sameas when we learnt the French vocabulary together ten years ago.'
'"The French vocabulary together, ten years ago!"' thought Herbert;'not a mere London acquaintance, then. This is very strange.'
'Why, indeed, Plantagenet,' replied Venetia, 'I was very unwell whenGeorge visited us; but I really have quite forgotten that I ever wasan invalid, and I never mean to be again.'
'"Plantagenet!"' soliloquised Herbert. 'And this is the great poetof whom I have heard so much! My daughter is tolerably familiar withhim.'
'I have brought you all sorts of buffooneries from Stamboul,'continued Cadurcis; 'sweetmeats, and slippers, and shawls, and daggersworn only by sultanas, and with which, if necessary, they can keep"the harem's lord" in order. I meant to have sent them with George toEngland, for really I did not anticipate our meeting here.'
'"Sweetmeats and slippers,"' said Herbert to himself, '"shawls anddaggers!" What next?'
'And has George been with you all the time?' inquired Venetia.
'Oh! we quarrelled now and then, of course. He found Athens dull, andwould stay at Constantinople, chained by the charms of a fair Perote,to whom he wanted me to write sonnets in his name. I would not,because I thought it immoral. But, on the whole, we got on very well;a sort of Pylades and Orestes, I assure you; we never absolutelyfought.'
'Come, come,' said George, 'Cadurcis is always ashamed of beingamiable. We were together much more than I ever intended oranticipated. You know mine was a sporting tour; and therefore, ofcourse, we were sometimes separated. But he was exceedingly popularwith all parties, especially the Turks, whom he rewarded for theircourtesy by writing odes to the Greeks to stir them up to revolt.'
'Well, they never read them,' said Cadurcis. 'All we, poor fellows,can do,' he added, turning to Herbert, 'is to wake the Hellenisticraptures of May Fair; and that they call fame; as much like fame as atoadstool is like a truffle.'
'Nevertheless, I hope the muse has not slumbered,' said Herbert; 'foryou have had the happiest inspiration in the climes in which you haveresided; not only are they essentially poetic, but they offer a virginvein.'
'I have written a little,' replied Cadurcis; 'I will give it you, ifyou like, some day to turn over. Yours is the only opinion that Ireally care for. I have no great idea of the poetry; but I am verystrong in my costume. I feel very confident about that. I fancy I knowhow to hit off a pasha, or touch in a Greek pirate now. As for all thethings I wrote in England, I really am ashamed of them. I got up myorientalism from books, and sultans and sultanas at masquerades,' headded, archly. 'I remember I made my heroines always wear turbans;only conceive my horror when I found that a Turkish woman would assoon think of putting my hat on as a turban, and that it was anarticle of dress entirely confined to a Bond Street milliner.'
The evening passed in interesting and diverting conversation; ofcourse, principally contributed by the two travellers, who had seen somuch. Inspirited by his interview with Lady Annabel, and her graciousreception of his overtures, Lord Cadurcis was in one of those frolichumours, which we have before noticed was not unnatural to him. He hadconsiderable powers of mimicry, and the talent that had pictured toVenetia in old days, with such liveliness, the habits of the old maidsof Morpeth, was now engaged on more considerable topics; an interviewwith a pasha, a peep into a harem, a visit to a pirate's isle, theslave-market, the bazaar, the barracks of the janissaries, all touchedwith irresistible vitality, and coloured with the rich phrases ofunrivalled force of expression. The laughter was loud and continual;even Lady Annabel joined zealously in the glee. As for Herbert, hethought Cadurcis by far the most hearty and amusing person he had everknown, and could not refrain from contrasting him with the picturewhich his works and the report of the world had occasionally enabledhim to sketch to his mind's eye; the noble, young, and impassionedbard, pouring forth the eloquent tide of his morbid feelings to anidolising world, from whose applause he nevertheless turned with analmost misanthropic melancholy.
It was now much past the noon of night, and the hour of separation,long postponed, was inevitable. Often had Cadurcis risen to depart,and often, without regaining his seat, had he been tempted by hisfriends, and especially Venetia, into fresh narratives. At last hesaid, 'Now we must go. Lady Annabel looks good night. I remember thelook,' he said, laughing, 'when we used to beg for a quarter of anhour more. O Venetia! do not you remember that Christmas when dearold Masham read Julius Caesar, and we were to sit up until it wasfinished. When he got to the last act I hid his spectacles. I neverconfessed it until this moment. Will you pardon me, Lady Annabel?' andhe pressed his hands together in a mockery of supplication.
'Will you come and breakfast with us to-morrow?' said Lady Annabel.
'With delight,' he answered. 'I am used, you know, to walks beforebreakfast. George, I do not think George can do it, though. Georgelikes his comforts; he is a regular John Bull. He was always callingfor tea when we were in Turkey!'
At this moment Mistress Pauncefort entered the room, ostensibly onsome little affair of her mistress, but really to reconnoitre.
'Ah! Mistress Pauncefort; my old friend, Mistress Pauncefort, how doyou do?' exclaimed his lordship.
'Quite well, my lord, please your lordship; and very glad to see yourlordship again, and looking so well too.'
'Ah! Mistress Pauncefort, you always flattered me!'
'Oh! dear, my lord, your lordship, no,' said Mistress Pauncefort, witha simper.
'But you, Pauncefort,' said Cadurcis, 'why there must be some magic inthe air here. I have been complimenting your lady and Miss Venetia;but really, you,
I should almost have thought it was some youngersister.'
'Oh! my lord, you have such a way,' said Mistress Pauncefort,retreating with a slow step that still lingered for a remark.
'Pauncefort, is that an Italian cap?' said Lord Cadurcis; 'you know,Pauncefort, you were always famous for your caps.'
Mistress Pauncefort disappeared in a fluster of delight.
And now they had indeed departed. There was a pause of completesilence after they had disappeared, the slight and not painfulreaction after the mirthful excitement of the last few hours. Atlength Herbert, dropping, as was his evening custom, a few drops oforange-flower into a tumbler of water, said, 'Annabel, my love, I amrather surprised that neither you nor Venetia should have mentioned tome that you knew, and knew so intimately, a man like Lord Cadurcis.'
Lady Annabel appeared a little confused; she looked even at Venetia,but Venetia's eyes were on the ground. At length she said, 'In truth,Marmion, since we met we have thought only of you.'
'Cadurcis Abbey, papa, is close to Cherbury,' said Venetia.
'Cherbury!' said Herbert, with a faint blush. 'I have never seen it,and now I shall never see it. No matter, my country is your mother andyourself. Some find a home in their country, I find a country in myhome. Well,' he added, in a gayer tone, 'it has gratified me much tomeet Lord Cadurcis. We were happy before, but now we are even gay.I like to see you smile, Annabel, and hear Venetia laugh. I feel,myself, quite an unusual hilarity. Cadurcis! It is very strange howoften I have mused over that name. A year ago it was one of my fewwishes to know him; my wishes, then, dear Annabel, were not veryambitious. They did not mount so high as you have since permittedthem. And now I do know him, and under what circumstances! Is not lifestrange? But is it not happy? I feel it so. Good night, sweet wife;my darling daughter, a happy, happy night!' He embraced them erethey retired; and opening a volume composed his mind after the novelexcitement of the evening.