The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. 2 (of 2)
CHAPTER VII. A PARTING INTERVIEW
When Heffernan, with his charge, Forester, reached Dublin, he drovestraight to Castlereagh's house, affectedly to place the young man underthe protection of his distinguished relative, but in reality burningwith eager impatience to recount his last stroke of address, and todisplay the cunning artifice by which he had embroiled O'Reilly with thegreat popular leader. Mr. Heffernan had a more than ordinary desireto exhibit his skill on this occasion; he was still smarting under theconscious sense of having been duped by O'Reilly, and could not resttranquilly until revenged. Under the mask of a most benevolent purpose,O'Reilly had induced Heffernan to procure Lionel Darcy an appointment toa regiment in India. Heffernan undertook the task, not, indeed, moved byany kindliness of feeling towards the youth, but as a means of reopeningonce more negotiations with O'Reilly; and now to discover that hehad interested himself simply to withdraw a troublesome witness in asuit--that he had been, in his own phrase, "jockeyed"--was an insult tohis cleverness he could not endure.
As Heffernan and Forester drove up to the door, they perceived that atravelling-carriage, ready packed and loaded, stood in waiting, whilethe bustle and movement of servants indicated a hurried departure.
"What's the matter, Hutton?" asked Heffernan of the valet who appearedat the moment; "is his Lordship at home?"
"Yes, sir, in the drawing-room; but my Lord is just leaving for England.He is now a Cabinet Minister."
Heffernan smiled, and affected to hear the tidings with delight, whilehe hastily desired the servant to announce him.
The drawing-room was crowded by a strange and anomalous-lookingassemblage, whose loud talking and laughing entirely prevented theannouncement of Con Heffernan's name from reaching Lord Castlereagh'sears. Groups of personal friends come to say good-bye, deputations eagerto have the last word in the ear of the departing Secretary, tradesmenbegging recommendations to his successor, with here and there adisappointed suitor, earnestly imploring future consideration, weremixed up with hurrying servants, collecting the various minor articleswhich lay scattered through the apartment.
The time which it cost Heffernan to wedge his way through the densecrowd was not wholly profitless, since it enabled him to assume thatlook of cordial satisfaction at the noble Secretary's promotion whichhe was so very far from really feeling. Like most men who cultivate merecunning, he underrated all who do not place the greatest reliance uponit, and in this way conceived a very depreciating estimate of LordCastlereagh's ability. Knowing how deeply he had himself been trusted,and how much employed in state transactions, he speculated on a longcareer of political influence, and that, while his Lordship remained asSecretary, his own skill and dexterity would never be dispensed with.This pleasant illusion was now suddenly dispelled, and he saw all hisspeculations scattered to the wind at once; in fact, to borrow his ownsagacious illustration, "he had to submit to a new deal with his handfull of trumps."
He was still endeavoring to disentangle himself from the throng, whenLord Castlereagh's quick eye discovered him.
"And here comes Heffernan," cried he, laughingly; "the only man wantingto fill up the measure of congratulations. Pray, my Lord, move one stepand rescue our poor friend from suffocation."
"By Jove! my Lord, one would imagine you were the rising and not thesetting sun, from all this adulating assemblage," said Heffernan, ashe shook the proffered hand of the Secretary, and held it mostostentatiously in his cordial pressure. "This was a complete surprisefor me," added he. "I only arrived this evening with Forester."
"With Dick? Indeed! I'm very glad the truant has turned up again. Whereis he?"
"He passed me on the stairs, I fancy to his room, for he mutteredsomething about going over in the packet along with you."
"And where have you been, Heffernan, and what doing?" asked LordCastlereagh, with that easy smile that so well became his features.
"That I can scarcely tell you here," said Heffernan, dropping his voiceto a whisper, "though I fancy the news would interest you." He made amotion towards the recess of a window, and Lord Castlereagh accepted thesuggestion, but with an indolence and half-apathy which did not escapeHeffernan's shrewd perception. Partly piqued by this, and partlystimulated by his own personal interest in the matter, Heffernanrelated, with unwonted eagerness, the details of his visit to the West,narrating with all his own skill the most striking characteristics ofthe O'Reilly household, and endeavoring to interest his hearer by thoselittle touches of native archness in description of which he was no meanmaster.
But often as they had before sufficed to amuse his Lordship, they seemeda failure now; for he listened, if not with impatience, yet withactual indifference, and seemed more than once as if about to stop thenarrative by the abrupt question, "How can this possibly interest _me?_"
Heffernan read the expression, and felt it as plainly as though it werespoken.
"I am tedious, my Lord," said he, whilst a slight flush colored themiddle of his cheek; "perhaps I only weary you."
"He must be a fastidious hearer who could weary of Mr. Heffernan'scompany," said his Lordship, with a smile so ambiguous that Heffernanresumed with even greater embarrassment,--
"I was about to observe, my Lord, that this same member for Mayohas become much more tractable. He evidently sees the necessity ofconfirming his new position, and, I am confident, with very littlenotice, might be con-verted into a stanch Government supporter."
"Your old favorite theory, Heffernan," said the Secretary, laughing; "towarm these Popish grubs into Protestant butterflies by the sunshine ofkingly favor, forgetting the while that 'the winter of their