"Well, as for the identical words, I really, and I was tolerably excited, sir, and upon my honour, the identical words are rather difficult to...." He glanced at the horsewhip, and p.r.i.c.ked by the sight of it to proceed, thought it good to soften the matter if possible. "I don"t quite recollect... I wrote off to you rather hastily. I think he said--but Palmet was there."
"Shrapnel spoke the words before Lord Palmet?" said Mr. Romfrey austerely.
Captain Baskelett summoned Palmet to come near, and inquired of him what he had heard Shrapnel say, suggesting: "He spoke of a handsome woman for a housekeeper, and all the world knew her character?"
Mr. Romfrey cleared his throat.
"Or knew she had no character," Cecil pursued in a fit of gratified spleen, in scorn of the woman. "Don"t you recollect his accent in p.r.o.nouncing housekeeper?"
The menacing thunder sounded from Mr. Romfrey. He was patient in appearance, and waited for Cecil"s witness to corroborate the evidence.
It happened (and here we are in one of the circles of small things producing great consequences, which have inspired diminutive philosophers with ironical visions of history and the littleness of man), it happened that Lord Palmet, the humanest of young aristocrats, well-disposed toward the entire world, especially to women, also to men in any way related to pretty women, had just lit a cigar, and it was a cigar that he had been recommended to try the flavour of; and though he, having his wits about him, was fully aware that shipboard is no good place for a trial of the delicacy of tobacco in the leaf, he had begun puffing and sniffing in a critical spirit, and scarcely knew for the moment what to decide as to this particular cigar. He remembered, however, Mr. Romfrey"s objection to tobacco. Imagining that he saw the expression of a profound distaste in that gentleman"s more than usually serious face, he hesitated between casting the cigar into the water and retaining it. He decided upon the latter course, and held the cigar behind his back, bowing to Mr. Romfrey at about a couple of yards distance, and saying to Cecil, "Housekeeper; yes, I remember hearing housekeeper. I think so. Housekeeper? yes, oh yes."
"And handsome housekeepers were doubtful characters," Captain Baskelett prompted him.
Palmet laughed out a single "Ha!" that seemed to excuse him for lounging away to the forepart of the vessel, where he tugged at his fine specimen of a cigar to rekindle it, and discharged it with a wry grimace, so delicate is the flavour of that weed, and so adversely ever is it affected by a breeze and a moist atmosphere. He could then return undivided in his mind to Mr. Romfrey and Cecil, but the subject was not resumed in his presence.
The Countess of Menai steamed into Bevisham to land Mr. Romfrey there.
"I can be out in the Channel any day; it is not every day that I see you," she said, in support of her proposal to take him over.
They sat together conversing, apart from the rest of the company, until they sighted Bevisham, when Mr. Romfrey stood up, and a little crowd of men came round him to enjoy his famous racy talk. Captain Baskelett offered to land with him. He declined companionship. Dropping her hand in his, the countess asked him what he had to do in that town, and he replied, "I have to demand an apology."
Answering the direct look of his eyes, she said, "Oh, I shall not speak of it."
In his younger days, if the rumour was correct, he had done the same on her account.
He stepped into the boat, and presently they saw him mount the pier-steps, with the riding-whip under his arm, his head more than commonly bent, a noticeable point in a man of his tall erect figure.
The ladies and some of the gentlemen thought he was looking particularly grave, even sorrowful.
Lady Menai inquired of Captain Baskelett whether he knew the nature of his uncle"s business in Bevisham, the town he despised.
What could Cecil say but no? His uncle had not imparted it to him.
She was flattered in being the sole confidante, and said no more.
The sprightly ingenuity of Captain Baskelett"s mind would have informed him of the nature of his uncle"s expedition, we may be sure, had he put it to the trial; for Mr. Romfrey was as plain to read as a rudimentary sum in arithmetic, and like the tracings of a pedigree-map his preliminary steps to deeds were seen pointing on their issue in lines of straight descent. But Cecil could protest that he was not bound to know, and considering that he was neither bound to know nor to speculate, he determined to stand on his right. So effectually did he accomplish the task, that he was frequently surprised during the evening and the night by the effervescence of a secret exultation rising imp-like within him, that was, he a.s.sured himself, perfectly unaccountable.
CHAPTER x.x.xII. AN EFFORT TO CONQUER CECILIA IN BEAUCHAMP"S FASHION
The day after Mr. Romfrey"s landing in Bevisham a full South-wester stretched the canvas of yachts of all cla.s.ses, schooner, cutter and yawl, on the lively green water between the island and the forest sh.o.r.e.
Cecilia"s n.o.ble schooner was sure to be out in such a ringing breeze, for the pride of it as well as the pleasure. She landed her father at the Club steps, and then bore away Eastward to sight a cutter race, the breeze beginning to stiffen. Looking back against sun and wind, she saw herself pursued by a saucy little 15-ton craft that had been in her track since she left the Otley river before noon, dipping and straining, with every inch of sail set; as mad a stern chase as ever was witnessed: and who could the man at the tiller, clad cap-A-pie in tarpaulin, be?
She led him dancing away, to prove his resoluteness and laugh at him.
She had the powerful wings, and a glory in them coming of this pursuit: her triumph was delicious, until the occasional sparkle of the tarpaulin was lost, the small boat appeared a motionless object far behind, and all ahead of her exceedingly dull, though the race hung there and the crowd of sail.
Cecilia"s transient flutter of coquettry created by the animating air and her queenly flight was over. She fled splendidly and she came back graciously. But he refused her open hand, as it were. He made as if to stand across her tack, and, reconsidering it, evidently scorned his advantage and challenged the stately vessel for a beat up against the wind. It was as pretty as a Court minuet. But presently Cecilia stood too far on one tack, and returning to the centre of the channel, found herself headed by seamanship. He waved an ironical salute with his sou"wester. Her retort consisted in bringing her vessel to the wind, and sending a boat for him.
She did it on the impulse; had she consulted her wishes she would rather have seen him at his post, where he seemed in his element, facing the spray and cunningly calculating to get wind and tide in his favour.
Partly with regret she saw him, stripped of his tarpaulin, jump into her boat, as though she had once more to say farewell to sailor Nevil Beauchamp; farewell the bright youth, the hero, the true servant of his country!
That feeling of hers changed when he was on board. The stirring cordial day had put new breath in him.
"Should not the flag be dipped?" he said, looking up at the peak, where the white flag streamed.
"Can you really mistake compa.s.sion for defeat?" said she, with a smile.
"Oh! before the wind of course I hadn"t a chance."
"How could you be so presumptuous as to give chase? And who has lent you that little cutter?"
Beauchamp had hired her for a month, and he praised her sailing, and pretended to say that the race was not always to the strong in a stiff breeze.
"But in point" of fact I was bent on trying how my boat swims, and had no idea of overhauling you. To-day our salt-water lake is as fine as the Mediterranean."
"Omitting the islands and the Mediterranean colour, it is. I have often told you how I love it. I have landed papa at the Club. Are you aware that we meet you at Steynham the day after to-morrow?"
"Well, we can ride on the downs. The downs between three and four of a summer"s morning are as lovely as anything in the world. They have the softest outlines imaginable... and remind me of a friend"s upper lip when she deigns to smile."
"Is one to rise at that hour to behold the effect? And let me remind you further, Nevil, that the comparison of nature"s minor work beside her mighty is an error, if you will be poetical."
She cited a well-known instance of degradation in verse.
But a young man who happens to be intimately acquainted with a certain "dark eye in woman" will not so lightly be brought to consider that the comparison of tempestuous night to the flashing of those eyes of hers topples the scene headlong from grandeur. And if Beauchamp remembered rightly, the scene was the Alps at night.
He was prepared to contest Cecilia"s judgement. At that moment the breeze freshened and the canvas lifted from due South the yacht swung her sails to drive toward the West, and Cecilia"s face and hair came out golden in the sunlight. Speech was difficult, admiration natural, so he sat beside her, admiring in silence.
She said a good word for the smartness of his little yacht.
"This is my first trial of her," said Beauchamp. "I hired her chiefly to give Dr. Shrapnel a taste of salt air. I "ve no real right to be idling about. His ward Miss Denham is travelling in Switzerland; the dear old man is alone, and not quite so well as I should wish. Change of scene will do him good. I shall land him on the French coast for a couple of days, or take him down Channel."
Cecilia gazed abstractedly at a pa.s.sing schooner.
"He works too hard," said Beauchamp.
"Who does?"
"Dr. Shrapnel."
Some one else whom we have heard of works too hard, and it would be happy for mankind if he did not.
Cecilia named the schooner; an American that had beaten our crack yachts. Beauchamp sprang up to spy at the American.
"That"s the Corinne, is she!"
Yankee craftiness on salt water always excited his respectful attention as a spectator.
"And what is the name of your boat, Nevil?"