"We had better get out of these trees," said Oswald.
"We had better get to the Castle," said Coningsby.
A clap of thunder that seemed to make the park quake broke over their heads, followed by some thick drops. The Castle was close at hand; Oswald had avoided entering it; but the impending storm was so menacing that, hurried on by Coningsby, he could make no resistance; and, in a few minutes, the companions were watching the tempest from the windows of a room in Coningsby Castle.
The fork-lightning flashed and scintillated from every quarter of the horizon: the thunder broke over the Castle, as if the keep were rocking with artillery: amid the momentary pauses of the explosion, the rain was heard descending like dissolving water-spouts.
Nor was this one of those transient tempests that often agitate the summer. Time advanced, and its fierceness was little mitigated.
Sometimes there was a lull, though the violence of the rain never appeared to diminish; but then, as in some pitched fight between contending hosts, when the fervour of the field seems for a moment to allay, fresh squadrons arrive and renew the hottest strife, so a low moaning wind that was now at intervals faintly heard bore up a great reserve of electric vapour, that formed, as it were, into field in the s.p.a.ce between the Castle and h.e.l.lingsley, and then discharged its violence on that fated district.
Coningsby and Oswald exchanged looks. "You must not think of going home at present, my dear fellow," said the first. "I am sure your father would not be displeased. There is not a being here who even knows you, and if they did, what then?"
The servant entered the room, and inquired whether the gentlemen were ready for dinner.
"By all means; come, my dear Millbank, I feel reckless as the tempest; let us drown our cares in wine!"
Coningsby, in fact, was exhausted by all the agitation of the day, and all the hara.s.sing spectres of the future. He found wine a momentary solace. He ordered the servants away, and for a moment felt a degree of wild satisfaction in the company of the brother of Edith.
Thus they sat for a long time, talking only of one subject, and repeating almost the same things, yet both felt happier in being together. Oswald had risen, and opening the window, examined the approaching night. The storm had lulled, though the rain still fell; in the west was a streak of light. In a quarter of an hour, he calculated on departing. As he was watching the wind he thought he heard the sound of wheels, which reminded him of Coningsby"s promise to lend him a light carriage for his return.
They sat down once more; they had filled their gla.s.ses for the last time; to pledge to their faithful friendship, and the happiness of Coningsby and Edith; when the door of the room opened, and there appeared, MR. RIGBY!
END OF BOOK VII.
BOOK VIII.
CHAPTER I.
It was the heart of the London season, nearly four years ago, twelve months having almost elapsed since the occurrence of those painful pa.s.sages at h.e.l.lingsley which closed the last book of this history, and long lines of carriages an hour before midnight, up the cla.s.sic mount of St. James and along Piccadilly, intimated that the world were received at some grand entertainment in Arlington Street.
It was the town mansion of the n.o.ble family beneath whose roof at Beaumanoir we have more than once introduced the reader, to gain whose courtyard was at this moment the object of emulous coachmen, and to enter whose saloons was to reward the martyr-like patience of their lords and ladies.
Among the fortunate who had already succeeded in bowing to their hostess were two gentlemen, who, ensconced in a good position, surveyed the scene, and made their observations on the pa.s.sing guests. They were gentlemen who, to judge from their general air and the great consideration with which they were treated by those who were occasionally in their vicinity, were personages whose criticism bore authority.
"I say, Jemmy," said the eldest, a dandy who had dined with the Regent, but who was still a dandy, and who enjoyed life almost as much as in the days when Carlton House occupied the terrace which still bears its name.
"I say, Jemmy, what a load of young fellows there are! Don"t know their names at all. Begin to think fellows are younger than they used to be.
Amazing load of young fellows, indeed!"
At this moment an individual who came under the fortunate designation of a young fellow, but whose a.s.sured carriage hardly intimated that this was his first season in London, came up to the junior of the two critics, and said, "A pretty turn you played us yesterday at White"s, Melton. We waited dinner nearly an hour."
"My dear fellow, I am infinitely sorry; but I was obliged to go down to Windsor, and I missed the return train. A good dinner? Who had you?"
"A capital party, only you were wanted. We had Beaumanoir and Vere, and Jack Tufton and Spraggs."
"Was Spraggs rich?"
"Wasn"t he! I have not done laughing yet. He told us a story about the little Biron who was over here last year; I knew her at Paris; and an Indian screen. Killing! Get him to tell it you. The richest thing you ever heard!"
"Who"s your friend?" inquired Mr. Melton"s companion, as the young man moved away.
"Sir Charles Buckhurst."
"A--h! That is Sir Charles Buckhurst. Glad to have seen him. They say he is going it."
"He knows what he is about."
"Egad! so they all do. A young fellow now of two or three and twenty knows the world as men used to do after as many years of sc.r.a.pes. I wonder where there is such a thing as a greenhorn. Effie Crabbs says the reason he gives up his house is, that he has cleaned out the old generation, and that the new generation would clean him."
"Buckhurst is not in that sort of way: he swears by Henry Sydney, a younger son of the Duke, whom you don"t know; and young Coningsby; a sort of new set; new ideas and all that sort of thing. Beau tells me a good deal about it; and when I was staying with the Everinghams, at Easter, they were full of it. Coningsby had just returned from his travels, and they were quite on the _qui vive_. Lady Everingham is one of their set. I don"t know what it is exactly; but I think we shall hear more of it."
"A sort of animal magnetism, or unknown tongues, I take it from your description," said his companion.
"Well, I don"t know what it is," said Mr. Melton; "but it has got hold of all the young fellows who have just come out. Beau is a little bit himself. I had some idea of giving my mind to it, they made such a fuss about it at Everingham; but it requires a devilish deal of history, I believe, and all that sort of thing."
"Ah! that"s a bore," said his companion. "It is difficult to turn to with a new thing when you are not in the habit of it. I never could manage charades."
Mr. Ormsby, pa.s.sing by, stopped. "They told me you had the gout, Ca.s.silis?" he said to Mr. Melton"s companion.
"So I had; but I have found out a fellow who cures the gout instanter.
Tom Needham sent him to me. A German fellow. Pumicestone pills; sort of a charm, I believe, and all that kind of thing: they say it rubs the gout out of you. I sent him to Luxborough, who was very bad; cured him directly. Luxborough swears by him."
"Luxborough believes in the Millennium," said Mr. Ormsby.
"But here"s a new thing that Melton has been telling me of, that all the world is going to believe in," said Mr. Ca.s.silis, "something patronised by Lady Everingham."
"A very good patroness," said Mr. Ormsby.
"Have you heard anything about it?" continued Mr. Ca.s.silis. "Young Coningsby brought it from abroad; didn"t you you say so, Jemmy?"
"No, no, my dear fellow; it is not at all that sort of thing."
"But they say it requires a deuced deal of history," continued Mr.
Ca.s.silis. "One must brush up one"s Goldsmith. Canterton used to be the fellow for history at White"s. He was always boring one with William the Conqueror, Julius Caesar, and all that sort of thing."
"I tell you what," said Mr. Ormsby, looking both sly and solemn, "I should not be surprised if, some day or another, we have a history about Lady Everingham and young Coningsby."
"Poh!" said Mr. Melton; "he is engaged to be married to her sister, Lady Theresa."
"The deuce!" said Mr. Ormsby; "well, you are a friend of the family, and I suppose you know."
"He is a devilish good-looking fellow, that young Coningsby," said Mr.
Ca.s.silis. "All the women are in love with him, they say. Lady Eleanor Ducie quite raves about him."
"By-the-bye, his grandfather has been very unwell," said Mr. Ormsby, looking mysteriously.