"Yes, the shots. .h.i.t us behind you," said Aminta; and she, too, struck the table.
He did not prolong their torture. Weyburn received the folio sheet and pa.s.sed it on. Aminta read. Mrs. Lawrence jumped from her chair and ran to the countess"s shoulder; her red lips formed the pet.i.tioning word to the earl for the liberty she was bent to take.
"Peep? if you like," my lord said, jesting at the blank she would find, and soft to the pretty play of her mouth.
When the ladies had run to the end of it, he asked them: "Well; now then?"
"But it"s capital--the dear laddies!" Mrs. Lawrence exclaimed.
Aminta"s eyes met Weyburn"s.
She handed him the sheet of paper; upon the transmission of which empty thing from the Horse Guards my lord commented: "An orderly!"
Weyburn scanned it rapidly, for the table had been served.
The contents were these:
"HIGH BRENT NEAR ARTSWELL.
"April 7th.
"To GENERAL THE EARL OF ORMONT "Cavalry.
"May it please your Lordship, we, the boys of Mr. Cuper"s school, are desirous to bring to the notice of the bravest officer England possesses now living, a Deed of Heroism by a little boy and girl, children of our school laundress, aged respectively eight and six, who, seeing a little fellow in the water out of depth, and sinking twice, before the third time jumped in to save him, though unable to swim themselves; the girl aged six first, we are sorry to say; but the brother, Robert Coop, followed her example, and together they made a line, and she caught hold of the drowning boy, and he held her petycoats, and so they pulled. We have seen the place: it is not a nice one. They got him ash.o.r.e at last. The park-keeper here going along found them dripping, rubbing his hands, and blowing into his nostrils. Name, T. Sh.e.l.len, son of a small cobbler here, and recovered.
"May it please your Lordship, we make bold to apply, because you have been for a number of years, as far as the oldest can recollect, the Hero of our school, and we are so bold as to ask the favour of General Lord Ormont"s name to head a subscription we are making to circulate for the support of their sick mother, who has fallen ill.
We think her a good woman. Gentlemen and ladies of the neighbourhood are willing to subscribe. If we have a great name to head the list, we think we shall make a good subscription. Names:--
"Martha Mary Coop, mother.
"Robert Coop.
"Jane Coop, the girl, aged six.
"If we are not taking too great a liberty, a subscription paper will follow. We are sure General the Earl of Ormont"s name will help to make them comfortable.
"We are obediently and respectfully, "DAVID GOWEN, "WALTER BENCH, "JAMES PANNERS PARSONS, "And seven others."
Weyburn spared Aminta an answering look, that would have been a begging of Browny to remember Matey.
"It "s genuine," he said to Mrs. Lawrence, as he attacked his plate with the gusto for the repast previously and benignly observed by her. "It ought to be the work of some of the younger fellows."
"They spell correctly, on the whole."
"Excepting," said my lord, "an article they don"t know much about yet."
Weyburn had noticed the word, and he smiled. "Said to be the happy state! The three signing their names are probably what we called bellman and beemen, collector, and heads of the swarm-enthusiasts. If it is not the work of some of the younger hands, the school has levelled on minors. In any case it shows the school is healthy."
"I subscribe," said Mrs. Lawrence.
"The little girl aged six shall have something done for her," said Aminta, and turned her eyes on the earl.
He was familiar with her thrilled voice at a story of bravery. He said--
"The boys don"t say the girl"s brother turned tail."
"Only that the girl"s brother aged eight followed the lead of the little girl aged six," Mrs. Lawrence remarked. "Well, I like the schoolboys, too--"we are sorry to say!" But they "re good lads. Boys who can appreciate brave deeds are capable of doing them."
"Speak to me about it on Monday," the earl said to Weyburn.
He bowed, and replied--
"I shall have the day to-morrow. I "ll walk it and call on Messrs." (he glanced at the paper) "Gowen, Bench, and Parsons. I have a German friend in London anxious to wear his legs down stumpier."
"The name of the school?"
"It is called Cuper"s."
Aminta, on hearing the name of Cuper a second time, congratulated herself on the happy invention of her pretext to keep Mrs. Pagnell from the table at midday. Her aunt had a memory for names: what might she not have exclaimed! There would have been little in it, but it was as well that the "boy of the name of Weyburn" at Cuper"s should be unmentioned.
By an exaggeration peculiar to a disgust in fancy, she could hear her aunt vociferating "Weyburn!" and then staring at Mr. Weyburn opposite--perhaps not satisfied with staring.
He withdrew after his usual hearty meal, during which his talk of boys and their monkey tricks, and what we can train them to, had been pleasant generally, especially to Mrs. Lawrence. Aminta was carried back to the minute early years at High Brent. A line or two of a smile touched her cheek.
"Yes, my dear countess, that is the face I want for Lady de Culme to-day," said Mrs. Lawrence." She likes a smiling face. Aunty--aunty has always been good; she has never been prim. I was too much for her, until I reflected that she was very old, and deserved to know the truth before she left us; and so I went to her; and then she said she wished to see the Countess of Ormont, because of her being my dearest friend. I fancy she entertains an "arriere" idea of proposing her flawless niece Gracey, Marchioness of Fencaster, to present you. She "s quite equal to the fatigue herself. You "ll rejoice in her anecdotes. People were virtuous in past days: they counted their sinners. In those days, too, as I have to understand, the men chivalrously bore the blame, though the women were rightly punished. Now, alas! the initiative is with the women, and men are not asked for chivalry. Hence it languishes. Lady de Culme won"t hear of the Queen of Blondes; has forbidden her these many years!"
Lord Ormont, to whom the lady"s prattle was addressed, kept his visage moveless, except in slight jerks of the brows.
"What queen?"
"You insist upon renewing my old, old pangs of jealousy, my dear lord!
The Queen of Cyprus, they called her, in the last generation; she fights our great duellist handsomely."
"My dear Mrs. Lawrence!"
"He triumphs finally, we know, but she beats him every round."
"It "s only tattle that says the duel has begun."
"May is the month of everlasting beauty! There "s a widower marquis now who claims the right to cast the glove to any who dispute it."
"Mrs. May is too good-looking to escape from scandal."
"Amy May has the good looks of the Immortals."
"She can"t be thirty."
"In the calendar of women she counts thirty-four."
"Malignity! Her husband"s a lucky man."
"The shots have proved it."
Lord Ormont nodded his head over the hopeless task of defending a woman from a woman, and their sharp interchange ceased. But the sight of his complacency in defeat told Aminta that he did not respect his fair client: it drew a sketch of the position he allotted his wife before the world side by side with this Mrs. Amy May, though a Lady de Culme was persuaded to draw distinctions.