The fact was too incontestible to admit of a dispute, for Harriet was looking handsomer than ever she had done in her life; and Mr. Gage said so. Harriet was at a little distance, about to leave the room for the night. Margaret rose to follow her.
"Ah!" said Mr. Singleton, on hearing Mr. Gage"s flattering opinion of his niece, "Well, never mind; it will all come right one day yet."
Margaret overheard the exclamation, given in the hearty tone of the old sportsman; and Harriet"s former remark seemed to ring in her ears:
"These things never do come right again, Margaret."
CHAPTER III.
Wordes sharply wound, but greatest grief of scorning growes.
SPENSER.
Tal d"un alma l"effanno sepolto Si travede in un riso fallace, Che la pace mal finge nel volto Chi si sente la guerra nel cor.
METASTASIO.
Mr. Singleton breakfasted at nine o"clock; and it was the custom of the house for everybody to appear at that meal. At half past eight, the worthy squire read prayers in the chapel; and at this ceremony all the servants, and such visitors as pleased, attended.
This had been a custom in the house from the days of Edward the Sixth; and Mr. Singleton would on no account have omitted it; though his performance of this duty was something odd. Any one might have thought from his tones, that he was calling over the names of his hounds.
Margaret made a point of attending; and found Mrs. Singleton, Harriet, and Mr. Humphries a.s.sembled.
As soon as prayers were over, Harriet hurried off to make breakfast; and commanded Margaret to sit beside her; and by degrees the rest of the visitors a.s.sembled round the table. Some little time after they were all collected, George Gage came into the room; made some very earnest inquiries after Mrs. Singleton"s health; which that lady imperfectly heard, and replied to very mildly; and then begged to know whether Miss Capel had recovered the fatigue of her journey. Having received a satisfactory answer to this question, he remained standing on the hearth-rug, looking at all the people, as if they were eating and drinking for his sole amus.e.m.e.nt.
"Do you ever eat breakfast, Mr. Gage?" asked Harriet, after he had remained some time in the same position.
"Thank you--yes. I breakfasted an hour ago."
"How was that?" asked Mr. Singleton. "What made you so early afield?"
"I was anxious about one of my horses," said Mr. Gage. "I was afraid he had sprained his shoulder; and as I wished to see him early this morning--I breakfasted at the same time."
"Oh, but that is important!" said Mr. Humphries, rising hastily, and pulling the table-cloth crooked as he rose, "shall I go and have a look at him?"
"Sit still, Mr. Humphries;" said Harriet. "Horses, we know, are much more amiable and important than their masters. Still, as the masters must be fed some time or other, they had better take their meals at the proper hour. The horse will wait till you have finished your breakfast."
Mr. Singleton and Mr. Humphries laughed heartily at this address; and Mr. Gage informed Mr. Humphries, that he need not trouble him to look at the horse, for that he seemed to be perfectly well this morning.
Mr. Humphries nodded to express his acquiescence in this remark, and continued eating; and Mr. Singleton noticing, for the first time, that Harriet was not dressed in her habit, asked in astonishment why she was not going out hunting with them as usual.
"Yes, you will have a great loss in me," said Harriet laughing. "I intend to disappoint the field. I am not going to run off this first day that I have Miss Capel with me; and I have something to do--I intend to call on the Veseys in the course of the morning."
"Wait till to-morrow, and I"ll drive you over;" said Mr. Singleton. "I should like to call on the Veseys myself."
"Indeed you won"t, Uncle Singleton," said Harriet. "You always knock my bonnet with your elbow as you get in and out of the carriage. I vowed the last time I let you drive me, you should not sacrifice my next best bonnet in that worthless way."
"Ha! ha!" said Mr. Singleton, "what does it signify? You have the best seat and the best horse in the country, and what matters spoiling your bonnet."
"Go! you have no feelings," said Harriet. "I mean to ride to the Veseys to-day, and Margaret and Evan shall accompany me; and so we shall trouble n.o.body, good uncle. Another cup of tea, Mr. Humphries? Why you make absolutely no breakfast! Is this a preparation for a day"s hard hunting? Try that curried lobster."
"Ha! ha! thank you Miss Conway, I think I have done very well," said Mr.
Humphries; looking on the wrecks scattered on and around his plate.
Everybody was inclined to be of his opinion; and Margaret wondered how Harriet could say such things with a grave face.
"I wish," pursued Mr. Humphries, "this was not a hunting morning, because it would be so pleasant to ride with you to the Veseys."
"But which is the attraction, Mr. Humphries? Is it Mrs. Vesey, or I, or my friend, Miss Capel? Do now be confidential and tell me; I will keep your secret, upon my word!"
Mr. Humphries laughed bashfully; he could not very well sc.r.a.pe his foot when seated; but he made a gesture something as if he wished to lift up the table-cloth, and disappear beneath it. George Gage, looking every moment more haughty, stared down upon Harriet and Mr. Humphries in speechless contempt.
At last he coldly recommended Mr. Humphries not to lose a day at that time of year; for that his groom predicted a frost soon, and he had never known the fellow mistaken in the weather.
"Is that the man you had from Mr. Singleton"s," asked Harriet.
"Yes--Thompson," replied Mr. Gage.
"Ah!" returned Harriet, "he was well brought up; it would be his own fault if he did not learn to understand horses here."
"Did Captain Gage keep the lad I recommended him?" asked Mr. Singleton.
"Not long," replied Mr. Gage. "I never saw any thing so wretched as my father"s management of his stables. He never bought a horse that he was not palpably cheated; and, if he chanced to buy a good one, the animal would be ruined, with that lame old sailor at the head of affairs."
"Don"t say one word against Captain Gage," exclaimed Harriet. "Whatever he does is sure to be better than any body else. I do not mean wiser, Mr. Gage, but better. Perhaps no one else would choose to have a lame sailor with one eye to superintend his stables. It shows he has more kindness than his neighbours."
"He might have pensioned the old fellow, if he was so fond of him, instead of keeping him to do mischief," said Mr. Gage; pleased, however, with the tribute to his father"s goodness of heart. "He once ruined a splendid pointer of mine with his nonsense; and even Hubert, a fellow who has spent his life in a frigate, could not help seeing how things were going on."
Here Mr. Humphries, whose extraordinary face had brightened up as much as it could, during this discussion, attempted to express incoherently, his admiration of Captain Gage"s conduct.
"Depend on it, Mr. Humphries," said Harriet, "that sailors are the best people extant. They are all that is left of the romance of warfare. Like the knights of the Middle Ages, there is a simple reality about them that does not belong to the present time."
"Harriet means to say, they are the only people who are not humbugs,"
said Evan Conway, translating his sister"s remark.
"It is very true, Miss Conway," said Mr. Humphries; who, it need not be said, did not understand one word that she had uttered; "I always liked sailors very much. Don"t you think Miss Capel would be generally considered pretty?"
"Undoubtedly, Mr. Humphries. I was sure your good taste would discover that."
"They are bringing round the horses, Miss Conway. I wish we were to have the pleasure of your company."
"It is a great temptation, Mr. Humphries; but another time. How well you look in your red coat--it is the most becoming dress--"
"No--do you think so!" said Mr. Humphries, with a visible desire to vanish under the table. "No--I never noticed. I say, Miss Conway, I hope we shall have another duet this evening."