"Why; I got up, put my arm round her waist, and told her that we would be off to Naples. I"m blest if she didn"t give me a knock in the ribs that nearly sent me backwards. She took my breath away, so that I couldn"t speak to her."
"And then--"
"Oh, there was nothing more. Of course I saw how it was. So she walked off one way and I the other. On the whole I consider that I am well out of it."
"And so do I," said Mackinnon, very gravely. "But if you will allow me to give you my advice, I would suggest that it would be well to avoid such mistakes in future."
"Upon my word," said O"Brien, excusing himself, "I don"t know what a man is to do under such circ.u.mstances. I give you my honour that I did it all to oblige her."
We then decided that Mackinnon should convey to the injured lady the humble apology of her late admirer. It was settled that no detailed excuses should be made. It should be left to her to consider whether the deed which had been done might have been occasioned by wine, or by the folly of a moment,--or by her own indiscreet enthusiasm. No one but the two were present when the message was given, and therefore we were obliged to trust to Mackinnon"s accuracy for an account of it.
She stood on very high ground indeed, he said, at first refusing to hear anything that he had to say on the matter. "The foolish young man," she declared, "was below her anger and below her contempt."
"He is not the first Irishman that has been made indiscreet by beauty," said Mackinnon.
"A truce to that," she replied, waving her hand with an air of a.s.sumed majesty. "The incident, contemptible as it is, has been unpleasant to me. It will necessitate my withdrawal from Rome."
"Oh, no, Mrs. Talboys; that will be making too much of him."
"The greatest hero that lives," she answered, "may have his house made uninhabitable by a very small insect." Mackinnon swore that those were her own words. Consequently a sobriquet was attached to O"Brien of which he by no means approved. And from that day we always called Mrs. Talboys "the hero."
Mackinnon prevailed at last with her, and she did not leave Rome.
She was even induced to send a message to O"Brien, conveying her forgiveness. They shook hands together with great eclat in Mrs.
Mackinnon"s drawing-room; but I do not suppose that she ever again offered to him sympathy on the score of his matrimonial troubles.