Young Sir Walter, however, had his own views for his sister, and young Sir Walter, when he surveyed the position which the laws and customs of the realm gave him, was naturally led to suppose that his opinion had some importance. He was hardly responsible for the error, and very probably Mr. Ruston would have been better advised had his bearing towards the young man not indicated so very plainly that the error was an error. But in the course of the visits to Cromwell Road, which Ruston found time to pay in the intervals of floating the Omof.a.ga Company--and he was a man who found time for many things--this impression of his made itself tolerably evident, and, consequently, Sir Walter entertained grave doubts whether Ruston were a gentleman. And, if a fellow is not a gentleman, what, he asked, do brains and all the rest of it go for?
Moreover, how did the chap live? To which queries Marjory answered that "Oxford boys" were very silly--a remark which embittered, without in the least elucidating, the question.
Almost everybody has one disciple who looks up to him as master and mentor, and, ill as he was suited to such a post, Evan Haselden filled it for Walter Valentine. Evan had been in his fourth year when Walter was a freshman, and the reverence engendered in those days had been intensified when Evan had become, first, secretary to a minister and then, as he showed diligence and apt.i.tude, a member of Parliament. Evan was a strong Tory, but payment of members had an unholy attraction for him; this indication of his circ.u.mstances may suffice. Men thought him a promising youth, women called him a nice boy, and young Sir Walter held him for a statesman and a man of the world.
Seeing that what Sir Walter wanted was an unfavourable opinion of Ruston, he could not have done better than consult his respected friend.
Juggernaut--Adela Ferrars was pleased with the nickname, and it began to be repeated--had been crushing Evan in one or two little ways lately, and he did it with an unconsciousness that increased the brutality.
Besides displacing him from the position he wished to occupy at more than one social gathering, Ruston, being in the Lobby of the House one day (perhaps on Omof.a.ga business), had likened the pretty (it was his epithet) young member, as he sped with a gla.s.s of water to his party leader, to Ganymede in a frock coat--a description, Evan felt, injurious to a serious politician.
"A gentleman?" he said, in reply to young Sir Walter"s inquiry. "Well, everybody"s a gentleman now, so I suppose Ruston is."
"I call him an unmannerly brute," observed Walter, "and I can"t think why mother and Marjory are so civil to him."
Evan shook his head mournfully.
"You meet the fellow everywhere," he sighed.
"Such an ugly mug as he"s got too," pursued young Sir Walter. "But Marjory says it"s full of character."
"Character! I should think so. Enough to hang him on sight," said Evan bitterly.
"He"s been a lot to our place. Marjory seems to like him. I say, Haselden, do you remember what you spoke of after dinner at the Savoy the other day?"
Evan nodded, looking rather embarra.s.sed; indeed he blushed, and little as he liked doing that, it became him very well.
"Did you mean it? Because, you know, I should like it awfully."
"Thanks, Val, old man. Oh, rather, I meant it."
Young Sir Walter lowered his voice and looked cautiously round--they were in the club smoking-room.
"Because I thought, you know, that you were rather--you know--Adela Ferrars?"
"Nothing in that, only _pour pa.s.ser le temps_," Evan a.s.sured him with that superb man-of-the-worldliness.
It was a pity that Adela could not hear him. But there was more to follow.
"The truth is," resumed Evan--"and, of course, I rely on your discretion, Val--I thought there might be a--an obstacle."
Young Sir Walter looked knowing.
"When you were good enough to suggest what you did--about your sister--I doubted for a moment how such a thing would be received by--well, at a certain house."
"Oh!"
"I shouldn"t wonder if you could guess."
"N--no, I don"t think so."
"Well, it doesn"t matter where."
"Oh, but I say, you might as well tell me. Hang it, I"ve learnt to hold my tongue."
"You hadn"t noticed it? That"s all right. I"m glad to hear it," said Evan, whose satisfaction was not conspicuous in his tone.
"I"m so little in town, you see," said Walter tactfully.
"Well--for heaven"s sake, don"t let it go any farther--Curzon Street."
"What! Of course! Mrs.----"
"All right, yes. But I"ve made up my mind. I shall drop all that. Best, isn"t it?"
Walter nodded a sagacious a.s.sent.
"There was never anything in it, really," said Evan, and he was not displeased with his friend"s incredulous expression. It is a great luxury to speak the truth and yet not be believed.
"Now, what you propose," continued Evan, "is most--but, I say, Val, what does she think?"
"She likes you--and you"ll have all my influence," said the Head of the Family in a tone of importance.
"But how do you know she likes me?" insisted Evan, whose off-hand air gave place to a manner betraying some trepidation.
"I don"t know for certain, of course. And, I say, Haselden, I believe mother"s got an idea in her head about that fellow Ruston."
"The devil! That brute! Oh, hang it, Val, she can"t--your sister, I mean--I tell you what, I shan"t play the fool any longer."
Sir Walter cordially approved of increased activity, and the two young gentlemen, having settled one lady"s future and disposed of the claims of two others to their complete satisfaction, betook themselves to recreation.
Evan was not, however, of opinion that anything in the conversation above recorded, imposed upon him the obligation of avoiding entirely Mrs. Dennison"s society. On the contrary, he took an early opportunity of going to see her. His att.i.tude towards her was one of considerably greater deference than Sir Walter understood it to be, and he had a high idea of the value of her a.s.sistance. And he did not propose to deny himself such savour of sentiment as the lady would allow; and she generally allowed a little. He intended to say nothing about Ruston, but as it happened that Mrs. Dennison"s wishes set in an opposing direction, he had not been long in the drawing room at Curzon Street before he found himself again with the name of his enemy on his lips. He spoke with refreshing frankness and an engaging confidence in his hostess"
sympathy. Mrs. Dennison had no difficulty in seeing that he had a special reason for his bitterness.
"Is it only because he called you Ganymede? And it"s a very good name for you, Mr. Haselden."
To be compared to Ganymede in private by a lady and in public by a scoffer, are things very different. Evan smiled complacently.
"There"s more than that, isn"t there?" asked Mrs. Dennison.
Evan admitted that there was more, and, in obedience to some skilful guidance, he revealed what there was more--what beyond mere offended dignity--between himself and Mr. Ruston. He had to complain of no lack of interest on the part of his listener. Mrs. Dennison questioned him closely as to his grounds for antic.i.p.ating Ruston"s rivalry. The idea was evidently quite new to her; and Evan was glad to detect her reluctance to accept it--she must think as he did about Willie Ruston.
The tangible evidence appeared on examination rea.s.suringly small, and Evan, by a strange conversion, found himself driven to defend his apprehensions by insisting on just that power of attraction in his foe which he had begun by denying altogether. But that, Mrs. Dennison objected, only showed, even if it existed, that Marjory might like Ruston, not that Ruston would return her liking. On the whole Mrs.
Dennison comforted him, and, dismissing Ruston from the discussion, said with a smile,
"So you"re thinking of settling down already, are you?"
"I say, Mrs. Dennison, you"ve always been awfully good to me; I wonder if you"d help me in this?"
"How could I help you?"
"Oh, lots of ways. Well, for instance, old Lady Valentine doesn"t ask me there often. You see, I haven"t got any money."