The Small House at Allington, Anthony Trollope [best ebook reader for chromebook .txt] 📗

to a hero. “He has saved the earl’s life!” Mrs. Eames had exclaimed to her daughter on reading Lord De Guest’s note. “Oh, goodness!” and she threw herself back upon the sofa almost in a fainting condition.

“Saved Lord De Guest’s life!” said Mary.

“Yes⁠—under Providence,” said Mrs. Eames, as though that latter fact added much to her son’s good deed.

“But how did he do it?”

“By cool courage and good feeling⁠—so his lordship says. But I wonder how he really did do it?”

“Whatever way it was, he’s torn all his clothes and lost his hat,” said Mary.

“I don’t care a bit about that,” said Mrs. Eames. “I wonder whether the earl has any interest at the Income-tax.

“What a thing it would be if he could get Johnny a step. It would be seventy pounds a year at once. He was quite right to stay and dine when his lordship asked him. And so Dr. Crofts is there. It couldn’t have been anything in the doctoring way, I suppose.”

“No, I should say not; because of what he says of his trousers.” And so the two ladies were obliged to wait for John’s return.

“How did you do it, John?” said his mother, embracing him, as soon as the door was opened.

“How did you save the earl’s life?” said Mary, who was standing behind her mother.

“Would his lordship really have been killed, if it had not been for you?” asked Mrs. Eames.

“And was he very much hurt?” asked Mary.

“Oh, bother,” said Johnny, on whom the results of the day’s work, together with the earl’s Falernian, had made some still remaining impression. On ordinary occasions, Mrs. Eames would have felt hurt at being so answered by her son; but at the present moment she regarded him as standing so high in general favour that she took no offence. “Oh, Johnny, do tell us. Of course we must be very anxious to know it all.”

“There’s nothing to tell, except that a bull ran at the earl, as I was going by; so I went into the field and helped him, and then he made me stay and dine with him.”

“But his lordship says that you saved his life,” said Mary.

“Under Providence,” added their mother.

“At any rate, he has given me a gold watch and chain,” said Johnny, drawing the present out of his pocket. “I wanted a watch badly. All the same, I didn’t like taking it.”

“It would have been very wrong to refuse,” said his mother. “And I am so glad you have been so fortunate. And look here, Johnny: when a friend like that comes in your way, don’t turn your back on him.” Then, at last, he thawed beneath their kindness, and told them the whole of the story. I fear that in recounting the earl’s efforts with the spud, he hardly spoke of his patron with all that deference which would have been appropriate.

XXIII Mr. Plantagenet Palliser

A week passed over Mr. Crosbie’s head at Courcy Castle without much inconvenience to him from the well-known fact of his matrimonial engagement. Both George De Courcy and John De Courcy had in their different ways charged him with his offence, and endeavoured to annoy him by recurring to the subject; but he did not care much for the wit or malice of George or John De Courcy. The countess had hardly alluded to Lily Dale after those few words which she said on the first day of his visit, and seemed perfectly willing to regard his doings at Allington as the occupation natural to a young man in such a position. He had been seduced down to a dull country house, and had, as a matter of course, taken to such amusements as the place afforded. He had shot the partridges and made love to the young lady, taking those little recreations as compensation for the tedium of the squire’s society. Perhaps he had gone a little too far with the young lady; but then no one knew better than the countess how difficult it is for a young man to go far enough without going too far. It was not her business to make herself a censor on a young man’s conduct. The blame, no doubt, rested quite as much with Miss Dale as with him. She was quite sorry that any young lady should be disappointed; but if girls will be imprudent, and set their caps at men above their mark, they must encounter disappointment. With such language did Lady De Courcy speak of the affair among her daughters, and her daughters altogether agreed with her that it was out of the question that Mr. Crosbie should marry Lily Dale. From Alexandrina he encountered during the week none of that raillery which he had expected. He had promised to explain to her before he left the castle all the circumstances of his acquaintance with Lily, and she at last showed herself determined to demand the fulfilment of this promise; but, previous to that, she said nothing to manifest either offence or a lessened friendship. And I regret to say, that in the intercourse which had taken place between them, that friendship was by no means less tender that it had been in London.

“And when will you tell me what you promised?” she asked him one afternoon, speaking in a low voice, as they were standing together at the window of the billiard-room, in that idle half-hour which always occurs before the necessity for dinner preparation has come. She had been riding and was still in her habit, and he had returned from shooting. She knew that she looked more than ordinarily well in her tall straight hat and riding gear, and was wont to hang about the house, walking skilfully with her upheld drapery, during this period of the day. It was dusk, but not dark, and there was no artificial light in the billiard-room. There had been some pretence of knocking about the balls, but it had been only pretence. “Even Diana,” she had said, “could