Part 9 (1/2)

In about an hour Mrs. Copperas descended, and mutual compliments were exchanged; to her succeeded Mr. Copperas, who was well scolded for his laziness: and to them, Master Adolphus Copperas, who was also chidingly termed a naughty darling for the same offence. Now then Mrs. Copperas prepared the tea, which she did in the approved method adopted by all ladies to whom economy is dearer than renown, namely, the least possible quant.i.ty of the soi-disant Chinese plant was first sprinkled by the least possible quant.i.ty of hot water; after this mixture had become as black and as bitter as it could possibly be without any adjunct from the apothecary's skill, it was suddenly drenched with a copious diffusion, and as suddenly poured forth--weak, washy, and abominable,--into four cups, severally appertaining unto the four partakers of the matutinal nectar.

Then the conversation began to flow. Mrs. Copperas was a fine lady, and a sentimentalist,--very observant of the little niceties of phrase and manner. Mr. Copperas was a stock-jobber and a wit,--loved a good hit in each capacity; was very round, very short, and very much like a John Dory; and saw in the features and mind of the little Copperas the exact representative of himself.

”Adolphus, my love,” said Mrs. Copperas, ”mind what I told you, and sit upright. Mr. Linden, will you allow me to cut you a leetle piece of this roll?”

”Thank you,” said Clarence, ”I will trouble you rather for the whole of it.”

Conceive Mrs. Copperas's dismay! From that moment she saw herself eaten out of house and home; besides, as she afterwards observed to her friend Miss Barbara York, the ”vulgarity of such an amazing appet.i.te!”

”Any commands in the city, Mr. Linden?” asked the husband; ”a coach will pa.s.s by our door in a few minutes,--must be on 'Change in half an hour.

Come, my love, another cup of tea; make haste; I have scarcely a moment to take my fare for the inside, before coachee takes his for the outside. Ha! ha! ha! Mr. Linden.”

”Lord, Mr. Copperas,” said his helpmate, ”how can you be so silly?

setting such an example to your son, too; never mind him, Adolphus, my love; fie, child! a'n't you ashamed of yourself? never put the spoon in your cup till you have done tea: I must really send you to school to learn manners. We have a very pretty little collection of books here, Mr. Linden, if you would like to read an hour or two after breakfast,--child, take your hands out of your pockets,--all the best English cla.s.sics I believe,--'Telemachus,' and Young's 'Night Thoughts,'

and 'Joseph Andrews,' and the 'Spectator,' and Pope's Iliad, and Creech's Lucretius; but you will look over them yourself! This is Liberty Hall, as well as Copperas Bower, Mr. Linden!”

”Well, my love,” said the stock-jobber, ”I believe I must be off. Here Tom,” Tom (Mr. de Warens had just entered the room with some more hot water, to weaken still further ”the poor remains of what was once”--the tea!), ”Tom, just run out and stop the coach; it will be by in five minutes.”

”Have not I prayed and besought you, many and many a time, Mr.

Copperas,” said the lady, rebukingly, ”not to call De Warens by his Christian name? Don't you know that all people in genteel life, who only keep one servant, invariably call him by his surname, as if he were the butler, you know?”

”Now, that is too good, my love,” said Copperas. ”I will call poor Tom by any surname you please, but I really can't pa.s.s him off for a butler!

Ha--ha--ha--you must excuse me there, my love!”

”And pray, why not, Mr. Copperas? I have known many a butler bungle more at a cork than he does; and pray tell me who did you ever see wait better at dinner?”

”He wait at dinner, my love! it is not he who waits.”

”Who then, Mr. Copperas?”

”Why we, my love; it's we who wait for dinner; but that's the cook's fault, not his.”

”Pshaw! Mr. Copperas; Adolphus, my love, sit upright, darling.”

Here De Warens cried from the bottom of the stairs,--”Measter, the coach be coming up.”

”There won't be room for it to turn then,” said the facetious Mr.

Copperas, looking round the apartment as if he took the words literally.

”What coach is it, boy?”

Now that was not the age in which coaches scoured the city every half hour, and Mr. Copperas knew the name of the coach as well as he knew his own.

”It be the Swallow coach, sir.”

”Oh, very well: then since I have swallowed in the roll, I will now roll in the Swallow--ha--ha--ha! Good-by, Mr. Linden.”

No sooner had the witty stock-jobber left the room than Mrs. Copperas seemed to expand into a new existence. ”My husband, sir,” said she, apologetically, ”is so odd, but he's an excellent sterling character; and that, you know, Mr. Linden, tells more in the bosom of a family than all the s.h.i.+ning qualities which captivate the imagination. I am sure, Mr. Linden, that the moralist is right in admonis.h.i.+ng us to prefer the gold to the tinsel. I have now been married some years, and every year seems happier than the last; but then, Mr. Linden, it is such a pleasure to contemplate the growing graces of the sweet pledge of our mutual love.--Adolphus, my dear, keep your feet still, and take your hands out of your pockets!”