Part 57 (2/2)
”Very well. I only tell you what I hear. The fact is that he and Chiltern have already quarrelled about her. If I were to tell you that they have been over to Holland together and fought a duel about her, you wouldn't believe that.”
”Fought a duel about Violet! People don't fight duels now, and I should not believe it.”
”Very well. Then send your card to Mr. Finn.” And, so saying, Lord Baldock left the room.
Lady Baldock sat in silence for some time toasting her toes at the fire, and Augusta Boreham sat by, waiting for orders. She felt pretty nearly sure that new orders would be given if she did not herself interfere. ”You had better put by that card for the present, my dear,” said Lady Baldock at last. ”I will make inquiries. I don't believe a word of what Gustavus has said. I don't think that even Violet is such a fool as that. But if rash and ill-natured people have spoken of it, it may be as well to be careful.”
”It is always well to be careful;--is it not, mamma?”
”Not but what I think it very improper that these things should be said about a young woman; and as for the story of the duel, I don't believe a word of it. It is absurd. I dare say that Gustavus invented it at the moment, just to amuse himself.”
The card of course was not sent, and Lady Baldock at any rate put so much faith in her son's story as to make her feel it to be her duty to interrogate her niece on the subject. Lady Baldock at this period of her life was certainly not free from fear of Violet Effingham.
In the numerous encounters which took place between them, the aunt seldom gained that amount of victory which would have completely satisfied her spirit. She longed to be dominant over her niece as she was dominant over her daughter; and when she found that she missed such supremacy, she longed to tell Violet to depart from out her borders, and be no longer niece of hers. But had she ever done so, Violet would have gone at the instant, and then terrible things would have followed. There is a satisfaction in turning out of doors a nephew or niece who is pecuniarily dependent, but when the youthful relative is richly endowed, the satisfaction is much diminished. It is the duty of a guardian, no doubt, to look after the ward; but if this cannot be done, the ward's money should at least be held with as close a fist as possible. But Lady Baldock, though she knew that she would be sorely wounded, poked about on her old body with the sharp lances of disobedience, and struck with the cruel swords of satire, if she took upon herself to scold or even to question Violet, nevertheless would not abandon the pleasure of lecturing and teaching. ”It is my duty,” she would say to herself, ”and though it be taken in a bad spirit, I will always perform my duty.” So she performed her duty, and asked Violet Effingham some few questions respecting Phineas Finn. ”My dear,” she said, ”do you remember meeting a Mr. Finn at Saulsby?”
”A Mr. Finn, aunt! Why, he is a particular friend of mine. Of course I do, and he was at Saulsby. I have met him there more than once.
Don't you remember that we were riding about together?”
”I remember that he was there, certainly; but I did not know that he was a special--friend.”
”Most especial, aunt. A 1, I may say;--among young men, I mean.”
Lady Baldock was certainly the most indiscreet of old women in such a matter as this, and Violet the most provoking of young ladies. Lady Baldock, believing that there was something to fear,--as, indeed, there was, much to fear,--should have been content to destroy the card, and to keep the young lady away from the young gentleman, if such keeping away was possible to her. But Miss Effingham was certainly very wrong to speak of any young man as being A 1. Fond as I am of Miss Effingham, I cannot justify her, and must acknowledge that she used the most offensive phrase she could find, on purpose to annoy her aunt.
”Violet,” said Lady Baldock, bridling up, ”I never heard such a word before from the lips of a young lady.”
”Not as A 1? I thought it simply meant very good.”
”A 1 is a n.o.bleman,” said Lady Baldock.
”No, aunt;--A 1 is a s.h.i.+p,--a s.h.i.+p that is very good,” said Violet.
”And do you mean to say that Mr. Finn is,--is,--is,--very good?”
”Yes, indeed. You ask Lord Brentford, and Mr. Kennedy. You know he saved poor Mr. Kennedy from being throttled in the streets.”
”That has nothing to do with it. A policeman might have done that.”
”Then he would have been A 1 of policemen,--though A 1 does not mean a policeman.”
”He would have done his duty, and so perhaps did Mr. Finn.”
”Of course he did, aunt. It couldn't have been his duty to stand by and see Mr. Kennedy throttled. And he nearly killed one of the men, and took the other prisoner with his own hands. And he made a beautiful speech the other day. I read every word of it. I am so glad he's a Liberal. I do like young men to be Liberals.” Now Lord Baldock was a Tory, as had been all the Lord Baldocks,--since the first who had been bought over from the Whigs in the time of George III at the cost of a barony.
”You have nothing to do with politics, Violet.”
”Why shouldn't I have something to do with politics, aunt?”
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