Volume Ii Part 12 (1/2)
”He has just ordered up two of his own carriages to take us on.”
By this time his Serene Highness had lighted his cigar, and, seating himself on a log of wood in the corner of the hut, began smoking. In the intervals of the puffs he said,--
”Old gent took a wrong turning--should have gone left--water very high, besides, from the late rains--regular smash--wish I 'd seen it.”
K. I. now joined us, all dripping, and hung round with weeds and water-lilies,--as Lord George said, like an ancient river-G.o.d. ”In any other part of the globe,” said he, ”there would have been a warning of some kind or other stuck up here to show there was n't a bridge; but exactly as I said yesterday, these little beggarly States, with their petty governments, are the curse of Europe.”
”Hush, papa, for mercy' sake,” whispered Mary Anne; ”this is the Prince himself; it is his Serene Highness--”
”Oh, the devil!” said he.
”My friend, Mr. Dodd, Prince,” said Lord George, presenting him with a sly look, as much as to say, ”the same as I told you about.”
”Dodd--Dodd--fellow of that name hanged, wasn't there?” said the Prince.
”Yes, your Highness; he was a Dr. Dodd, who committed forgery, and for whom the very greatest public sympathy was felt at the time,” said K. I.
”Your father, eh?”
”No, your Highness, no relation whatever,”
”Won't have him at any price, George,” said the Prince, with a wink.
”Never draw a weed, miss?” said he, turning to Mary Anne.
I don't know what she said, but it must have been smart, for his Serene Highness laughed heartily and said,--
”Egad, I got it there, Tiverton!”
In due time a royal carriage arrived. The Prince himself handed us in, and we drove off with one of the Court servants on the box. To be sure, we forgot that we had left K. I. behind; but Mary Anne said he 'd have no difficulty in finding a conveyance, and the distance was only a few miles.
”I wish his Serene Highness had not taken away Lord George,” said Mary Anne; ”he insists upon his going with him to Venice.”
”For my part,” said Cary, ”though greatly obliged to the Prince for his opportune kindness to ourselves, I am still more grateful to him for this service.”
On that, my dear, we had a dispute that lasted till we got to our journey's end; for though the girls never knew what it was to disagree at home in Dodsborough, here, abroad, Cary's jealousy is such that she cannot control herself, and says at times the most cruel and unfeeling things to her sister.
At last we got to the end of this wearisome day, and found ourselves at the door of the inn. The Court servant said something to the landlord, and immediately the whole household turned out to receive us; and the order was given to prepare the ”Amba.s.sador's suite of apartments for us.”
”This is the Prince's doing,” whispered Mary Anne in my ear. ”Did you ever know such a piece of good fortune?”
The rooms were splendid, Molly; though a little gloomy when we first got in, for all the hangings were of purple velvet, and the pictures on the walls were dark and black, so that, though we had two lamps in our saloon and above a dozen caudles, you could not see more than one-half the length of it.
I never saw Mary Anne in such spirits in my life. She walked up and down, admiring everything, praising everything; then she 'd sit down to the piano and play for a few minutes, and then spring up and waltz about the room like a mad thing. As for Cary, I didn't know what became of her till I found that she had been downstairs with the landlord, getting him to send a conveyance back for her father, quite forgetting, as Mary Anne said, that any fuss about the mistake would only serve to expose us. And there, Molly, once for all, is the difference between the two girls! The one has such a knowledge of life and the world, that she never makes a blunder; and the other, with the best intentions, is always doing something wrong!
We waited supper for K. I. till past one o'clock; but, with his usual selfishness and disregard of others, he never came till it was nigh three, and then made such a noise as to wake up the whole house. It appeared, too, that he missed the coach that was sent to meet him, and he and Paddy Byrne came the whole way on foot! Let him do what he will, he has a knack of bringing disgrace on his family! The fatigue and wet feet, and his temper more than either, brought back the gout on him, and he did n't get up till late in the afternoon. We were in the greatest anxiety to tell him about James; but there was no saying what humor he'd be in, and how he'd take it. Indeed, his first appearance did not augur well. He was cross with everything and everybody. He said that sleeping on that grand bed with the satin hangings was like lying in state after death, and that our elegant drawing-room was about as comfortable as a cathedral.
He got into a little better temper when the landlord came up with the bill of fare, and to consult him about the dinner.
”Egad!” said he, ”I've ordered fourteen dishes; so I don't think they'll make much out of the two zwanzigers a head!” Out of decency he had to order champagne, and a couple of bottles of Italian wine of a very high quality. ”It's like all my economy,” says he; ”five s.h.i.+llings for a horse, and a pound to get him shod!”
We saw it was best to wait till dinner was over before we spoke to him; and, indeed, we were right, for he dined very heartily, finished the two bottles every gla.s.s, and got so happy and comfortable that Mary Anne sat down to the piano to sing for him.