Part 8 (2/2)
At this point the conversation was interrupted by the announcement of dinner. Oaklands (from whom I could not withdraw my eyes, so unlike anything I had ever met with before was he) was evidently preparing to hand Mrs. Mildman down to dinner, as soon as he could summon sufficient energy to move, but, perceiving c.u.mberland approach her for that purpose, he appeared to recollect himself, smiled slightly as if at what he had been about to do, and, taking me by the arm, said:--
”Come, Master Curlylocks, you shall be my lady, and a very pretty girl you would make, too, if you were properly bemuslined”; adding, as we went downstairs together, ”You and I shall be great friends, I'm sure; I like your face particularly. What a lot of stairs there are in this house! they'll tire me to death.”
When we returned to the pupils' room after dinner Lawless found, lying on the table, the note Dr. Mildman had written in such a mysterious manner before he left home in the morning, and proceeded to open it forthwith. Scarcely had he glanced his eye over it, when he was seized with so violent a fit of laughter, that I expected every moment to see him fall out of his chair. As soon as he had in some measure recovered the power of speaking he exclaimed:--
”Here, listen to this! and tell me if it is not the very best thing you ever heard in your lives ”. He then read as follows:--
”'It is not without much pain that I bring myself to write this note; but I feel that I should not be doing my duty towards your excellent father, if I were to allow such extreme misconduct on the part of his son to pa.s.s unreproved. I know not towards what scene of vulgar dissipation you might be directing your steps, but the simple fact (to which I was myself witness) of your leaving my house _in the low disguise of a carter's smock-frock_, affords in itself sufficient proof that your a.s.sociates must belong to a cla.s.s of persons utterly unfitted for the companions.h.i.+p of a gentleman. Let me hope this hint may be enough, and that conduct so thoroughly disgraceful in one brought up as you have been may not occur again. I presume I need scarcely say that, in the event of your -52--disregarding my wishes upon this point, the only course left open to me would be to expel you, a measure to which it would deeply grieve me to be obliged to resort.'”
His voice was here drowned by a chorus of laughter from all present who were aware of the true state of the case, which lasted without interruption for several minutes. At length Lawless observed:--
”I'll tell you what, it will be a death-blow to Smithson; a Macintosh made by him to be taken for a smock-frock! he'll never recover it ”.
”Mildman might well look like a thunder-cloud,” said Coleman, ”if that was the notion he had got in his head; what a jolly lark, to be sure!”
”How do you mean to undeceive him?” inquired c.u.mberland.
”Oh, trust me for finding a way to do that,” replied Lawless; ”'the low disguise of a carter's smock-frock,' indeed! What fun it would be if he were to meet my governor in town to-day, and tell him of my evil courses! why, the old boy would go into fits! I wonder what he means by his 'scenes of vulgar dissipation'? I daresay he fancies me playing all-fours with a beery coalheaver, and kissing his sooty-faced wife; or drinking alternate goes of gin-and-water with a dustman for the purpose of insinuating myself into the affections of Miss Cinderella s.m.u.t, his interesting sister. By Jove! it's as good as a play!”
More laughter followed Lawless's ill.u.s.tration of Dr. Mildman's note.
The subject was discussed for some time, and a plan arranged for enlightening the Doctor as to the true character of the mysterious garment.
At length there was a pause, when I heard Coleman whisper to Lawless:--
”Thomas was pretty right in saying that new fellow knows how to make himself comfortable, at all events”.
”He's a precious deal too free and easy to please me,” muttered Lawless, in an undertone; ”I shall take the liberty of seeing whether his self-possession cannot be disturbed a little. I have no notion of such airs. Here, Mullins!”
And laying hold of Mullins by the arm, he pulled him into a chair by his side, and proceeded to give him some instructions in a whisper. The subject of their remarks, Harry Oaklands, who had, on re-entering the room, taken possession of the three chairs near the window, was still reclining, book in hand, in the same indolent position, apparently enjoying the beauty of the autumnal sunset, without concerning himself in the slightest degree about anything which might be going on inside the room.
-53--Lawless, whose proceedings I was watching with an anxious eye, having evidently succeeded, by a judicious mixture of bullying and cajollery, in persuading Mullins to a.s.sist him in whatever he was about to attempt, now drew a chair to the other side of the window, and seated himself exactly opposite to Oaklands.
”How tired riding makes a fellow! I declare I'm regularly baked, used completely up,” he observed, and then continued, glancing at Oaklands, ”Not such a bad idea, that. Mullins, give us a chair; I don't see why elevating the extremities should not pay in my case, as well as in other people's.”
He then placed his legs across the chair which Mullins brought him, and, folding his arms so as exactly to imitate the att.i.tude of his opposite neighbour, sat for some minutes gazing out of the window with a countenance of mock solemnity. Finding this did not produce any effect on Oaklands, who, having slightly raised his eyes when Lawless first seated himself, immediately cast them upon the book again, Lawless stretched himself, yawned, and once more addressed Mullins.
”Shocking bad sunset as ever I saw--it's no go staring at that. I must have a book--give me the Byron.”
To this Mullins replied that he believed Mr. Oaklands was reading it.
”Indeed! the book belongs to you, does it not?”
Mullins replied in the affirmative.
”Have you any objection to lend it to me?”
Mullins would be most happy to do so.
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