Читать книгу The Bramleighs of Bishop's Folly - Lever Charles James - Страница 18

The family dinner on that day at Castello was somewhat dull. The various attempts to secure a party for the ensuing Saturday, which had been fixed on to celebrate Jack’s promotion, had proved failures. When Temple arrived at Longworth’s he learned that the host and ‘his guest were from home and not to return for some days – we have seen how it fared as to the L’Estranges – so that the solitary success was Captain Craufurd, a gentleman who certainly had not won the suffrages of the great house.

There were two vacant places besides at the table; for butlers are fond of recording, by napkins and covers, how certain of our friends assume to treat us, and thus, as it were, contrast their own formal observances of duty with the laxer notions of their betters.

“Lord Culduff is not able to dine with us,” said Colonel Bramleigh, making the apology as well to himself as to the company.

“No, papa,” said Marion; “he hopes to appear in the drawing-room in the evening.”

“If not too much tired by his long walk,” broke in Jack.

“What walk are you dreaming of?” asked Marion.

“An excursion he made this morning down the coast, sketching or pretending to sketch. Nelly and I saw him clambering up the side of a cliff – ”

“Oh, quite impossible; you must be mistaken.”

“No,” said Nelly, “there was no mistake. I saw him as plainly as I see you now; besides, it is not in these wild regions so distinguished a figure is like to find its counterpart.”

“But why should he not take his walk? why not sketch, or amuse himself in any way he pleased?” asked Temple.

“Of course it was open to him to do so,” said the Colonel; “only that to excuse his absence he ought not to have made a pretext of being ill.”

“I think men are ‘ill’ just as they are ‘out,’” said Temple. “I am ill if I am asked to do what is disagreeable to me, as I am out to the visit of a bore.”

“So that to dine with us was disagreeable to Lord Culduff?” asked Jack.

“It was evidently either an effort to task his strength, or an occasion which called for more exertion than he felt equal to,” said Temple, pompously.

“By Jove!” cried Jack, “I hope I ‘ll never be a great man! I trust sincerely I may never arrive at that eminence in which it will task my energies to eat my dinner and chat with the people on either side of me.”

“Lord Culduff converses: he does not chat; please to note the distinction, Jack.”

“That ‘s like telling me he does n’t walk, but he swaggers.”

It was fortunate at this moment, critical enough as regarded the temper of all parties, that Mr. Cutbill entered, full of apologies for being late, and bursting to recount the accidents that befell him, and all the incidents of his day. A quick glance around the table assured him of Lord Culduff’s absence, and it was evident from the sparkle of his eye that the event was not disagreeable to him.

“Is our noble friend on the sick list?” asked he, with a smile.

“Indisposed,” said Temple, with the air of one who knew the value of a word that was double-shotted.

“I ‘ve got news that will soon rally him,” continued Cut-bill. “They’ve struck a magnificent vein this morning, and within eighty yards of the surface. Plmmys, the Welsh inspector, pronounced it good Cardiff, and says, from the depth of ‘the lode,’ that it must go a long way.”

“Harding did not give me as encouraging news yesterday,” said Colonel Bramleigh, with a dubious smile.

“My tidings date from this morning – yesterday was the day before the battle; besides, what does Harding know about coal?”

“He knows a little about everything,” said Augustus.

“That makes all the difference. What people want is not the men who know things currently, but know them well and thoroughly. Eh, Captain,” said he to Jack, “what would you say to popular notions about the navy?”