Tom Burke Of Ours, Volume I

by Charles James Lever

  CHAPTER XIII. AN UNLOOKED-FOR VISITOR.

  All my endeavors to ascertain the steps by which I came to occupy mypresent abode were fruitless, inasmuch as Captain Bubbleton contrived tosurround his explanation with such a mist of doubtful if not impossiblecircumstances, that I gave up the effort in despair, and was obliged tosit down satisfied with the naked fact, that it was by some soldiersof his company I was captured, and by them brought to the guard-house.Strangely enough, too, I found, that in his self-mystification theworthy captain had invested me with all the honors of a stanch loyalistwho had earned his cracked skull in defence of the soldiery against themob; and this prevailing impression gave such a tone to his narrative,that he not only set to work to trace back a whole generation of Burkesfamed for their attachment to the House of Hanover, but also took a peepinto the probable future, where he saw me covered with rewards for myheroism and gallantry.

  Young as I was, I hesitated long how far I dare trust him with the realstate of the case. I felt that in so doing I should either expose him tothe self-reproach of having harbored one he would deem a rebel; or, bywithdrawing from me his protection, give him perhaps greater painby compelling him to such an ungracious act. Yet how could I receiveattention and kindness under these false colors? This was a puzzlingand difficult thing to resolve; and a hundred times a day I wished I hadnever been rescued by him, but taken my chance of the worst fortune hadin store for me.

  While, therefore, my strength grew with every day, these thoughtsharassed and depressed me. The continual conflict in my mind deprived meof all ease, and scarcely a morning broke in which I had not decidedon avowing my real position and my true sentiments; and still, when themoment came, the flighty uncertainty of Bubbleton's manner, his capriceand indiscretion, all frightened me, and I was silent. I hoped, too,that some questioning on his part might give me a fitting opportunityfor such a disclosure; but here again I was deceived. The jolly captainwas far too busy inventing his own history of me, to think of asking formine; and I found out from the surgeon of the regiment, that accordingto the statement made at the mess-table, I was an only son, possessed ofimmense estates,--somewhat encumbered, to be sure (among other debts, alarge jointure to my mother); that I had come up to town to consult theAttorney-General about the succession to a title long in abeyance in myfamily, and was going down to the House in Lord Castlereagh's carriage,when, fired by the ruffianism of the mob I sprang out, and struck one ofthe ringleaders, etc.

  How this visionary history had its origin, or whether it had any save inthe wandering fancies of his brain, I know not; but either by frequentrepetition of it, or by the strong hold a favorite notion sometimes willtake of a weak intellect, he so far believed it true that he wrote morethan one letter to Lord Castlereagh to assure him that I was rapidlyrecovering, and would be delighted to receive him; which, whether from aknowledge of the captain's character, or his indifference as to my fate,the Secretary certainly never took any notice of whatever.

  Bubbleton had too much experience of similar instances of neglect tobe either afflicted or offended at this silence; on the contrary, hesatisfied his mind by an excuse of his own inventing, and went aboutsaying, "I think we 'll have Castlereagh down to-day to see Burke,"until it became a cant on parade and a jest at mess.

  Meanwhile his active mind was not lying dormant. Indignant thatno inquiries had been made after me, and astonished that noaide-de-camp--not even a liveried menial of the Viceroy's household--hadcome down to receive the daily bulletin of my health, and somewhatpiqued, perhaps, that his own important services regarding me remainedunacknowledged, he set about springing a mine for himself which verynearly became my ruin.

  After about ten days spent by me in this state of painful vacillation,my mind vibrating between two opposite courses, and seeing argumentsfor either, both in the matter-of-fact shortness of Miss Bubbleton's notover-courteous manner, and the splendidly liberal and vast conceptionsof her brother, I went to my bed one night resolved that on the verynext morning I would hesitate no longer; and as my strength would nowpermit of my being able to walk unassisted, I would explain freely toBubbleton every circumstance of my life, and take my leave of him, towander, I knew not where. This decision at length being come to, I sleptmore soundly than I had slept for many nights, nor awoke until theloud step and the louder voice of the captain had aroused me from myslumbers.

  "Eh, Tom! a good night, my lad? How soundly you sleep! Just like theLachigong Indians; they go to bed after the hunting season, and neverwake till the bears come in next fall. I had the knack myself once; butthen I always took six or seven dozen of strong Burton ale first; andthat, they said, was n't quite fair. But for a white man, I 'd backmyself for a thousand to-morrow. But what 's this I have to tell you?Something or other was in my head for you. Oh, I have it! I say, Tom,old fellow, I think I have touched them up to some purpose. They didn't expect it. No, hang it! they little knew what was in store for them;they weren't quite prepared for it. By Jove, that they were n't!"

  "Who are they?" said I, sitting up in my bed, and somewhat curious tohear something of these astonished individuals.

  "The Government, my lad; the Castle; the Private Sec.; the Major; theTreasury; the Board of Green Cloth; the--what d' ye call them?--thePrivy Council."

  "Why, what has happened them?"

  "I 'll show you what 's happened. Lie down again and compose yourself.He won't be here before twelve o'clock; though, by the bye, I promisedon my honor not to say a word about his coming. But it 's over now."

  "Who is it?" said I, eagerly.

  "Oh, I can't tell now. You 'll see him very soon; and right glad he 'llbe to see you, so he says. But here they are; here 's the whole affair."

  So saying, he covered the bed with a mass of news' papers, and blotted,ill-written manuscripts, among which he commenced a vigorous search atonce.

  "Here it is; I've found it out. Listen to this: 'The Press, Friday,August 10. The magnificent ourang-outang that Captain Bubbleton is aboutto present to the Lady-Lieutenant--' No, that is n't it; it must bein Faulkner. Ay, here we have it: 'In Captain Bubbleton's forthcomingvolume, which we have been favored with a private perusal of, a verysingular account is given of the gigantic mouse found in Candia, whichgrows to the size of a common mastiff--'No, that 's not it. You 'veheard of that, Tom, though, have n't you?"

  "Never," said I, trying to repress a smile.

  "I 'm amazed at that; never heard of my curious speculations about theCandian mouse! The fellow has a voice like a human being; you 'd hearhim crying in the woods, and you 'd swear it was a child. I 've a notionthat the Greeks took their word 'mousikos' from this fellow. But that's not what I 'm looking for; no, but here it is. This is squibNo. 1: 'Tuesday morning. We are at length enabled to state that theyoung gentleman who took such a prominent part in defending the militaryagainst the savage and murderous attack of the mob in the late riot inCollege Green is now out of danger; being removed to Captain Bubbleton'squarters in George's Street Barracks, he was immediately trepanned--'"

  "Eh? trepanned!"

  "No, you weren't trepanned; but Pepper said you might have been though,and he 'd just as soon do it as not; so I put in trepanned. 'The piamater was fortunately not cut through.' That you don't understand; butno matter,--hem, hem! 'Congestion of--' hem, hem! 'In our next, we hopeto give a still more favorable report.' Then here's the next: 'To theaide-decamp sent to inquire after the "hero of College Green," theanswer this morning was, "Better; able to sit up."' Well, here wego,--No. 3: 'His Excellency mentioned this morning at the Privy Councilthe satisfaction he felt at being able to announce that Mr. (frommotives of delicacy we omit the name) is now permitted to take somebarley gruel, with a spoonful of old Madeira. The Bishop of Ferns andSir Boyle Roach both left their cards yesterday at the barracks.' Iwaited a day or two after this; but--would you believe it?--no noticewas taken; not even the Opposition papers said a word, except someinsolent rascal in 'The Press' asks, 'Can you tell your readers, Are weto have anyth
ing more from Captain Bubbleton?' So then I resolved tocome out in force, and here you see the result: 'Friday, 20th. It is nowour gratifying task to announce the complete restoration of the younggentleman whose case has, for some weeks past, been the engrossing topicof conversation of all ranks and classes, from the table of the Viceroyto the humble denizen of Mud Island. Mr. Burke is the only son and heirto the late Matthew Burke, of Cremore, county of Galway. His family havebeen long distinguished for their steady, uncompromising loyalty; noris the hereditary glory of their house likely to suffer in the personof the illustrious youth, who, we learn, is now to be raised to thebaronetcy under the title of Sir Thomas Bubbleton Burke, the second nameassumed to commemorate the services of Captain Bubbleton, whose--'Ofcourse I dilated a little here to round the paragraph. Well, thisdid it; here was the shell that exploded the magazine. For early thismorning I received a polite note from the Castle,--I won't tell you thewriter, though; I like a good bit of surprise. And egad, now I think on't, I won't say anything more about the letter either, only that we 'rein luck, my lad, as you 'll soon acknowledge. What 's the hour now? Ah!a quarter to twelve. But wait, I think I hear him in the next room. Jumpup, and dress as fast as you can, while I do the honors."

  With this the captain bustled out of the room; and, although he bangedthe door after him, I could hear his voice in the act of welcoming somenew arrival.

  In spite of the sea of nonsense and absurdity through which I had wadedin the last half-hour, the communication he had made me excited mycuriosity to the utmost, and in some respect rendered me uneasy. It wasno part whatever of my object to afford any clue to Basset by which hemight trace me; and although much of the fear I had formerly entertainedof that dreaded personage had evaporated with increased knowledge of theworld, yet old instincts preserved their influence over me, and I feltas though Tony Basset would be a name of terror to me for my life long.It was quite clear, however, that the application from the Castle towhich he alluded could have no reference to the honest attorney; andwith this comforting reflection, which I confess came somewhat late, Ifinished my dressing, and prepared to leave my room.

  "Oh, here he comes!" cried Bubbleton, as he flung open my door, andannounced my approach. "Come along, Tom, and let us see if your facewill let you be recognized."

  I scarcely had crossed the threshold when I started back with affright,and had it not been for the wall against which I leaned, must havefallen. The stranger, whose visit was to afford me so much of pleasurewas no other than Major Barton; there he stood, his arm leaning on thechimney-piece, the same cool malicious smile playing about the angles ofhis mouth which I noticed the first day I saw him in the glen. His sharpeyes shot on me one quick, searching glance, and then turned to thedoor; from which again they were directed to me as if some passingthought had moved them.

  Bubbleton was the first to speak, for not noticing either the agitationI was under or the stern expression of Barton's features, he ran on:--

  "Eh, Major! that's your friend, isn't it? Changed a bit, I suppose; alittle blanched, but in a good cause, you know,--that's the thing. Come,Tom, you don't forget your old friend. Major--what 's the name?"

  "Barton," repeated the other, dryly.

  "Yes, Major Barton; he 's come from his Excellency. I knew that lastparagraph would do it,--eh. Major?"

  "You were quite right, sir," said Barton, slowly and distinctly, "thatparagraph did do it; and very fortunate you may esteem yourself, if itwill not do you also."

  "Eh, what! how me? What d' you mean?"

  "How long, may I beg to ask," continued Barton, in the same quiet toneof voice, "have you known this young gentleman?"

  "Burke,--Tom Burke? Bless your heart, since the height of that fender.His father and mine were schoolfellows. I 'm not sure he was n't mygodfather, or, at least, one of them; I had four." Here the captainbegan counting on his fingers. "There was the Moulah, one; the Cham,two--"

  "I beg your pardon for the interruption," said Barton, with affectedpoliteness; "how long has he occupied these quarters? That fact maypossibly not be too antiquated for your memory."

  "How long?" said Bubbleton, reflectingly. "Let me see: here we are inAugust--"

  "Three weeks on Tuesday last," said I, interfering, to prevent anyfurther drain on so lavish an imagination.

  "Then you came here on the day of the riots?" said Barton.

  "On that evening," was my reply.

  "On that evening,--just so. Before or after, may I isk?"

  "I shall answer no further questions," said I, resolutely. "If you haveany charge against me, it is for you to prove it."

  "Charge against you!" said Bubbleton, laughing. "Bless your heart,boy, don't mistake him; they've sent him down to compliment you. LordCastlereagh mentions in his note--Where the devil did I throw thatnote?"

  "It's of no consequence, Captain," said Barton, dryly; "his lordshipusually intrusts the management of these matters to me. May I learn, isthis young gentleman known in your regiment? Has he been at your mess?"

  "Tom Burke known among us! Why, man, he 's called nothing but 'Burke ofOurs.' He 's one of ourselves; not gazetted, you know, but all the samein fact. We could n't get on without him; he's like the mess-plate, orthe orderly-book, or the regimental snuffbox."

  "I 'm sincerely sorry, sir," rejoined Barton, slowly, "to rob you andthe gallant Forty-fifth of one upon whom you place such just value; but'Burke of Ours' must consent to be Burke of mine at present."

  "To be sure, my dear major, of course; anything convivial,--nothinglike good fellowship. We'll lend him to you for to-day,--one day, markme,--we can't spare him longer. And now I think of it, don't press himwith his wine; he 's been poorly of late."

  "Have no fears on that score," said Barton, laughing outright; "ourhabits of life, in his circumstances, are rigidly temperate." Then,turning to me, he continued, in an altered voice: "I need scarcelyexplain to you, sir, the reason of my visit. When last we parted I didnot anticipate that our next meeting would have been in a royal barrack;but you may thank your friend here for my knowledge of your abode--"

  Bubbleton attempted to interpose here a panegyric on himself; but Bartonwent on,--

  "Here is an order of the Privy Council for your apprehension; andhere--"

  "Apprehension!" echoed the captain, in a voice of wonderment and terror.

  "Here, sir, is your committal to Newgate. I suppose you'll not giveme the trouble of using force; I have a carriage in waiting below, andrequest that we may lose no more time."

  "I am ready, sir," said I, as stoutly as I was able.

  "To Newgate!" repeated Bubbleton, as, overcome with fright, he sankback in a chair, and crossed his arms on his breast. "Poor fellow! poorfellow! perhaps they 'll bring it in manslaughter, eh?--or was it a bankrobbery?"

  Not even the misery before me could prevent my smiling at the worthycaptain's rapidly conceived narrative of me. I was in no merry mood,however; and turning to him, grasped his hand.

  "It may happen," said I, "that we never meet again. I know not--indeed,I hardly care--what is before me; but with all my heart I thank you foryour kindness. Farewell."

  "Farewell," said he, half mechanically, as he grasped my hand in bothof his, and the large tears rolled down his cheeks. "Poor fellow! all myfault; see it now."

  I hurried after Barton downstairs, a nervous choking in my throat nearlysuffocating me. Just as I reached the door the carriage drew up, anda policeman let down the steps. Already my foot was on them, whenBubbleton was beside me.

  "I'll go with him, Major; you'll permit me, won't you?"

  "Not at present, Captain," said Barton, significantly; "it may happenthat we shall want you one of these days. Good-by."

  He pushed me forward as he spoke, and entered the carriage after me. Ifelt the pressure of poor Bubbleton's hand as he grasped mine for thelast time, and discovered he had slipped something into my palm atparting. I opened and found two guineas in gold, which the kindheartedfellow had given me; perhaps they were h
is only ones in the world.