CHAPTER II.
"And ruder words will yet rush in To spread the breach that words begin."--_Moore._
We pass over the time spent at Claremont Castle, and again introduce ourreaders to the dining-room at the Towers, where a large party sat downto a very handsome repast. At the head of the table sat the Marchionessdoing the honours of her brother's table with the greatest grace; shehad but lately made the Marquis happy by the tribute of a son and heirto his titles. On the right of the Earl sat his bride elect in blushingloveliness, and down the long table we observe many old faces amongst atribe of new. Talking to a pretty girl sat Sir Richard, about the middleof the table; directly opposite him was the Captain. Frank, latelyreturned from the Mediterranean, sat a few seats from the Marchioness.Then there was Scroop, Wilson, and Sir Harry Maynard, Major Forster,young Pringle, and numbers of ladies, amongst whom Lady Florence shonenext Johnny, who was her devoted admirer; Mr. Lennox, Mr. Power, theclergyman, and Mr. Ravensworth made up a large company. The greatestmerriment prevailed, and every one was speaking of the approachingmarriage.
"How have you amused yourself to-day?" said the Earl, who had been inEdinburgh with Mr. Ravensworth and Ellen, as he cut into the fine haunchof venison that smoked on its massive silver plate; "it has been snowingso hard, I suppose it kept you in the house."
"Snow doesn't keep me in," said the Captain; "I and Pringle were riding,though most preferred the ladies' company to snowy roads."
"Ah! we had the best of it," said Sir Richard, "had we not, Sir Harry;knocking about the billiard balls with the fair occupants of theCastle?"
"What? Why you don't mean to say you played billiards all day, SirRichard?"
"Oh, dear no, my Lord; we spent most of the afternoon in admiring yourfine gallery of family pictures; there's a long line of De Veres."
"Did you observe any peculiarity in the pictures?"
"I can't say I did, my Lord," answered Sir Richard.
"I did though," said Sir Harry; "and that was--excuse me, Mr. Lennox,but you are taking white wine with the brown vein of the venison"--(Mr.L. rectified his error)--"that was--hock, if you please,"--(to thefootman)--"yes,--what was I saying? Some jelly--I thank you,--yes,yes,--that your Lordship had placed all the old personages on the rightside, and all the young on the left side of the fireplaces,--a curiouscrotchet--some beer,--I thank you."
The Colonel was a great _bon vivant_.
"It is no arrangement," said the Earl; "but since the time of Earl Hugh,or the Roundhead peer as we call him, none of the family ever becameold."
"A most curious fancy indeed! Here, Andrew, some more hock; this venisonis beyond all praise, my Lord, cooked to the nicety of a minute,--asingular fancy to prefer dying so early,--ha! ha! ha!"
"It is no fancy, Sir Harry; you have evidently not heard of the Weird ofthe Wentworths."
"Do, Lord Wentworth, tell it to us,--you have so often promised," saidEllen.
"Of course," said the Earl; "I must do whatever a lady asks,--especiallywhat Miss Ravensworth wishes."
He then told the singular narrative of Augusta de Vere, which we shallnot repeat, as our readers already are acquainted with it. LordWentworth had merely wished to tell Ellen; but as he told a storyremarkably well, before he had finished he found the whole tablelistening to him.
"A most singular and interesting story, my Lord," said Mr. Lennox; "butI opine we must give it the same belief we give ghost stories ingeneral."
"No, Mr. Lennox," said the Marchioness, "this is quite unlike all otherstories, because its truth is proved by facts in the Peerage:--you willfind no De Vere since Hugh, Earl Wentworth, ever lived to be old."
"Certainly a curious coincidence, Lady Arranmore; and possibly explainedby the simple fact, the De Veres are a short-lived family."
"But," said Lady Florence, "they were very long-lived before, as theportraits show; you must never tell a De Vere you misbelieve The Weird."
"There's no doubt about the matter," said the Captain; "with everythingto attest it, he must be a fool who does not credit it; you will see allof us will be knocked on the head soon enough,--girls first; but a shortand merry life for me!"
"Indeed, John, I don't see why we should die before you," said LadyArranmore. "I fear you will be the first, with your fights and duels."
"Devil a fear; come, I'll bet I outlive both of you!"
"Come, I don't like this jesting," said the Marquis; "it is a seriousthing; and for my part I am like Lennox, and don't believe in suchnonsense."
"Nor I," said Sir Harry; "you are all hale and well; why should youthink you will die so early? What a splendid pine!--will you allow me togive you some, Lady Florence?"
"I should think it was enough to make you quite nervous, LadyArranmore," said Ellen, still thinking on the Weird,--"it is such adreadful thing."
"No, Miss Ravensworth, we have become so accustomed to it, and broughtup in the belief, we are almost proud of our doom,--we have learned tolove it almost. After all, I should not like to grow old and--"
"Hideous," said the Captain; "no, no,--whom the gods love die young!"
"I fear, then, you will be the first old man, John, in our family," saidLady Florence, laughing.
"A good one! How d'you like that, Captain?" said Sir Richard, fillinghis glass. "Your health, De Vere!"
Without replying the Captain drank wine.
"If this is really an established fact," said Mr. Power, "I think itshould make you very serious; it is doubtless intended as a warning; andif your days are to be short on earth, do you ever think that, afterdeath, there is an endless existence of bliss or misery?"
"After all," said the Earl, "you are no better than we are, Mr.Power;--none of us know our end."
"True, my Lord; but if, as you say, none of your family live long,--andyou are now all grown up,--the time is short; and you should take themore earnest heed to these matters."
"That is not my theory, Power: 'Happy for the day, careless for themorrow,'--that's Scripture; at least it was when I was a boy," said theCaptain, whose ideas of the Bible were not very correct.
"This is the very perversion of Scripture, my young friend; when it bidsus not be careful of the morrow, it means we are to lay all our cares onOne who has promised to carry them."
"Well, Power, I am not learned in divinity; you stick to your trade, andI will to mine; you be a soldier of God, and I will a soldier of theKing, or the devil, if you like it!"
A suppressed murmur of disapprobation followed this, and the Earlchanged the conversation by a totally irrelevant remark. Sir Richard,unfortunately for himself, as the story will show, brought back theconversation by saying they had found some striking resemblances to thepresent family in some of the portraits.
"Indeed!" said the Earl. "And in whom did you find my likeness?"
"In the seventh Earl,--Algernon, I think was his name,--a young man in ahunting suit. Then we found out a likeness for Lady Florence, in hergrandaunt Guendolen; and for the Marchioness in the Abbess Augusta; butthe best of all was--"
"Don't, please!" said Lady Florence, whispering across Johnny; "don'tsay it; John doesn't like it." (Whether he did not comprehend LadyFlorence's meaning, or whether he wished to prove the truth of herassertion, we know not; but in an evil moment he finished his remark)--
"--was the likeness to the Captain."
"And to whom do you liken me?" said the Captain, in a gloomy voice.
"To whom? Why,--ha! ha! ha! I shall die with laughter,--it was solike,--the old Roundhead peer, Hugh. I'faith you might have beenbrothers!"
"I wish to God you would find likenesses to yourself, and leave mealone! I like that old murderer, egad!--I like that!"
"Come, there's no harm meant,--it's a mere joke."
"D--n joking," muttered the Captain,--"I like the old Roundhead, egad!"
Lady Arranmore, fearing there was something looming here, bowed to EllenRavensworth, and the ladies rose and left the room. The Captain lookedgloomy, and appeared to hav
e taken great umbrage at the unhappyresemblance; it was not a newly found out likeness, and even before thishe had shown great wrath at the allusion. It was never quite evident whyhe disliked it, but at any rate it _was_ evident he did so. When theladies were retired, Sir Richard, anxious to gloss over his mistake,began--
"Really De Vere, you take mortal offence at a _jeu d'esprit_."
"Sir Richard, you seem determined to work me up to-night. I advise youto think twice before you do so, or by heaven you may repent it."
"Why, De Vere, I think you are--I was going to say--crazy to-night: Imerely said you were like Earl Hugh--you are like, and there let it end,I shall say no more."
The Captain was not inclined to let matters drop so easily, and replied,"I shan't drop it in such a jolly hurry; the fact is you have laid aplot to annoy me: egad you have, you did it before the ladies, and nowyou're raking the accursed thing up again, which proves it. You comparedme to that d--able old renegade just to enrage me, by G-- you did. Ilike that d--d, round-headed old ----! You have insulted me, SirRichard. I am not the man to brook insults--you will apologize--I demandan apology."
The whole room were listening in dead silence to the quarrel, andJohnny, who had not yet left, was in high delight at the prospect of ascene. No one interfered yet, and the loud voice of the Captain as hedemanded an apology to most seemed at the least ominous.
"I have done nothing to give me cause to make an apology; I appeal tothe table, should I make one? Lord Wentworth, what say you?"
"You have insulted me, Sir Richard, and by G-- I'll have one, or knowthe reason why. I don't care who says you should not, I say you shall--Iam waiting for an apology!"
"You may wait, De Vere, till doomsday,--you may sit there till youdie,--but never will I apologize when I have done no fault."
"You have committed a fault. Ha! I see you are incapable of feelingslike a man of honour; you must be forced to feel as you should. SirRichard, you say you did not intend to insult me, I say you lie mostfoully in your throat; there--will that do?"
A thrill of horror ran like an electric shock through the company.
"Ha! you give me the lie, do you?" said Sir Richard, blanching withrage, "then take that."
As he spoke he threw a glassful of port wine across the table: theliquid hit the Captain on his mouth and chin, and poured over his ordersand medals, for he was in full uniform. The revenge was quick asthought! Uttering a fearful malediction, the enraged officer seized aheavy cut glass tumbler, and threw it at Sir Richard with unerring aim.The Baronet dodged aside from the missile, and saved himself a blow onthe centre of his forehead, but he did not escape. The tumbler struckhim a terrific blow on his temples, and, as it flew into a dozenfragments, inflicted a terrible wound. In an instant, as by one consent,the whole table sprung to their feet. For a moment, too paralyzed tospeak, a deathly silence reigned. The Captain's face was lit by afiendish smile, as he wiped the red wine off his breast. Sir Richard'sface was black with ire, as he staunched the blood that covered hisforehead with his kerchief. The two foes looked as if they could haveleaped the barrier that severed them, and locked in each other's armsdivided not to death.
Soon a confused murmuring arose on all sides, and then voices grewlouder.
"I wouldn't stand that," said Wilson.
"Nor I," said Frank.
"Give it to him, pitch into him, confound him, thrash him, Captain,"cried the Marquis, whose Irish blood was at boiling point.
"Yes, pitch him out of the window,--kick him out of doors--d--n him,"cried Frank, catching the fire. "He had insult enough to enrage aMoses."
"True--by heaven, sir! a glass of wine thrown at his face, good winetoo, a most ungentlemanly trick, and unbecoming an officer of hisMajesty's service," said Sir Harry.
"They should fight it out," remarked Forster.
"Yes, give it him, Captain, do," said Johnny.
The clamour now grew uproarious, when the Earl's voice was heard, loudand commanding,--"Silence, gentlemen, I insist! I _will_ be heard at myown table. Silence, cease this brawling."
When order was restored, the Earl continued: "I am deeply grieved suchan unjustifiable proceeding should have occurred at my table--that ascene which would have disgraced a pot-house should have been enactedhere. I am surprised at Sir Richard's resenting an angry insult in theway he did, and at my brother giving him the lie, and then so farforgetting what was due to himself, and to me, as to fling glass at anyguest of mine. I fear but one result--an hostile meeting--will wipe outthe dishonour. The thing is done now, and cannot be undone, but at leastlet seconds be chosen, and all done in a decent and gentlemanly way. Inconclusion, I am much hurt at my brother-in-law the noble Marquishounding on the antagonists in the way he did, and at Frank's supportinghim. I would have expected a boy, like Johnny Ravensworth might haveforgot himself. I do trust this is the first and last time such adisgraceful brawl will occur here, at least while I am master of theTowers!"
The Earl then sat down, and was complimented by several of the gentlemenfor thus expressing his opinions. Mr. Power urged the plea of apology,but little heed was taken of him.
"Will you be my second, Arranmore?" said the Captain.
"Faith, not I," replied the Marquis, "I have made fool enough of myselfalready. I will not meddle in this unlucky matter any more."
"You have no such scruples, old boy," said the Captain.
"Not I," said Scroop, "I am your man."
"And will you be my second, Wilson?" said Sir Richard, his voicetremulous with passion still.
"With pleasure, we are quite _au fait_ at these things on board ship."
"Come, Scroop, let's get to business; after all, Musgrave, he had nobusiness to give you the lie, and you retaliated the broadside well."
"And he found his match by G--," said Scroop, as he and Wilson walkedaside, and in the most cold-blooded manner arranged everything with theutmost despatch--Time, place, weapons, and distance. "Time, at once;place, the Holly Walk; weapons, pistols; distance, twelve yards."
When these regulations were announced the Captain ordered Andrew, whothen entered the room having got an inkling all wasn't right, to go tohis room, and bring a mahogany case down.
"Is't to be a duel?" said the old man, handing him the case, which theCaptain unlocked, and produced two duelling pistols with black ebonyhandles, and inlaid with silver; on each was a silver plate, and on oneneatly engraved three names with dates after them,--three victims to theCaptain's sure aim!
"You'll gie's permission to hae ane keek at yer shootin', Captain."
"No--go to the devil."
"Sure, Captain, you're no in earnest; I was speerin' if--"
"Come then, but for God's sake cease your clavering," said the Captain,cutting the old butler short.
The whole of the gentlemen then rose and followed the principals andtheir seconds to the fatal spot. In those days little heed was given tothe evil of duelling, and it would have made many modern ears tingle hadthey listened to the light converse on the road. The Marquis and MajorForster were betting on the likelihood of the Captain's being shot ornot, as Sir Richard fired first, and the Major offered ten to oneagainst him, which the Marquis took, saying, he had little fear he wouldmiss his shot, unless he was hit through the head; for even if he wasmortally wounded in any other part he would still give a dying, andprobably a killing shot--he was so famous for his pistol-shooting. Thetwo antagonists were each conversing with his second; Frank and SirHarry were laughing and joking; the Earl and a large party were thequietest; and some few, such as Mr. Power and Mr. Ravensworth, came notto see the duel, but to strive and arrange a friendly termination yet. Ashort distance behind, old Andrew, with a tribe of footmen, followed;the butler was descanting on the wonderful sureness of the Captain'sshot.
"I would not be him to-night though, and Sir Richard getting firstfire--that's not a gentlemanly plan--both should fire together," said anEnglish valet.
"Deil a fear o' the Captain--an' he be na shot in the heed, he
'll haehis man! See him, he is as cool an' unskeered as though he had the firstbleeze! Sir Richard is fey, I saw it a' the day--puir young man--histime is oot!"
"It isna the first chiel he has shot," said young Wilton, who appearedjust then.
"Deed no, Jack--there's mayhap three, and mayhap mair names scratched onhis weapon--Mr. John was ay a quarrelsome-like chiel--I mind him fraehis childhood, he was ay fechting and pummeling, an' noo he has grown aman he but fechts wi' pistols."
"If neither are shot will they fight it out still, Andrew?"
"In troth will they--but dinna you trouble yer pate wi' sicnonsense--the Captin is na goin' to miss! Sir Richard I'll na swer to,but I wud tak' my aith _he'll_ no miss."
The Weird of the Wentworths: A Tale of George IV's Time, Vol. 2 Page 2