第167章

The visions of hope decayed, and there increased in proportion that feverish agony of anticipation with which a man, educated in a sense of consequence, and possessed of opulence,--the supporter of an ancient name, and the father of two promising children,--foresaw the hour approaching which should deprive him of all the splendour which time had made familiarly necessary to him, and send him forth into the world to struggle with poverty, with rapacity, and with scorn.Under these dire forebodings, his temper, exhausted by the sickness of delayed hope, became peevish and fretful, and his words and actions sometimes expressed a reckless desperation, which alarmed Miss Wardour extremely.We have seen, on a former occasion, that Sir Arthur was a man of passions lively and quick, in proportion to the weakness of his character in other respects; he was unused to contradiction, and if he had been hitherto, in general, good-humoured and cheerful, it was probably because the course of his life had afforded no such frequent provocation as to render his irritability habitual.

On the third morning after Dousterswivel's departure, the servant, as usual, laid on the breakfast table the newspaper and letters of the day.Miss Wardour took up the former to avoid the continued ill-humour of her father, who had wrought himself into a violent passion, because the toast was over-browned.

``I perceive how it is,'' was his concluding speech on this interesting subject,--``my servants, who have had their share of my fortune, begin to think there is little to be made of me in future.But while I _am_ the scoundrel's master I will be so, and permit no neglect--no, nor endure a hair's-breadth diminution of the respect I am entitled to exact from them.''

``I am ready to leave your honour's service this instant,'' said the domestic upon whom the fault had been charged, ``as soon as you order payment of my wages.''

Sir Arthur, as if stung by a serpent, thrust his hand into his pocket, and instantly drew out the money which it contained, but which was short of the man's claim.``What money have you got, Miss Wardour?'' he said, in a tone of affected calmness, but which concealed violent agitation.

Miss Wardour gave him her purse; he attempted to count the bank notes which it contained, but could not reckon them.

After twice miscounting the sum, he threw the whole to his daughter, and saying, in a stern voice, ``Pay the rascal, and let him leave the house instantly!'' he strode out of the room.

The mistress and servant stood alike astonished at the agitation and vehemence of his manner.

``I am sure, ma'am, if I had thought I was particularly wrang, I wadna hae made ony answer when Sir Arthur challenged me.

I hae been lang in his service, and he has been a kind master, and you a kind mistress, and I wad like ill ye should think Iwad start for a hasty word.I am sure it was very wrang o'

me to speak about wages to his honour, when maybe he has something to vex him.I had nae thoughts o' leaving the family in this way.''

``Go down stair, Robert,'' said his mistress--``something has happened to fret my father--go down stairs, and let Alick answer the bell.''

When the man left the room, Sir Arthur re-entered, as if he had been watching his departure.``What's the meaning of this?'' he said hastily, as he observed the notes lying still on the table--``Is he not gone? Am I neither to be obeyed as a master or a father?''

``He is gone to give up his charge to the housekeeper, sir,--I thought there was not such instant haste.''

``There _is_ haste, Miss Wardour,'' answered her father, interrupting her;--``What I do henceforth in the house of my forefathers, must be done speedily, or never.''

He then sate down, and took up with a trembling hand the basin of tea prepared for him, protracting the swallowing of it, as if to delay the necessity of opening the post-letters which lay on the table, and which he eyed from time to time, as if they had been a nest of adders ready to start into life and spring upon him.

``You will be happy to hear,'' said Miss Wardour, willing to withdraw her father's mind from the gloomy reflections in which he appeared to be plunged, ``you will be happy to hear, sir, that Lieutenant Taffril's gun-brig has got safe into Leith Roads --I observe there had been apprehensions for his safety--I am glad we did not hear them till they were contradicted.''

``And what is Taffril and his gun-brig to me?''

``Sir!'' said Miss Wardour in astonishment; for Sir Arthur, in his ordinary state of mind, took a fidgety sort of interest in all the gossip of the day and country.

``I say,'' he repeated in a higher and still more impatient key, ``what do I care who is saved or lost? It's nothing to me, I suppose?''

``I did not know you were busy, Sir Arthur; and thought, as Mr.Taffril is a brave man, and from our own country, you would be happy to hear''--``Oh, I am happy--as happy as possible--and, to make you happy too, you shall have some of my good news in return.''

And he caught up a letter.``It does not signify which I open first--they are all to the same tune.''

1

Miss Wardour, in silent terror, took up the letter.``Read it--read it aloud!'' said her father; ``it cannot be read too often; it will serve to break you in for other good news of the same kind.''

She began to read with a faltering voice, ``Dear Sir.''

``He _dears_ me too, you see, this impudent drudge of a writer's office, who, a twelvemonth since, was not fit company for my second table--I suppose I shall be `dear Knight' with him by and by.''

``Dear Sir,'' resumed Miss Wardour; but, interrupting herself, ``I see the contents are unpleasant, sir--it will only vex you my reading them aloud.''

``If you will allow me to know my own pleasure, Miss Wardour, I entreat you to go on--I presume, if it were unnecessary, I should not ask you to take the trouble.''