Count Bunker Part 5

"A girl might get carried away by you," said the original peer a trifle doubtfully.

"The Baron is the most scrupulous of men. He will be by my side almost continually. Baron, you will act as my judge, my censor, and my chaperon?"

"Tollyvoddle, I swear to you zat I shall use an eye like ze eagle. He shall be so careful--ach, I shall see to it! Myself, I am a Bayard mit ze ladies, and Bonker he shall not be less so!"

"Thanks, Baron, thanks awfully," said his lordship. "Now my mind is quite at rest!"

In the vestibule of the restaurant they bade good-night to the confiding n.o.bleman, and then turned to one another with an adventurer's smile.

"You are sure you can leave your diplomatic duties?" asked Essington.

"Zey vill be my diplomatic duties zat I go to do! Oh, I shall prepare a leetle story--do not fear me."

The Baron chuckled, and then burst forth

"Never was zere a man like you. Oh, cunning Mistair Bonker! And you vill give me zomezing to do in ze adventure, eh?"

"I promise you that, Baron."

As he gave this rea.s.suring pledge, a peculiar smile stole over Mr.

Bunker's face--a smile that seemed to suggest even happier possibilities than either of his distinguished friends contemplated.

CHAPTER V

It is at all times pleasant to contemplate thorough workmanship and sagacious foresight, particularly when these are allied with disinterested purpose and genuine enthusiasm. For the next few days Mr.

Bunker, preparing to carry out to the best of his ability the delicate commission with which he had been entrusted, presented this stimulating spectacle.

Absolutely no pains were left untaken. By the aid of some volumes lent him by Tulliwuddle he learned, and digested in a pocketbook, as much information as he thought necessary to acquire concerning the history of the n.o.ble family he was temporarily about to enter; together with notes of their slogan or war-cry (spelled phonetically to avoid the possibility of a mistake), of their acreage, gross and net rentals, the names of their land-agents, and many other matters equally to the point.

It was further to be observed that he spared no pains to imprint these particulars in the Baron's Teutonic memory--whether to support his own in case of need, or for some more secret purpose, it were impossible to fathom. Disguised as unconspicuous and harmless persons, they would meet in many quiet haunts whose unsuspected excellences they could guarantee from their old experience, and there mature their philanthropic plan.

Not only had its talented originator to impress the Tulliwuddle annals and statistics into his ally's eager mind, but he had to exercise the nicest tact and discernment lest the Baron's excess of zeal should trip their enterprise at the very outset.

"To-day I have told Alicia zat my visit to Russia vill probably be vollowed by a visit to ze Emperor of China," the Baron would recount with vast pride in his inventive powers. "And I have dropped a leetle hint zat for an envoy to be imprisoned in China is not to be surprised.

Zat vill prepare her in case I am avay longer zan ve expect."

"And how did she take that intimation?" asked Essington, with a less congratulatory air than he had expected.

"I did leave her in tears."

"My dear Baron, fly to her to tell her you are not going to China!

She will get so devilish alarmed if you are gone a week that she'll go straight to the emba.s.sy and make inquiries."

He shook his head, and added in an impressive voice--

"Never lie for lying's sake, Blitzenberg. Besides, how do you propose to forge a Chinese post-mark?"

The Baron had laid the foundations of his Russian trip on a sound basis by requesting a friend of his in that country to post to the Baroness the bi-weekly budgets of Muscovite gossip which he intended to compose at Hechnahoul. This, it seemed to him, would be a simple feat, particularly with his friend Bunker to a.s.sist; but he had to confess that the provision of Chinese news would certainly be more difficult.

"Ach, vell, I shall contradict China," he agreed.

It will be readily believed that what with getting up his brief, pruning the legends with which the Baron proposed to satisfy his wife and his amba.s.sador, and purchasing an outfit suitable to the roles of peer and chieftain, this indefatigable gentleman pa.s.sed three or four extremely busy days.

"Ve most start before my dear mozzer-in-law does gom!" the Baron more than once impressed upon him, so that there was no moment to be wasted.

Two days before their departure Mr. Bunker greeted his ally with a peculiarly humorous smile.

"The pleasures of our visit to Hechnahoul are to be considerably augmented," said he. "Tulliwuddle has only just made the discovery that his ancestral castle is let; but his tenant, in the most handsome spirit, invites us to be his guests so long as we are in Scotland. A very hospitable letter, isn't it?"

He handed him a large envelope with a more than proportionately large crest upon it, and drawing from this a sheet of note-paper headed by a second crest, the Baron read this epistle:

"MY LORD,--Learning that you propose visiting your Scottish estates, and Mr. M'Fadyen, your factor, informing me no lodge is at present available for your reception, it will give Mrs. Gallosh and myself great pleasure, and we will esteem it a distinguished honor, if you and your friend will be our guests at Hechnahoul Castle during the duration of your visit.

Should you do us the honor of accepting, I shall send my steam launch to meet you at Torrydhulish pier and convey you across the loch, if you will be kind enough to advise me which train you are coming by.

"In conclusion, Mrs. Gallosh and myself beg to a.s.sure you that although you find strangers in your ancestral halls, you will receive both from your tenantry and ourselves a very hearty welcome to your native land.

Believe me, your obedient servant,

"DUNCAN JNO. GALLOSH."

"Zat is goot news!" cried the Baron. "Ve shall have company--perhaps ladies! Ach, Bonker, I have ze soft spot in mine heart: I am so constant as ze needle to ze pole; but I do like sometimes to talk mit voman!"

"With Mrs. Gallosh, for instance?"

"But, Bonker, zere may be a Miss Gallosh."

"If you consulted the Baroness," said Bunker, smiling, "I suspect she would prefer you to be imprisoned in China."

The Baron laughed, and curled his martial mustache with a dangerous air.

"Who is zis Gallosh?" he inquired.

"Scottish, I judge from his name; commercial, from his literary style; elevated by his own exertions, from the size of his crest; and wealthy, from the fact that he rents Hechnahoul Castle. His mention of Mrs.

Gallosh points to the fact that he is either married or would have us think so; and I should be inclined to conclude that he has probably begot a family."

"Aha!" said the Baron. "Ve vill gom and see, eh?"

CHAPTER VI

A carefully clothed young man, with an eyegla.s.s and a wavering gait, walked slowly out of Euston Station. He had just seen the Scottish express depart, and this event seemed to have filled him with dubious reflections. In fact, at the very last moment Lord Tulliwuddle's confidence in his two friends had been a trifling degree disturbed. It occurred to him as he lingered by the door of their reserved first-cla.s.s compartment that they had a little too much the air of gentlemen departing on their own pleasure rather than on his business. No sooner did he drop a fretful hint of this opinion than their affectionate protestations had quickly revived his spirit; but now that they were no longer with him to counsel and encourage, it once more drooped.

"Confound it!" he thought, "I hadn't bargained on having to keep out of people's way till they came back. If Essington had mentioned that sooner, I don't know that I'd have been so keen about the notion. Hang it! I'll have to chuck the Morrells' dance. And I can't go with the Greys to Ranelagh. I can't even dine with my own aunt on Sunday. Oh, the devil!"

The perturbed young peer waved his umbrella and climbed into a hansom.