In Honour's Cause Part 20

"Of course, my dear," she said, "you are too young to have taken any interest in the political troubles of the time; but I want you to understand that it's the happiest thing for England to be as it is, and I want you as you grow older to be very careful not to be led away by discontented men who may want to plunge the country into war by bringing forward another whom they wish to make king."

"Mother!" began Frank excitedly.

"Don't interrupt me, dear. In a few minutes you must go. Whatever feelings your father and I may at one time have had, we are now fixed in our determination to support those who are now our rulers. The Prince has been very kind to us, and the Princess has become my dearest friend.

I believe she loves me, Frank, and I want her to find that my boy will prove one of her truest and best followers. I want you to grow up to be either a great soldier or statesman."

"I shall be a soldier like my father," said Frank proudly.

"We shall see, Frank," said Lady Gowan, smiling. "You are too young yet to decide. Wait a little--bide a wee, as they say in the north country.

Now you must go; but you will promise me to be careful and avoid all who might try to lead you away. Think that your course is marked out for you--the way to become a true, loyal gentleman."

"I promise, mother," said the lad firmly.

"Of course you do, my boy," said Lady Gowan proudly. "There, kiss me and go. I have to play b.u.t.terfly in the court sunshine for a while; but how glad shall I be to get away from it all to our dear old country home."

"And so shall I, mother," cried Frank, with his eyes sparkling.

"For a holiday, Frank. Life is not to be all play, my boy; and recollect that play comes the sweeter after good work done. There, I had you here for a pleasant chat, and I have done nothing but give you lessons on being loyal to your king; but we are separated so much, I have so few opportunities for talking to you, that I am obliged to give you a little serious advice."

"Go on talking to me like that, mother," said the boy, clinging to her.

"I like to hear you."

"And you always will, won't you, Frank?"

"Of course," he said proudly.

"One word Frank, dear, and then you must go. Do you know why I have spoken like this? No, I will not make a question of it, but tell you at once. Andrew Forbes"--Frank started and changed colour--"is your very close companion, and with all his vanity and little weaknesses, he is still a gallant lad and a gentleman. Poor boy! he is very strangely placed here at the court, an attendant on the Prince and Princess, while his father is known to be a staunch adherent of the Pretender--a Jacobite. He was your father's closest friend, and I knew his poor wife--Andrew's mother--well. It was very sad her dying so young, and leaving her motherless boy to the tender mercies of a hard world just when dissensions led his father to take the other side. The Princess knows everything about him, and it was at my request that he was placed here, where I could try and watch over him. Now, naturally enough, Andrew has leanings toward his father's side; but he must be taught to grow more and more staunch to the King, and I want you, who are his closest companion, to carefully avoid letting him influence you, while you try hard to wean him from every folly, so that, though he is older in some things, he may learn the right way from my calm, grave, steady boy."

"But, mother--"

"Yes," she said, smiling; "I can guess what you are about to say. Go, dearest. No: not another word.--Yes, I am ready now."

This to her maid, who was standing in the doorway, looking very severe; and Frank was hurried out to return to his own quarters.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

A VERY BAD DINNER.

"And I could have told her so easily then," thought Frank, as he went away feeling proud and pleased, and yet more troubled than ever. "Wean Andrew from his ideas? I wonder whether I could. Of course I shall try hard; and if I succeeded, what a thing to have done! I'm not going to think which side is right or wrong. We're the King's servants, and have nothing to do with such matters. Drew has been trying to get me over to their side. Now I'm going to make him come to ours, in spite of all the Mr George Selbys in London."

That afternoon the Princess's reception-rooms were crowded by a brilliant a.s.semblage of court ladies and gentlemen, many of whom were in uniform; and there was plenty to take the attention of a lad fresh from the country, without troubling himself about political matters. He saw his father, but not to speak to. The latter gave him a quick look and a nod, though, which the boy interpreted to mean, "Don't forget this evening."

"Just as if I am likely to," thought Frank, as he gazed proudly after the handsome, manly-looking officer. He had a glimpse or two of his mother, who was in close attendance upon the Princess, and with a natural feeling of pride the lad thought to himself that his father and mother were the most royal-looking couple there.

At last he found himself close to Andrew Forbes, who eagerly joined him, their duties having till now kept them separate.

"Isn't it horrible?" said Andrew, with a look of disgust in his flushed face.

"Horrible! I thought it the grandest sight I have ever seen. What do you mean by horrible?"

"This guttural chattering of the people. Why, you can hardly hear an English word spoken. It's all double Dutch, till I feel as if my teeth were set on edge."

"Nonsense! Good chance to learn German."

"I'd rather learn Hottentot. Look too what a lot of fat, m.u.f.fin-faced women there are, and stupid, smoky, sour-kraut-eating men. To my mind there are only two people worth looking at, and they are your father and mother."

Frank, who had felt irritated at his companion's persistent carping, began to glow, for he felt that his companion's words were genuine.

"Yes, they do look well, don't they?"

"Splendid. I do like your mother, Frank."

"Well, she likes you."

"H'm. I don't know," said the lad dubiously.

"But I do," said Frank quickly. "She told me so only this afternoon."

"What! Here, tell me what she said."

"That she knew your mother so well, and that it was sad about her dying so young, and that she felt, as I took it, something the same toward you as she did toward me."

"Did--did she talk like that, Frank?" said Andrew, with his lower lip quivering a little.

"Yes; and told me she hoped I should always be a good friend to you, and keep you out of mischief."

"Stuff!" cried Andrew. "I'm sure she did not say that."

"She did," said Frank warmly. "Not in those words, perhaps; but that was what she meant."

Andrew laughed derisively.

"Why, I'm a couple of years nearly older than you."

"So she said; but she spoke as if she thought that I could influence you."

"Bless her!" said Andrew warmly. "I feel as proud of her as you do, Frank, only I'm sorry for her to be here amongst all these miserable German people. Look, there's that stuck-up, conceited Baron Brokenstone, or whatever his name is. A common German adventurer, that's what he is; and yet he's received here at court."

"Well, he's one of the King's Hanoverian generals."

"I should like to meet him under one of our generals," said Andrew. "I consider it an insult for a fellow like that to be speaking to your mother--our mother, Frank, if she talks about me like that. I hate him, and feel as if I should like to go and hit him across the face with my glove."

"What for? Oh, I say, Drew, what a hot-headed fellow you are."

"It isn't my head, Franky; it's my heart. It seems to burn when I see these insolent Dutch officers lording it here, and smiling in their half-contemptuous, half-insulting way at our English ladies. Ugh! I wonder your father doesn't stop it. Look at him yonder, standing as if he were made of stone. I shall tell him what I think to-night."