Peter Simple; and, The Three Cutters Part 57

"Well, Miss Ellen, if any one ever tells you that you were on the stage, at all events you may reply that you wasn't there long."

"I trust not long enough to be recognised," replied she. "I recollect how often I have expressed my disgust at those who would thus consent to exhibit themselves; but circ.u.mstances strangely alter our feelings. I do, however, trust that I should have been respectable, even as an actress."

"That you would, Miss Ellen," replied O'Brien. "What did I tell you, Peter?"

"You pledged your honour that nothing would induce Ellen to disgrace her family, I recollect, O'Brien."

"Thank you, Sir Terence, for your good opinion," replied Ellen.

My sister had been with us about three days, during which I had informed her of all that had taken place, when, one evening, finding myself alone with her, I candidly stated to her what were O'Brien's feelings towards her, and pleaded his cause with all the earnestness in my power.

"My dear brother," she replied, "I have always admired Captain O'Brien's character, and always have felt grateful to him for his kindness and attachment to you; but I cannot say that I love him. I have never thought about him except as one to whom we are both much indebted."

"But do you mean to say that you could not love him?"

"No, I do not; and I will do all I can, Peter--I will try. I never will, if possible, make him unhappy who has been so kind to you."

"Depend upon it, Ellen, that with your knowledge of O'Brien, and with feelings of grat.i.tude to him, you will soon love him, if once you accept him as a suitor. May I tell him--"

"You may tell him that he may plead his own cause, my dear brother; and, at all events, I will listen to no other until he has had fair play; but recollect that at present I only _like_ him--like him _very much, _it is true; but still I only _like_ him."

I was quite satisfied with my success, and so was...o...b..ien, when I told him. "By the powers, Peter, she's an angel, and I can't expect her to love an inferior being like myself; but if she'll only like me well enough to marry me, I'll trust to after-marriage for the rest. Love comes with the children, Peter. Well, but you need not say that to her-- divil a bit--they shall come upon her like old age, without her perceiving it."

O'Brien having thus obtained permission, certainly lost no time in taking advantage of it. Celeste and I were more fondly attached every day. The solicitor declared my case so good, that he could raise fifty thousand pounds upon it. In short, all our causes were prosperous, when an event occurred, the details of which, of course, I did not obtain until some time afterwards, but which I shall narrate here.

My uncle was very much alarmed when he discovered that I had been released from Bedlam--still more so, when he had notice given him of a suit, relative to the succession to the t.i.tle. His emissaries had discovered that the wet-nurse had been brought home in O'Brien's frigate, and was kept so close that they could not communicate with her.

He now felt that all his schemes would prove abortive. His legal adviser was with him, and they had been walking in the garden, talking over the contingencies, when they stopped close to the drawing-room windows of the mansion at Eagle Park.

"But, sir," observed the lawyer, "if you will not confide in me, I cannot act for your benefit. You still a.s.sert that nothing of the kind has taken place?"

"I do," replied his lordship. "It is a foul invention."

"Then, my lord, may I ask you why you considered it advisable to imprison Mr Simple in Bedlam?"

"Because I hate him," retorted his lordship,--"detest him."

"And for what reason, my lord? his character is unimpeached, and he is your near relative."

"I tell you, sir, that I hate him--would that he were now lying dead at my feet!"

Hardly were the words out of my uncle's mouth, when a whizzing was heard for a second, and then something fell down within a foot of where they stood, with a heavy crash. They started--turned round--the adopted heir lay lifeless at their feet, and their legs were bespattered with his blood and his brains. The poor boy, seeing his lordship below, had leaned out of one of the upper windows to call to him, but lost his balance, and had fallen head foremost upon the wide stone pavement which surrounded the mansion. For a few seconds the lawyer and my uncle looked upon each other with horror.

"A judgment!--a judgment!" cried the lawyer, looking at his client. My uncle covered his face with his hands, and fell. a.s.sistance now came out, but there was more than one to help up. The violence of his emotion had brought on an apoplectic fit, and my uncle, although he breathed, never spoke again.

It was in consequence of this tragical event, of which we did not know the particulars until afterwards, that the next morning my solicitor called upon me, and put a letter into my hand, saying, "Allow me to congratulate your lordship." We were all at breakfast at the time, and the general, O'Brien, and myself jumped up, all in such astonishment at this unexpected t.i.tle being so soon conferred upon me, that we had a heavy bill for damages to pay; and had not Ellen caught the tea-urn, as it was tipping over, there would, in all probability, have been a doctor's bill into the bargain. The letter was eagerly read--it was from my uncle's legal adviser, who had witnessed the catastrophe, informing me, that all dispute as to the succession was at an end by the tragical event that had taken place, and that he had put seals upon everything, awaiting my arrival or instructions. The solicitor, as he presented the letter, said that he would take his leave, and call again in an hour or two, when I was more composed. My first movement, when I had read the letter aloud, was to throw my arms round Celeste, and embrace her--and O'Brien, taking the hint, did the same to Ellen, and was excused in consideration of circ.u.mstances; but, as soon as she could disengage herself, her arms were entwined round my neck, while Celeste was hanging on her father's. Having disposed of the ladies, the gentlemen now shook hands, and though we had not all appet.i.tes to finish our breakfasts, never was there a happier quintette.

In about an hour my solicitor returned, and congratulated me, and immediately set about the necessary preparations. I desired him to go down immediately to Eagle Park, attend to the funeral of my uncle, and the poor little boy who had paid so dearly for his intended advancement, and take charge from my uncle's legal adviser, who remained in the house. The "dreadful accident in high life" found its way into the papers of the day, and before dinner time a pile of visiting cards was poured in, which covered the table. The next day a letter arrived from the First Lord, announcing that he had made out my commission as post-captain, and trusted that I would allow him the pleasure of presenting it himself at his dinner hour, at half-past seven. Very much obliged to him, the "fool of the family" might have waited a long while for it.

While I was reading this letter, the waiter came up to say that a young woman below wanted to speak to me. I desired her to be shown up. As soon as she came in, she burst into tears, knelt down, and kissed my hand.

"Sure, it's you--oh! yes--it's you that saved my poor husband when I was a.s.sisting to your ruin. And an't I punished for my wicked doings--an't my poor boy dead?"

She said no more, but remained on her knees, sobbing bitterly. Of course, the reader recognises in her the wet-nurse who had exchanged her child. I raised her up, and desired her to apply to my solicitor to pay her expenses, and leave her address.

"But do you forgive me, Mr Simple? It's not that I have forgiven myself."

"I do forgive you with all my heart, my good woman. You have been punished enough."

"I have, indeed," replied she, sobbing; "but don't I deserve it all, and more too? G.o.d's blessing, and all the saints' too, upon your head, for your kind forgiveness, anyhow. My heart is lighter." And she quitted the room.

She had scarcely quitted the hotel, when the waiter came up again.

"Another lady, my lord, wishes to speak with you, but she won't give her name."

"Really, my lord, you seem to have an extensive female acquaintance,"

said the general.

"At all events, I am not aware of any that I need be ashamed of. Show the lady up, waiter."

In a moment entered a fat, unwieldly little mortal, very warm from walking; she sat down in a chair, threw back her tippet, and then exclaimed, "Lord bless you, how you have grown! Gemini, if I can hardly believe my eyes; and I declare he don't know me."

"I really cannot exactly recollect where I had the pleasure of seeing you before, madam."

"Well, that's what I said to Jemima, when I went down in the kitchen.

'Jemima,' says I, 'I wonder if little Peter Simple will know me.' And Jemima says, 'I think he would the parrot, marm.'"

"Mrs Handyc.o.c.k, I believe," said I, recollecting Jemima and the parrot, although, from a little thin woman, she had grown so fat as not to be recognisable.

"Oh! so you've found me out, Mr Simple--my lord, I ought to say. Well, I need not ask after your grandfather now, for I know he's dead; but as I was coming this way for orders, I thought I would just step in and see how you looked."

"I trust Mr Handyc.o.c.k is well, ma'am. Pray is he a bull or a bear?"

"Lord bless you, Mr Simple, my lord, I should say, he's been neither bull nor bear for this three years. He was obliged to _waddle_. If I didn't know much about bulls and bears, I know very well what a _lame duck_ is, to my cost. We're off the Stock Exchange, and Mr Handyc.o.c.k is set up as a coal merchant."

"Indeed!"

"Yes; that is, we have no coals, but we take orders, and have half-a-crown a chaldron for our trouble. As Mr Handyc.o.c.k says, it's a very good business, if you only had enough of it. Perhaps your lordship may be able to give us an order. It's nothing out of your pocket, and something into ours."

"I shall be very happy, when I return again to town, Mrs Handyc.o.c.k. I hope the parrot is quite well."

"Oh! my lord, that's a sore subject; only think of Mr Handyc.o.c.k, when we retired from the 'Change, taking my parrot one day and selling it for five guineas, saying, five guineas were better than a nasty squalling bird. To be sure, there was nothing for dinner that day; but, as Jemima agreed with me, we'd rather have gone without a dinner for a month, than have parted with Poll. Since we've looked up a little in the world, I saved up five guineas, by hook or by crook, and tried to get Poll back again, but the lady said she wouldn't take fifty guineas for him."

Mrs Handyc.o.c.k then jumped from her chair, saying, "Good morning, my lord; I'll leave one of Mr Handyc.o.c.k's cards. Jemima would be so glad to see you."

As she left the room, Celeste laughingly asked me whether I had any more such acquaintances. I replied, that I believed not; but I must acknowledge that Mrs Trotter was brought to my recollection, and I was under some alarm, lest she should also come and pay me her respects.

The next day I had another unexpected visit. We had just sat down to dinner, when we heard a disturbance below; and, shortly after, the general's French servant came up in great haste, saying that there was a foreigner below, who wished to see me: and that he had been caning one of the waiters of the hotel, for not paying him proper respect.

"Who can that be?" thought I: and I went out of the door, and looked over the banisters, as the noise continued.