Scenes and Characters, or, Eighteen Months at Beechcroft Part 14

'Ask, and you will discover,' said Claude.

Accordingly, Maurice began the next morning at breakfast, 'Papa, may I have a piece of plate-gla.s.s, eighteen by--?'

But no one heard, for Emily was at the moment saying, 'The Westons are to dine here to-day.'

Claude and Maurice both looked blank.

'I persuaded papa to ask the Westons,' said Lily, 'because I am determined that Claude shall like Alethea.'

'You must expect that I shall not, you have given me so many orders on the subject,' said Claude.

'Take care it has not the same effect as to tell Maurice to like a book,' said Emily; 'nothing makes his aversion so certain.'

'Except when he takes it up by mistake, and forgets that it has been recommended to him,' said Claude.

'Take care, Redgie, with your knife; don't put out my eyes in your ardour against that wretched wasp. Wat Greenwood may well say "there is a terrible sight of waspses this year."'

'I killed twenty-nine yesterday,' said Reginald.

'And I will tell you what I saw,' said Phyllis; 'I was picking up apples, and the wasps were flying all round, and there came a hornet.'

'Vespa Crabro!' cried Maurice; 'oh, I must have one!'

'Well, what of the hornet?' said Mr. Mohun.

'I'll tell you what,' resumed Phyllis, 'he saw a wasp flying, and so he went up in the air, and pounced on the poor wasp as the hawk did on Jane's bantam. So then he hung himself up to the branch of a tree by one of his legs, and held the wasp with the other five, and began to pack it up. First he bit off the yellow tail, then the legs, and threw them away, and then there was nothing left but the head, and so he flew away with it to his nest.'

'Which way did he go?' said Maurice.

'To the Old Court,' answered Phyllis; 'I think the nest is in the roof of the old cow-house, for they were flying in and out there yesterday, and one was eating out the wood from the old rails.'

'Well,' said Mr. Mohun, 'you must show me a hornet hawking for wasps before the nest is taken, Phyllis; I suppose you have seen the wasps catching flies?'

'Oh yes, papa! but they pack them up quite differently. They do not hang by one leg, but they sit down quite comfortably on a branch while they bite off the wings and legs.'

'There, Maurice,' said Mr. Mohun, 'I had rather hear of one such well-observed fact than of a dozen of your hard names and impaled insects.'

Phyllis looked quite radiant with delight at his approbation.

'But, papa,' said Maurice, 'may I have a piece of plate-gla.s.s, eighteen by twenty?'

'When you observe facts in natural history, perhaps I may say something to your entomology,' said Mr. Mohun.

'But, papa, all my insects will be spoilt if I may not have a piece of gla.s.s, eighteen by--'

He was interrupted by the arrival of the post-bag, which Jane, as usual, opened. 'A letter from Rotherwood,' said she; 'I hope he is coming at last.'

'He is,' said Claude, reading the letter, 'but only from Sat.u.r.day till Wednesday.'

'He never gave us so little of his good company as he has this summer,' said Emily.

'You will have them all in the autumn, to comfort you,' said Claude, 'for he hereby announces the marvellous fact, that the Marchioness sends him to see if the castle is fit to receive her.'

'Are you sure he is not only believing what he wishes?' said Mr.

Mohun.

'I think he will gain his point at last,' said Claude.

'How stupid of him to stay no longer!' said Reginald.

'I think he has some scheme for this vacation,' said Claude, 'and I suppose he means to crowd all the Beechcroft diversions of a whole summer into those few days.'

'Emily,' said Mr. Mohun, 'I wish him to know the Carringtons; invite them and the Westons to dinner on Tuesday.'

'Oh don't!' cried Reginald. 'It will be so jolly to have him to take wasps' nests; and may I go out rabbit-shooting with him?'

'If he goes.'

'And may I carry a gun?'

'If it is not loaded,' said his father.

'Indeed, I would do no mischief,' said Reginald.

'Let me give you one piece of advice, Reginald,' said Mr. Mohun, with a mysterious air--'never make rash promises.'

Lilias was rather disappointed in her hopes that Miss Weston and Claude would become better acquainted. At dinner the conversation was almost entirely between the elder gentlemen; Claude scarcely spoke, except when referred to by his father or Mr. Devereux. Miss Weston never liked to incur the danger of having to repeat her insignificant speeches to a deaf ear, and being interested in the discussion that was going on, she by no means seconded Lily's attempt to get up an under-current of talk. In general, Lily liked to listen to conversation in silence, but she was now in very high spirits, and could not be quiet; fortunately, she had no interest in the subject the gentlemen were discussing, so that she could not meddle with that, and finding Alethea silent and Claude out of reach, she turned to Reginald, and talked and t.i.ttered with him all dinner-time.

In the drawing-room she had it all her own way, and talked enough for all the sisters.

'Have you heard that Cousin Rotherwood is coming?'

'Yes, you said so before dinner.'

'We hope,' said Emily, 'that you and Mr. Weston will dine here on Tuesday. The Carringtons are coming, and a few others.'

'Thank you,' said Alethea; 'I daresay papa will be very glad to come.'

'Have you ever seen Rotherwood?' said Lilias.

'Never,' was the reply.

'Do not expect much,' said Lily, laughing, though she knew not why; 'he is a very little fellow; no one would suppose him to be twenty, he has such a boyish look. Then he never sits down--'

'Literally?' said Emily.

'Literally,' persisted Lily; 'such a quick person you never did see.'