CHAPTER V.

LORD DE LA ZOUCH WITH THE AUBREYS, AND MR GAMMON WITH THE EARL OF DREDDLINGTON, WHOSE INTELLECT MELTS AWAY BEFORE HIM.

NEITHER Lord De la Zouch nor Mr perceived Mr Aubrey labouring, kindRunnington saw any necessity for he-ly turned the conversation towards the sitating to apprise Mr Aubrey of the practical details, and apprised him of steps the former meditated taking on the consultation which he had had his behalf, as soon as his lordship had with Sir Charles Wolstenholme; to all arrived at a decision: when, indeed, of which Mr Aubrey listened with Mr Aubrey's sanction became neces- intense interest, and thoroughly ap sary, in order to institute proceedings. preciated the value of that eminent During the course, therefore, of the person's admirable suggestion. But day after that on which their determi- Lord De la Zouch had, with delicate nation had been taken, at Lord De la consideration, peremptorily enjoined Zouch's desire, Mr Runnington under- Mr Runnington not to acquaint Mr took to make the important communi- Aubrey with the circumstance, either cation to Mr Aubrey. For a while he of his lordship's having come from seemed to stagger under the weight of France solely on his affairs, or of the such a communication, and it was project which had brought him oversome time before he recovered calm namely, that of summarily releasing Mr ness sufficient to appreciate the nature Aubrey from all his embarrassments. and consequences of the meditated As soon as Mr Runnington had instep-viz. a direct, immediate, and formed Mr Aubrey that he would find potent effort to repossess him of the his lordship then at Dover Street, estates from which he had been some and in readiness to receive him, that two years before displaced. But all closed their interview; and Mr Auother considerations were speedily ab- brey, in a state of extraordinary exsorbed in one which profoundly affect- hilaration of spirits, instantly set off ed him-the_princely conduct of his to see his munificent benefactor, and friend Lord De la Zouch. Mr Aubrey pour out before him the homage of an said scarce anything upon this topic for oppressed and grateful heart. some time; but Mr Runnington per- After a long interview, the characceived how powerfully his feelings ter of which the reader may easily were excited. And will it occasion | imagine, Lord De la Zouch insisted surprise when I say, that this feeling on setting out for Vivian Street-for of gratitude towards the Creature he declared he could not let another towards the noble Instrumentt-was presently itself merged in another, that of gratitude towards God, whose mysterious and beneficent purpose concerning him, he contemplated with a holy awe?

Mr Runnington was himself greatly moved; but desirous of relieving the increasing excitement under which he

hour pass without seeing those in whose welfare he felt so tender an interest: so arm-in-arm they walked thither; and it would have made any one's heart thrill with satisfaction, to see the brightened countenance of poor Aubrey, as he walked along, full of joyful excitement, which was visible even in the elasticity and vigour

think of bed-all of them had so much to say, and were in so joyous an excitement; and before they had parted for the night, Aubrey, unable any longer to keep to himself the true source of his enjoyment, electrified them by a frank and full disclosure of the great event of the day!

being, however, that, desirous of exhibiting even extra marks of respect for the memory of the dear deceased Lady Cecilia, he had put his sandy mustaches and imperial into mourning, by carefully dressing them with Indian ink; which gave a touching and pensive character to his expressive features.

He

A day or two afterwards, Lord De la Zouch, having accomplished his While Mr Pounce and Mr Quod, benevolent purposes, returned to the after their own quaint fashion, are Continent, having pledged Mr Aubrey doing decisive battle with each other to communicate with him frequently, in a remote corner of the field of acand particularly with reference to tion; and while-to change the figure the progress of the important pro--Mr Titmouse's pedigree is being ceedings which he had caused to be subjected to the gloomy, silent, and set on foot. The splendid chance mysterious inquisition of the ecclewhich now existed, of retrieving his siastical court, let us turn for a former position, was not allowed by moment to contemplate a pitiable Mr Aubrey to interfere with close at- figure, a victim of the infernal machitention to his professional studies, to nations of Mr Gammon-I mean the which he might yet have to look for poor old Earl of Dreddlington. the only source of future subsistence; was yet, a month after the death of his and he continued his attendance at unhappy daughter, staggering under Mr Mansfield's chambers, with exem- the awful shock which he had expeplary punctuality and energy. It was rienced. Before he had been in any not long after Lord De la Zouch's degree restored to consciousness, she second departure from England, that had been buried for nearly three the melancholy events occurred which weeks; and the earliest notification have just been narrated - I mean the to him of the melancholy occurrence, serious illness of Lord Dreddlington, was the deep mourning habiliments and the untimely death of Lady Ce- of Miss Macspleuchan, who scarcely cilia. The Aubreys had no other in- ever quitted his bedside. When, in timation of those occurrences than a feeble and tremulous voice, he insuch as they derived from the public quired as to the cause of his daughter's papers-from which it appeared that death, he could get no other account his lordship's illness had occasioned of it-either from Miss Macspleuchan, the fright which had ended in so sad his physicians, or the Duke of Tana catastrophe with Lady Cecilia; and tallan-than that it had been occathat that illness had originated in agi- sioned by the shock of suddenly seetation and distress, occasioned by the ing his lordship brought home se failure of extensive mercantile specu-riously ill, she being, moreover, as he lations, into which he had allowed himself to be betrayed by designing persons. In passing down Park Lane, one day, Mr and Mrs Aubrey, and Kate, saw a hatchment suspended from the house of Mr Titmouse; and, some short time afterwards, they saw that bereaved gentleman himself, in the park, driving a beautiful darkblue cab, his tiger and he both in mourning-which became them equally. Black greatly alters most people's appearance; but it effected a peculiar change in Mr Titmouse; the fact

was reminded, in a critical state of health. When, at length, he pressed and challenged Miss Macspleuchan upon the matter-viz. the reality of the blighting discovery of Mr Titmouse's illegitimacy-she_resolutely maintained that he was labouring altogether under a delusion—indeed a double delusion; first, as to his imaginary conversation with Mr Gammon; and secondly, as to his supposed communication of it to Lady Cecilia. Her heart was smitten, however, by the steadfast look of mournful incredu

lity with which the Earl regarded her from time to time; and, when alone, she heavily reproached herself, with the fraud she was practising upon the desolate and broken-hearted old man. The Duke, however, seconded by the physician, was peremptory on the point, believing that otherwise the Earl's recovery was impossible; and as his Grace invariably joined Miss Macspleuchan in treating the mere mention of the matter as but the fig ment of a disordered brain, the Earl was at length silenced, if not convinced. He peremptorily prohibited Mr Titmouse, nevertheless, from en-ed brain of his suffering kinsman. tering his house-much more from appearing in his presence; and there was little difficulty in making that gentleman seem satisfied, that the sole cause of his exclusion, was his cruelty and profligacy towards the late Lady Cecilia :—whereas, he knew all the while, and with a sickening inward shudder, the real reason-of which he had been apprised by Mr Gammon. Shortly after the Earl's illness, the Duke of Tantallan had sent for Mr Titmouse to interrogate him upon the subject of his lordship's representations; but Mr Gammon had been beforehand with the Duke, and thoroughly tutored Titmouse, dull and weak though he was, in the part he was to play, and which Mr Gammon had striven to make as easy to him as possible.

that gentleman maintained the same calm, confident front he had exhibited, when first questioned; giving the same account of all he knew of Titmouse's pedigree- and clenching the matter by sending to his Grace a copy of the brief, with the short-hand writer's notes of the trial-challenging, at the same time, the most rigorous investigation into every circumstance in the case. It was natural for the Duke, under these circumstances, to yield at length, and feel satisfied that the whole affair rested on no other basis than the distemper

Nothing shook his Grace more, than the sight of Titmouse; for he looked, verily, one whom it was exceedingly difficult to suppose possessed of one drop of the super-sublimated ichor, which, as I have said, ran in the hallowed veins of the Dreddlingtons !— Miss Macspleuchan, a woman of superior acuteness, was infinitely more difficult to satisfy upon the subject than the Duke; and though she said little, her manner showed that she was satisfied of the existence of some dreadful mystery or other, connected with Mr Titmouse, of which Mr Gammon was master-and the premature discovery of which had produced the deplorable effects upon the Earl, under which he was at that moment suffering. The Earl, when alone with her, and unconscious of her presence, The little ape started with well- talked to himself constantly in the feigned astonishment, indignation, and same strain; and when conversing disgust, as soon as the Duke had men- with her, in his intervals of conscioustioned the matter, but said little- ness, repeated over and over again, such had been Gammon's peremptory without the slightest variation, facts injunctions - and that little, only in which seemed as it were to have expression of amazement-that any been burnt in upon his brain. This one could attach the slightest impor- good lady had to conceal nothing tance to the wanderings of a brain from the reader-begun to cherish disturbed by illness. 'Twas certainly warm feelings of attachment to Mr a ticklish matter, the Duke felt, to Gammon; whose striking person, press too far, or to think of intrusting fascinating conversation, and flatterto third parties. His Grace naturallying attention to herself a thing quite concluded, that what his own supe- unusual on the part of any of the rior tact and acuteness had failed in Earl's visitors-were well calculated eliciting, could be detected by no one to conduce to such a result. else. He frequently pressed Mr Gam- from the moment of Lord Dreddlingmon, however, upon the subject; but ton's having made the statement

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which had been attended by such dreadful consequences, her feelings towards Mr Gammon had been completely chilled, and alienated. Her demeanour, on the few occasions of their meeting, was constrained and distant; her countenance clouded with suspicion, her manners were frozen with reserve and hauteur.

The Earl sat in his library, dressed in deep black, which hung upon his shrunk attenuated figure, as upon an old skeleton. He looked twenty years older than he had appeared two short months before. His hair, white as snow, his pallid emaciated cheek, his sunken, weak, and wandering eye, and a slight tremulous motion about his head and shoulders-all showed the mere wreck of a man that he had become, and would have shocked and subdued the feelings of any beholder. What a contrast he presented to the portly and commanding figure of the Duke of Tantallan, who sat beside him, with a brow clouded by anxiety and apprehension! At length-" Mr Gammon, my lord," said the servant in a low tone, after gently opening the door.

Mr Gammon's first interview with the Earl, after his illness and bereavement, had become a matter of absolute necessity-and was at his lordship's instance; his wishes being conveyed through the Duke of Tantallan, who had intimated to him that it was indeed indispensable, if only to settle some business affairs of pressing exigency, connected with the failure of the Artificial Rain Company. The Duke was with his noble kinsman at the time of Mr Gammon's calling- "Show him in," said the Duke rahaving determined, for many reasons, ther nervously, adding to the Earl in to be present at the interview. They a hurried whisper,-" now be calm awaited his arrival in the Earl's li--my dear Dreddlington-be calmbrary. It is difficult to describe the feel ings with which Mr Gammon anticipated and prepared for the appointed meeting with the man on whom he had inflicted such frightful evil, towards whom he felt that he had acted the part of a fiend. How had he dealt with the absolute and unrestrained confidence which the Earl had reposed in him! The main prop and pillar of the Earl's existence-family pride Gammon had snapped asunder beneath him; and as for fortune-Gammon knew that the Earl was absolutely ruined. Not, however, that Gammon felt the faintest twinge of commiseration for his noble victim: his anxiety was only as to how he should "Will you take a chair, sir ?" said extricate himself from liability in re- the Duke, pointing to one which the spect of it. Had not a man of even his servant had brought for him, and in marble heart cause, however, for ap- which Gammon sat down, with a courprehension, in approaching the Earl on teous inclination towards the Duke; that occasion, to be interrogated con- and observing that Lord Dreddlingcerning Titmouse; to look the Earl in ton's face had become suddenly flushthe face, and deny what had passed be- ed, while his lips moved as if he were tween them; and that, too, while that speaking, "You see," added his Grace, rigid investigation was pending which "that my Lord Dreddlington is but might, within a few short weeks, con- slowly recovering !"-Gammon sighvict and expose him to the scorned, and gazed at the Earl with an exthe indignation of society, as a mon- pression of infinite concern. ster of fraud, and falsehood?

it will be over in a few minutes' time."-The Earl's lips quivered a little, his thin white hands trembled, and his eyes were directed towards the door with a look of mournful apprehension, as the fiend entered. Mr Gammon was pale, and evidently nervous and excited; his habitual selfcommand, however, would have concealed it from any but a practised observer. What a glance was that with which he first saw the Earl !" It gives me deep pain, my lord," said he in a low tone, slowly advancing, with a masterly appearance of deference and sympathy, to perceive that you have been so great a sufferer."

"Is it true, sir?" inquired the