Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 332 — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SN << fo.go to Hampton Court to see his daughter, and if she had been much agitated by the occur- rence of the night before; but the sight of the card of the greatest man in England, outside of the royal family, caused the old officer to aban- don his trip for awhile, to receive the duke; for it will never do to make an enemy of a duke in such a place as England. There was, indeed, a short struggle in his mind whether he should not go down to the doer to receive the old noble; but, when he re- flected on his own dignity as Constable of the Tower, he concluded that the civility would be too much like fawning, and sent down word that he would be ‘* happy to see his grace,” There was a short pause, while his message was being taken down; and the old general felt not a little flurried at the unusual visit. What it could be about, he did not know; but he had a suspicion that it was connected, in some way, with his daughter and young How- ard; and he congratulated himself that he had set his foot down on the intimacy so that no one would be able to say that he had hunted down. the heir to the duchy of Norfolk. While he was waiting, the old general put on a scarlet uniform coat, instead of the undress frock in which he had been when the card came in, and when he heard the slow step of the old duke on the stair, he went out to the end of the corridor, to do the utmost to honor him. He saw an old man, bent with years; with a face that resembled a nutmeg-grater, from the number of wrinkles therein. The old duke was plainly dressed, at a time when silks and velyets were the fashion for men as well as women; but he wore his sword, though the fashion was beginning to die out. He seemed to be much exhausted by his iors ney up the stairs, for he was breathing hard and could not in answer to. the salutation of the general till he had been standing, waving his hat and bowing in the courtly style of an older , for more than a minute. Then he ed to get out: ‘“‘ General Reid, I have done myself the honor of calling, but my health is so pore that I would have craved the indulgence tha yom should come down to see me at the carriage, had it not been my first visit.” ‘Had your grace made the request,” replied Reid, with reserve, ‘I should have been bound to come down; but, as your grace is aware, in this place 1 represent. his majesty, and am - bound to keep up the dignity of the service.” The duke, who had now gotten his. breath, bowed again, and answered: ‘* Very proper, indeed. . Il am desirous of hay- ing some private conversation with you, if you can grant it to me.” General Reid bowed low and led the wa into his private rooms, where the duke too a seat and seemed to be much relieved at rest- ing. fio did not appear to be anxious to open the eonversation, till the general asked him: ‘*May I inquire to what I owe the honor of your grace’s visit? In truth, lam anxious to go to Hampton Court, this afternoon, to see my daughter. I presume your grace is aware that Spring-Heel Jack went there last night?” The duke started. ‘‘ The monster that so nearly killed me? Why, this is amazing, sir! And you say that your dav hter was assaulted?” . Ad Dog 0, your grace, not assa this time thanks to the Pee of Mr. Howard, who had the guard at the palace that night. But I fear very much that she will be frightened half to death, and I was about to go to see her before the evening was so far advanced that I should be the duke pursed up he ti e ep up his lips. The evident agi- tation of the father did not seem to have ta 8 effect on him, but only what he had let drop in the course of his speech. “Hum! So Mr. Howard had the guard,” he nid, slowly. ‘“‘ Which Mr, Howard, may I ask, ‘‘ Lieutenant Howard, your ” “Indeed! It is a singular tine sir, that I should have come here on that very account— that is, to see and speak to you about this very young gentleman.” The duke spoke in his coldest and most haughty manner, and the general opened his eyes. fe I am not aware,” he said, ‘‘ that there is an connection between myself and Mr. Howard, your grace. I am not the colonel of his regi- ment, and he is not under my co , Save when his detail calls him to the Tower.” ‘* Nevertheless,” said the. duke ‘there is a rather close connection between you, if I am to believe what the young gentleman tells me, General Reid colored high, ‘‘T am at a loss to understand your grace,” he said stiffly. ‘‘I repost that there is no connec- tion between Mr, Howard and myself, save that of bem. agree duty.” | *‘But there might be one, which would be ae pepe if only the useless old duke were ou ) Wa) eyes gleam- ing me an nit feat I have heard about it, sir, from the young man himself, I will do en OEE a TEEEmEEEnEEnnneemenememmeene ep Ee Spring-Heel Jack. him the justice to say, he behaved in a way that shows the blood of the Howards has not fallen on a man unworthy to have it in his veins; but, all the same, there is a condition in the succes- sion to the title and estates of the first peer of England, that you may not know perfectly, or it might make you more cautious than you have hitherto been, to save your daughter from a fate worse than that of being frightened by a moun-~ tebank, like Spring-Heel Jack.” The rongiat managed to control his temper sufficiently to say: ‘I repeat that I do not understand your grace, and beg you to explain yourself.” The old duke smiled in a way that showed he enjoyed the suspense of the other. ‘‘ Ay, ay, Pll explain, in such a way that you | can hardly fail to understand,” he said sneering- ly. ‘The fact is, sir, that the present Duke of Norfolk is not so old and decrepitasmany people think, and may outlast the young gentleman who is the next heir to the title. In the mean time, there is another thing, of which you are probably not aware, that all the entails of property, pertaining to the various estates, have apsed in my person; and the only thing of which I am not able to dispose by my will, is the bare title itself.” He said this with infinite slyness, and stared at the old general all the while, as if to read his thoughts. Reid, on the other hand, who suspected to what the old man was coming, on account of what he knew already, was growing angrier, and now he burst out: ‘* What is this to me, duke? I have nothing to do with your family secrets.” The duke calmly took out his snuff-box before he answe ‘* My dear sir,” he said, blandly, ‘“‘ there is no need of getting excited on the subject. I assure you that I did not come here to quarrel with you, but merely to have a little frank talk,” “Then, if your grace will do me the favor to be quick, I 1 be much obliged,” said Reid, sharply. ‘‘I have already told you that I am in haste, and your grace is consuming valuable time by not coming to the >oint. t does your wish to say to me?” ** Merely this,” the old nobleman said, in his slowest and most deliberate tones. ‘‘if Mr. Howard marries without my consent, he will be cut off without a shilling in his pocket. He may be the next Duke of Norfolk, for I cannot con- trol the title; but I can leave away all the for- ’ tune that is necessary to. keep up the title, and, by the powers of Heaven, sir, I shall do it, unless he keeps away from your daughter till I am un- der the sod. Is that plain, sir? I have heard all about it. 1 can understand how you have thrown the young lady at his head, to have the glory of marrying your daughter above her sta- tion. Ido not care a rap for a cousin, Howard sir, and if he were to be killed to-morrow, I should not shed a tear. But Ihavea aren re- spect for the name of my family, and, by Hea- vens, sir, I say the next Duchess of Norfolk shall not be a girl who hasn’t a penny to buy a wed- ding-gown. There, sir, 1 havesaid what I came to say, and now, what is your answer?” And the vicious old duke leaned back in his chair and stared at Reid, as if he wanted the other to see that be meant what he said, But the old Constable, from the open insolence shown him, had been so far shocked that he had had time to collect his thoughts. At first he had been almost on the point of bursting out in a tremendous rage; but, as the duke finished, he looked so diabolical in his malignity the general made up his mind he would give him no excuse to triumph. He actually smiled as he replied: ** Your e has only made one little mis- take, which I must be pardoned for speaking of.” ‘* And what is that, sir?” ‘** Your grace seems to be under the impression that Iam willing that my daughter should be the wife of Mr. Howard. That is the mistake. I have already told the young gentleman that I could under no circumstances allow him to pay his addresses to her.” The duke sneered openly. CHAPTER XIX, THE DUKE SNUBBED. ‘* As if I did not know all that stuff!” said the duke with a curl of his lip that spoke volumes. ** Why, man, I don’t blame you. There isn’t a man in the pneson that would not have done @ same, if he the same chance,” Reid kept his temper. ; ‘*I was about to say,” he went on calmly, ‘‘ when your grace did me the favor to interrupt me, in nay own house, that I had forbidden Mr. Howard to say a word to se i daughter, as soon as he my consent. I am not one who wishes his Gaughtes to marry into a family where she is not wanted. At the same time, am neither the man to yield to a threat; ance aR this case, your has forgotten what is due to both of us. om. henceforth, if. Mr. How- ard ehooses to pay his court to my daughter, ¢ iswelcome. Till your grace e, there have been a Baa | in my min ma match would be looked on in the world; but, 13 now that your grace has said explicitly that, in the event of my daughter pa dni Mr. How- ard, he will be cut off with a shi ng or with- out one, as your grace pleases, I am free to say that I have enough for both of them, and if the next Duke of Norfolk comesinto my family as a beggar, the shame will fallon the present duke, and on no oneelse. I have the honor to wish your grace a very good morning. It is an open day at the Tower, and your graceis free to look in at the Crown-room and Armory, the same as the rest of the people. Good-morning, duke.” And the old general actually got up, took his sword and left the room, the old duke still in the chair into which he had sunk, speechless with astonishment and indignation, at the cavalier way in which he was being treated. When he had recovered his senses enough to leave the room, he went down-stairs very quietly _and got into his carrage with all the dignity of _a duke to whom nothing has happened; but, all the way home, he wasswearing to himself, with a vicious emphasis that showed he meant every. one of the imprecations, As for General Reid, he ordered his horse, and rode all the way to Hampton Court ata gallop, astonishing Lady Balcarras so much, when she saw him coming, that the good lady thought something serious must have happened. Rose came out to see her father, looking pale and frightened. ‘Oh, sir,” she said ‘‘lam so glad you have come. I am not ill, father; but I fea you had heard about what happened last night, and were frightened at the news. I did not see the monster, thanks to Mr. Howard.” The general got down from his horse, before he answered her. He felt very thankful to see her, and to note that she was in good health; for he had feared that the shock of the third visit of the monster might have affected her fatally. ‘** Rose,” he said, in a low voice, ‘‘God be raised that young Howard was here. Heisa rave young fellow, and a good one. If he had not been where he was, 1 might have had no daughter, to-day.” Rose colored deeply as she looked down, but she was saved the necessity of speaking by the appearance of Lady Balcarras, who came down as fast as she could, to see her old friend, and, ask if anything had happened to bring him to pes adage a, REE, ‘‘Nothing, dear y carras,” he sai ‘“ but the desire to cee this little maid of mine and find if she were yet alive, after the fright she got last night.” ‘* Fright!” echoed the old lady, ‘‘you ma well say fright, general. I was never so frigh ened in my life, as when I woke up all.of a sudden with a start. It seemed to me as if the world was ocming to an end, when the soldiers began to fire off their and shout. Sucha thing was never heard here, before, since the days when there used to be revolutions, and all that sort of thing, in England, in the days of our grandfathers. I do think, general, the soldiers ought to consider that a are me alarmed, and keep their shooting for other places. The old lady was very fidgety and nervo and di to quarrel with any one Ma ty +e turbed from her good night’s rest, while she had seen nothing of visitor of the previous night, and had therefore no idea of what made the soldiers fire. The general, on the other hand, baying seen the monster, and knowing what an effect it had on his daughter, was inclined to be vexed at the — taken by the <* ews 9 a ‘I think y Balcarras,” he , Sharpl ‘that the alarm, suffered by you at the ord of the muskets in the night, could have been but a trifle, to what you would haye felt, if the monster, Spring-Heel Jack, had come before you in his hideous shape and perhaps attacked rem with his great claws, He is not likely to e time or place when the convenience of ladies can be consulted, as to the means to be taken to drive him away. He takes his sole prasure in frightening ladies to death, and if he not shot soon, Iam not sure but he will end in killing some. Mr. Howard did well, bei on guard, to order the firi If he had no the scoundrel might have done scme serious mischief, whereas now it is a chance but he was hit. by some one, and it may put. a stop to his malicious pranks.” He did not understand the expression of cold. ispleasure that pide a over the face of Lady carras as he spoke, but he was enlightened when she said to him, in her most haughty man- ner: | ‘* Really, general, if I had thought that this Mr. Howard was a friend of yours, I should not have undertaken the charge of your daughter. I regret to say that the young gentleman is not. the sort of person I should choose a daughter of mine to associate with, if I had one.” General Reid, who was as touchy in way as any one else, immediately drew wrt No ter of mine need be beholden te ant person Whom her visits are unwelcome, Belcarras, e began stiffly. os dh. no; I not mean that,” the old lady EGbooks-com eom