Chapter 50

by Charles Dickens

　　Involves a serious CatastropheThe little race-course at Hampton was in the full tide and height ofits gaiety; the day as dazzling as day could be; the sun high in thecloudless sky, and shining in its fullest splendour. Every gaudycolour that fluttered in the air from carriage seat and garish tenttop, shone out in its gaudiest hues. Old dingy flags grew newagain, faded gilding was re-burnished, stained rotten canvas lookeda snowy white, the very beggars' rags were freshened up, andsentiment quite forgot its charity in its fervent admiration ofpoverty so picturesque.It was one of those scenes of life and animation, caught in its verybrightest and freshest moments, which can scarcely fail to please;for if the eye be tired of show and glare, or the ear be weary witha ceaseless round of noise, the one may repose, turn almost where itwill, on eager, happy, and expectant faces, and the other deaden allconsciousness of more annoying sounds in those of mirth andexhilaration. Even the sunburnt faces of gypsy children, half nakedthough they be, suggest a drop of comfort. It is a pleasant thingto see that the sun has been there; to know that the air and lightare on them every day; to feel that they are children, and leadchildren's lives; that if their pillows be damp, it is with the dewsof Heaven, and not with tears; that the limbs of their girls arefree, and that they are not crippled by distortions, imposing anunnatural and horrible penance upon their sex; that their lives arespent, from day to day, at least among the waving trees, and not inthe midst of dreadful engines which make young children old beforethey know what childhood is, and give them the exhaustion andinfirmity of age, without, like age, the privilege to die. God sendthat old nursery tales were true, and that gypsies stole suchchildren by the score!The great race of the day had just been run; and the close lines ofpeople, on either side of the course, suddenly breaking up andpouring into it, imparted a new liveliness to the scene, which wasagain all busy movement. Some hurried eagerly to catch a glimpse ofthe winning horse; others darted to and fro, searching, no lesseagerly, for the carriages they had left in quest of betterstations. Here, a little knot gathered round a pea and thimbletable to watch the plucking of some unhappy greenhorn; and there,another proprietor with his confederates in various disguises--oneman in spectacles; another, with an eyeglass and a stylish hat; athird, dressed as a farmer well to do in the world, with his top-coat over his arm and his flash notes in a large leathern pocket-book; and all with heavy-handled whips to represent most innocentcountry fellows who had trotted there on horseback--sought, by loudand noisy talk and pretended play, to entrap some unwary customer,while the gentlemen confederates (of more villainous aspect still,in clean linen and good clothes), betrayed their close interest inthe concern by the anxious furtive glance they cast on allnew comers. These would be hanging on the outskirts of a wide circleof people assembled round some itinerant juggler, opposed, in histurn, by a noisy band of music, or the classic game of 'Ring theBull,' while ventriloquists holding dialogues with wooden dolls, andfortune-telling women smothering the cries of real babies, dividedwith them, and many more, the general attention of the company.Drinking-tents were full, glasses began to clink in carriages,hampers to be unpacked, tempting provisions to be set forth, knivesand forks to rattle, champagne corks to fly, eyes to brighten thatwere not dull before, and pickpockets to count their gains duringthe last heat. The attention so recently strained on one object ofinterest, was now divided among a hundred; and look where you would,there was a motley assemblage of feasting, laughing, talking,begging, gambling, and mummery.Of the gambling-booths there was a plentiful show, flourishing inall the splendour of carpeted ground, striped hangings, crimsoncloth, pinnacled roofs, geranium pots, and livery servants. Therewere the Stranger's club-house, the Athenaeum club-house, theHampton club-house, the St James's club-house, and half a mile ofclub-houses to play in; and there were rouge-et-noir, French hazard,and other games to play at. It is into one of these booths that ourstory takes its way.Fitted up with three tables for the purposes of play, and crowdedwith players and lookers on, it was, although the largest place ofthe kind upon the course, intensely hot, notwithstanding that aportion of the canvas roof was rolled back to admit more air, andthere were two doors for a free passage in and out. Excepting oneor two men who, each with a long roll of half-crowns, chequered witha few stray sovereigns, in his left hand, staked their money atevery roll of the ball with a business-like sedateness which showedthat they were used to it, and had been playing all day, and mostprobably all the day before, there was no very distinctive characterabout the players, who were chiefly young men, apparently attractedby curiosity, or staking small sums as part of the amusement of theday, with no very great interest in winning or losing. There weretwo persons present, however, who, as peculiarly good specimens of aclass, deserve a passing notice.Of these, one was a man of six or eight and fifty, who sat on achair near one of the entrances of the booth, with his hands foldedon the top of his stick, and his chin appearing above them. He wasa tall, fat, long-bodied man, buttoned up to the throat in a lightgreen coat, which made his body look still longer than it was. Hewore, besides, drab breeches and gaiters, a white neckerchief, and abroad-brimmed white hat. Amid all the buzzing noise of the games,and the perpetual passing in and out of the people, he seemedperfectly calm and abstracted, without the smallest particle ofexcitement in his composition. He exhibited no indication ofweariness, nor, to a casual observer, of interest either. There hesat, quite still and collected. Sometimes, but very rarely, henodded to some passing face, or beckoned to a waiter to obey a callfrom one of the tables. The next instant he subsided into his oldstate. He might have been some profoundly deaf old gentleman, whohad come in to take a rest, or he might have been patiently waitingfor a friend, without the least consciousness of anybody's presence,or fixed in a trance, or under the influence of opium. Peopleturned round and looked at him; he made no gesture, caught nobody'seye, let them pass away, and others come on and be succeeded byothers, and took no notice. When he did move, it seemed wonderfulhow he could have seen anything to occasion it. And so, in truth,it was. But there was not a face that passed in or out, which thisman failed to see; not a gesture at any one of the three tables thatwas lost upon him; not a word, spoken by the bankers, but reachedhis ear; not a winner or loser he could not have marked. And he wasthe proprietor of the place.The other presided over the rouge-et-noir table. He was probablysome ten years younger, and was a plump, paunchy, sturdy-lookingfellow, with his under-lip a little pursed, from a habit of countingmoney inwardly as he paid it, but with no decidedly bad expressionin his face, which was rather an honest and jolly one thanotherwise. He wore no coat, the weather being hot, and stood behindthe table with a huge mound of crowns and half-crowns before him,and a cash-box for notes. This game was constantly playing.Perhaps twenty people would be staking at the same time. This manhad to roll the ball, to watch the stakes as they were laid down, togather them off the colour which lost, to pay those who won, to doit all with the utmost dispatch, to roll the ball again, and to keepthis game perpetually alive. He did it all with a rapidityabsolutely marvellous; never hesitating, never making a mistake,never stopping, and never ceasing to repeat such unconnected phrasesas the following, which, partly from habit, and partly to havesomething appropriate and business-like to say, he constantly pouredout with the same monotonous emphasis, and in nearly the same order,all day long:'Rooge-a-nore from Paris! Gentlemen, make your game and back yourown opinions--any time while the ball rolls--rooge-a-nore fromParis, gentlemen, it's a French game, gentlemen, I brought it overmyself, I did indeedblack wins--black--stop a minute, sir, and I'll pay you, directly--two there, half apound there, three there--and one there--gentlemen, the ball's arolling--any time, sir, while the ball rolls!--The beauty of thisgame is, that you can double your stakes or put down your money,gentlemen, any time while the ball rolls--black again--black wins--Inever saw such a thing--I never did, in all my life, upon my word Inever did; if any gentleman had been backing the black in the lastfive minutes he must have won five-and-forty pound in four rolls ofthe ball, he must indeed. Gentlemen, we've port, sherry, cigars, andmost excellent champagne. Here, wai-ter, bring a bottle ofchampagne, and let's have a dozen or fifteen cigars here--and let'sbe comfortable, gentlemen--and bring some clean glasses--any timewhile the ball rolls!--I lost one hundred and thirty-seven poundyesterday, gentlemen, at one roll of the ball, I did indeed!--how doyou do, sir?' (recognising some knowing gentleman without any haltor change of voice, and giving a wink so slight that it seems anaccident), 'will you take a glass of sherry, sir?--here, wai-ter!bring a clean glass, and hand the sherry to this gentleman--and handit round, will you, waiter?--this is the rooge-a-nore from Paris,gentlemen--any time while the ball rolls!--gentlemen, make yourgame, and back your own opinions--it's the rooge-a-nore from Paris--quite a new game, I brought it over myself, I did indeed--gentlemen,the ball's a-rolling!'This officer was busily plying his vocation when half-a-dozenpersons sauntered through the booth, to whom, but without stoppingeither in his speech or work, he bowed respectfully; at the sametime directing, by a look, the attention of a man beside him to thetallest figure in the group, in recognition of whom the proprietorpulled off his hat. This was Sir Mulberry Hawk, with whom were hisfriend and pupil, and a small train of gentlemanly-dressed men, ofcharacters more doubtful than obscure.The proprietor, in a low voice, bade Sir Mulberry good-day. SirMulberry, in the same tone, bade the proprietor go to the devil, andturned to speak with his friends.There was evidently an irritable consciousness about him that he wasan object of curiosity, on this first occasion of showing himself inpublic after the accident that had befallen him; and it was easy toperceive that he appeared on the race-course, that day, more in thehope of meeting with a great many people who knew him, and sogetting over as much as possible of the annoyance at once, than withany purpose of enjoying the sport. There yet remained a slight scarupon his face, and whenever he was recognised, as he was almostevery minute by people sauntering in and out, he made a restlesseffort to conceal it with his glove; showing how keenly he felt thedisgrace he had undergone.'Ah! Hawk,' said one very sprucely-dressed personage in a Newmarketcoat, a choice neckerchief, and all other accessories of the mostunexceptionable kind. 'How d'ye do, old fellow?'This was a rival trainer of young noblemen and gentlemen, and theperson of all others whom Sir Mulberry most hated and dreaded tomeet. They shook hands with excessive cordiality.'And how are you now, old fellow, hey?''Quite well, quite well,' said Sir Mulberry.'That's right,' said the other. 'How d'ye do, Verisopht? He's alittle pulled down, our friend here. Rather out of condition still,hey?'It should be observed that the gentleman had very white teeth, andthat when there was no excuse for laughing, he generally finishedwith the same monosyllable, which he uttered so as to display them.'He's in very good condition; there's nothing the matter with him,'said the young man carelessly.'Upon my soul I'm glad to hear it,' rejoined the other. 'Have youjust returned from Brussels?''We only reached town late last night,' said Lord Frederick. SirMulberry turned away to speak to one of his own party, and feignednot to hear.'Now, upon my life,' said the friend, affecting to speak in awhisper, 'it's an uncommonly bold and game thing in Hawk to showhimself so soon. I say it advisedly; there's a vast deal of couragein it. You see he has just rusticated long enough to excitecuriosity, and not long enough for men to have forgotten that deucedunpleasant--by-the-bye--you know the rights of the affair, ofcourse? Why did you never give those confounded papers the lie? Iseldom read the papers, but I looked in the papers for that, and mayI be--''Look in the papers,' interrupted Sir Mulberry, turning suddenlyround, 'tomorrow--no, next day, will you?''Upon my life, my dear fellow, I seldom or never read the papers,'said the other, shrugging his shoulders, 'but I will, at yourrecommendation. What shall I look for?''Good day,' said Sir Mulberry, turning abruptly on his heel, anddrawing his pupil with him. Falling, again, into the loitering,careless pace at which they had entered, they lounged out, arm inarm.'I won't give him a case of murder to read,' muttered Sir Mulberrywith an oath; 'but it shall be something very near it if whipcordcuts and bludgeons bruise.'His companion said nothing, but there was something in his mannerwhich galled Sir Mulberry to add, with nearly as much ferocity as ifhis friend had been Nicholas himself:'I sent Jenkins to old Nickleby before eight o'clock this morning.He's a staunch one; he was back with me before the messenger. I hadit all from him in the first five minutes. I know where this houndis to be met with; time and place both. But there's no need totalk; tomorrow will soon be here.''And wha-at's to be done tomorrow?' inquired Lord Frederick.Sir Mulberry Hawk honoured him with an angry glance, butcondescended to return no verbal answer to this inquiry. Bothwalked sullenly on, as though their thoughts were busily occupied,until they were quite clear of the crowd, and almost alone, when SirMulberry wheeled round to return.'Stop,' said his companion, 'I want to speak to you in earnest.Don't turn back. Let us walk here, a few minutes.''What have you to say to me, that you could not say yonder as wellas here?' returned his Mentor, disengaging his arm.'Hawk,' rejoined the other, 'tell me; I must know.''Must know,' interrupted the other disdainfully. 'Whew! Go on. Ifyou must know, of course there's no escape for me. Must know!''Must ask then,' returned Lord Frederick, 'and must press you for aplain and straightforward answer. Is what you have just said only amere whim of the moment, occasioned by your being out of humour andirritated, or is it your serious intention, and one that you haveactually contemplated?''Why, don't you remember what passed on the subject one night, whenI was laid up with a broken limb?' said Sir Mulberry, with a sneer.'Perfectly well.''Then take that for an answer, in the devil's name,' replied SirMulberry, 'and ask me for no other.'Such was the ascendancy he had acquired over his dupe, and such thelatter's general habit of submission, that, for the moment, theyoung man seemed half afraid to pursue the subject. He soonovercame this feeling, however, if it had restrained him at all, andretorted angrily:'If I remember what passed at the time you speak of, I expressed astrong opinion on this subject, and said that, with my knowledge orconsent, you never should do what you threaten now.''Will you prevent me?' asked Sir Mulberry, with a laugh.'Ye-es, if I can,' returned the other, promptly.'A very proper saving clause, that last,' said Sir Mulberry; 'andone you stand in need of. Oh! look to your own business, and leaveme to look to mine.''This is mine,' retorted Lord Frederick. 'I make it mine; I willmake it mine. It's mine already. I am more compromised than Ishould be, as it is.''Do as you please, and what you please, for yourself,' said SirMulberry, affecting an easy good-humour. 'Surely that must contentyou! Do nothing for me; that's all. I advise no man to interferein proceedings that I choose to take. I am sure you know me betterthan to do so. The fact is, I see, you mean to offer me advice. Itis well meant, I have no doubt, but I reject it. Now, if youplease, we will return to the carriage. I find no entertainmenthere, but quite the reverse. If we prolong this conversation, wemight quarrel, which would be no proof of wisdom in either you orme.'With this rejoinder, and waiting for no further discussion, SirMulberry Hawk yawned, and very leisurely turned back.There was not a little tact and knowledge of the young lord'sdisposition in this mode of treating him. Sir Mulberry clearly sawthat if his dominion were to last, it must be established now. Heknew that the moment he became violent, the young man would becomeviolent too. He had, many times, been enabled to strengthen hisinfluence, when any circumstance had occurred to weaken it, byadopting this cool and laconic style; and he trusted to it now, withvery little doubt of its entire success.But while he did this, and wore the most careless and indifferentdeportment that his practised arts enabled him to assume, heinwardly resolved, not only to visit all the mortification of beingcompelled to suppress his feelings, with additional severity uponNicholas, but also to make the young lord pay dearly for it, oneday, in some shape or other. So long as he had been a passiveinstrument in his hands, Sir Mulberry had regarded him with no otherfeeling than contempt; but, now that he presumed to avow opinions inopposition to his, and even to turn upon him with a lofty tone andan air of superiority, he began to hate him. Conscious that, in thevilest and most worthless sense of the term, he was dependent uponthe weak young lord, Sir Mulberry could the less brook humiliationat his hands; and when he began to dislike him he measured hisdislike--as men often do--by the extent of the injuries he hadinflicted upon its object. When it is remembered that Sir MulberryHawk had plundered, duped, deceived, and fooled his pupil in everypossible way, it will not be wondered at, that, beginning to hatehim, he began to hate him cordially.On the other hand, the young lord having thought--which he veryseldom did about anything--and seriously too, upon the affair withNicholas, and the circumstances which led to it, had arrived at amanly and honest conclusion. Sir Mulberry's coarse and insultingbehaviour on the occasion in question had produced a deep impressionon his mind; a strong suspicion of his having led him on to pursueMiss Nickleby for purposes of his own, had been lurking there forsome time; he was really ashamed of his share in the transaction,and deeply mortified by the misgiving that he had been gulled. Hehad had sufficient leisure to reflect upon these things, duringtheir late retirement; and, at times, when his careless and indolentnature would permit, had availed himself of the opportunity. Slightcircumstances, too, had occurred to increase his suspicion. Itwanted but a very slight circumstance to kindle his wrath againstSir Mulberry. This his disdainful and insolent tone in their recentconversation (the only one they had held upon the subject since theperiod to which Sir Mulberry referred), effected.Thus they rejoined their friends: each with causes of dislikeagainst the other rankling in his breast: and the young man haunted,besides, with thoughts of the vindictive retaliation which wasthreatened against Nicholas, and the determination to prevent it bysome strong step, if possible. But this was not all. Sir Mulberry,conceiving that he had silenced him effectually, could not suppresshis triumph, or forbear from following up what he conceived to behis advantage. Mr Pyke was there, and Mr Pluck was there, andColonel Chowser, and other gentlemen of the same caste, and it was agreat point for Sir Mulberry to show them that he had not lost hisinfluence. At first, the young lord contented himself with a silentdetermination to take measures for withdrawing himself from theconnection immediately. By degrees, he grew more angry, and wasexasperated by jests and familiarities which, a few hours before,would have been a source of amusement to him. This did not servehim; for, at such bantering or retort as suited the company, he wasno match for Sir Mulberry. Still, no violent rupture took place.They returned to town; Messrs Pyke and Pluck and other gentlemenfrequently protesting, on the way thither, that Sir Mulberry hadnever been in such tiptop spirits in all his life.They dined together, sumptuously. The wine flowed freely, as indeedit had done all day. Sir Mulberry drank to recompense himself forhis recent abstinence; the young lord, to drown his indignation; andthe remainder of the party, because the wine was of the best andthey had nothing to pay. It was nearly midnight when they rushedout, wild, burning with wine, their blood boiling, and their brainson fire, to the gaming-table.Here, they encountered another party, mad like themselves. Theexcitement of play, hot rooms, and glaring lights was not calculatedto allay the fever of the time. In that giddy whirl of noise andconfusion, the men were delirious. Who thought of money, ruin, orthe morrow, in the savage intoxication of the moment? More wine wascalled for, glass after glass was drained, their parched andscalding mouths were cracked with thirst. Down poured the wine likeoil on blazing fire. And still the riot went on. The debaucherygained its height; glasses were dashed upon the floor by hands thatcould not carry them to lips; oaths were shouted out by lips whichcould scarcely form the words to vent them in; drunken losers cursedand roared; some mounted on the tables, waving bottles above theirheads and bidding defiance to the rest; some danced, some sang, sometore the cards and raved. Tumult and frenzy reigned supreme; when anoise arose that drowned all others, and two men, seizing each otherby the throat, struggled into the middle of the room.A dozen voices, until now unheard, called aloud to part them. Thosewho had kept themselves cool, to win, and who earned their living insuch scenes, threw themselves upon the combatants, and, forcing themasunder, dragged them some space apart.'Let me go!' cried Sir Mulberry, in a thick hoarse voice; 'he struckme! Do you hear? I say, he struck me. Have I a friend here? Whois this? Westwood. Do you hear me say he struck me?''I hear, I hear,' replied one of those who held him. 'Come away fortonight!''I will not, by G--,' he replied. 'A dozen men about us saw theblow.''Tomorrow will be ample time,' said the friend.'It will not be ample time!' cried Sir Mulberry. 'Tonight, at once,here!' His passion was so great, that he could not articulate, butstood clenching his fist, tearing his hair, and stamping upon theground.'What is this, my lord?' said one of those who surrounded him.'Have blows passed?''One blow has,' was the panting reply. 'I struck him. I proclaim itto all here! I struck him, and he knows why. I say, with him, letthis quarrel be adjusted now. Captain Adams,' said the young lord,looking hurriedly about him, and addressing one of those who hadinterposed, 'let me speak with you, I beg.'The person addressed stepped forward, and taking the young man'sarm, they retired together, followed shortly afterwards by SirMulberry and his friend.It was a profligate haunt of the worst repute, and not a place inwhich such an affair was likely to awaken any sympathy for eitherparty, or to call forth any further remonstrance or interposition.Elsewhere, its further progress would have been instantly prevented,and time allowed for sober and cool reflection; but not there.Disturbed in their orgies, the party broke up; some reeled away withlooks of tipsy gravity; others withdrew noisily discussing what hadjust occurred; the gentlemen of honour who lived upon their winningsremarked to each other, as they went out, that Hawk was a good shot;and those who had been most noisy, fell fast asleep upon the sofas,and thought no more about it.Meanwhile, the two seconds, as they may be called now, after a longconference, each with his principal, met together in another room.Both utterly heartless, both men upon town, both thoroughlyinitiated in its worst vices, both deeply in debt, both fallen fromsome higher estate, both addicted to every depravity for whichsociety can find some genteel name and plead its most depravingconventionalities as an excuse, they were naturally gentlemen ofmost unblemished honour themselves, and of great nicety concerningthe honour of other people.These two gentlemen were unusually cheerful just now; for the affairwas pretty certain to make some noise, and could scarcely fail toenhance their reputations.'This is an awkward affair, Adams,' said Mr Westwood, drawinghimself up.'Very,' returned the captain; 'a blow has been struck, and there isbut one course, of course.''No apology, I suppose?' said Mr Westwood.'Not a syllable, sir, from my man, if we talk till doomsday,'returned the captain. 'The original cause of dispute, I understand,was some girl or other, to whom your principal applied certainterms, which Lord Frederick, defending the girl, repelled. But thisled to a long recrimination upon a great many sore subjects,charges, and counter-charges. Sir Mulberry was sarcastic; LordFrederick was excited, and struck him in the heat of provocation,and under circumstances of great aggravation. That blow, unlessthere is a full retraction on the part of Sir Mulberry, LordFrederick is ready to justify.''There is no more to be said,' returned the other, 'but to settlethe hour and the place of meeting. It's a responsibility; but thereis a strong feeling to have it over. Do you object to say atsunrise?''Sharp work,' replied the captain, referring to his watch; 'however,as this seems to have been a long time breeding, and negotiation isonly a waste of words, no.''Something may possibly be said, out of doors, after what passed inthe other room, which renders it desirable that we should be offwithout delay, and quite clear of town,' said Mr Westwood. 'What doyou say to one of the meadows opposite Twickenham, by the river-side?'The captain saw no objection.'Shall we join company in the avenue of trees which leads fromPetersham to Ham House, and settle the exact spot when we arrivethere?' said Mr Westwood.To this the captain also assented. After a few other preliminaries,equally brief, and having settled the road each party should take toavoid suspicion, they separated.'We shall just have comfortable time, my lord,' said the captain,when he had communicated the arrangements, 'to call at my rooms fora case of pistols, and then jog coolly down. If you will allow meto dismiss your servant, we'll take my cab; for yours, perhaps,might be recognised.'What a contrast, when they reached the street, to the scene they hadjust left! It was already daybreak. For the flaring yellow lightwithin, was substituted the clear, bright, glorious morning; for ahot, close atmosphere, tainted with the smell of expiring lamps, andreeking with the steams of riot and dissipation, the free, fresh,wholesome air. But to the fevered head on which that cool air blew,it seemed to come laden with remorse for time misspent and countlessopportunities neglected. With throbbing veins and burning skin,eyes wild and heavy, thoughts hurried and disordered, he felt asthough the light were a reproach, and shrunk involuntarily from theday as if he were some foul and hideous thing.'Shivering?' said the captain. 'You are cold.''Rather.''It does strike cool, coming out of those hot rooms. Wrap thatcloak about you. So, so; now we're off.'They rattled through the quiet streets, made their call at thecaptain's lodgings, cleared the town, and emerged upon the openroad, without hindrance or molestation.Fields, trees, gardens, hedges, everything looked very beautiful;the young man scarcely seemed to have noticed them before, though hehad passed the same objects a thousand times. There was a peace andserenity upon them all, strangely at variance with the bewildermentand confusion of his own half-sobered thoughts, and yet impressiveand welcome. He had no fear upon his mind; but, as he looked abouthim, he had less anger; and though all old delusions, relative tohis worthless late companion, were now cleared away, he ratherwished he had never known him than thought of its having come tothis.The past night, the day before, and many other days and nightsbeside, all mingled themselves up in one unintelligible andsenseless whirl; he could not separate the transactions of one timefrom those of another. Now, the noise of the wheels resolved itselfinto some wild tune in which he could recognise scraps of airs heknew; now, there was nothing in his ears but a stunning andbewildering sound, like rushing water. But his companion ralliedhim on being so silent, and they talked and laughed boisterously.When they stopped, he was a little surprised to find himself in theact of smoking; but, on reflection, he remembered when and where hehad taken the cigar.They stopped at the avenue gate and alighted, leaving the carriageto the care of the servant, who was a smart fellow, and nearly aswell accustomed to such proceedings as his master. Sir Mulberry andhis friend were already there. All four walked in profound silenceup the aisle of stately elm trees, which, meeting far above theirheads, formed a long green perspective of Gothic arches,terminating, like some old ruin, in the open sky.After a pause, and a brief conference between the seconds, they, atlength, turned to the right, and taking a track across a littlemeadow, passed Ham House and came into some fields beyond. In oneof these, they stopped. The ground was measured, some usual formsgone through, the two principals were placed front to front at thedistance agreed upon, and Sir Mulberry turned his face towards hisyoung adversary for the first time. He was very pale, his eyes werebloodshot, his dress disordered, and his hair dishevelled. Forthe face, it expressed nothing but violent and evil passions. Heshaded his eyes with his hand; grazed at his opponent, steadfastly,for a few moments; and, then taking the weapon which was tendered tohim, bent his eyes upon that, and looked up no more until the wordwas given, when he instantly fired.The two shots were fired, as nearly as possible, at the sameinstant. In that instant, the young lord turned his head sharplyround, fixed upon his adversary a ghastly stare, and without a groanor stagger, fell down dead.'He's gone!' cried Westwood, who, with the other second, had run upto the body, and fallen on one knee beside it.'His blood on his own head,' said Sir Mulberry. 'He brought thisupon himself, and forced it upon me.''Captain Adams,' cried Westwood, hastily, 'I call you to witnessthat this was fairly done. Hawk, we have not a moment to lose. Wemust leave this place immediately, push for Brighton, and cross toFrance with all speed. This has been a bad business, and may beworse, if we delay a moment. Adams, consult your own safety, anddon't remain here; the living before the dead; goodbye!'With these words, he seized Sir Mulberry by the arm, and hurried himaway. Captain Adams--only pausing to convince himself, beyond allquestion, of the fatal result--sped off in the same direction, toconcert measures with his servant for removing the body, andsecuring his own safety likewise.So died Lord Frederick Verisopht, by the hand which he had loadedwith gifts, and clasped a thousand times; by the act of him, but forwhom, and others like him, he might have lived a happy man, and diedwith children's faces round his bed.The sun came proudly up in all his majesty, the noble river ran itswinding course, the leaves quivered and rustled in the air, thebirds poured their cheerful songs from every tree, the short-livedbutterfly fluttered its little wings; all the light and life of daycame on; and, amidst it all, and pressing down the grass whose everyblade bore twenty tiny lives, lay the dead man, with his stark andrigid face turned upwards to the sky.