Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 391: what you’re looking at

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

378 JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. ton re-entered the compartment where Lady Georgiana and myself were seated. I saw plainly enough that the gentleman was in a complete state of bewildered astonishment, — incredulous as to what he had heard, yet not knowing how to dis- believe it—but equally puzzled how to believe it. As for myself, I maintained my composure With as much serenity and self-possession as if nothing eculiar were going on. Mr. Tiverton’s place was exactly facing mine ; Lady Georgiana’s seat was in the middle, on the - same side as her husband’s. Stumbling over the great fat poodle which lay at his wife’s feet, Mr. Tiverton fel} heavily against me; and instantly confounding himself in apologies, he said in the most impressive tones, “A thousand pardons, my lord I beseech your lordsbip’s forgiveness I would not for the world I am sure, my lord, you must see that I did not mean it——very far from it, my lord=——I—=” ; Disgtisted with the man’s sycophancy, I said ina cold voice and with resefved Manner, “ No farther apology is necessary, sir.” “ Dear mé, is it possible?” said Lady Georgiana, now becoming all amiability: “is it possible we should have this honour=that we should be su fortunate and that such a very extraordinary event should have occurred? I am sure, my lord, if I just now said anything that was disagree- able oteain 99 “T can only repeat, madam, what I have just said to your ladyship’s husband,” I ¢oldly inter- rupted her, “no farther apology is necessary.” . © Yes—but my dear Earl,” said Lady Georgiana, —“for your lordship must really permit me to claim the privilege of old acquaintance to assert the right of a friendly feeling at the presefit time —you must positively forgive us both——= We could not possibly conceive-—=I am sure if I had known it, we never would have had these nasty dogs in the carriage! They ate the plagues of my life; and that lazy good-for-nothing fellow John Robert should have taken care of them.” “T can assure your ladyship,” I said, “ that the dogs do not annoy me in the least. Iam only afraid that Mr. Tiverton trod rather heavily upon one.” “Oh! Mr. Tiverton is the clumsiest and most awkward of men!” exclaimed her ladyship, darting an angry glance at her husband, as if he were the cause of all the misunderstanding which had taken place. ‘J’m sure, my dear Earl, nothing gives me greater pleasure than to see you looking so well. You are so altered but still I knew you again.” “Husb, my dear,” said Mr. Tiverton: “we need not make any allusions that refer to past matters. Ican assure your lordship that it shall never go forth from our lips-——” «That I was once a menial in your service?” I said, with a sort of calm and quiet contempt. © Really, Mr. Tiverton, I do not see that I have apy reason to be ashamed on account of having at one time of my life eaten the bread of honest industry. In respect to titles, rank, and riches, I believe that they are too often possessed by per- sons whose character and intellizence will not for a moment bear comparison with thousands and thousands of those honest and enlightened sons of toil who from their youth to their old age eat a the bread which is earned by the sweat of the brow.” “Those are admirable sentiments, my dear Earl,” said Lady Georgiana; “and I perfectly agree with them.” I made no answer; for I knew she was telling a falsehood, and that in the prejudice of her own heart she looked upon everything that was noble by title to be ennobled also by character; and that on the other hand the real nobles of nature—the worthy ones amongst the sons of toil—were re- garded by her as something less than the dirt beneath her feet. * Well, truly, my lord,” said Mr. Tiverton, after a brief pause—and evidently fidgeting about for some means of reopening the discourse,—* this is a very extraordinary circumstance. When the guard jlist now pointed you out to me, you might have kno¢ked me down with a feather. I never was 80 astonished in all my life——” And I never was so pleased,” said Lady Georgiana. “Iam sure his lordship shares the feeling: for this encounter is in all respects so agrecableso pleasing—so cratifying But dear me! my lord, if it is not indelicate, pray do tell us how all this eame about.” _ ©Your ladyship perceives that I’m in mourn- ing,’ I said; “ and from your conversation with Mr. Tiverton I have gathered that you remember how recévit is the paternal loss that I have sustained. Your ladyship will therefore excuse me J cameat “ Oh, certaitily, my dear Harl !” she ejaculated, being now full of vivac¢ity and animation: “ we cai make allowance fot your lordship’s feelings. But of eourse we sliall see something of you in London? May we without indiseretion venture to call upon you and the Coutitess your mother ?” “ My mother,” I responded, “ has experienced a dreadful shoek on account of my father’s sudden and dreadful death: she eannot therefore receive visitors. As for myself, [ shall have a great deal to occupy my attention——” “Qh, of course! we can very well understand that,” interjected Lady Georgiana: “but we shall no doubt see something of you, as we shall be in London for several months. We are going to stay with our friends Sir Jeremy and Lady Jessop; and then we are going to pass some time with my father Lord Mandeville i * T have no doubt, my lady,” I answered, “ that I shall have the pleasure of meeting yourself and Mr. Tiverton again.” In this manner I continued to fence with a sort of cold courtesy, against her servile civilities, until the train reached the station in the metropolis. Then Jolin Robert made his appearance at the door of the compartment, apparently to reccive the obese poodles: but at a glance it was quite evident that some potent fluid had been at work to disturb the tall domestic’s equanimity. In plain terms, John Robert was drunk. He could scarcely sustain himself upon his legs: he swayed to and fro,—endeavouring to hiccup out something; and nothing could exceed the min- gled mortification and rage of Lady Georgiana Tiverton when the conviction burst upon her that the “ faithful dependant,” who had suffered him- self for so many years to be bullied and _halt- starved in her service, was now so.completely dis- Giook (EO)