Page:Littell's Living Age - Volume 128.djvu/500

490 anything. You will ride past the window before you set out, won't you, Arthur dear? I should so like to see my colonel on horseback."

"I won't promise," said he, laughing; "I must first see what these ferocious beasts are like, and whether they can muster four legs apiece."

Yorke returned to dinner, appointed for midday so that the kitchen might be free for the business of the evening; and Mrs. Yorke was so full of guesses as to who might call, that she had apparently quite forgotten to inquire how her son had passed the morning. "The dean is sure to call, for he is always so friendly; and I daresay Mrs. Brabazon will come later, on her way home from her afternoon's drive. Maria Brabazon, you know, is still unmarried, poor thing; and she has become quite High Church since Rebecca's marriage. Before that she used to make a point of going to St. Clement's. I am always friendly to her, poor thing; though really the way in which she went on after Rebecca's engagement to Mr. Morgan was something too absurd."

The two-o'clock dinner was hardly over, when, as Mrs. Yorke had predicted, the callers began to arrive, and in number even beyond her expectations; for in fact Yorke's arrival had made a considerable sensation in the little city, and there was a general desire among the community to do honour to their distinguished fellow-townsman. And earliest among the visitors was the bishop, who walked down from the palace, and knocked at the door almost before the clock struck three. This was a distinction which had never been conferred on the house before, and Mrs. Yorke could not conceal her elation.

The bishop asked if Colonel Yorke was going to make a long stay. He supposed that Wiltonbury would be found dull after the life of excitement he must have been accustomed to.

"My son will find plenty to do, I daresay," broke in Mrs. Yorke; "he has been out riding this morning. He is a colonel of dragoons, you know."

"Not exactly dragoons, mother," said Arthur, good-humouredly; "I belong to the Indian army, the native cavalry."

"Quite so," returned Mrs. Yorke, tartly. "I know that of course, my dear Arthur, as well as you do. He took one of Perkin's best horses, my lord. My son can ride anything, you know."

The bishop, smiling, observed that Colonel Yorke's accomplishments were well known to all his townspeople, and then went on to say that he believed a nephew of his was serving in Yorke's regiment.

"Is young Brandt a nephew of yours? I am pleased to know that; he is a promising young fellow."

"Your lordship's nephew in my son's regiment?" broke in Mrs. Yorke. "That is indeed a singular coincidence. Fancy Arthur never having told me that!" And Arthur explained that he had been with his new regiment for only a week or so, and had not had time to know much about his brother officers.

"Well, I am very glad to think, Colonel Yorke," said the bishop, rising to take leave, "that the lad will have the advantage of serving under so distinguished an officer. I hope we shall have the pleasure of seeing a good deal of you while you are down here. Mrs. Brandt and my girls are going to look in on you this afternoon, I believe, Mrs. Yorke, but they walk too slowly for me, so I am obliged to take my constitutional alone; "and the old gentleman trotted down towards the Close, leaving Mrs. Yorke in a state of excitement which sustained her throughout the afternoon.

"Only fancy," she said to the next visitor who arrived, "our good bishop, who was here just now, tells us that his nephew is under my son in India in his regiment — a cavalry regiment, you know; and he seemed so glad about it, and thought that it must be so good for the young man — and so I have no doubt it is. My dear son!" continued Mrs. Yorke, looking towards him with effusion, and then turning towards her visitors, an elderly lady and gentleman, continued, "of course I feel a very proud and happy mother."

"Just what the bishop was saying," remarked Mrs. Yorke, shortly afterwards, to another visitor, who had complimented Yorke on his good appearance after his long sojourn abroad. "He walked down from the palace just now, you know; he has a nephew serving in my son's regiment — a most curious coincidence, is it not?"

Johnny Colson also was among the callers. "He is coming to my party this evening, you know, so is bound to call beforehand," Mrs. Yorke had said to her son; and talking with his old schoolfellow, it seemed to Yorke for the moment as if the world had seemed to stand still, for although Mr. Colson had joined the beard-movement and his face was covered with hair, it was otherwise of a boyish cast,