“I must not dwell longer on the conversation between us—if that, indeed, be called conversation where the Duke spoke and I listened; for, from the moment the dinner appeared—and a very nice little clinner it was: soup, fish, two roasts, sweets, and a piece of cheese—his Grace ate as if he had not a French cook at home, and the best cellar in England.
“ ‘What do you drink, Raggs?’ said he; ‘Burgundy is my favorite, though Brodie says it won’t do for me; at least when I have much to do in “the House.” Strange thing, very strange thing I am going to mention to you—no Cavendish can drink Chambertin—it is something hereditary. Chambers mentioned to me one day that very few of the English nobility are without some little idiosyncrasy of that kind. The Churchills never can taste gin; the St. Maurs faint if they see strawberries and cream.’
“ ‘The Baggs,’ said I, ‘never could eat tripe.’ I hope he did n’t say ‘D—n the Baggs;’ but I almost fear he did.
“The Duke ordered up the landlord, and, after getting the whole state of the cellar made known, desired three bottles of claret to be sent up, and despatched a messenger through the town to search for olives. ‘We are very backward, Raggs,’ said he. ‘In England we have no idea of life, nor shall we, as long as these confounded Tories remain in power. With free trade, sir, we should have the productions of France and Italy upon our tables, without the ruinous expenditure they at present cost.’
“ ‘You don’t much care for that,’ said I, venturing a half-hint at his condition.
“ ‘No,’ said he, frankly; ‘I confess I do not. But I am not selfish, and would extend my good wishes to others. How do you like that Lafitte? A little tart—a Very little. It drinks cold—don’t you think so?’
“ ‘It is a freezing mixture,’ said I. ‘If I dare to ask for a warm with—’
“ ‘Take what you like, Raggs—only don’t ask me to be of the party;’ and with that he gazed at the wine between himself and the candle with the glance of a true connoisseur.
“ ‘I’ll tell you,’ said he, ‘a little occurrence which happened me some years since, not far from this; in fact, I may confess to you, it was at Chatsworth. George the Forth came down on a visit to us for a few days in the shooting-season—not that he cared for sport, but it was an excuse for something to do. Well, the evening he arrived, he dined in his own apartment, nobody with him but—’
“Just at this instant the landlord entered, with a most obsequious face and an air of great secrecy.
“ ‘I beg pardon, gentlemen,’ said he; ‘but there’s a carriage come over from Chats worth, and the footman won’t give the name of the gentleman he wants.’
“ ‘Quite right—quite right,’ said the Duke, waving his hand. ‘Let the carriage wait. Come, Raggs, you seem to have nothing before you.’
“ ‘Bless your Grace,’ said I, ‘I ‘m at the end of my third tumbler.’
“ ‘Never mind—mix another;’ and with that he pushed the decanter of brandy towards me, and filled his own glass to the brim.
“ ‘Your health, Raggs—I rather like you. I confess,’ continued he, ‘I’ve had rather a prejudice against your order. There is something d——d low in cutting about the country with patterns in a bag.’
“ ‘We don’t,’ said I, rather nettled; ‘we carry a pocket-book like this.’ And here I produced my specimen order; but with one shy of his foot the Duke sent it flying to the ceiling, as he exclaimed—
“ ‘Confound your patchwork!—try to be a gentleman for once!’
“ ‘So I will, then,’ said I. ‘Here’s your health, Devonshire.’
“ ‘Take care—take care,’ said he, solemnly. ‘Don’t dare to take any liberties with me—they won’t do;’ and the words made my blood freeze.
“I tossed off a glass neat to gain courage; for my head swam round, and I thought I saw his Grace sitting before me, in his dress as Knight of the Garter, with a coronet on his head, his ‘George’ round his neck, and he was frowning at me most awfully.
“ ‘I did n’t mean it,’ said I, pitifully. ‘I am only a bagman, but very well known on the western road—could get security for three hundred pounds, any day, in soft goods.’
“ ‘I am not angry, old Raggs,’ said the Duke. ‘None of my family ever bear malice. Let us have a toast—“A speedy return to our rightful position on the Treasury benches.” ’
“I pledged his Grace with every enthusiasm; and when I laid my glass on the table, he wrung my hand warmly and said—
“ ‘Raggs, I must do something for you.’
“From that moment I felt my fortune was made. The friendship—and was I wrong in giving it that title?—the friendship of such a man was success assured; and as I sipped my liquor, I ran over in my mind the various little posts and offices I would accept of or decline. They ‘ll be offering me some chief-justiceship in Gambia, or to be port-surveyor in the Isle of Dogs, or something of that kind; but I won’t take it, nor will I go out as bishop, nor commander of the forces, nor collector of customs to any newly discovered island in the Pacific Ocean. ‘I must have something at home here; I never could bear a sea-voyage,’ said I, aloud, concluding my meditation by this reflection.
“ ‘Why, you are half-seas-over already, Raggs,’ said the Duke, as he sat puffing his cigar in all the luxury of a Pacha. ‘I say,’ continued he, ‘do you ever play a hand at écarté, or vingt-et-un, or any other game for two?’
“ ‘I can do a little at five-and-ten,’ said I, timidly; for it is rather a vulgar game, and I did n’t half fancy confessing it was my favorite.
“ ‘Five-and-ten!’ said the Duke; ‘that is a game exploded even from the housekeeper’s room. I doubt if they’d play it in the kitchen of a respectable family. Can you do nothing else?’
“Pope-joan and pitch-and-toss were then the extent of my accomplishments; but I was actually afraid to own to them; and so I shook my head in token of dissent.
“ ‘Well, be it so,’ said he, with a sigh. ‘Touch that bell, and let us see if they have a pack of cards in the house.’
“The cards were soon brought, a little table with a green baize covering—it might have been a hearth-rug for coarseness—placed at the fire, and down we sat. We played till the day was beginning to break, chatting and sipping between time; and although the stakes were only sixpences, the Duke won eight pounds odd shillings, and I had to give him an order on a house in Leeds for the amount. I cared little for the loss, it is true. The money was well invested—somewhat more profitably than the ‘three-and-a-halfs,’ any way.
“ ‘Those horses,’ said the Duke—‘those horses will feel a bit cold or so by this time. So I think, Raggs, I must take my leave of you. We shall meet again, I ‘ve no doubt, some of these days. I believe you know where to find me in town?’
“ ‘I should think so,’ said I, with a look that conveyed more than mere words. ‘It is not such a difficult matter.’
“ ‘Well, then, good-bye, old fellow,’ said he, with as warm a shake of the hand as ever I felt in my life. ‘Goodbye. I have told you to make use of me, and, I repeat it, I ‘ll be as good as my word. We are not in just now; but there ‘s no knowing what may turn up. Besides, whether in office or out, we are never without our influence.’
“What