“My dear Adolphus,” said the mother, “this is so nice of you.”
“I think it is rather nice,” said Dolly, submitting himself to be kissed.
“Oh Dolly, whoever would have thought of seeing you?” said Sophia.
“Give him some tea,” said his mother. Lady Pomona was always having tea from four o’clock till she was taken away to dress for dinner.
“I’d sooner have soda and brandy,” said Dolly.
“My darling boy!”
“I didn’t ask for it, and I don’t expect to get it; indeed I don’t want it. I only said I’d sooner have it than tea. Where’s the governor?” They all looked at him with wondering eyes. There must be something going on more than they had dreamed of, when Dolly asked to see his father.
“Papa went out in the brougham immediately after lunch,” said Sophia gravely.
“I’ll wait a little for him,” said Dolly, taking out his watch.
“Do stay and dine with us,” said Lady Pomona.
“I could not do that, because I’ve got to go and dine with some fellow.”
“Some fellow! I believe you don’t know where you’re going,” said Georgiana.
“My fellow knows. At least he’s a fool if he don’t.”
“Adolphus,” began Lady Pomona very seriously, “I’ve got a plan and I want you to help me.”
“I hope there isn’t very much to do in it, mother.”
“We’re all going to Caversham, just for Whitsuntide, and we particularly want you to come.”
“By George! no; I couldn’t do that.”
“You haven’t heard half. Madame Melmotte and her daughter are coming.”
“The d–––– they are!” ejaculated Dolly.
“Dolly!” said Sophia, “do remember where you are.”
“Yes I will; — and I’ll remember too where I won’t be. I won’t go to Caversham to meet old mother Melmotte.”
“My dear boy,” continued the mother, “do you know that Miss Melmotte will have twenty thousand a year the day she marries; and that in all probability her husband will some day be the richest man in Europe?”
“Half the fellows in London are after her,” said Dolly.
“Why shouldn’t you be one of them? She isn’t going to stay in the same house with half the fellows in London,” suggested Georgiana. “If you’ve a mind to try it you’ll have a chance which nobody else can have just at present.”
“But I haven’t any mind to try it. Good gracious me; — oh dear! it isn’t at all in my way, mother.”
“I knew he wouldn’t,” said Georgiana.
“It would put everything so straight,” said Lady Pomona.
“They’ll have to remain crooked if nothing else will put them straight. There’s the governor. I heard his voice. Now for a row.” Then Mr Longestaffe entered the room.
“My dear,” said Lady Pomona, “here’s Adolphus come to see us.” The father nodded his head at his son but said nothing. “We want him to stay and dine, but he’s engaged.”
“Though he doesn’t know where,” said Sophia.
“My fellow knows; — he keeps a book. I’ve got a letter, sir, ever so long, from those fellows in Lincoln’s Inn. They want me to come and see you about selling something; so I’ve come. It’s an awful bore, because I don’t understand anything about it. Perhaps there isn’t anything to be sold. If so I can go away again, you know.”
“You’d better come with me into the study,” said the father. “We needn’t disturb your mother and sisters about business.” Then the squire led the way out of the room, and Dolly followed, making a woeful grimace at his sisters. The three ladies sat over their tea for about half-an-hour, waiting, — not the result of the conference, for with that they did not suppose that they would be made acquainted, — but whatever signs of good or evil might be collected from the manner and appearance of the squire when he should return to them. Dolly they did not expect to see again, — probably for a month. He and the squire never did come together without quarrelling, and careless as was the young man in every other respect, he had hitherto been obdurate as to his own rights in any dealings which he had with his father. At the end of the half-hour Mr Longestaffe returned to the drawing-room, and at once pronounced the doom of the family. “My dear,” he said, “we shall not return from Caversham to London this year.” He struggled hard to maintain a grand dignified tranquillity as he spoke, but his voice quivered with emotion.
“Papa!” screamed Sophia.
“My dear, you don’t mean it,” said Lady Pomona.
“Of course papa doesn’t mean it,” said Georgiana, rising to her feet.
“I mean it accurately and certainly,” said Mr Longestaffe. “We go to Caversham in about ten days, and we shall not return from Caversham to London this year.”
“Our ball is fixed,” said Lady Pomona.
“Then it must be unfixed.” So saying, the master of the house left the drawing-room and descended to his study.
The three ladies, when left to deplore their fate, expressed their opinions as to the sentence which had been pronounced very strongly. But the daughters were louder in their anger than was their mother.
“He can’t really mean it,” said Sophia.
“He does,” said Lady Pomona, with tears in her eyes.
“He must unmean it again; — that’s all,” said Georgiana. “Dolly has said something to him very rough, and he resents it upon us. Why did he bring us up at all if he means to take us down before the season has begun?”
“I wonder what Adolphus has said to him. Your papa is always hard upon Adolphus.”
“Dolly can take care of himself,” said Georgiana, “and always does do so. Dolly does not care for us.”
“Not a bit,” said Sophia.
“I’ll tell you what you must do, mamma. You mustn’t stir from this at all. You must give up going to Caversham altogether, unless he promises to bring us back. I won’t stir; — unless he has me carried out of the house.”
“My dear, I couldn’t say that to him.”
“Then I will. To go and be buried down in that place for a whole year with no one near us but the rusty old bishop and Mr Carbury, who is rustier still. I won’t stand it. There are some sort of things that one ought not to stand. If you go down I shall stay up with the Primeros. Mrs Primero would have me I know. It wouldn’t be nice of course. I don’t like the Primeros. I hate the Primeros. Oh yes; — it’s quite true; I know that as well as you, Sophia; they are vulgar; but not half so vulgar, mamma, as your friend Madame Melmotte.”
“That’s illnatured, Georgiana. She is not a friend of mine.”
“But you’re going to have her down at Caversham. I can’t think what made you dream of going to Caversham just now, knowing as you do how hard papa is to manage.”
“Everybody has taken to going out of town at Whitsuntide, my dear.”
“No, mamma; everybody has not. People understand too well the trouble of getting up and down for