CHAPTER III
_Bobadil._ I pray you, possess no gallant of your acquaintance with aknowledge of my lodging. _Master Matthew._ Who, I, sir?--Lord, sir! _BenJonson._
The next morning found Nigel Olifaunt, the young Lord of Glenvarloch,seated, sad and solitary, in his little apartment, in the mansionof John Christie, the ship-chandler; which that honest tradesman, ingratitude perhaps to the profession from which he derived his chiefsupport, appeared to have constructed as nearly as possible upon theplan of a ship's cabin.
It was situated near to Paul's Wharf, at the end of one of thoseintricate and narrow lanes, which, until that part of the city was sweptaway by the Great Fire in 1666, constituted an extraordinary labyrinthof small, dark, damp, and unwholesome streets and alleys, in one corneror other of which the plague was then as surely found lurking, as in theobscure corners of Constantinople in our own time. But John Christie'shouse looked out upon the river, and had the advantage, therefore,of free air, impregnated, however, with the odoriferous fumes of thearticles in which the ship-chandler dealt, with the odour of pitch, andthe natural scent of the ooze and sludge left by the reflux of the tide.
Upon the whole, except that his dwelling did not float with theflood-tide, and become stranded with the ebb, the young lord was nearlyas comfortably accommodated as he was while on board the little tradingbrig from the long town of Kirkaldy, in Fife, by which he had come apassenger to London. He received, however, every attention which couldbe paid him by his honest landlord, John Christie; for Richie Moniplieshad not thought it necessary to preserve his master's _incognito_ socompletely, but that the honest ship-chandler could form a guess thathis guest's quality was superior to his appearance.
As for Dame Nelly, his wife, a round, buxom, laughter-loving dame,with black eyes, a tight well-laced bodice, a green apron, and a redpetticoat edged with a slight silver lace, and judiciously shortened soas to show that a short heel, and a tight clean ankle, rested upon herwell-burnished shoe,--she, of course, felt interest in a young man, who,besides being very handsome, good-humoured, and easily satisfied withthe accommodations her house afforded, was evidently of a rank, as wellas manners, highly superior to the skippers (or Captains, as they calledthemselves) of merchant vessels, who were the usual tenants of theapartments which she let to hire; and at whose departure she was sure tofind her well-scrubbed floor soiled with the relics of tobacco, (which,spite of King James's Counterblast, was then forcing itself into use,)and her best curtains impregnated with the odour of Geneva and strongwaters, to Dame Nelly's great indignation; for, as she truly said, thesmell of the shop and warehouse was bad enough without these additions.
But all Mr. Olifaunt's habits were regular and cleanly, and his address,though frank and simple, showed so much of the courtier and gentleman,as formed a strong contrast with the loud halloo, coarse jests, andboisterous impatience of her maritime inmates. Dame Nelly saw that herguest was melancholy also, notwithstanding his efforts to seem contentedand cheerful; and, in short, she took that sort of interest in him,without being herself aware of the extent, which an unscrupulous gallantmight have been tempted to improve to the prejudice of honest John,who was at least a score of years older than his helpmate. Olifaunt,however, had not only other matters to think of, but would have regardedsuch an intrigue, had the idea ever occurred to him, as an abominableand ungrateful encroachment upon the laws of hospitality, his religionhaving been by his late father formed upon the strict principles of thenational faith, and his morality upon those of the nicest honour. Hehad not escaped the predominant weakness of his country, an overweeningsense of the pride of birth, and a disposition to value the worth andconsequence of others according to the number and the fame of theirdeceased ancestors; but this pride of family was well subdued, andin general almost entirely concealed, by his good sense and generalcourtesy.
Such as we have described him, Nigel Olifaunt, or rather the youngLord Glenvarloch, was, when our narrative takes him up, under greatperplexity respecting the fate of his trusty and only follower, RichardMoniplies, who had been dispatched by his young master, early thepreceding morning, as far as the court at Westminster, but had not yetreturned. His evening adventures the reader is already acquainted with,and so far knows more of Richie than did his master, who had not heardof him for twenty-four hours.
Dame Nelly Christie, in the meantime, regarded her guest with someanxiety, and a great desire to comfort him, if possible. She placed onthe breakfast-table a noble piece of cold powdered beef, with its usualguards of turnip and carrot, recommended her mustard as coming directfrom her cousin at Tewkesbury, and spiced the toast with her ownhands--and with her own hands, also, drew a jug of stout and nappy ale,all of which were elements of the substantial breakfast of the period.
When she saw that her guest's anxiety prevented him from doing justiceto the good cheer which she set before him, she commenced her careerof verbal consolation with the usual volubility of those women in herstation, who, conscious of good looks, good intentions, and good lungs,entertain no fear either of wearying themselves or of fatiguing theirauditors.
"Now, what the good year! are we to send you down to Scotland as thinas you came up?--I am sure it would be contrary to the course of nature.There was my goodman's father, old Sandie Christie, I have heard he wasan atomy when he came up from the North, and I am sure he died, SaintBarnaby was ten years, at twenty stone weight. I was a bare-headed girlat the time, and lived in the neighbourhood, though I had little thoughtof marrying John then, who had a score of years the better of me--but heis a thriving man and a kind husband--and his father, as I was saying,died as fat as a church-warden. Well, sir, but I hope I have notoffended you for my little joke--and I hope the ale is to your honour'sliking,--and the beef--and the mustard?"
"All excellent--all too good," answered Olifaunt; "you have every thingso clean and tidy, dame, that I shall not know how to live when I goback to my own country--if ever I go back there."
This was added as it seemed involuntarily, and with a deep sigh.
"I warrant your honour go back again if you like it," said the dame:"unless you think rather of taking a pretty well-dowered English lady,as some of your countryfolk have done. I assure you, some of the best ofthe city have married Scotsmen. There was Lady Trebleplumb, Sir ThomasTrebleplumb the great Turkey merchant's widow, married Sir AwleyMacauley, whom your honour knows, doubtless; and pretty MistressDoublefee, old Sergeant Doublefee's daughter, jumped out of window,and was married at May-fair to a Scotsman with a hard name; and oldPitchpost the timber merchant's daughters did little better, for theymarried two Irishmen; and when folks jeer me about having a Scotsmanfor lodger, meaning your honour, I tell them they are afraid of theirdaughters and their mistresses; and sure I have a right to stand up forthe Scots, since John Christie is half a Scotsman, and a thriving man,and a good husband, though there is a score of years between us; and soI would have your honour cast care away, and mend your breakfast with amorsel and a draught."
"At a word, my kind hostess, I cannot," said Olifaunt; "I am anxiousabout this knave of mine, who has been so long absent in this dangeroustown of yours."
It may be noticed in passing that Dame Nelly's ordinary mode ofconsolation was to disprove the existence of any cause for distress; andshe is said to have carried this so far as to comfort a neighbour, whohad lost her husband, with the assurance that the dear defunct would bebetter to-morrow, which perhaps might not have proved an appropriate,even if it had been a possible, mode of relief.
On this occasion she denied stoutly that Richie had been absentaltogether twenty hours; and as for people being killed in the streetsof London, to be sure two men had been found in Tower-ditch last week,but that was far to the east, and the other poor man that had his throatcut in the fields, had met his mishap near by Islington; and he that wasstabbed by the young Templar in a drunken frolic, by Saint Clement'sin the Strand, was an Irishman. All which evidence she produced to showthat none of these casualties had occurred in
a case exactly parallelwith that of Richie, a Scotsman, and on his return from Westminster.
"My better comfort is, my good dame," answered Olifaunt, "that the ladis no brawler or quarreller, unless strongly urged, and that he hasnothing valuable about him to any one but me."
"Your honour speaks very well," retorted the inexhaustible hostess, whoprotracted her task of taking away, and putting to rights, in orderthat she might prolong her gossip. "I'll uphold Master Moniplies to beneither reveller nor brawler, for if he liked such things, he mightbe visiting and junketing with the young folks about here in theneighbourhood, and he never dreams of it; and when I asked the youngman to go as far as my gossip's, Dame Drinkwater, to taste a glass ofaniseed, and a bit of the groaning cheese,--for Dame Drinkwater has hadtwins, as I told your honour, sir,--and I meant it quite civilly to theyoung man, but he chose to sit and keep house with John Christie; andI dare say there is a score of years between them, for your honour'sservant looks scarce much older than I am. I wonder what they could haveto say to each other. I asked John Christie, but he bid me go to sleep."
"If he comes not soon," said his master, "I will thank you to tell mewhat magistrate I can address myself to; for besides my anxiety for thepoor fellow's safety, he has papers of importance about him."
"O! your honour may be assured he will be back in a quarter of an hour,"said Dame Nelly; "he is not the lad to stay out twenty-four hours at astretch. And for the papers, I am sure your honour will pardon him forjust giving me a peep at the corner, as I was giving him a small cup,not so large as my thimble, of distilled waters, to fortify his stomachagainst the damps, and it was directed to the King's Most ExcellentMajesty; and so doubtless his Majesty has kept Richie out of civility toconsider of your honour's letter, and send back a fitting reply."
Dame Nelly here hit by chance on a more available topic of consolationthan those she had hitherto touched upon; for the youthful lord hadhimself some vague hopes that his messenger might have been delayed atCourt until a fitting and favourable answer should be dispatched back tohim. Inexperienced, however, in public affairs as he certainly was,it required only a moment's consideration to convince him of theimprobability of an expectation so contrary to all he had heard ofetiquette, as well as the dilatory proceedings in a court suit, and heanswered the good-natured hostess with a sigh, that he doubted whetherthe king would even look on the paper addressed to him, far less take itinto his immediate consideration.
"Now, out upon you for a faint-hearted gentleman!" said the gooddame; "and why should he not do as much for us as our gracious QueenElizabeth? Many people say this and that about a queen and a king, butI think a king comes more natural to us English folks; and this goodgentleman goes as often down by water to Greenwich, and employs as manyof the barge-men and water-men of all kinds; and maintains, in his royalgrace, John Taylor, the water-poet, who keeps both a sculler and a pairof oars. And he has made a comely Court at Whitehall, just by the river;and since the king is so good a friend to the Thames, I cannot see,if it please your honour, why all his subjects, and your honour inspecialty, should not have satisfaction by his hands."
"True, dame--true,--let us hope for the best; but I must take my cloakand rapier, and pray your husband in courtesy to teach me the way to amagistrate."
"Sure, sir," said the prompt dame, "I can do that as well as he, who hasbeen a slow man of his tongue all his life, though I will give him hisdue for being a loving husband, and a man as well to pass in the worldas any betwixt us and the top of the lane. And so there is the sittingalderman, that is always at the Guildhall, which is close by Paul's, andso I warrant you he puts all to rights in the city that wisdom can mend;and for the rest there is no help but patience. But I wish I were assure of forty pounds as I am that the young man will come back safe andsound."
Olifaunt, in great and anxious doubt of what the good dame so stronglyaverred, flung his cloak on one shoulder, and was about to belt on hisrapier, when first the voice of Richie Moniplies on the stair, andthen that faithful emissary's appearance in the chamber, put the matterbeyond question. Dame Nelly, after congratulating Moniplies on hisreturn, and paying several compliments to her own sagacity for havingforetold it, was at length pleased to leave the apartment. The truthwas, that, besides some instinctive feelings of good breeding whichcombated her curiosity, she saw there was no chance of Richie'sproceeding in his narrative while she was in the room, and she thereforeretreated, trusting that her own address would get the secret out of oneor other of the young men, when she should have either by himself.
"Now, in Heaven's name, what is the matter?" said NigelOlifaunt.--"Where have you been, or what have you been about? You lookas pale as death. There is blood on your hand, and your clothes aretorn. What barns-breaking have you been at? You have been drunk,Richard, and fighting."
"Fighting I have been," said Richard, "in a small way; but for beingdrunk, that's a job ill to manage in this town, without money to comeby liquor; and as for barns-breaking, the deil a thing's broken but myhead. It's not made of iron, I wot, nor my claithes of chenzie-mail; soa club smashed the tane, and a claught damaged the tither. Some misleardrascals abused my country, but I think I cleared the causey of them.However, the haill hive was ower mony for me at last, and I got thiseclipse on the crown, and then I was carried, beyond my kenning, toa sma' booth at the Temple Port, whare they sell the whirligigs andmony-go-rounds that measure out time as a man wad measure a tartanweb; and then they bled me, wold I nold I, and were reasonably civil,especially an auld country-man of ours, of whom more hereafter."
"And at what o'clock might this be?" said Nigel.
"The twa iron carles yonder, at the kirk beside the Port, were justbanging out sax o' the clock."
"And why came you not home as soon as you recovered?" said Nigel.
"In troth, my lord, every _why_ has its _wherefore_, and this has a gudeane," answered his follower. "To come hame, I behoved to ken whare hamewas; now, I had clean tint the name of the wynd, and the mair I asked,the mair the folk leugh, and the farther they sent me wrang; sae I gaveit up till God should send daylight to help me; and as I saw mysell neara kirk at the lang run, I e'en crap in to take up my night's quarters inthe kirkyard."
"In the churchyard?" said Nigel--"But I need not ask what drove you tosuch a pinch."
"It wasna sae much the want o' siller, my Lord Nigel," said Richie,with an air of mysterious importance, "for I was no sae absolute withoutmeans, of whilk mair anon; but I thought I wad never ware a saxpencesterling on ane of their saucy chamberlains at a hostelry, sae lang asI could sleep fresh and fine in a fair, dry, spring night. Mony a time,when I hae come hame ower late, and faund the West-Port steekit, and thewaiter ill-willy, I have garr'd the sexton of Saint Cuthbert's calf-wardserve me for my quarters. But then there are dainty green graffs inSaint Cuthbert's kirkyard, whare ane may sleep as if they were in adown-bed, till they hear the lavrock singing up in the air as high asthe Castle; whereas, and behold, these London kirkyards are causeyedwith through-stanes, panged hard and fast thegither; and my cloak beingsomething threadbare, made but a thin mattress, so I was fain to giveup my bed before every limb about me was crippled. Dead folks may sleepyonder sound enow, but deil haet else."
"And what became of you next?" said his master.
"I just took to a canny bulkhead, as they ca' them here; that is, theboards on the tap of their bits of outshots of stalls and booths,and there I sleepit as sound as if I was in a castle. Not but I wasdisturbed with some of the night-walking queans and swaggering billies,but when they found there was nothing to be got by me but a slash of myAndrew Ferrara, they bid me good-night for a beggarly Scot; and I wase'en weel pleased to be sae cheap rid of them. And in the morning, I camdaikering here, but sad wark I had to find the way, for I had beeneast as far as the place they ca' Mile-End, though it is mair likesax-mile-end."
"Well, Richie," answered Nigel, "I am glad all this has ended sowell--go get something to eat. I am sure you need it."
"In troth do I, sir," replied Moniplies; "but, with your lordship'sleave--"
"Forget the lordship for the present, Richie, as I have often told youbefore."
"Faith," replied Richie, "I could weel forget that your honour was alord, but then I behoved to forget that I am a lord's man, and that'snot so easy. But, however," he added, assisting his description with thethumb and the two forefingers of his right hand, thrust out after thefashion of a bird's claw, while the little finger and ring-finger wereclosed upon the palm, "to the Court I went, and my friend that promisedme a sight of his Majesty's most gracious presence, was as gude ashis word, and carried me into the back offices, where I got the bestbreakfast I have had since we came here, and it did me gude for the restof the day; for as to what I have eaten in this accursed town, it is ayesauced with the disquieting thought that it maun be paid for. After a',there was but beef banes and fat brose; but king's cauff, your honourkens, is better than ither folk's corn; at ony rate, it was a' in freeawmous.--But I see," he added, stopping short, "that your honour waxesimpatient."
"By no means, Richie," said the young nobleman, with an air ofresignation, for he well knew his domestic would not mend his pace forgoading; "you have suffered enough in the embassy to have a right totell the story in your own way. Only let me pray for the name of thefriend who was to introduce you into the king's presence. You were verymysterious on the subject, when you undertook, through his means, tohave the Supplication put into his Majesty's own hands, since thosesent heretofore, I have every reason to think, went no farther than hissecretary's."
"Weel, my lord," said Richie, "I did not tell you his name and qualityat first, because I thought you would be affronted at the like of himhaving to do in your lordship's affairs. But mony a man climbs up inCourt by waur help. It was just Laurie Linklater, one of the yeomen ofthe kitchen, that was my father's apprentice lang syne."
"A yeoman in the kitchen--a scullion!" exclaimed Lord Nigel, pacing theroom in displeasure.
"But consider, sir," said Richie, composedly, "that a' your greatfriends hung back, and shunned to own you, or to advocate your petition;and then, though I am sure I wish Laurie a higher office, for yourlordship's sake and for mine, and specially for his ain sake, being afriendly lad, yet your lordship must consider, that a scullion, if ayeoman of the king's most royal kitchen may be called a scullion, mayweel rank with a master-cook elsewhere; being that king's cauff, as Isaid before, is better than--"
"You are right, and I was wrong," said the young nobleman. "I have nochoice of means of making my case known, so that they be honest."
"Laurie is as honest a lad as ever lifted a ladle," said Richie; "notbut what I dare to say he can lick his fingers like other folk, andreason good. But, in fine, for I see your honour is waxing impatient, hebrought me to the palace, where a' was astir for the king going out tohunt or hawk on Blackheath, I think they ca'd it. And there was a horsestood with all the quarries about it, a bonny grey as ever was foaled;and the saddle and the stirrups, and the curb and bit, o' burning gowd,or silver gilded at least; and down, sir, came the king, with all hisnobles, dressed out in his hunting-suit of green, doubly laced, and laiddown with gowd. I minded the very face o' him, though it was lang sinceI saw him. But my certie, lad, thought I, times are changed since yecame fleeing down the back stairs of auld Holyrood House, in grit fear,having your breeks in your hand without time to put them on, and FrankStewart, the wild Earl of Bothwell, hard at your haunches; and if auldLord Glenvarloch hadna cast his mantle about his arm, and taken bluidywounds mair than ane in your behalf, you wald not have craw'd saecrouse this day; and so saying, I could not but think your lordship'sSifflication could not be less than most acceptable; and so I bangedin among the crowd of lords. Laurie thought me mad, and held me by thecloak-lap till the cloth rave in his hand; and so I banged in rightbefore the king just as he mounted, and crammed the Sifflication intohis hand, and he opened it like in amaze; and just as he saw the firstline, I was minded to make a reverence, and I had the ill luck to hithis jaud o' a beast on the nose with my hat, and scaur the creature,and she swarved aside, and the king, that sits na mickle better than adraff-pock on the saddle, was like to have gotten a clean coup, and thatmight have cost my craig a raxing-and he flung down the paper amang thebeast's feet, and cried, 'Away wi' the fause loon that brought it!' Andthey grippit me, and cried treason; and I thought of the Ruthvens thatwere dirked in their ain house, for, it may be, as small a forfeit.However, they spak only of scourging me, and had me away to the porter'slodge to try the tawse on my back, and I was crying mercy as loud asI could; and the king, when he had righted himself on the saddle, andgathered his breath, cried to do me nae harm; for, said he, he is aneof our ain Norland stots, I ken by the rowt of him,--and they a'laughed and rowted loud eneugh. And then he said, 'Gie him a copy ofthe Proclamation, and let him go down to the North by the next lightcollier, before waur come o't.' So they let me go, and rode out, asniggering, laughing, and rounding in ilk ither's lugs. A sair life Ihad wi' Laurie Linklater; for he said it wad be the ruin of him. Andthen, when I told him it was in your matter, he said if he had knownbefore he would have risked a scauding for you, because he mindedthe brave old lord, your father. And then he showed how I suld havedone,--and that I suld have held up my hand to my brow, as if thegrandeur of the king and his horse-graith thegither had casten theglaiks in my een, and mair jackanape tricks I suld hae played, insteadof offering the Sifflication, he said, as if I had been bringing guts toa bear." [Footnote: I am certain this prudential advice is not originalon Mr. Linklater's part, but I am not at present able to produce myauthority. I think it amounted to this, that James flung down a petitionpresented by some supplicant who paid no compliments to his horse,and expressed no admiration at the splendour of his furniture, saying,"Shall a king cumber himself about the petition of a beggar, whilethe beggar disregards the king's splendour?" It is, I think, Sir JohnHarrington who recommends, as a sure mode to the king's favour, topraise the paces of the royal palfrey.]
'For,' said he, 'Richie, the king is a weel-natured and just man ofhis ain kindly nature, but he has a wheen maggots that maun be cannilyguided; and then, Richie,' says he, in a very laigh tone, 'I would tellit to nane but a wise man like yoursell, but the king has them about himwad corrupt an angel from heaven; but I could have gi'en you avisementhow to have guided him, but now it's like after meat mustard.'--'Aweel,aweel, Laurie,' said I, 'it may be as you say', but since I am clear ofthe tawse and the porter's lodge, sifflicate wha like, deil hae RichieMoniplies if he come sifflicating here again.'--And so away I came, andI wasna far by the Temple Port, or Bar, or whatever they ca' it, when Imet with the misadventure that I tauld you of before."
"Well, my honest Richie," said Lord Nigel, "your attempt was well meant,and not so ill conducted, I think, as to have deserved so bad an issue;but go to your beef and mustard, and we'll talk of the rest afterwards."
"There is nae mair to be spoken, sir," said his follower, "except thatI met ane very honest, fair-spoken, weel-put-on gentleman, or ratherburgher, as I think, that was in the whigmaleery man's back-shop; andwhen he learned wha I was, behold he was a kindly Scot himsell, and,what is more, a town's-bairn o' the gude town, and he behoved to compelme to take this Portugal piece, to drink, forsooth--my certie, thoughtI, we ken better, for we will eat it--and he spoke of paying yourlordship a visit."
"You did not tell him where I lived, you knave?" said the Lord Nigel,angrily. "'Sdeath! I shall have every clownish burgher from Edinburghcome to gaze on my distress, and pay a shilling for having seen themotion of the Poor Noble!"
"Tell him where you lived?" said Richie, evading the question; "Howcould I tell him what I kendna mysell? If I had minded the name of thewynd, I need not have slept in the kirkyard yestreen."
"See, then, that you give no one notice of our lodging," said the youngnobleman; "those with whom I have business I can meet at Paul's, or inthe Court of Requests."
"This is steeking the stable-door when the steed i
s stolen," thoughtRichie to himself; "but I must put him on another pin."
So thinking, he asked the young lord what was in the Proclamation whichhe still held folded in his hand; "for, having little time to spell atit," said he, "your lordship well knows I ken nought about it but thegrand blazon at the tap--the lion has gotten a claught of our auldScottish shield now, but it was as weel upheld when it had a unicorn onilk side of it."
Lord Nigel read the Proclamation, and he coloured deep with shame andindignation as he read; for the purport was, to his injured feelings,like the pouring of ardent spirits upon a recent wound.
"What deil's in the paper, my lord?" said Richie, unable to suppress hiscuriosity as he observed his master change colour; "I wadna ask such athing, only the Proclamation is not a private thing, but is meant for a'men's hearing."
"It is indeed meant for all men's hearing," replied Lord Nigel, "and itproclaims the shame of our country, and the ingratitude of our Prince."
"Now the Lord preserve us! and to publish it in London, too!" ejaculatedMoniplies.
"Hark ye, Richard," said Nigel Olifaunt, "in this paper the Lords of theCouncil set forth, that, 'in consideration of the resort of idle personsof low condition forth from his Majesty's kingdom of Scotland to hisEnglish Court--filling the same with their suits and supplications,and dishonouring the royal presence with their base, poor, and beggarlypersons, to the disgrace of their country in the estimation of theEnglish; these are to prohibit the skippers, masters of vesselsand others, in every part of Scotland, from bringing such miserablecreatures up to Court under pain of fine and impisonment."'
"I marle the skipper took us on board," said Richie.
"Then you need not marvel how you are to get back again," said LordNigel, "for here is a clause which says, that such idle suitors are tobe transported back to Scotland at his Majesty's expense, and punishedfor their audacity with stripes, stocking, or incarceration, accordingto their demerits--that is to say, I suppose, according to the degree oftheir poverty, for I see no other demerit specified."
"This will scarcely," said Richie, "square with our old proverb--
A King's face Should give grace--
But what says the paper farther, my lord?"
"O, only a small clause which especially concerns us, making some stillheavier denunciations against those suitors who shall be so bold as toapproach the Court, under pretext of seeking payment of old debts dueto them by the king, which, the paper states, is, of all species ofimportunity, that which is most odious to his Majesty."
"The king has neighbours in that matter," said Richie; "but it is notevery one that can shift off that sort of cattle so easily as he does."
Their conversation was here interrupted by a knocking at the door.Olifaunt looked out at the window, and saw an elderly respectable personwhom he knew not. Richie also peeped, and recognised, but, recognising,chose not to acknowledge, his friend of the preceding evening. Afraidthat his share in the visit might be detected, he made his escape outof the apartment under pretext of going to his breakfast; and left theirlandlady the task of ushering Master George into Lord Nigel's apartment,which she performed with much courtesy.