CHAPTER IV.
"HITTING THE NALE ON THE HEDD."
The nex morning, down came me and master to Lady Griffinses,--I amusingmyself with the gals in the antyroom, he paying his devours to theladies in the salong. Miss was thrumming on her gitter; my lady wasbefore a great box of papers, busy with accounts, bankers' books,lawyers' letters, and what not. Law bless us! it's a kind of bisniss Ishould like well enuff; especially when my hannual account was seven oreight thousand on the right side, like my lady's. My lady in this housekep all these matters to herself. Miss was a vast deal too sentrimentleto mind business.
Miss Matilda's eyes sparkled as master came in; she pinted gracefully toa place on the sofy beside her, which Deuceace took. My lady only lookedup for a moment, smiled very kindly, and down went her head among thepapers agen, as busy as a B.
"Lady Griffin has had letters from London," says Miss, "from nastylawyers and people. Come here and sit by me, you naughty man you!"
And down sat master. "Willingly," says he, "my dear Miss Griffin; why, Ideclare, it is quits a tete-a-tete."
"Well," says Miss (after the prillimnary flumries, in coarse), "we met afriend of yours at the embassy, Mr. Deuceace."
"My father, doubtless; he is a great friend of the ambassador, andsurprised me myself by a visit the night before last."
"What a dear delightful old man! how he loves you, Mr. Deuceace!"
"Oh, amazingly!" says master, throwing his i's to heaven.
"He spoke of nothing but you, and such praises of you!"
Master breathed more freely. "He is very good, my dear father; butblind, as all fathers are, he is so partial and attached to me."
"He spoke of you being his favorite child, and regretted that you werenot his eldest son. 'I can but leave him the small portion of a youngerbrother,' he said; 'but never mind, he has talents, a noble name, and anindependence of his own.'"
"An independence? yes, oh yes; I am quite independent of my father."
"Two thousand pounds a year left you by your godmother; the very sameyou told us you know."
"Neither more nor less," says master, bobbing his head; "a sufficiency,my dear Miss Griffin,--to a man of my moderate habits an ampleprovision."
"By-the-by," cries out Lady Griffin, interrupting the conversation, "youwho are talking about money matters there, I wish you would come to theaid of poor ME! Come, naughty boy, and help me out with this long longsum."
DIDN'T HE GO--that's all! My i, how his i's shone, as he skipt acrossthe room, and seated himself by my lady!
"Look!" said she, "my agents write me over that they have received aremittance of 7,200 rupees, at 2s. 9d. a rupee. Do tell me what the sumis, in pounds and shillings;" which master did with great gravity.
"Nine hundred and ninety pounds. Good; I daresay you are right. I'm sureI can't go through the fatigue to see. And now comes another question.Whose money is this, mine or Matilda's? You see it is the interest of asum in India, which we have not had occasion to touch; and, according tothe terms of poor Sir George's will, I really don't know how to disposeof the money except to spend it. Matilda, what shall we do with it?"
"La, ma'am, I wish you would arrange the business yourself."
"Well, then, Algernon, YOU tell me;" and she laid her hand on his andlooked him most pathetickly in the face.
"Why," says he, "I don't know how Sir George left his money; you mustlet me see his will, first."
"Oh, willingly."
Master's chair seemed suddenly to have got springs in the cushns; he wasobliged to HOLD HIMSELF DOWN.
"Look here, I have only a copy, taken by my hand from Sir George's ownmanuscript. Soldiers, you know, do not employ lawyers much, and thiswas written on the night before going into action." And she read, "'I,George Griffin,' &c. &c.--you know how these things begin--'being now ofsane mind'--um, um, um,--'leave to my friends, Thomas Abraham Hicks,a colonel in the H. E. I. Company's Service, and to John MonroMackirkincroft (of the house of Huffle, Mackirkincroft, and Dobbs, atCalcutta), the whole of my property, to be realized as speedily as theymay (consistently with the interests of the property), in trust formy wife, Leonora Emilia Griffin (born L. E. Kicksey), and my onlylegitimate child, Matilda Griffin. The interest resulting from suchproperty to be paid to them, share and share alike; the principalto remain untouched, in the names of the said T. A. Hicks and J. M.Mackirkincroft, until the death of my wife, Leonora Emilia Griffin, whenit shall be paid to my daughter, Matilda Griffin, her heirs, executors,or assigns.'"
"There," said my lady, "we won't read any more; all the rest is stuff.But now you know the whole business, tell us what is to be done with themoney?"
"Why, the money, unquestionably, should be divided between you."
"Tant mieux, say I; I really thought it had been all Matilda's."
. . . . . .
There was a paws for a minit or two after the will had been read. Masterleft the desk at which he had been seated with her ladyship, paced upand down the room for a while, and then came round to the place whereMiss Matilda was seated. At last he said, in a low, trembling voice,--
"I am almost sorry, my dear Lady Griffin, that you have read that willto me; for an attachment such as mine must seem, I fear, mercenary,when the object of it is so greatly favored by worldly fortune. MissGriffin--Matilda! I know I may say the word; your dear eyes grant me thepermission. I need not tell you, or you, dear mother-in-law, how long,how fondly, I have adored you. My tender, my beautiful Matilda, I willnot affect to say I have not read your heart ere this, and that I havenot known the preference with which you have honored me. SPEAK IT,dear girl! from your own sweet lips: in the presence of an affectionateparent, utter the sentence which is to seal my happiness for life.Matilda, dearest Matilda! say, oh say, that you love me!"
Miss M. shivered, turned pail, rowled her eyes about, and fell onmaster's neck, whispering hodibly, "I DO!"
My lady looked at the pair for a moment with her teeth grinding, her i'sglaring, her busm throbbing, and her face chock white; for all the worldlike Madam Pasty, in the oppra of "Mydear" (when she's goin to mudderher childring, you recklect); and out she flounced from the room,without a word, knocking down poar me, who happened to be very near thedor, and leaving my master along with his crook-back mistress.
I've repotted the speech he made to her pretty well. The fact is, I gotit in a ruff copy; only on the copy it's wrote, "Lady Griffin, Leonora!"instead of "Miss Griffin, Matilda," as in the abuff, and so on.
Master had hit the right nail on the head this time, he thought: but hisadventors an't over yet.