CHAPTER XII.
"Nath. Truly, Master Holofernes, the epithets are sweetly varied, like a scholar at the least. But, sir, I assure ye, it was a buck of the first head.
_Hol._ Sir Nathaniel, _haud credo_.
_Bull. 'Twas not a _haud credo_, 'twas a pricket."
LOVER'S LABOUR LOST.
Every appearance of the jolly negligence which had been socharacteristic of life at Wychecombe-Hall, had vanished, when the oldcoach drew up in the court, to permit the party it had brought from thestation to alight. As no one was expected but Mrs. Dutton and herdaughter, not even a footman appeared to open the door of the carriage;the vulgar-minded usually revenging their own homage to the powerful, bymanifesting as many slights as possible to the weak. Galleygo let thenew-comers out, and, consequently, he was the first person of whominquiries were made, as to the state of things in the house.
"Well," said Admiral Bluewater, looking earnestly at the steward; "howis Sir Wycherly, and what is the news?"
"Sir Wycherly is still on the doctor's list, your honour; and I expectshis case is set down as a hard 'un. We's as well as can be expected, andaltogether in good heart. Sir Jarvy turned out with the sun, thof hedidn't turn in 'till the middle-watch was half gone--or _two_ bells, asthey calls 'em aboard this house--_four_ bells, as we should say in theold Planter--and chickens, I hears, has riz, a shillin' a head, sinceour first boat landed."
"It's a melancholy business, Mrs. Dutton; I fear there can be littlehope."
"Yes, it's all _that_, Admiral Blue," continued Galleygo, following theparty into the house, no one but himself hearing a word he uttered; "and'twill be worse, afore it's any better. They tells me potaties has takena start, too; and, as all the b'ys of all the young gentlemen in thefleet is out, like so many wild locusts of Hegypt, I expects nothingbetter than as our mess will fare as bad as sogers on a retreat."
In the hall, Tom Wychecombe, and his namesake, the lieutenant, met theparty. From the formal despondency of the first, every thing theyapprehended was confirmed. The last, however, was more cheerful, and notaltogether without hope; as he did not hesitate openly to avow.
"For myself, I confess I think Sir Wycherly much better," he said;"although the opinion is not sanctioned by that of the medical men. Hisdesiring to see these ladies is favourable; and then cheering news forhim has been brought back, already, by the messenger sent, only eighthours since, for his kinsman, Sir Reginald Wychecombe. He has sensiblyrevived since that report was brought in."
"Ah! my dear namesake," rejoined Tom, shaking his head, mournfully; "youcannot know my beloved uncle's constitution and feelings as well as I!Rely on it, the medical men are right; and your hopes deceive you. Thesending for Mrs. Dutton and Miss Mildred, both of whom my honoured unclerespects and esteems, looks more like leave-taking than any thing else;and, as to Sir Reginald Wychecombe,--though a relative, beyond aquestion,--I think there has been some mistake in sending for him; sincehe is barely an acquaintance of the elder branch of the family, and heis of the half-blood."
"_Half_ what, Mr. Thomas Wychecombe?" demanded the vice-admiral sosuddenly, behind the speaker, as to cause all to start; Sir Gervaisehaving hastened to meet the ladies and his friend, as soon as he knew oftheir arrival. "I ask pardon, sir, for my abrupt inquiry; but, as _I_was the means of sending for Sir Reginald Wychecombe, I feel an interestin knowing his exact relationship to my host?"
Tom started, and even paled, at this sudden question; then the colourrushed into his temples; he became calmer, and replied:
"_Half-blood_, Sir Gervaise," he said, steadily. "This is an affinitythat puts a person altogether out of the line of succession; and, ofcourse, removes any necessity, or wish, to see Sir Reginald."
"Half-_blood_--hey! Atwood?" muttered the vice-admiral, turning awaytowards his secretary, who had followed him down stairs. "This may bethe solution, after all! Do you happen to know what half-_blood_ means?It cannot signify that Sir Reginald comes from one of those, who have nofather--all their ancestry consisting only of a mother?"
"I should think not, Sir Gervaise; in that case, Sir Reiginald wouldscarcely be considered of so honourable a lineage, as he appears to be.I have not the smallest idea, sir, what half-_blood_ means; and,perhaps, it may not be amiss to inquire of the medical gentlemen.Magrath is up stairs; possibly he can tell us."
"I rather think it has something to do with the law. If thisout-of-the-way place, now, could furnish even a lubberly attorney, wemight learn all about it. Harkee, Atwood; you must stand by to make SirWycherly's will, if he says any thing more about it--have you got theheading all written out, as I desired."
"It is quite ready, Sir Gervaise--beginning, as usual, 'In the name ofGod, Amen.' I have even ventured so far as to describe the testator'sstyle and residence, &c. &c.--'I, Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, Bart., ofWychecombe Hall, Devon, do make and declare this to be my last will andtestament, &c. &c.' Nothing is wanting but the devises, as the lawyerscall them. I can manage a will, well enough, Sir Gervaise, I believe.One of mine has been in the courts, now, these five years, and they tellme it sticks there, as well as if it had been drawn in the MiddleTemple."
"Ay, I know your skill. Still, there can be no harm in just askingMagrath; though I think it must be law, after all! Run up and ask him,Atwood, and bring me the answer in the drawing-room, where I seeBluewater has gone with his convoy; and--harkee--tell the surgeons tolet us know the instant the patient says any thing about his temporalaffairs. The twenty thousand in the funds are his, to do what he pleaseswith; let the land be tied up, as it may."
While this "aside," was going on in the hall, Bluewater and the rest ofthe party had entered a small parlour, that was in constant use, stillconversing of the state of Sir Wycherly. As all of them, but the twoyoung men, were ignorant of the nature of the message to Sir ReginaldWychecombe, and of the intelligence in connection with that gentleman,which had just been received, Mrs. Dutton ventured to ask anexplanation, which was given by Wycherly, with a readiness that proved_he_ felt no apprehensions on the subject.
"Sir Wycherly desired to see his distant relative, Sir Reginald," saidthe lieutenant; "and the messenger who was sent to request hisattendance, fortunately learned from a post-boy, that the Hertfordshirebaronet, in common with many other gentlemen, is travelling in the west,just at this moment; and that he slept last night, at a house onlytwenty miles distant. The express reached him several hours since, andan answer has been received, informing us that we may expect to see him,in an hour or two."
Thus much was related by Wycherly; but, we may add that Sir ReginaldWychecombe was a Catholic, as it was then usual to term the Romanists,and in secret, a Jacobite; and, in common with many of that religiouspersuasion, he was down in the west, to see if a rising could not beorganized in that part of the kingdom, as a diversion to any attempt torepel the young Pretender in the north. As the utmost caution was usedby the conspirators, this fact was not even suspected by any who werenot in the secret of the whole proceeding. Understanding that hisrelation was an inefficient old man, Sir Reginald, himself an active andsagacious intriguer, had approached thus near to the old paternalresidence of his family, in order to ascertain if his own name anddescent might not aid him in obtaining levies among the ancient tenantryof the estate. That day he had actually intended to appear atWychecombe, disguised, and under an assumed name. He proposed venturingon this step, because circumstances put it in his power, to give what hethought would be received as a sufficient excuse, should his conductexcite comment.
Sir Reginald Wychecombe was a singular, but by no means an unnaturalcompound of management and integrity. His position as a Papist haddisposed him to intrigue, while his position as one proscribed byreligious hostility, had disposed him to be a Papist. Thousands are mademen of activity, and even of importance, by persecution andproscription, who would pass through life quietly and unnoticed, if themeddling hand of human forethought did not force them into situationsthat awaken their hostility,
and quicken their powers. This gentlemanwas a firm believer in all the traditions of his church, though hislearning extended little beyond his missal; and he put the most implicitreliance on the absurd, because improbable, fiction of the Nag's Headconsecration, without having even deemed it necessary to look into aparticle of that testimony by which alone such a controversy could bedecided. In a word, he was an instance of what religious intolerance hasever done, and will probably for ever continue to do, with so wayward abeing as man.
Apart from this weakness, Sir Reginald Wychecombe had both a shrewd andan inquiring mind. His religion he left very much to the priests; but ofhis temporal affairs he assumed a careful and prudent supervision. Hewas much richer than the head of the family; but, while he had nomeannesses connected with money, he had no objection to be the possessorof the old family estates. Of his own relation to the head of thisfamily, he was perfectly aware, and the circumstance of the half-blood,with all its legal consequences, was no secret to him. Sir ReginaldWychecombe was not a man to be so situated, without having recourse toall proper means, in order, as it has become the fashion of the day toexpress it, "to define his position." By means of a shrewd attorney, ifnot of his own religious, at least of his own political opinions, he hadascertained the fact, and this from the mouth of Martha herself, thatBaron Wychecombe had never married; and that, consequently, Tom and hisbrothers were no more heirs at law to the Wychecombe estate, than he wasin his own person. He fully understood, too, that there _was_ no heir atlaw; and that the lands must escheat, unless the present owner made awill; and to this last act, his precise information told him that SirWycherly had an unconquerable reluctance. Under such circumstances, itis not at all surprising, that when the Hertfordshire baronet was thusunexpectedly summoned to the bed-side of his distant kinsman, heinferred that his own claims were at length to be tardily acknowledged,and that he was about to be put in possession of the estates of hislegitimate ancestors. It is still less wonderful, that, believing this,he promptly promised to lose no time in obeying the summons, determiningmomentarily to forget his political, in order to look a little after hispersonal interests.
The reader will understand, of course, that all these details wereunknown to the inmates of the Hall, beyond the fact of the expectedarrival of Sir Reginald Wychecombe, and that of the circumstance of thehalf-blood; which, in its true bearing, was known alone to Tom. Theirthoughts were directed towards the situation of their host, and littlewas said, or done, that had not his immediate condition for the object.It being understood, however, that the surgeons kept the sick chamberclosed against all visiters, a silent and melancholy breakfast was takenby the whole party, in waiting for the moment when they might beadmitted. When this cheerless meal was ended, Sir Gervaise desiredBluewater to follow him to his room, whither he led the way in person.
"It is possible, certainly, that Vervillin is out," commenced thevice-admiral, when they were alone; "but we shall know more about it,when the cutter gets in, and reports. You saw nothing but her number, Ithink you told me?"
"She was at work with private signals, when I left the head-land; ofcourse I was unable to read them without the book."
"That Vervillin is a good fellow," returned Sir Gervaise, rubbing hishands; a way he had when much pleased; "and has stuff in him. He hasthirteen two-decked ships, Dick, and that will be one apiece for ourcaptains, and a spare one for each of our flags. I believe there is nothree-decker in that squadron?"
"There you've made a small mistake, Sir Gervaise, as the Comte deVervillin had his flag in the largest three-decker of France; _leBourbon_ 120. The rest of his ships are like our own, though much fullermanned."
"Never mind, Blue--never mind:--we'll put two on the Bourbon, and try tomake our frigates of use. Besides, you have a knack at keeping the fleetso compact, that it is nearly a single battery."
"May I venture to ask, then, if it's your intention to go out, shouldthe news by the Active prove to be what you anticipate?"
Sir Gervaise cast a quick, distrustful glance at the other, anxious toread the motive for the question, at the same time that he did not wishto betray his own feelings; then he appeared to meditate on the answer.
"It is not quite agreeable to lie here, chafing our cables, with aFrench squadron roving the channel," he said; "but I rather think it'smy duty to wait for orders from the Admiralty, under presentcircumstances."
"Do you expect my lords will send you through the Straits of Dover, toblockade the Frith?"
"If they do, Bluewater, I shall hope for your company. I trust, anight's rest has given you different views of what ought to be aseaman's duty, when his country is at open war with her ancient and mostpowerful enemies."
"It is the prerogative of the _crown_ to declare war, Oakes. No one buta _lawful_ sovereign can make a _lawful_ war."
"Ay, here come your cursed distinctions about _de jure_ and _de facto_,again. By the way, Dick, you are something of a scholar--can you tell mewhat is understood by calling a man a _nullus_?"
Admiral Bluewater, who had taken his usual lolling attitude in the mostcomfortable chair he could find, while his more mercurial friend keptpacing the room, now raised his head in surprise, following the quickmotions of the other, with his eyes, as if he doubted whether he hadrightly heard the question.
"It's plain English, is it not?--or plain _Latin_, if you will--what ismeant by calling a man a _nullus_?" repeated Sir Gervaise, observing theother's manner.
"The Latin is _plain_ enough, certainly," returned Bluewater, smiling;"you surely do not mean _nullus, nulla, nullum_?"
"Exactly that--you've hit it to a gender.--_Nullus_, nulla, nullum_.No _man_, no _woman_, no _thing_. Masculine, feminine, neuter."
"I never heard the saying. If ever used, it must be some silly play onsounds, and mean a numskull--or, perhaps, a fling at a fellow'sposition, by saying he is a 'nobody.' Who the deuce has been callinganother a _nullus_, in the presence of the commander-in-chief of thesouthern squadron?"
"Sir Wycherly Wychecombe--our unfortunate host, here: the poor man whois on his death-bed, on this very floor."
Again Bluewater raised his head, and once more his eye sought the faceof his friend. Sir Gervaise had now stopped short, with his handscrossed behind his back, looking intently at the other, in expectationof the answer.
"I thought it might be some difficulty from the fleet--some silly fellowcomplaining of another still more silly for using such a word. SirWycherly!--the poor man's mind must have failed him."
"I rather think not; if it has, there is 'method in his madness,' for hepersevered most surprisingly, in the use of the term. His nephew, TomWychecombe, the presumptive heir, he insists on it, is a _nullus_; whilethis Sir Reginald, who is expected to arrive every instant, he says isonly _half_--or half-_blood_, as it has since been explained to us."
"I am afraid this nephew will prove to be any thing but _nullus_, whenhe succeeds to the estate and title," answered Bluewater, gravely. "Amore sinister-looking scoundrel, I never laid eyes on."
"That is just my way of thinking; and not in the least like the family."
"This matter of likenesses is not easily explained, Oakes. We seeparents and children without any visible resemblance to each other; andthen we find startling likenesses between utter strangers."
"_Bachelor's children_ may be in that predicament, certainly; but Ishould think few others. I never yet studied a child, that I did notfind some resemblance to both parents; covert and only transitory,perhaps; but a likeness so distinct as to establish the relationship.What an accursed chance it is, that our noble young lieutenant shouldhave no claim on this old baronet; while this d----d _nullus_ is bothheir at law, and heir of entail! I never took half as much interest inany other man's estate, as I take in the succession to this of our poorhost!"
"There you are mistaken, Oakes; you took more in _mine_; for, when Imade a will in your own favour, and gave it to you to read, you tore itin two, and threw it overboard, with your own hand."
&
nbsp; "Ay, that was an act of lawful authority. As your superior, Icountermanded that will! I hope you've made another, and given yourmoney, as I told you, to your cousin, the Viscount."
"I did, but _that_ will has shared the fate of the first. It appearingto me, that we are touching on serious times, and Bluewater being richalready, I destroyed the devise in his favour, and made a new one, thisvery morning. As you are my executor, as usual, it may be well to letyou know it."
"Dick, you have not been mad enough to cut off the head of your ownfamily--your own flesh and blood, as it might be--to leave the fewthousands you own, to this mad adventurer in Scotland!"
Bluewater smiled at this evidence of the familiarity of his friend withhis own way of thinking and feeling; and, for a single instant, heregretted that he had not put his first intention in force, in orderthat the conformity of views might have been still more perfect; but,putting a hand in his pocket he drew out the document itself, andleaning forward, gave it carelessly to Sir Gervaise.
"There is the will; and by looking it over, you will know what I'vedone," he said. "I wish you would keep it; for, if 'misery makes usacquainted with strange bed-fellows,' revolutions reduce us, often, tostrange plights, and the paper will be safer with you than with me. Ofcourse, you will keep my secret, until the proper time to reveal itshall arrive."
The vice-admiral, who knew that he had no direct interest in hisfriend's disposition of his property, took the will, with a good deal ofcuriosity to ascertain its provisions. So short a testament was soonread; and his eye rested intently on the paper until it had taken in thelast word. Then his hand dropped, and he regarded Bluewater with asurprise he neither affected, nor wished to conceal. He did not doubthis friend's sanity, but he greatly questioned his discretion.
"This is a very simple, but a very ingenious arrangement, to disturb theorder of society," he said; "and to convert a very modest andunpretending, though lovely girl, into a forward and airs-taking oldwoman! What is this Mildred Dutton to you, that you should bequeath toher L30,000?"
"She is one of the meekest, most ingenuous, purest, and loveliest, ofher meek, ingenuous, pure, and lovely sex, crushed to the earth by thecurse of a brutal, drunken father; and, I am resolute to see that thisworld, for once, afford some compensation for its own miseries."
"Never doubt that, Richard Bluewater; never doubt _that_. So certain isvice, or crime, to bring its own punishment in this life, that one maywell question if any other hell is needed. And, depend on it, your meek,modest ingenuousness, in its turn, will not go unrewarded."
"Quite true, so far as the spirit is concerned; but, I mean to provide alittle for the comfort of the body. You remember Agnes Hedworth, I takeit for granted?"
"Remember her!--out of all question. Had the war left me leisure formaking love, she was the only woman I ever knew, who could have broughtme to her feet--I mean as a dog, Dick."
"Do you see any resemblance between her and this Mildred Dutton? It isin the expression rather than in the features--but, it is the expressionwhich alone denotes the character."
"By George, you're right, Bluewater; and this relieves me from someembarrassment I've felt about that very expression of which you speak.She _is_ like poor Agnes, who became a saint earlier than any of uscould have wished. Living or dead, Agnes Hedworth must be an angel! Youwere fonder of her, than of any other woman, I believe. At one time, Ithought you might propose for her hand."
"It was not that sort of affection, and you could not have known herprivate history, or you would not have fancied this. I was so situatedin the way of relatives, that Agnes, though only the child of acousin-german, was the nearest youthful female relative I had on earth;and I regarded her more as a sister, than as a creature who could everbecome my wife. She was sixteen years my junior; and by the time she hadbecome old enough to marry, I was accustomed to think of her only as onedestined for another station. The same feeling existed as to her sister,the Duchess, though in a greatly lessened degree."
"Poor, sweet Agnes!--and it is on account of this accidentalresemblance, that you have determined to make the daughter of a drunkensailing-master your heiress?"
"Not altogether so; the will was drawn before I was conscious that thelikeness existed. Still, it has probably, unknown to myself, greatlydisposed me to view her with favour. But, Gervaise, Agnes herself wasnot fairer in person, or more lovely in mind, than this very MildredDutton."
"Well, you have not been accustomed to regard _her_ as a sister; and_she_ has become marriageable, without there having been any opportunityfor your regarding her as so peculiarly sacred, Dick!" returned SirGervaise, half suppressing a smile as he threw a quiet glance at hisfriend.
"You know this to be idle, Oakes. Some one must inherit my money; mybrother is long since dead; even poor, poor Agnes is gone; her sisterdon't need it; Bluewater is an over-rich bachelor, already; _you_ won'ttake it, and what better can I do with it? If you could have seen thecruel manner in which the spirits of both mother and daughter werecrushed to the earth last night, by that beast of a husband and father,you would have felt a desire to relieve their misery, even though it hadcost you Bowldero, and half your money in the funds."
"Umph! Bowldero has been in my family five centuries, and is likely toremain there, Master Bluewater, five more; unless, indeed, your dashingPretender should succeed, and take it away by confiscation."
"There, again, was another inducement. Should I leave my cash to a richperson, and should chance put me on the wrong side in this struggle, theking, _de facto_, would get it all; whereas, even a German would nothave the heart to rob a poor creature like Mildred of her support."
"The _Scotch_ are notorious for bowels, in such matters! Well, have ityour own way, Dick. It's of no great moment what you do with yourprize-money; though I had supposed it would fall into the hands of thisboy, Geoffrey Cleveland, who is no discredit to your blood."
"He will have a hundred thousand pounds, at five-and-twenty, that wereleft him by old Lady Greenfield, his great-aunt, and that is more thanhe will know what to do with. But, enough of this. Have you receivedfurther tidings from the north, during the night?"
"Not a syllable. This is a retired part of the country, and halfScotland might be capsized in one of its loughs, and we not know of it,for a week, down here in Devonshire. Should I get no intelligence ororders, in the next thirty-six hours, I think of posting up to London,leaving you in command of the fleet."
"That may not be wise. You would scarcely confide so important a trust,in such a crisis, to a man of my political feelings--I will not say_opinions_; since you attribute all to sentiment."
"I would confide my life and honour to you, Richard Bluewater, with theutmost confidence in the security of both, so long as it depended onyour own acts or inclinations. We must first see, however, what news theActive brings us; for, if de Vervillin is really out, I shall assumethat the duty of an English sailor is to beat a Frenchman, before allother considerations."
"If he _can_," drily observed the other, raising his right leg so highas to place the foot on the top of an old-fashioned chair; an effortthat nearly brought his back in a horizontal line.
"I am far from regarding it as a matter of course, Admiral Bluewater;but, it _has_ been done sufficiently often, to render it an event of novery violent _possibility_. Ah, here is Magrath to tell us the conditionof his patient."
The surgeon of the Plantagenet entering the room, at that moment, theconversation was instantly changed.
"Well, Magrath," said Sir Gervaise, stopping suddenly in hisquarter-deck pace; "what news of the poor man?"
"He is reviving, Admiral Oakes," returned the phlegmatic surgeon; "butit is like the gleaming of sunshine that streams through clouds, as thegreat luminary sets behind the hills--"
"Oh! hang your poetry, doctor; let us have nothing but plainmatter-of-fact, this morning."
"Well, then, Sir Gervaise, as commander-in-chief, you'll be obeyed, Ithink. Sir Wycherly Wychecombe is suffering under an atta
ck ofapoplexy--or [Greek: apoplexis], as the Greeks had it. The diagnosis ofthe disease is not easily mistaken, though it has its affinities as wellas other maladies. The applications for gout, or _arthritis_--sometimesproduce apoplexy; though one disease is seated in the head, while theother usually takes refuge in the feet. Ye'll understand this the morereadily, gentlemen, when ye reflect that as a thief is chased from onehiding-place, he commonly endeavours to get into another. I much misgivethe prudence of the phlebotomy ye practised among ye, on the firstsummons to the patient."
"What the d---l does the man mean by phlebotomy?" exclaimed SirGervaise, who had an aversion to medicine, and knew scarcely any of thecommonest terms of practice, though expert in bleeding.
"I'm thinking it's what you and Admiral Bluewater so freely administerto His Majesty's enemies, whenever ye fall in with 'em atsea;--he-he-he--" answered Magrath, chuckling at his own humour; which,as the quantity was small, was all the better in quality.
"Surely he does not mean powder and shot! We give the French shot; SirWycherly has not been shot?"
"Varra true, Sir Gervaise, but ye've let him blood, amang ye: a measurethat has been somewhat precipitately practised, I've my misgivings!"
"Now, any old woman can tell us better than that, doctor. Blood-lettingis the every-day remedy for attacks of this sort."
"I do not dispute the dogmas of elderly persons of the other sex, SirGervaise, or your _every-day remedia_. If 'every-day' doctors would savelife and alleviate pain, diplomas would be unnecessary; and we might,all of us, practise on the principle of the 'de'el tak' the hindmaist,'as ye did yoursel', Sir Gervaise, when ye cut and slash'd amang theDons, in boarding El Lirio. I was there, ye'll both remember, gentlemen;and was obleeged to sew up the gashes ye made with your own irreverentand ungodly hands."
This speech referred to one of the most desperate, hand-to-handstruggles, in which the two flag-officers had ever been engaged; and, asit afforded them the means of exhibiting their personal gallantry, whenquite young men, both usually looked back upon the exploit with greatself-complacency; Sir Gervaise, in particular, his friend having oftendeclared since, that they ought to have been laid on the shelf for life,as a punishment for risking their men in so mad an enterprise, though itdid prove to be brilliantly successful.
"That was an affair in which one might engage at twenty-two, Magrath,"observed Bluewater; "but which he ought to hesitate about thinking ofeven, after thirty."
"I'd do it again, this blessed day, if you would give us a chance!"exclaimed Sir Gervaise, striking the back of one hand into the palm ofthe other, with a sudden energy, that showed how much he was excited bythe mere recollection of the scene.
"That w'ud ye!--that w'ud ye!" said Magrath, growing more and moreScotch, as he warmed in the discourse; "ye'd board a mackerel-hoy,rather than not have an engagement. Ye'r a varra capital vice-admiral ofthe red, Sir Gervaise, but I'm judging ye'd mak' a varra indeeferentloblolly-boy."
"Bluewater, I shall be compelled to change ships with you, in order toget rid of the old stand-by's of the Plantagenets! They stick to me likeleeches; and have got to be so familiar, that they criticise all myorders, and don't more than half obey them, in the bargain."
"No one will criticise your nautical commands, Sir Gervaise; though, inthe way of the healing airt,--science, it should be called--ye're nomair to be trusted, than one of the young gentlemen. I'm told ye drewye'r lancet on this poor gentleman, as ye'd draw ye'r sword on anenemy!"
"I did, indeed, sir; though Mr. Rotherham had rendered the applicationof the instrument unnecessary. Apoplexy is a rushing of the blood to thehead; and by diminishing the quantity in the veins of the arms ortemples, you lessen the pressure on the brain."
"Just layman's practice, sir--just layman's practice. Will ye tell menow if the patient's face was red or white? Every thing depends on_that_; which is the true diagnosis of the malady."
"Red, I think; was it not, Bluewater? Red, like old port, of which Ifancy the poor man had more than his share."
"Weel, in that case, you were not so varra wrong; but, they tell me hiscountenance was pallid and death-like; in which case ye came near tocommitting murder. There is one principle that controls the diagnosis ofall cases of apoplexy among ye'r true country gentlemen--and that is,that the system is reduced and enfeebled, by habitual devotion to thedecanter. In such attacks ye canna' do warse, than to let blood. But,I'll no be hard upon you, Sir Gervaise; and so we'll drop thesubject--though, truth to say, I do not admire your poaching on mymanor. Sir Wycherly is materially better, and expresses, as well as aman who has not the use of his tongue, _can_ express a thing, hisbesetting desire to make his last will and testament. In ordinary casesof _apoplexia_, it is good practice to oppose this craving; though, asit is my firm opinion that nothing can save the patient's life, I do notset myself against the measure, in this particular case. Thar' was acurious discussion at Edinbro', in my youth, gentlemen, on the questionwhether the considerations connected with the disposition of theproperty, or the considerations connected with the patient's health,ought to preponderate in the physician's mind, when it might bereasonably doubted whether the act of making a will, would or would notessentially affect the nervous system, and otherwise derange thefunctions of the body. A very pretty argument, in excellent Edinbro'Latin, was made on each side of the question. I think, on the whole, thephysicos had the best o' it; for they could show a plausible presentevil, as opposed to a possible remote good."
"Has Sir Wycherly mentioned my name this morning?" asked thevice-admiral, with interest.
"He has, indeed, Sir Gervaise; and that in a way so manifestly connectedwith his will, that I'm opining ye'll no be forgotten in the legacies.The name of Bluewater was in his mouth, also."
"In which case no time should be lost; for, never before have I felthalf the interest in the disposition of a stranger's estate. Hark! Arenot those wheels rattling in the court-yard?"
"Ye'r senses are most pairfect, Sir Gervaise, and that I've always saidwas one reason why ye'r so great an admiral," returned Magrath. "Mind,only _one_, Sir Gervaise; for many qualities united, are necessary tomake a truly great man. I see a middle-aged gentleman alighting, andservants around him, who wear the same liveries as those of this house.Some relative, no doubt, come to look after the legacies, also."
"This must be Sir Reginald Wychecombe; it may not be amiss if we goforward to receive him, Bluewater."
At this suggestion, the rear-admiral drew in his legs, which had notchanged their position on account of the presence of the surgeon, arose,and followed Sir Gervaise, as the latter left the room.