A Charming Fellow, Volume II (of 3)

lfinane. She was seated at the piano in Lady Seely's drawing-room, and Alger

highness has no objecti

no use my object

er. But it woul

l go then, whether

ravel about Europe in your comp

ly. But she met no answering look from Algernon. He had just come upon a song that h

ish you would play through this acco

e to call her by her Christian-name. And, moreover, he addressed her in a l

do you want to sing this dull thing? I think Glück i

at is my styl

vely things a

pleasant to hear our own secret convictions uttered by other people; and he did not

me to try this thing of Glück's at

ve known it was her suggestion! She is so full of nonsense about her classical composers. I

now, having spoken your mind on the subjec

and good humour seemed to irritate her. "I'm sick of Lady Harriet!" she said, querulously, and with a shrug of the shoulders. The action and the words were

d smiling with closed lips. He rarely showed his teeth when he smiled, which circumstance gave his mouth an ex

y," returned my lady. "But Castalia was scoldin

ossed her head, and began to run her

shall make a mess of this aria-which Lady Harriet Dormer has asked me to sing

are a straw about some people's failures, would you, Castalia? Would you min

ck Price makes an awful mess of mos

don't matter. But in the case of our Ad

d Castalia, a little less crossly. And there

it? You see, Ancram, it's all for your g

ft the room, saying that s

Lady Harriet than on me," said

ous when she cares about people. Now you show a decided liking for Lady Harriet's society, and you crack up her grace

lady, and he flattered himself that he was becoming a favourite with her. So he spoke with a little h

her head back, and looked at Algern

ia," she said; "more than it would have mattered to me when I was

, having first bidden Algernon to

was dum

uch pretension. It was ridiculous; and it involved, almost of necessity, some affectation. And Algernon never was affected. He accepted Castalia's marked preference as the most natural thing in the world. He had been used to be petted and preferred all his life. But it truly had not entered into his head that the preference meant anything more than that Castalia found him amusing, and clever, and good-looking, and that she liked to keep so attractive a personage to hers

s in his mind, this way and that, and tried to look at them from all points of view, and-as words will do when too curiously

ot to annoy Miss Kilfinane; not to excite

of Castalia," he said to himself. "Besides, I never knew her particularly

mmer time. The window was wide open, and the Honourable John Patrick was lounging in a chair near it, with a newspaper spread out on his knees, and his eyes fixed on a water-cart that was be-sprinkling the dusty street outside. He looked very idle, and a little melancholy, as he sat there by himself, and he welcomed Algernon with

hyn-Stubbs?" asked Jack Price of Algernon, as they str

ther a long time," sai

dn't neglect people, you know. And our dear

have neglected her-particularly. What mo

ng to Lady Seely's because you happened

ly is my

cut Lady Harriet Dorme

ce, you mustn't suppose that I

of giving you a bit of advice. Never offend people, who mean to be civil, merely because

ought, badly fitted with his part. He was tempted to retort on

tubbs been complai

has-in an indirect kind

o-day is Thursday, isn't it? She has

en I was your age. It's too late for me to do any good now, you know, what? And, in fact," (with a solemn lowering of his musical Irish voice) "I split myself on the very rock I'm now warning you off. I never was polite.

cool reception when he did grace her house with his presence. She said to several of her guests, one after the other: "We have young Ancram Errington here to-night. He's so glad to come to us, poor fellow, for my people's place is his second home, down in the West of England. And, then, the Seelys think it nice of us to take notice of him, don't you know? He is a relation of

ct of his engagement to Castalia, and startled him considerably by sayin

to congratulate y

should like to know-if it be not indiscreet-on what special subject? I am, indeed, to be cong

ng long-drawn note. Altogether, it might have been suspected by some persons that Mr. Ancram Errington was laughing at his hostess, when he spoke of his position at that time as being one which called for congratulation. But Mrs. Machyn-Stubbs was the sort of woman who completely baffled irony by a serene incapability of perceiving it. And she would sooner suspect you of maligning her, hating her, or insulting her, than of

y obliged to you; but, upon my word, I don'

achyn-Stubbs proceeded to say a great deal more, and ended by plainly giving Algernon to understand that the rumou

you hear? There's Mr. Price looking for me. I promised to walk home with him, it is such a lovely night. Thank y

mself in his answer to Mrs. Machyn-Stubbs. He had replied to her in such a manner as to leave the truth or falsehood of the report she had mentioned an open question. He felt the consciousness of this to be a satisfaction. Some persons might say, "Well, but since the report was false, why not say so?" But Algernon always, and, as it were, instinctively,

mistake and to greet enthusiastically some total stranger whom he had never seen in his life before, he never acknowledged it, but persisted in declaring that he remembered the individual in question perfectly, although "the na

"Don't you know Deepville? Ah, then you should! You should really. The most delightful, lovable, charming fellow! He'd be enchanted to mak

for the ready ecstasies of all his acquaintances with regard to each other, and me

lia?" asked Jack, when th

quite well. I saw

chyn-Stubbs's recent revelations. But the next minute Jack added, very unexpectedly, "I had some idea, at one time, that D

elp smiling at this

. Price," he said. And he said it with a little air of apology

ere's a great deal of good about her, and she's well educated and clever in her way-not showy, you know,

ughing outright, "if you have

le soup?on. Oh, upon my word, I think Miss Kilfinane a thorough

at quarter yourself, Mr. Price!" said Algernon, looking at hi

here never was the least probability that Miss Kilfinane would have had me-none in th

had a conviction that Jack Price would not, under any circum

assumed that morning, giving Algernon much sound advice of a worldly nature, and holding up his own case as a warning to all young men who liked to "bolt to the left when they were told to go

"I wish ye may never know what i

he most popular man i

when I'm dead; but I'd like 'em to care for me a little while I'm living. If I'd been my own elder brother, now; or if I'd taken advantage of my opportunities, and made a good fortune, as I might

sh things, an imprudent marriage neve

t punch brought out Jack's musical brogue with unusual emphasis. "Only, there I could

ked after you o

. Oh, I could tell you a love-sto

I would n

ature!-Snowdrop I used to call her. And as for goodness, she was steeped in it. You felt goodness in the air wherever she was, just as you sme

d your people interfere

she told me, in the pretty silver voice of hers, like a robin on a bough, that I had better forget her, and marry a lady in my own station, and live happy ever after. 'Mary,' said I, 'if I don't marry you I'll marry no woman, gentle or simple.' She didn't believe me. And I don't know that I quite believed myself. But so it turned out, you see, what? And so I was saved from a mésalliance, and from having, maybe, to bring up a numerous family on nothing a year; and the blood of the Prices of Mullingar is in a fine state of preservation, and Mary never became the Honourable Mrs. Jack Price. Honourable-bedad it's the Honourable Jack Price she'd have made of me if she'd

ck Price's sermon