Jack Hinton Part 61

'We shall get into some precious sc.r.a.pe with all this,' said O'Grady, as, overcome with laughing, he fell back into the _caleche_.

Such was my own opinion; so telling the postillion to turn short into the next street we hurried away unperceived, and drove with all the speed we could muster for the Rue St. Honore. The Hotel de la Paix fortunately had room for us; and ordering our breakfasts we adjourned to dress, each resolving to make the most of his few hours at Paris.

I had just reached the breakfast-room, and was conning over the morning papers, when O'Grady entered in full uniform, his face radiant with pleasure, and the same easy, jaunty swagger in his walk as on the first day I met him.

'When do you expect to have your audience, Phil?' said I.

'I have had it, my boy. It's all over, finished, completed. Never was anything so successful I talked over the old Adjutant in such a strain, that, instead of dreaming about a court-martial on us, the worthy man is seriously bent on our obtaining compensation for the loss of the drag.

He looked somewhat serious as I entered; but when once I made him laugh, the game was my own. I wish you had seen him wiping his dear old eyes as I described the covey of gendarmes taking the air. However, the main point is, the regiment is to be moved up to Paris, the commissaire is to receive a reprimand, our claim for some ten thousand francs is to be considered, and I am to dine with the Adjutant to-day and tell the story after dinner.'

'Do you know, Phil, I have a theory that an Irishman never begins to prosper but just at the moment that any one else would surely be ruined.'

'Don't make a theory of it, Jack, for it may turn out unlucky. But the practice is pretty much what you represent it. Fortune never treats people so well as when they don't care a fig about her. She's exactly like a lady patroness--confoundedly impertinent if you'll bear it, but all smiles if you won't. Have you ever met Tom Burke--"Burke of Ours,"

as they call him, I believe, in half the regiments in the service?'

'No, never.'

'Well, the loss is yours. Tom's a fine fellow in his way; and if you could get him to tell you his story--or rather one of his stories, for his life is a succession of them--perhaps you would find that this same theory of yours has some foundation. Well pick him up one of these days, and I'll introduce you. But now, Jack, I have a piece of news for you.

What do you think of it, my lad?--Lady Charlotte Hinton 's at Paris.'

'My mother here? Is it possible?'

'Yes. Her ladys.h.i.+p resides No. 4 Place Vendome, opposite the Hotel de Londres. There's accuracy for you.'

'And who is with her? My father?'

'No. The General is expected in a few days. Lady Julia, I believe, is her only companion.'

There was a kind of reserve suddenly in O'Grady's manner as he mentioned this name, which made us both pause for a few seconds. At length he broke the awkwardness of the silence by saying, in his usual laughing way--

'I contrived to pick up all the gossip of Paris in half an hour.

The town is full of English--and such English too! The Cossacks are civilised people, of quiet, retiring habits, compared to them. I verily believe the French are more frightened by our conviviality than ever they were by the bayonets of the Allies. I'm dying to hear your lady-mother's account of everything here.'

'What say you, then, if you come along with me? I 'm becoming very impatient to see my people once more. Julia will, I 'm certain, be very amusing.'

'Ah, and I have a debt of grat.i.tude in that quarter,' said O'Grady hesitatingly. 'Lady Julia was so very kind as to extend her protection to that old villain Corny. I cannot for the life of me understand how she endured him.'

'As to that,' said I, 'Julia has a taste for character; and not even the Chevalier Delany's eccentricity would pain her. So let's forward.'

'Did I tell you that De Vere is here?' said O'Grady.

'No; not with my friends, I trust?'

'On the contrary, I ascertained that he does not visit at Lady Charlotte's. He is attached to Lord Cathcart's emba.s.sy; he's very little in society, and rarely to be seen but at the salon, where he plays tremendously high, loses every night, but reappears each day with a replenished pocket. But I intend to know the secret of all this, and of many other matters, ere long. So now let us proceed.'

CHAPTER LVII. PARIS IN 1814

If the strange medley of every nation and costume which we beheld on entering Paris surprised us, how much greater was our astonishment when, having finished a hurried breakfast, we issued forth into the crowded streets! Here were a.s.sembled, among the soldiers of every country, visitors from all parts of Europe, attracted by the novel spectacle thus presented to them, and eager to partic.i.p.ate in the pleasures of a capital whose rejoicings, so far from being checked by the sad reverse of fortune, were now at the highest pitch; and the city much more resembled the gay resort of an elated people than a town occupied by the troops of conquering enemies. The old soldier of the Empire alone grieved in the midst of this general joy; with the downfall of Napoleon died his every hope. The spirit of conquest, by which for so many years the army had been intoxicated, was annihilated by the one line that signed the treaty of Fontainebleau. Thus among the gay and laughing groups that hurried onward might now and then be seen some veteran of the Old Guard scowling with contemptuous look upon that fickle populace, as eager to celebrate the downfall as ever they had been to greet the glory of their nation.

Nothing more strikingly marked the incongruous host that filled the city than the different guards of honour which were mounted at the several hotels where officers and generals of distinction resided. At this time the regulation was not established which prevailed somewhat later, and gave to the different armies of the Allies the duty of mounting all the guards in rotation. Thus at one door might be seen the tall cuira.s.sier of Austria, his white cloak falling in heavy folds over the flank and haunches of his coal-black horse, looking like some Templar of old; at another the plumed bonnet of a Highlander fluttered in the breeze, as some hardy mountaineer paced to and fro, his grey eye and stern look unmoved by the eager and prying gaze of the crowd that stopped to look upon so strange and singular a costume. Here was the impatient schimmel of some Hungarian hussar pawing the ground with restless eagerness, as his gay dolman slashed with gold glittered in the sun. The Jager from Bohemia, the deadly marksman with the long rifle, the savage Tartar of the Ukraine devouring his meal on his guard, and turning his dark suspicious eye around him, lest every pa.s.ser-by might mean some treachery--all denoted that some representative of their country dwelt within; while every now and then the clank of a musket would be heard, as a heavy _porte cochere_ opened to permit the pa.s.sage of an equipage, as strange and as characteristic as the guard himself. Here would issue the heavy waggon of some German prince, with emblazoned panels and scarlet hammer-doth, the horses as fat and lethargic as the smoking and moustached figure they were drawing; there was a low drosky of a Russian, three horses abreast, their harness tinkling with bra.s.s bells as the spirited animals plunged and curvetted along. The quiet and elegant-looking phaeton of English build, with its perfection of appointment, rolled along with its deep woody sound beside the quaint, old-fas.h.i.+oned _caleche_ of Northern Germany, above whose c.u.mbrous side-panels only the heads of the pa.s.sengers were visible. Nor were the hors.e.m.e.n less dissimilar; the stately Prussian, with his heel _a plomb_ beneath his elbow; the Cossack, with short stirrups, crouched upon his horse's mane; the English horse artilleryman powdering along with ma.s.sive accoutrements and gigantic steed; the Polish light cavalry soldier, standing high in his stirrups, and turning his restless eye on every side--all were subjects for our curiosity and wonder.

The novelty of the spectacle seemed, however, to have greatly worn off for the Parisians, who rarely noticed the strange and uncouth figures that every moment pa.s.sed before their eyes, and now talked away as unconcernedly amid the scene of tumult and confusion as though nothing new or remarkable was going on about them--their very indifference and insouciance one of the strangest sights we witnessed.

Our progress, which at the first was a slow one, ceased entirely at the corner of the palace, where a considerable crowd was now collected.

Although we asked of the bystanders, no one could tell what was going forward; but the incessant roars of laughter showed that something droll or ridiculous had occurred. O'Grady, whose taste in such matters would suffer no denial, elbowed his way through the mob, I following as well as I was able. When we reached the first rank of the spectators, we certainly needed no explanation of the circ.u.mstances to make us join in the mirth about us.

It was a single combat of a very remarkable description. A tall Cossack, with a long red beard now waving wildly on every side, was endeavouring to recover his mutcka cap from a little decrepit old fellow, from whom he had stolen a basket of eggs. The eggs were all broken on the ground; and the little man danced among them like an infuriated fiend, flouris.h.i.+ng a stick all the while in the most fearful fas.h.i.+on. The Cossack, whose hand at every moment sought the naked knife that was stuck in his girdle, was obliged to relinquish his weapon by the groans of the mob, who unequivocally showed that they would not permit foul play, and being thus unarmed, could make nothing of an adversary whose contemptible appearance caused all the ridicule of the scene. Meanwhile the little fellow, his clothes in rags, and his head surmounted by a red Cossack mutcka, capered about like nothing human, uttering the most frightful sounds of rage and pa.s.sion; at length, in a paroxysm of fury, he dealt the tall Cossack a rap on the temples which made him reel again. Scarcely had the blow descended, when, stung by the insult and the jeers of the mob, the enraged savage grasped his knife; with one spring he pounced upon the little man; but as he did so a strong hand from behind seized him by the collar, and with one tremendous jerk hurled him back upon the crowd, where he fell stunned and senseless.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 3-143]

I had only time to perceive that it was O'Grady who had come to the rescue, when the little old fellow, turning fully round, looked up in his protector's face, and, without evincing any emotion of surprise or wonder or even of grat.i.tude, croaked out--

'And it's standin' looking on ye wor all the time, and I fighting my sowle out! Ugh! bad luck to service! Look at my coat and small-clothes!

Ay, you might laugh, ye grinning bastes as ye are--and a basket of fresh eggs in smithereens, and this Friday!'

The convulsions of laughter which this apparition and the speech excited prevented our hearing more. The mob, too, without understanding a word, were fully sensible of the absurdity of the scene, and a perfect chorus of laughter rang through the street.

'And my elegant beaver, see it now!' said Corny--for we hope our reader recognises him--as he endeavoured to empty the batter from his head-piece, and restore it to shape. 'Ugh! the Haythins! the Turks! see now, Master Phil, it's warning I'm giving you this minit--here, where I stand. May the divil---- Ah, if ye dare, ye eternal robber!' This elegant exordium was directed to the poor Cossack, who, having regained his feet, was skulking away from the field, throwing as he went a lingering look at his red cap, which Mr. Delany still wore as a spoil of his victory.

We now made our way through the crowd, followed by Corny, whose angry looks on every side elicited peals of laughter; and thus accompanied we approached the ma.s.sive _porte cochere_ of a large hotel in the Place Vendome, where a Swiss, in full costume of porter, informed us that Lady Charlotte Hinton resided. While I endeavoured to pa.s.s on, he interposed his burly person, informing me, in very short phrase, that her ladys.h.i.+p did not receive before four o'clock.

'Arrah, hould your prate!' cried Corny; sure it's the woman's son you're talking to. Two pair of stairs to your left hand, and the first door in the pa.s.sage. Look at the crowd there, the lazy craytures! that has nothing better to do than follow a respectable man. Be off! bad luck to yez! ye ought to be crying over the disgrace ye're in. Be the light that s.h.i.+nes! but you desarved it well.'

Leaving Corny to his oration before the mob, of which, happily for the safety of his own skin, they did not comprehend one word, I took the direction he mentioned, and soon found out the door, on which a visiting card with my mother's name was fastened.

We were now introduced into a large and splendidly furnished saloon, with all that lightness and elegance of decoration which in a foreign apartment is the compensation--a poor one sometimes--for the more comfortable look of our English houses. The room was empty, but the morning papers and all the new publications of the day were scattered about with profusion. Consigning my friend for a short time to these, I followed the _femme de chambre_, who had already brought in my card to my mother, to her ladys.h.i.+p's dressing-room. The door was opened noiselessly by the maid, who whispered my name. A gentle 'Let him come in' followed, and I entered.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 3-147]

My mother was seated before a gla.s.s, under the hands of a coiffeur, and dared not turn her head. As I approached she reached me her hand, however, which having kissed dutifully, I drew my chair, and sat down beside her. 'My dear boy!' said she, as her eyes turned towards me, and a tear fell from the lid and trickled down her cheek. In spite of the unnatural coldness of such a meeting, the words, the accents, and the look that accompanied them came home to my heart, and I was glad to hide my emotion by again pressing my lips to her hand. Having kindly informed me that the ceremony she was then submitting to was imperative, inasmuch as if she had not M. Dejoncourt then, she could not have him at all--that his time was so filled up, every moment of it, from eight in the morning till eleven at night, that the Emperor Alexander himself couldn't obtain his services, if he wished for them--she proceeded to give me some details of my father, by which I could learn that the change in his circ.u.mstances had never been made known to her, and that she had gone on since we last met in her old career of extravagance and expense, the indulgence of which, and the cares of her ever-declining health, having given her abundant occupation.

As I looked at her beautiful features and delicately fair complexion, upon which time had scarcely laid a touch, I sighed to think at what a frightful sacrifice of feeling, of duty, and of happiness, too, such loveliness had been purchased. If the fine pencilling of that brow had never known a wrinkle, the heart had never throbbed to one high or holy thought; if the smile sat easily on the lip, it was the habitual garb of fas.h.i.+onable captivation, and not the indication of one kind thought or one affectionate feeling. I felt shocked, too, that I could thus criticise my mother; but in truth for a minute or two I forgot she was such.

'And Julia,' said I, at length--'what of her?'

'Very handsome indeed--strikingly so. Beulwitz, the emperor's aide-de-camp, admires her immensely. I am sincerely glad that you are come, dear John. You know Julia's fortune has all been saved: but of that another time. The first point now is to secure you a ticket for this ball; and how to do it, I'm sure I know not.'

'My dear mother, believe me I have not the slightest desire----'

'How very unkind you are to think we could separate from you after such an absence! Besides, Julia would be seriously offended, and I think with cause. But the ticket--let's consider about that. Dejoncourt, is it true that the Princesse de Na.s.sau was refused a card for the ball?'

'Oui, miladi. The King of Prussia has sent her one of his, and is to take her; and Madame la d.u.c.h.esse de St. Bieve was so angry at being left out that she tried to get up an alarm of conspiracy in the _faubourg_, to prevent the sovereigns from going.'

'But they will go, surely--won't they?'