Roger Ingleton, Minor Part 26

"Down twice," said the tutor, helping himself to sugar.

"Oh, what a lark!" exclaimed Tom. "Oh, I wish I'd been up too. Was it a good mill, I say? How many rounds? Six? Why ever didn't you come and tell me, Jill?"

"Be quiet, Tom," said Jill.

"Did you get him clean on the jaw, I say?" persisted Tom, "like the one--"

"Hold your tongue, sir," said his father peremptorily. "Mr Armstrong, I must ask you to explain this matter later; this is not the place for such talk."

"Quite so. I regret the matter was referred to. Tom, be good enough to pa.s.s Miss Oliphant the toast."

Tom could scarcely be induced to take the hint, and talked at large on the science of boxing during the remainder of the meal with an access of high spirits which, on any other occasion, would have been amusing.

Mr Ratman, later in the day, appeared with a decidedly marred visage, and announced with the best grace he could that an important business letter that morning necessitated his return to London.

In private he explained himself more fully to his host.

"If this is what you call making me comfortable," growled he, with an unusual number of oaths interspersed in his sentence, "you've a pretty notion of your own interests."

"My dear fellow, how could I help it?"

"You can help it now, and you'll have to. I may be only a creditor, but I'll let you see I am not going to be treated in this house like a dog, for all that."

"The awkward thing is that if you had behaved--"

"Shut up about how I behaved," snarled the other. "You'll have to clear that cad out of the way here. I'll not come back till you do; and till I do come back you're sitting on a volcano."

"My dear fellow, you will spoil everything if you take such an absurd view of the matter--really you will. Of course I'll put you right. You are my guest. But remember my difficult position here."

"It will be a precious deal more difficult for you soon. I can promise you," said Mr Ratman, lifting his hand to his swollen eye with an oath.

"Now then, I'll give you a month. If you're not rid of this fellow by then, and aren't a good deal nearer than you are now to squaring up with me, you'll be sorry you ever heard my name."

"I'm that already," said the captain. "I can promise nothing; but I'll do what I can."

"You'll have to do more, if you're to get rid of me. How about money?"

This abrupt question fairly staggered the captain, who broke out--

"Money! Didn't you drain me of every penny I had in London?"

The fellow laughed coa.r.s.ely.

"What did you drain the regimental mess of, I should like to know? You needn't think you're out of that wood. Now, I shall want 200 for my month in town. I mean to enjoy myself."

The captain laughed dismally. "Where are you going to get it from?"

"You. Look sharp!"

"I tell you, Ratman, I haven't any money. You can't get blood out of a stone."

"Then you must give me a bill--at a month."

"No, no! I won't begin that," said the captain, who had fibre enough left in him to know that a bill was the first plunge into an unknown region of financial difficulty. "If you're bent on ruining me in any case, for heaven's sake do it at once and have done with it. Remember, you bring down more than me. Whatever I may be, they don't deserve it."

"For their sake, then, give me the bill. Bless you, any one can put his hand to paper. Consider yourself lucky I don't insist on taking it out in hard cash."

It was no use arguing or protesting with a man like this. The captain flung himself miserably into a chair and scrawled out the ill-omened doc.u.ment.

Ratman s.n.a.t.c.hed it up with a grunt of triumph.

"That's more like," said he. "What's the use of all that fuss? Plenty of things can happen in a month. Order the dogcart in half an hour."

The abrupt departure of Captain Oliphant's guest might have excited more remark than it did, had not another departure from Maxfield that same day thrown it somewhat into the shade.

True to her promise, or rather threat, Miss Rosalind had packed up her things and had them transported to the Vicarage.

It was not without a pang that she uprooted herself from her surroundings in Maxfield, or bore the protests of Roger, the tears of Jill, and the chaff of Tom for her desertion.

"It's not that you're not all awfully kind," said she to the first that afternoon, when the party was a.s.sembled in his room. "You are too kind--that's why I'm going."

"If a little of the opposite treatment would induce you to stay," said Roger, "I'd gladly try it. Don't you think it's a little unkind of her to go when we all want her to stay--eh, Armstrong?"

"That depends," said Mr Armstrong diplomatically. "I should be inclined to say no, myself."

"Thank you, Mr Armstrong, I'm glad I've got one person to back me up.

Every one else is down on me--auntie, father, Roger, Jill, Tom--"

"I'm not down on you," put in Tom. "I think it's rather larks your going to the Vicarage. No more of that beastly art cla.s.s for us. But if you want to know who's down on you, it's jolly old Ratman. I've just been to see him off in the tantrums to London. I asked him to be sure and be back for Roger's birthday, and he said he'd try, if his black eye was well enough. That must have been a ripping clean shot of yours, Armstrong. He'll get over it all right, you bet. He was grinning about it already, and said he'd have a return some day. I asked him if he didn't think Rosalind was a stunner (one's got to be civil to fellows, you know), and he said 'Rather,' and envied the kids at the Vicarage. I don't. You always make yourself jolly civil to other people, but I don't come in for much of it, nor does Jill."

"I can't bear your going away," said Jill, with tears in her eyes; "I'll be so lonely. But it would be far worse if Mr Armstrong were to go away too. You'll stay, won't you, dear Mr Armstrong?"

Dear Mr Armstrong jerked his eye-gla.s.s by way of a.s.sent, and said he was sure everybody would miss Miss Oliphant and-- and he would say good- bye now, as he had some letters to get off by the post.

Miss Rosalind, who had just been thinking a little kindly of the tutor, stiffened somewhat at this abrupt exit, and thought Mr Armstrong might at least have offered to escort her over to her new quarters.

To tell the truth, that poor gentleman would have given a finger off his hand for the chance, and retired to his room very dejected about the whole business--so dejected that he fidgeted about his room a good while before he noticed a note addressed to himself, in Captain Oliphant's hand, lying on the table. He opened it and read--

"Mr Frank Armstrong is informed that his services as tutor to Roger Ingleton will not be required after this day month, the 25th _prox_.

Mr Armstrong is at liberty to remain at Maxfield until that date, or may leave at once on accepting a month's wages in lieu of notice.--For the Executors of Roger Ingleton,--

"Edward Oliphant."

The tutor's lips curled into a grim smile as he perused this pleasing doc.u.ment, and then tossed it into the waste-paper basket. He relieved his feelings with a few chords on the piano, and then, after a few more uneasy turns in his room, went off to call on his co-trustee.

On his way down-stairs he met Rosalind and her escort about to take their departure.

"Come along with us, do!" said Tom. "We're just going to trot Rosalind over to her diggings, and then we can have a high old lark in the paddock on our way back."