"I'll read it aloud to you—may I?" asked Roy again, when Captain Ivor had made his appearance, refreshed and smartened as to the outer man, and had been made to sit down to a hastily prepared meal, to which he failed to do justice. "And," Roy added, recalling Lucille's words, "you can get on the sofa, and have a rest."
Ivor declined to pose as an invalid, and submitted only to being installed in the Colonel's large arm-chair, while Roy plunged into Mrs. Fairbank's epistle, wading through it on the whole successfully, though not without an occasional suggestion of skipping.
"It's written, 'Bath, August 4th, 1806,'—ever so long ago," he remarked as a preliminary. "But she didn't get it all done in one day—not near. I can leave out the other dates. They don't matter."
"'MY DEAR SIR,—Though 'tis somewhat hopeless work writing under the present aspect of affairs, I will send another letter, wishing that it may by some means reach you in safety. We still look out perpetually, with Constant Anxiety, for any sort of news of yourselves, which indeed but seldom arrives. These passing years are truly melancholy to think upon. Molly is now fifteen, and has not seen Roy for a space of three years and more. Who could have thought—'"
"O I say, can't I skip this? She does go on so. Well, I won't, if you'd rather not; but it's no good, you know."
"'Who could have thought it, my dear Sir, when you and your wife unhappily decided to make that doleful excursion to France, intending to stay but one fortnight, which resulted in this Continued separation? Alas, how little man knows ever what lies Before him in the Future!'"
"But what's the good of her saying all that?"
"'The late tremendous storms about Lonⁿ have caused much Alarm, but these terrors seem to be now somewhat Abating. I have been to the Pump Room and to the Circulating Library, and find people are not much elevated at the prospect of Mr. Fox concluding a Peace in the present dolorous situation, it being confidently said he cannot live a fortnight, and that he knows his situation."
"'Mackbeth said Lady Mackbeth
Should have died yesterday.'"
"'I presume that you with ourselves greatly lamented the death of Mr. Pitt last spring; a sad event at so critical a period.'"
"But I don't see what she means about Macbeth, do you, Den? It's so funny. Do you know, we got the 'Times' with all about the 'obsequies' of Mr. Fox, and a picture of the hearse; and I kept it. I can show it to you by and by."
"'A laughable jest was not long since in circulation here, that Bonaparte intended to compel the Pope to marry his Mother. There are a society of monied people in Bath, buying all the Houses they can meet with, on Speculation, which raises them and also Lodgings, which, with the taxes, are high beyond any former period, and in the end will be a disadvantage to Bath; for the Keepers of Lodging Houses, if they can't raise the price of rooms, oblige the strangers to take or at least pay for more than they want. The times do indeed afford a Melancholy Prospect. And still Bonaparte exists!'"
"'If you have not, do read the Secret History of the Cabinet of St. Cloud. I have had quite a levée this Morning. Two ladies quite in a pet that they cannot get Genteel Lodgings for themselves and Maids under 80 or 90 pounds a year. Bath fills with company. It is rumoured that the Country Bankers are expected to have a run upon them for a little time; on what account I don't clearly understand; therefore shall endeavour to get as many of their five-pound notes changed as I can at the shops, by buying store of Candles, Sugar, etc., for they, the Bankers, will not part with any cash.'"