CHAPTER III.
A. Z.
As Hamilton was on his way to his room to procure his credentials, viz., A. Z.’s letter, he chanced to meet one of the chambermaids, who offered to conduct him to Baron Z—’s apartment. To prevent the necessity of an explanation, he sent her before with one of his cards, and she returned almost immediately, saying that Baron Z— would be very happy to see him, and begged he would come to him as soon as possible. Hamilton immediately obeyed the summons, and found himself in presence of the traveller with the long rifle. In the middle of a large room was a round table completely covered with shooting implements, beside which stood Baron Z—, examining the identical rifle which he had pointed upwards the evening before. He advanced towards Hamilton with great cordiality, extended his hand, and exclaimed in English:
“Mr. Hamilton, I am very glad to see you; my wife and I have been anxiously awaiting your arrival; for we are obliged to leave Seon after dinner to-day, to go to Berchtesgaden. Now all is quite easy to arrange—you go with us—you admire the beautiful mountains—you see the salt mines, and then we arrange an Alp-party or a chamois-hunt together. Are you a good shot?”
“No, I regret to say I am not,” answered Hamilton, not a little embarrassed, for his deficiency in this respect had furnished his brother John, greatly his inferior in other respects, with unceasing subject for ridicule; and he half-expected some scoffing remark in answer.
“You like to fish, or hunt on horseback, better than chamois-hunt, perhaps?”
Hamilton acknowledged, much relieved, that he was very fond of a hunt on horseback; he could ride, he said, much better than he could shoot.
“And I,” answered Baron Z—, good-humouredly laughing, “I can shoot better than I can ride. I thought it would be interesting for you to be acquainted with our sports, and——”
“It would interest me of all things to see anything of the kind, even as a mere spectator,” exclaimed Hamilton, eagerly. “I accept your invitation with many thanks.”
Baron Z— now desired his servant to let his wife know that “Mr. Hamilton, the Englishman she expected, had arrived. And Joseph,” he called after him, “take one of the carriage-boxes to Mr. Hamilton’s room; he goes with us to Berchtesgaden.”
They were in the midst of a very animated discussion of what Hamilton knew very little about, viz., the latest improvements in fire-arms, when the real A. Z. entered the room. How shall we describe her? Most easily, perhaps, by negatives. She was not tall nor short, nor stout nor thin, nor handsome nor ugly, nor—nor—in fact, as well as Hamilton could define his ideas at such a critical moment, he thought the impression made on him was, that a pale, dark-haired person stood before him, whose countenance denoted sufficient intellect to make him conscious that he had better produce his letter and enter into an explanation at once. The absence of all recognition on her part made him at once conscious that he was not the person she had expected, and he stood before her blushing so intensely that she seemed to feel at length a sort of commiseration for him. She bit her lip to conceal a smile, and after a moment’s pause, held out her hand, saying, “I confess I expected to have seen your father, and am a little disappointed. You were such a mere child when I saw you last, John, that you have completely outgrown my recollection. You promised, indeed, to be ‘more than common tall,’ but I was not prepared for such a specimen of—— You seem to be an inveterate blusher, and very shy; perhaps that was the reason your father wished to send you abroad before you joined your regiment? By-the-by, I must have been misinformed, but I heard you had already joined! Now, pray don’t waste another blush on me, but try to feel at home as soon as you can, and prepare to tell me directly everything about everybody!”