“But of course I am serious! Had you not noticed that Miss Accrington has left off that shocking collar of sapphires, and that Miss Kirkmichael no longer draws attention to the limitations of her figure by a profusion of chains, brooches, and necklaces which I should have supposed her to have chosen at random from an over-stocked jewel-box?”
There was something so irresistibly humourous to Arabella in the thought that her straitened circumstances had been at the root of a new mode that she began to giggle. But she would not tell Mr. Beaumaris why she sat chuckling beside him. He did not press her for an explanation, but as they had by this time reached the Park, suggested that she might like to walk on the grass for a little way, while the groom took charge of the curricle. She assented readily, and while they strolled about, Mr. Beaumaris told her something of that home of his in Hampshire. The bait failed. Miss Tallant confided her remarks on her own home to descriptions of the Yorkshire scene, and would not be lured into exchanging family reminiscences.
“I collect that your father is still alive, ma’am? You mentioned him, as I remember, on the day that you adopted Jemmy.”
“Did I? Yes, indeed he is alive, and I wished for him very much that day, for he is the best man in the world, and he would have known just what was right to be done!”
“I shall hope to have the pleasure of making his acquaintance one day. Does he come to London at all?”
“No, never,” replied Arabella firmly. She could not imagine that Mr. Beaumaris and Papa would have the least pleasure in one another’s acquaintance, thought that the conversation was getting on to dangerous ground, and reverted to her society manner.
This was maintained during most of the drive back to London, but when the open country was left behind, and the curricle was passing once more between rows of houses, it deserted her abruptly. In the middle of a narrow street, the grays took high-bred exception to a wagon with a tattered and flapping canvas roof, which was drawn up to one side of the road. There was barely room for the curricle to slip past this obstruction, and Mr. Beaumaris, his attention all on his horses, failed to take notice of a group of youths bending over some object on the flat-way, or to heed the anguished yelp which made Arabella, casting aside the light rug which covered her legs, cry out: “Oh, stop!” and shut her sunshade with a snap.
The grays were mincing past the wagon; Mr. Beaumaris did indeed pull them up, but Arabella did not wait for the curricle to come to a standstill, but sprang hazardously down from it. Mr. Beaumaris holding his sidling, snorting pair in an iron hand, took one quick glance over his shoulder, saw that Arabella was dispersing the group on the flag-way by the vigorous use of her sunshade, and snapped: “Go to their heads, fool!”
His groom, still perched up behind, and apparently dumbfounded by Miss Tallant’s strange conduct, came to himself with a start, jumped down, and ran round to hold the grays. Mr. Beaumaris sprang down, and descended swiftly upon the battleground. Having scientifically knocked two louts’ heads together, picked up the third lout by his collar and the seat of his frieze breeches, and thrown him into the road, he was able to see what had aroused Miss Tallant’s wrath. Crouched, shivering and whimpering, on the flag-way, was a small, sandy-coated mongrel, with a curly tail, and one ear disreputably flying.
“Those wicked, brutal, fiends! ” panted Miss Tallant, cheeks and eyes in a glow. “They were torturing the poor little thing!”