“It would not have been wonderful if he had been daunted by all these constables, and kidnappers, and beadles, but no! Mind, he should not have done such a foolish thing, but as it chances no harm has come of it, and I shall say nothing more on that head. You are both of you past the age of being scolded.”
“Yes, sir,” said his son, grinning affectionately at him.
Chapter XXIV
The Duke’s chaise, with his footman and all his baggage, having been despatched by Lord Lionel from Cheyney at an early hour on the following morning, Gilly lost no time, in removing to the Christopher, where he instantly discarded his travel-stained raiment, and gratified Nettlebed by telling him that he might give the olive coat away, since he never wished to see it again. Not to be outdone in generosity, Nettlebed said that another such coat could be ordered from Scott—if his Grace preferred his cut to Weston’s. He then eased the Duke: into a coat of blue superfine, carefully smoothed his nakeen pantaloons, flicked some quite imaginary dust from his Hessians, and added that if his opinion were asked, he would feel himself obliged to say that no one could cut a coat with quite that refinement of taste shown by Weston. The Duke, glancing at the reflection of his trim figure in the mirror, admitted that there was a good deal of truth in what he said, and went off, knowing that he had amply recompensed his servitor for any anxiety he had previously caused him to feel.
He found his footman hovering in the passage, waiting, apparently for no better purpose than to open the door for him into his private parlour. This well-trained individual wore a more than ordinarily inhuman expression, not even permitting himself one furtive glance at his master. But the Duke paused outside the parlour-door, and said smilingly: “I have not thanked you for contriving so very cleverly for me, that day in London, Francis. I am very much obliged to you.”
The footman, bringing his gaze down, found that the Duke was plainly waiting to slide a coin into his hand. He accepted this with becoming gratitude, and the Duke said: “I hope they did not ask you a great many awkward questions!”
“No, your Grace, they never asked me any,” replied Francis, encouraged by the twinkle in the Duke’s eye to relax his quelling rigidity. “And if they had, I wouldn’t have said a word, not if they offered me fifty pounds, I wouldn’t!”
The Duke was a trifle startled by this evidence of devotion. “You are a very good fellow: thank you!” he said.
This unlooked-for courtesy threw Francis quite off his balance. He turned a dull red, and uttered in far less refined accents: “It weren’t nothing! I would be main glad to serve your Grace anyways you might wish!”
The Duke murmured a suitable acknowledgment, and passed into the parlour. Francis, discovering that the coin in his hand was a golden one, instead of the shilling that was his due for any extraordinary service, drew a profound breath, and fell into a blissful reverie.