“We dropped her—quite literally, you know!—into the arms of her precious Mr. Mudgley, and there left her. Gideon, when I said that that fellow might make himself useful, I never meant that he should take upon himself the entire conduct of my house! What is to be done with him? Borrowdale himself never bade me welcome in a more fatherly spirit!”
“You had better turn him off then. I have no objection, since I am not residing here, but I think it only right to warn you that he has won my father’s approval—as much by his firm handling of Mamble as by his undoubted excellence as a steward and butler.”
The Duke could not help laughing. “He is incorrigible! Only conceive of my uncle’s feelings if he knew the truth! I bear him no malice—indeed, I am grateful to him for so much enlarging my experience—but I will not permit him to rule my household!” He saw that Harriet was looking from him to Gideon in a little perplexity, and added: “My love, it is the most ridiculous situation! That is the fellow who cast me into acellar, and offered to sell me to my wicked cousin!”
She was verymuch shocked, and exclaimed in a faint voice. It was incomprehensible to her that anyone should be amused by such a circumstance, but both Gilly and Gideon plainly thought it excessively funny, so she smiled dutifully, realizing the truth of her mama’s dictum, that there was never any knowing what stupidities men would find diverting. But she could not forbear to implore the Duke not to keep such a dreadful person near him. “Indeed, he ought to be put in prison!” she said earnestly.
“Undoubtedly he ought, my dear, but you must hold me excused from denouncing him, if you please! He is by far too amusing! Besides, he did me no harm, but, on the contrary, a great deal of good.”
It was not to be supposed that Harriet could regard with anything but horror one who had cast her Gilly into a cellar, but she perceived that the Duke’s mind was made up, and said no more. Liversedge himself came back into the room a minute or two later, with an offer to escort her to the housekeeper, and so bland and respectful was his manner that she could almost have supposed the whole affair to have been a mistake. She rose from her chair, and said meekly that she would like to take off her hat.
“I warn you, Harriet, you will not escape from Mrs. Kempsey for an hour at least!” Gideon told her, mocking his cousin. “She will tell you how weak a chest Adolphus always had, and what remedies were tried, and how she nursed him once when he had the measles. She nursed me too, but she won’t waste a moment on my sufferings, though I swear I was much more full of measles than Adolphus!”
The Duke smiled. “But you brought them home from Eton and I took them from you!” he reminded his cousin. “How could you expect to be forgiven such shocking conduct? Don’t let her bore on for ever, Harry!”
“Indeed, I shall not think it a bore!” she said. “I hope she will tell me what she likes, for I mean to get upon terms with all your people, Gilly.”
He walked beside her to the door, handing her cloak to Liversedge, and saying, as he did so: “When you have taken her ladyship upstairs, come back to me: I must settle with you.”