“Yes, but, Major,” here cried that faithful friend, who has always stood by Pogson; “they won’t leave him alone.”
“The honorable gent says I must fight if I don’t pay,” whimpered Sam.
“What! fight YOU? Do you mean that the honorable gent, as you call him, will go out with a bagman?”
“He doesn’t know I’m a—I’m a commercial man,” blushingly said Sam: “he fancies I’m a military gent.”
The Major’s gravity was quite upset at this absurd notion; and he laughed outrageously. “Why, the fact is, sir,” said I, “that my friend Pogson, knowing the value of the title of Captain, and being complimented by the Baroness on his warlike appearance, said, boldly, he was in the army. He only assumed the rank in order to dazzle her weak imagination, never fancying that there was a husband, and a circle of friends, with whom he was afterwards to make an acquaintance; and then, you know, it was too late to withdraw.”
“A pretty pickle you have put yourself in, Mr. Pogson, by making love to other men’s wives, and calling yourself names,” said the Major, who was restored to good humor. “And pray, who is the honorable gent?”
“The Earl of Cinqbars’ son,” says Pogson, “the Honorable Tom Ringwood.”
“I thought it was some such character; and the Baron is the Baron de Florval-Delval?”
“The very same.”
“And his wife a black-haired woman, with a pretty foot and ankle; calls herself Athenais; and is always talking about her trente-deux ans? Why, sir, that woman was an actress on the Boulevard, when we were here in ’15. She’s no more his wife than I am. Delval’s name is Chicot. The woman is always travelling between London and Paris: I saw she was hooking you at Calais; she has hooked ten men, in the course of the last two years, in this very way. She lent you money, didn’t she?” “Yes.” “And she leans on your shoulder, and whispers, ‘Play half for me,’ and somebody wins it, and the poor thing is as sorry as you are, and her husband storms and rages, and insists on double stakes; and she leans over your shoulder again, and tells every card in your hand to your adversary, and that’s the way it’s done, Mr. Pogson.”