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Read Ebook: The Queen's Scarlet The Adventures and Misadventures of Sir Richard Frayne by Fenn George Manville Smith A Monro Illustrator
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Ebook has 2700 lines and 74157 words, and 54 pages
; "but if you want to--to--"
"Better myself, S'Richard; that's it!"
"Don't let another opportunity go."
"Oh, yes, I shall, S'Richard! You said you'd like to have me, and that's enough for me! I'd wait for you, sir, if I had to stop till you was a hundred! But, beg pardon, S'Richard, is that there to make a patent mouse-trap?"
"Which?" said the young man angrily.
"That there thing as you're making, S'Richard."
"Pooh! what nonsense! Jerry, you are not musical."
"Well, sir, I ain't a moosician, as you may say, but I was a dab at the Jew's-harp once, and I've got a very tidy flootina 'cordion now; only I ain't no time to practise."
"No, Jerry," said the young man, thoughtfully, as he laid out his little pieces of mechanism on the table; "this is an attempt to invent a means of producing musical sounds by percussion."
"With p'cussion-caps, sir?"
"No, no! by blows."
"Oh, I see, S'Richard."
"I have often thought that more might be done, Jerry, in the way of obtaining musical notes."
"Of course, S'Richard."
"You see," said the young man, dreamily, "we produce them by vibration."
"Yes, S'Richard, and whistling, and fiddling, and blowing trombones."
"Exactly; that is all connected with vibration."
"Oh, is it, sir? I s'pose you're right; but then there's pyanners, sir, and orgins, sir, street and otherwise!"
"Exactly, Jerry," said the young student drily. "There, I'm busy now; I'll remember what you said, and, if I can have you with me, I will."
"Thank you kindly, S'Richard. Don't you be afraid as I won't do my dooty by you!"
"I won't, Jerry. Then that's all, isn't it?"
"Well, S'Richard, not quite all; there's your cousin, sir--Mr Mark, sir."
"Well, what about him?"
"Only this, S'Richard: if you'd speak to him, and tell him as servants ain't doormats, I should be greatly obliged."
"What do you mean?"
"Only this, S'Richard, as it's getting beyond bearing! I don't want to go complaining to Mr Draycott, sir, but there is bounds to everything! Havin' all kinds of hard words chucked at you--`fools' and `idgits' and `jackasses'--and when it comes to boots and hair-brushes, I says as it's rough enough; but when it's a soda-water bottle and a plate, I can't stand it, and I won't!"
"What had you been doing to annoy my cousin?"
"Nothin', S'Richard. I just work for him same as I do for my other gentlemen, or for you, sir; and you never threw a bad word at me in your life--let alone boots!"
"Did the things hit you, Jerry?"
"No, S'Richard, I can't say as they hit me; but they hurt me, all the same. Servants has feelings same as gents has."
"I'm very sorry, Jerry. Mr Frayne is a little irritable sometimes."
"If you made it often, S'Richard, you wouldn't be very far out."
"Well, often then. His studies worry him, I suppose."
Jerry made a peculiar grimace.
"And he has had a little trouble once or twice with Mr Draycott."
"Yes, S'Richard, he ayve."
"There, I'll speak to him, Jerry. He doesn't mean anything by it, for he's a good fellow at heart; and when he feels that he has hurt your feelings I daresay it will mean an apology, and--perhaps something else."
"Thankye, S'Richard, thankye," said the man. "I know'd you'd say something o' that sort, but don't you speak to him. It wouldn't do no good. He wouldn't 'pologise to such as me; and as to a tip--not him! There, S'Richard, it's all right now. It did me good to say all that out to a real gentleman, and--pst!--Any more orders, S'Richard?"
"Eh?" said Richard, wondering at the man's manner. "No, thank you; that's all. What's the matter?"
"Pst! S'Richard," whispered the man hurriedly. "Talk of the No-we-never-mentions-him, and you see his--"
The door opened with a crash, and made the pictures swing upon the wall, while Jerry drew on one side to let the fresh-comer enter the room.
MARK IN A HOLE.
"Hullo, thick-head! loafing again."
It was a dark, olive-complexioned young fellow, of Sir Richard's age, who swung into the opening noisily, cigarette in mouth.
"Not loafing, Mr Frayne, sir," said the man in an injured tone, as he fixed his eyes on the rather handsome student who had entered the room, and took in at a glance his white flannels and yellow-striped blazer, from the breast-pocket of which a thick gold chain was hanging. "Beg pardon, sir; you'll be losing your watch-chain's out o' buttonhole."
"Well, what business is it of yours, idiot? If I lose it, you might find it. Perquisites--eh, Jerry?"
"There, S'Richard," said the man, flushing. "Now, ain't that as good as sayin' I'd steal a watch? I'd take my oath I never--"
"That will do, Jerry," said Sir Richard, sternly. "You needn't wait.-- Why can't you leave the fellow alone, Mark?"
"Why can't you act like a gentleman, and not be always making friends with the servants?" retorted the young fellow addressed. "So that's it, is it? The confounded sneak comes tattling to you, does he?"
"No!" cried Sir Richard, rather gruffly; "but he did complain of your forgetting yourself and throwing things at him."
"Oh, did he?" cried Mark Frayne, catching up the nearest thing, which was the model his cousin had been making, and hurling it at the offender, but without effect, for Jeremiah Brigley already had the door open and darted out; the panel receiving the model instead of his head.
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