Arthur O'Leary Part 12

"'Eh, O'Kelly, what the deuce was that?' cried one of the party, as a roar of laughter broke from amongst them.

"'Ah!' said I, mournfully,' I wasn't quick enough/

"'Quick enough!' cried they. 'Egad, I never saw anything like it. Why, man, you were shot off like an arrow.'

"'Leaped off, if you please,' said I, with an air of an offended dignity--'leaped off--didn't you see it?'

"'See what?'

"'The salmon, to be sure. A twelve-pounder, as sure as my name's O'Kelly. He "set" it.'

"'Set a salmon!' shouted twenty voices in a breath. 'The thing's impossible.'

"'Would you like a bet on it?' asked I drily.

"'No, no--d.a.m.n it; no more bets; but surely----'

"'Too provoking, after all,' muttered I, 'to have lost so fine a fish, and get such a ducking'; and with that I mounted my barb, and, waving my hand, wished them a good-bye, and galloped into Killaloe.

"This story I have only related, because, insignificant as it was, it became in a manner the pivot of my then fate in life. The jockey at once made me an offer of partners.h.i.+p in his traffic, displaying before me the numerous advantages of such a proposal. I was a disengaged man--my prospects not peculiarly brilliant--the state of my exchequer by no means encouraging the favourite nostrum of a return to cash payments, and so I acceded, and entered at once upon my new profession with all the enthusiasm I was always able to command, no matter what line of life solicited my adoption.

"But it's near one o'clock, and so now, Mr. O'Leary, if you've no objection, we'll have a grill and a gla.s.s of Madeira, and then, if you can keep awake an hour or so longer, I'll try and finish my adventures."

CHAPTER VII. O'KELLY'S TALE.--CONTINUED.

"I left off at that flattering portion of my history where I became a horse-dealer; in this capacity I travelled over a considerable portion of Ireland, now larking it in the West--jollifying in the South--and occasionally suffering a penance for both enjoyments, by a stray trip to Ulster. In these rambles I contrived to make acquaintance with most of the resident gentry, who, by the special freemasonry that attends my calling, scrupled not to treat me on terms of half equality, and even invite me to their houses--a piece of condescension on their part, which they well knew was paid for, in more solid advantages.

"In a word, Mr. O'Leary, I became a kind of moral amphibia, with powers to sustain life in two distinct and opposite elements--now brus.h.i.+ng my way among frieze-coated farmers, trainers, dealers, sharpers, and stablemen; now floating on the surface of a politer world, where the topics of conversation took a different range, and were couched in a very different vocabulary.

"My knowledge of French, and my acquaintance with Parisian life, at least as seen in that cla.s.s in which I used to mix, added to a kind of natural tact, made me, as far as manners and 'usage' were concerned, fully the equal of those with whom I a.s.sociated; and I managed matters so well, that the circ.u.mstance of my being seen in the morning with cords and tops of jockey cut, showing off a 'screw,' or extolling the symmetry of a spavined hackney, never interfered with the pretensions I put forward at night, when, arranged in suit of accurate black, I turned over the last new opera, or delivered a very scientific criticism on the new 'ballet' in London, or the latest fas.h.i.+on imported from the Continent.

"Were I to trace back this part of my career, I might perhaps amuse you more by the incidents it contained, than by any other portion of my life; nothing indeed is so suggestive of adventure, as that anomaly which the French denominate so significantly--'a false position,'

The man who--come, come, don't be afraid, though that sounds very like Joseph Surface, I'm not going to moralize--the man, I say, who endeavours to sustain two distinct lines in life, is very likely to fail in both, and so I felt it, for while my advantages all inclined to one side, my taste and predilections leaned to the other; I could never adopt knavery as a profession--as an amateur I gloried in it: roguery, without risk, was a poor pettifogging policy that I spurned; but a practical joke that involved life or limb, a hearty laugh, or a heavy reckoning, was a temptation I never could resist. The more I mixed in society, the greater my intimacy with persons of education and refinement, the stronger became my repugnance to my actual condition, and the line of life I had adopted. While my position in society was apparently more fixed, I became in reality more nervously anxious for its stability. The fascinations which in the better walks of life are thrown around the man of humble condition, but high aspirings, are strong and sore temptations, while he measures and finds himself not inferior to others, to whom the race is open, and the course is free, and yet feels in his own heart, that there is a bar upon his escutcheon which excludes him from the lists. I began now to experience this in all its poignancy. Among the acquaintances I had formed, one of my most intimate was a young baronet, who had just succeeded to a large estate in the county Kilkenny. Sir Harvey Blundell was an Anglo-Irishman in more than one sense: from his English father he had inherited certain staid and quiet notions of propriety, certain conventional ideas regarding the observance of etiquette, which are less valued in Ireland; while, from his mother, he succeeded to an appreciation of native fun and drollery, of all the whims and oddities of Irish life, which, strange enough, are as well understood by the Anglo-Irishman, as by one 'to the manner born.'

"I met Sir Harvey at a supper party in College. Some song I had sung of my own composing, or some story of my inventing, I forget which, tickled his fancy: he begged to be introduced to me, drew his chair over to my side of the table, and ended by giving an invitation to his house for the partridge-shooting, which was to begin in a few days; I readily a.s.sented--it was a season in which I had nothing to do, my friend Dan had gone over to the Highlands to make a purchase of some ponies; I was rather flush of cash, and consequently in good spirits. It was arranged, then, that I should drive him down in my drag, a turn-out with four spanking greys, of whose match and colour, shape and action, I was not a little vain.

"We posted to Carlow, to which place I had sent on my horses, and arrived the same evening at Sir Harvey's house, in time for dinner. This was the first acquaintance I had made, independent of my profession. Sir Harvey knew me, as Mr.. O'Kelly whom he met at an old friend's chambers in College; and he introduced me thus to his company, adding to his intimates in a whisper I could overhear--'devilish fast fellow, up to every thing--knows life at home, and abroad, and has such a team!' Here were requisites enough, in all conscience, to win favour among any set of young country-gentlemen, and I soon found myself surrounded by a circle, who listened to my opinions on every subject, and recorded my judgments, with the roost implicit faith in their wisdorn, no matter on what I talked, women, wine, the drama, play, sporting, debts, duns, or duels, my word was law.

"Two circ.u.mstances considerably aided me in my present supremacy: first, Sir Harvey's friends were all young men from Oxford, who knew little of the world, and less of that part of it called Ireland; and secondly, they were all strangers to me, and consequently my liberty of speech was untrammelled by any unpleasant reminiscences of dealing, in fairs or auctions.

"The establishment was presided over by Sir Harvey's sister, at least, nominally so--her presence being a reason for having ladies at his parties; and although she was only nineteen, she gave a tone and character to the habits of the house, which, without her, it never could have possessed. Miss Blundell was a very charming person, combining in herself two qualities which, added to beauty, made a very irresistible _ensemble_: she had the greatest flow of spirits, with a retiring and almost timidly bashful disposition: courage for any thing, and a delicacy that shrunk abashed from all that bordered on display, or bore the slightest semblance of effrontery. I shall say no more, than that before I was a week in the house, I was over head and ears in love with her; my whole thoughts centred in her; my whole endeavour, to show myself in such a light as might win her favour.

"Every accomplishment I possessed--every art and power of amusing, urged to the utmost by the desire to succeed, I exerted in her service; and at last perceived, that she was not indifferent to me. Then, and then for the first time, came the thought--who was I, that dared to do this--what had I of station, rank, or wealth, to ent.i.tle me to sue--perhaps to gain, the affections, of one placed like her? The whole duplicity of my conduct started up before me, and I saw for the first time, how the mere ardour of pursuit had led me on and on--how the daring to surmount a difficulty, had stirred my heart, at first to win, and then to wors.h.i.+p her: and the bitterness of my self-reproach at that moment became a punishment, which, even now, I remember with a shudder. It is too true!

The great misfortunes of life form more endurable subjects for memory in old age, than the instances, however trivial, where we have acted amiss, and where conscience rebukes us. I have had my share of calamity, one way or other--my life has been more than once in peril--and in such peril as might well shake the nerve of the boldest: but I can think on all these, and do think on them, often, without fear or heart-failing; but never can I face the hours, when my own immediate self-love and vanity brought their own penalty on me, without a sense of self-abas.e.m.e.nt, as vivid as the moment I first experienced it. But I must hasten over this. I had been now about six weeks in Sir Harvey's house, day after day determining on my departure, and invariably yielding when the time came, to some new request to stay for something or other--now, a day's fis.h.i.+ng on the Nore--now, another morning at the partridge--then, there was--a boat-race, or a music-party, or a pic-nic, in fact each day led on to another, and I found myself lingering on, unable to tear myself from where, I felt, my remaining was ruin.

"At last I made up my mind, and determined, come what would, to take my leave, never to return. I mentioned to Sir Harvey in the morning that some matter of importance required my presence in town, and, by a half promise to spend my Christmas with him, obtained his consent to my departure.

"We were returning from an evening walk--Miss Blundell was leaning on my arm--we were the last of the party who, by some chance or other, had gone forward, leaving us to follow alone. For some time neither of us spoke: what were her thoughts, I cannot guess: mine were, I acknowledge, entirely fixed upon the hour I was to see her for the last time, while I balanced whether I should speak of my approaching departure, or leave her without even, a 'good-bye.'

"I did not know at the time so well as I now do, how much of the interest I had excited in her heart depended on the mystery of my life.

The stray hints I now and then dropped--the stories into which I was occasionally led--the wild scenes and wilder adventures, in which I bore my part--had done more than stimulate her curiosity concerning me.

This, I repeat, I knew not at the the time, and the secret of my career weighed like a crime upon my conscience. I hesitated long whether I should not disclose every circ.u.mstance of my life, and, by the avowal of my utter un-worthiness, repair, as far as might be, the injury I had done her. Then came that fatal '_amour-propre_' that involved me originally in the pursuit, and I was silent. We had not been many minutes thus, when a servant came from the house to inform Miss Blundell that her cousin, Captain Douglas, had arrived. As she nodded her head in reply, I perceived the colour mounted to her cheek, and an expression of agitation pa.s.sed over her features.

"'Who is Captain Douglas?' said I, without, however, venturing to look more fully at her.

"'Oh! a cousin, a second or third cousin, I believe; but a great friend of Harvey's.'

"'And of his sister's too, if I might presume so far?'

"'Quite wrong for once,' said she, with an effort to seem at ease: 'he's not the least a favourite of mine, although----'

"'_You_ are of his!' I added quickly. 'Well, well, I really beg pardon for this boldness of mine.' How I was about to continue, I know not, when her brother's voice, calling her aloud, broke off all further conversation.

"'Come, f.a.n.n.y,' said he, 'here's Harry Douglas, just come with all the London gossip--he's been to Windsor too, and has been dining with the Prince. O'Kelly, you must know Douglas, you are just the men to suit each other.--He's got a heavy book on the Derby, and will be delighted to have a chat with you about the turf.

"As I followed Miss Blundell into the drawing-room, my heart was heavy and depressed.

"Few of the misfortunes in life come on us without foreboding. The clouds that usher in the storm, cast their shadows on the earth before they break; and so it is with our fate. A gloomy sense of coming evil, presages the blow about to fall, and he who would not be stunned by the stroke, must not neglect the warning.

"The room was full of people--the ordinary buzz and chit-chat of an evening-party was going forward, and an hundred pleasant projects were forming for the next day's amus.e.m.e.nt, among which, I heard my name bandied about, on every side.

"'O'Kelly will arrange this,' cried one--'leave it all to O'Kelly--he must decide it;' and so on, when suddenly Blundell called out--

"'O'Kelly, come up here,' and then taking me by the arm, he led me to the end of the room, where with his back turned towards us, a tall fas.h.i.+onable-looking man was talking to his sister.

"'Harry,' cried the host, as he touched his elbow, 'let me introduce a very particular friend of mine--Mr. O'Kelly.'

"Captain Douglas wheeled sharply round, and, fixing on me a pair of dark eyes, overshadowed with heavy beetling brows, looked at me sternly without speaking. A cold thrill ran through me from head to foot as I met his gaze; the last time we had seen each other was in a square of the Royal Barracks, where _he_, was purchasing a remount for his troop, and _I_, was the horse-dealer.

"'_Your_ friend, Mr. O'Kelly!' said he, as he fixed his gla.s.s in his eye, and a most insulting curl, half smile, half sneer, played about his mouth.

"'How very absurd you are, Harry,' said Miss Blundell, endeavouring by an allusion to something they were speaking of, to relieve the excessive awkwardness of the moment.

"'Yes, to be sure, _my_ friend,' chimed in Sir Harvey, 'and a devilish good fellow too, and the best judge of horse-flesh.'

"'I havn't a doubt of it,' was the dry remark of the Captain; 'but how did he get here?'

"'Sir,' said I, in a voice scarce audible with pa.s.sion, 'whatever, or whoever I am, by birth at least I am fully your equal.'

"'D----n your pedigree,' said he coolly.

"'Why, Harry, interrupted Blundell: 'what are you thinking of?

Mr. O'Kelly is----'

"'A jockey--a horse-dealer, if you will, and the best hand at pa.s.sing off a screw, I've met for some time. I say, sir,' continued he in a louder tone, 'that roan charger hasn't answered his warranty--he stands at Dycer's for you.'