Nell, of Shorne Mills Part 25

CHAPTER XI.

The next morning, while at breakfast, he received a little note from Lady Angleford, asking him to dinner that night. It was a charming little note, as pleading and deprecating as her eyes had been when she looked at him at the Northgates'.

Drake sent back word that he would be delighted to come, and at eight o'clock presented himself at his uncle's house in Park Lane. Lord Angleford was, like Northgate, detained in London by official business.

He was a very fine specimen of the old kind of Tory, and, though well advanced in years, still extremely good-looking--the whole family was favored in that way--and remarkably well preserved. His hair was white, but his eyes were bright and his cheeks ruddy, and, when free from the gout, he was as active as a young man. Of course, he was hot-tempered; all gouty men are; but he was as charming in his way as Lady Angleford, and extremely popular in the House of Lords, and out of it.

Though he had fallen in love with a pretty little American, perhaps he would not have married her but for the little tiff with Drake; but that little tiff had just turned the scale, and, though he had taken the step in a moment of pique, he had not regretted it; for he was very fond and proud of his wife. But he was also very fond and proud of Drake, and was extremely pleased when Lady Angleford had told him that she had met Drake, and was going to ask him to dinner.

"Oh, all right," he had said. "I shall be very glad to see him--though he's an obstinate young mule. I think you'll like him."

"I do like him very much indeed," she had said. "He is so handsome--how very like he is to you!--and he's not a bit stand-offish and superior, like most Englishmen."

"Oh, Drake's not a bad sort of fellow," said Lord Angleford, "but he's too fond of having his own way."

At this Lady Angleford had smiled; for she knew another member of the family who liked his own way.

She was waiting for Drake in the drawing-room, and gave him both her hands with a little impulsiveness which touched Drake.

"I am so glad you have come," she said; "and your uncle is very glad, too. You won't--get to arguing, will you? You English are such dreadful people to argue. And I think he has a slight attack of the gout, though he was quite angry when I hinted at it this morning."

Drake sincerely hoped his uncle hadn't, for everybody's sake. At that moment the earl came into the room, held out his hand, and said, as if he had parted with Drake only the night before:

"How are you, Drake? Glad to see you. You've met Lady Angleford already?

Isn't it nearly dinner time?"

Drake took Lady Angleford in. There were no guests besides himself, and they had quite a pleasant little dinner. Lady Angleford talked with all the vivacity and charm of a cultured American who has seen both sides of the world, and kept her eyes open, and Drake began to feel as if he had known her for years. The earl was in a singularly good humor and listened to, and smiled at, his young wife proudly, and talked to Drake as if nothing had happened. It was just like old times; and Drake, as he opened the door for Lady Angleford, on her way to the drawing-room, smiled down at her, and nodded as she looked up at him questioningly.

Then he went back to his chair, and the butler put the Angleford port in its wicker cradle before the earl.

"I oughtn't to touch a drop," he said, "for I've had a twinge or two lately; but on this occasion----"

He filled his gla.s.s, and pa.s.sed the bottle to Drake--the butler had left the room.

"So you met Lady Angleford last night?"

"Yes, sir; and I take this, the first opportunity, to congratulate you.

And Lady Angleford is as charming as she is pretty; and you won't mind my saying that I consider you an extremely lucky man."

Of course, the earl looked pleased.

"Thanks," he said; "that's very good of you, Drake--especially as my marriage may make all the difference to you."

Drake looked at his cigarette steadily.

"I've no reason to complain, sir; and I don't," he said. "You might have married years ago, and I'm rather surprised you didn't."

The earl grunted.

"I don't suppose I should have done so now, if you hadn't been such a stubborn young a.s.s. That put my back up. But though I don't regret what I've done--no, by Jove!--I don't want you to think I am utterly regardless of your future. This port improves, doesn't it? Of course, you may be knocked out of the succession now----"

"Most probably so, I should think," said Drake.

"Just so. And, therefore, it's only right that I should do something for you."

"You are very good, sir," said Drake.

The earl colored slightly.

"Now look here, Drake; I'm always suspicious of that d----d quiet way of yours! I was very glad when Lady Angleford told me that you were coming here, and I made up my mind that I would let bygones be bygones and act squarely by you. As I said, I'm not a bit sorry that I married; no, indeed!--you've seen Lady Angleford--but I don't want to leave you in the lurch. I don't want you to suffer more than--than can be helped.

I've been thinking the matter over, and I'll tell you what I'll do. Have some more port."

Unluckily for Drake, the old man filled his own gla.s.s before pa.s.sing the bottle. Drake sipped his port and waited, and the earl went on:

"Of course, I meant to continue your allowance; but I can see that under the circ.u.mstances that wouldn't be sufficient. Something might happen to me----"

"I sincerely trust nothing will happen to you, sir," said Drake.

The earl grunted.

"Well, I'm not so young as I was; and I might get chucked off my horse, or--or something of that sort; and then you'd be in a hole, I imagine; for I suppose you've got through most of your mother's money?"

"A great deal of it," admitted Drake.

"Yes; I thought so. Well, look here; I'll tell you what I'll do, Drake.

As you may know, Lady Angleford has a fortune of her own. Her father was a millionaire. That leaves me free to do what I like with my own money.

Now, I'll settle ten thousand a year on you, Drake--but on one condition."

Drake was considerably startled. After all, ten thousand a year is a large sum; and though the earl was immensely rich, Drake had not expected him to be so liberal. On ten thousand a year one can manage very comfortably, even in England. Drake thought of his debts, of all that a settled income would mean to him, and his heart warmed with grat.i.tude toward his uncle.

"You are more than kind, sir," he said. "Your liberality takes my breath away. What was the condition?"

The earl fidgeted a little in his chair.

"Look here, Drake," he said, "I've never worried you about your way of life; I know that young men will be young men, and that you've lived in a pretty fast set. That was your business and not mine, and as long as you kept afloat I didn't choose to interfere. But I think it's time you settled down; and I'll settle this money on you on condition that you do settle down. You're engaged to a very nice girl--just you marry and settle down, and I'll provide the means, as I say."

Drake looked straight before him. Had this offer been made a month before he would have accepted it without a moment's hesitation, for he had thought himself in love with Luce, and, more important, he had thought that she had cared for him. But now all was changed. He knew that if a hundred thousand a year were dependent upon marrying Luce he couldn't accept it.

The earl stared at him, and filled another gla.s.s with the port, which was a poison to him.

"Eh? What the devil do you mean? I say that if you'll settle down and marry Luce I will provide a suitable income for you. What the blazes are you hesitating about? Why--confound it!--aren't you satisfied? You don't want to be told that I'm not bound to give you a penny!"

The old man's handsome face was growing red, and his eyes were beginning to glitter; the port was doing its fell work.

"I know," said Drake, with a quietude which only made his uncle more angry, "and I'm very much obliged to you. I know what ten thousand a year means; but I'm afraid I can't fulfill the conditions."

"What the devil do you mean?" demanded the earl.