Eli's Children Part 81

Up and down here he paraded several times--not a very wise proceeding, seeing that he might have come sooner in the evening, and the doors would have flown open at his summons. But it has always been so from the beginning. A gentleman gets into a certain state, and then thinks that he derives a great deal of satisfaction in gazing at the casket which holds the jewel of his love. When the custom first came in it is of course impossible to say, but it is extremely probable that Jacob used to parade about in the sand on moonlight nights, and watch the tent that contained his Rachel, and no doubt the custom has followed right away down the corridors of time.

When Artingale had finished the front of the house he went round to the back, made his way by some mysterious means into the garden, where he fancied he saw some one watching; and concluding that it would not be pleasant to be seen, he beat a retreat, and after a glance up at Cynthia's window, where he could see a light, he contented himself by walking slowly back, so as to get to the other side of the lofty row of houses.

"Just one walk up and down," he said to himself, "and then home to bed."

It was some distance round, and as he went along he made the following original observation:--"This is precious stupid!" And at the end of another fifty yards--"But somehow I seem to like it. Does one good.

'Pon my soul, I think the best thing a fellow can do is to fall in love."

He sauntered on from gas-lamp to gas-lamp, till he was once more at the front, or back, of the great houses, with their entrance-doors on his right, and a great blank-looking wall on his left.

He went dreamily on along the pavement, past the furnished house that the agent a.s.sured the Rector he had obtained dirt cheap, which no doubt it was, but it was what a gold-miner would call wash dirt. When about midway, Artingale pa.s.sed some one on the other side, close to the wall, and walking in the opposite direction.

But the presence of some one else in the street did not attract Artingale's attention, and he sauntered along until he reached the end, and stopped.

"Now, then," he said, "home? or one more walk to the end and back?"

He hesitated for a moment, and then turned beneath the lamp-post, with a smile at his own weakness, and walked slowly back.

"I should have made a splendid _Romeo_," he said. "What a pity it is that the course of my true love should run so jolly smooth. Everything goes as easy as possible for me. Not a single jolly obstacle. Might have been married to-morrow morning if I had liked, and sometimes I wish I had been going to act as princ.i.p.al; but it is best as it is."

He was nearing the Rector's residence once again.

"Now with some people," he continued, half aloud, "how different it is.

Everything goes wrong with them. Look at poor old Magnus--The deuce!

Why, Mag!"

"I thought you had gone home!"

"I thought you had gone home!"

"I thought I would have a walk first," said Magnus, quietly.

"So did I, old fellow. But oh, I say!"

"Don't laugh at me, Harry," said the artist, sadly. "It is like saying good-bye. After to-morrow I shall settle down."

"I don't laugh at you, old fellow," said Artingale, taking the other's arm. "It's all right. I might just as well ask you not to laugh at me.

Have a cigar?"

Magnus nodded, the case was produced, and they both lit up, and instead of going straight back east, continued to promenade up and down, and then right round the great block of houses over and over again, for quite an hour, saying very little, but seeming as it were attracted to the place, till coming to the front, for what Artingale vowed should be the last time, he saw a couple of figures apparently leave one of the doors, and go right on towards the other end.

"Somebody late," he said, feeling a kind of interest in the couple that he could not account for.

"Yes," said Magnus, quickly, "very late. Come along."

Artingale involuntarily quickened his steps, and they followed the two figures without a word, seeing them sometimes more, sometimes less, distinctly, according to the position they occupied relative to the lamps.

Why they took so much interest in them was more than they could have explained, for a couple of figures going late at night along a London street is no such very great novelty; but still, they quickened their steps, feeling ready at the slightest hint to have increased the pace to a run.

There seemed no sufficient reason though for such a step, and they continued to walk on fast, till they came to the end of the row of houses; and turning sharply they were just in time to hear the jangling noise of the door of a four-wheeled cab slammed to, then what sounded like a faint wailing cry.

"There's something wrong, I think," said Artingale; but as he spoke the gla.s.s was dragged up, the horse started off at a rapid trot, the cab turned into the road by the Park railings, and was gone.

The two friends stood hesitating, and had they been alone, either would have run after the cab. But as they hesitated from a feeling that such a proceeding would have been absurd, the vehicle was driven rapidly away.

"What made you say there was something wrong?" said Magnus at last, in a hoa.r.s.e voice.

"I don't know, I can't tell: where did those people come from? I hope no one's ill."

"From one of the houses near Mr Mallow's," said Magnus.

"I think so; I couldn't be sure. Let's walk back."

They hurried back past the series of blank doors, till they were about half way along, when as they reached the Rector's they found that a policeman had just come up, and he made them start by flas.h.i.+ng his lantern in their faces.

"Oh, it's you, sir," he said to Artingale. "Were you coming back here?"

"No. Why?"

"Because you left the door open."

"Then there is something wrong, Magnus. Here, let's run after the cab."

"It's half a mile away by now," said the other hoa.r.s.ely. "You'd better see, constable."

"It's a crack," said the policeman, excitedly, "and the chaps must be in here. Will you gents keep watch while I get help, and put some one on at the other side in the Gardens?"

"Yes--no--yes," exclaimed Artingale. "I'm afraid some one's ill. We saw two people come away hurriedly and take a cab at the end."

"They wouldn't have took a cab," said the constable. "There's a doctor at the end there close by. We're too late, for a suverin. Or no; stop.

There's something else up. Look here, sir, I've had you hanging about here and on the other side ever since the family has been in town. Now then, who are you?"

"There is my card, constable," said Artingale, shortly. "You know why I came."

"Yes, sir--my lord, I mean. But why did that big hulking rough chap, like a country gamekeeper, come? He's been hanging about--"

"Stop!" cried Artingale. "Was it a big black-bearded fellow above six feet high?"

"That's the man, sir. I set him down as from the country house, and after one of the maids."

"When--when did you see him last?" cried Magnus.

"To-night, sir."

"To-night?"

"Yes, m'lord. But while I'm stopping here they may be getting out at the other side and be off."