“Is Otway Bethel at West Lynne? If not;
where is he? And when will he be returning to
it?”
It elicited a prompt answer.
“Otway Bethel is not at West Lynne. Supposed
to be in Norway. Movements uncertain.”
A MISHAP TO THE BLUE SPECTACLES.
Mr. Carlyle and Barbara were seated at breakfast,
when, somewhat to their surprise, Mr. Dill was shown
in. Following close upon his heels came Justice
Hare; and close upon his heels came Squire Pinner;
while bringing up the rear was Colonel Bethel.
All the four had come up separately, not together,
and all four were out of breath, as if it had been
a race which should arrive soonest.
Quite impossible was it for Mr. Carlyle, at first,
to understand the news they brought. All were
talking at once, in the utmost excitement; and the
fury of Justice Hare alone was sufficient to produce
temporary deafness. Mr. Carlyle caught a word
of the case presently.
“A second man? Opposition? Well, let
him come on,” he good-humoredly cried.
“We shall have the satisfaction of ascertaining
who wins in the end.”
“But you have not heard who it is, Mr. Archibald,”
cried Old Dill, “It—”
“Stand a contest with him?” raved
Justice Hare. “He—”
“The fellow wants hanging,” interjected
Colonel Bethel.
“Couldn’t he be ducked?” suggested
Squire Pinner.
Now all these sentences were ranted out together,
and their respective utterers were fain to stop till
the noise subsided a little. Barbara could only
look from one to the other in astonishment.
“Who is this formidable opponent?” asked
Mr. Carlyle.
There was a pause. Not one of them but had the
delicacy to shrink from naming that man to Mr. Carlyle.
The information came at last from Old Dill, who dropped
his voice while he spoke it.
“Mr. Archibald, the candidate who has come forward,
is that man Levison.”
“Of course, Carlyle, you’ll go into it
now, neck and crop,” cried Justice Hare.
Mr. Carlyle was silent.
“You won’t let the beast frighten you
from the contest!” uttered Colonel Bethel in
a loud tone.
“There’s a meeting at the Buck’s
Head at ten,” said Mr. Carlyle, not replying
to the immediate question. “I will be with
you there.”
“Did you not say, Mr. Dill, that was where the
scoundrel Levison is—at the Buck’s
Head?”
“He was there,” answered Mr. Dill.
“I expect he is ousted by this time. I
asked the landlord what he thought of himself, for
taking in such a character, and what he supposed the
justice would say to him. He vowed with tears
in his eyes that the fellow should not be there another
hour, and that he should never have entered it, had
he known who he was.”
A little more conversation, and the visitors filed
off. Mr. Carlyle sat down calmly to finish his
breakfast. Barbara approached him.
