HAMPTON COURT BRIDGE
Before the following Saturday afternoon Charley’s
spirits had somewhat recovered their natural tone.
Not that he was in a happy frame of mind; the united
energies of Mr. M’Ruen and Mrs. Davis had been
too powerful to allow of that; not that he had given
over his projected plan of saying a long farewell to
Mrs. Woodward, or at any rate of telling her something
of his position; he still felt that he could not continue
to live on terms of close intimacy both with her daughters
and with Norah Geraghty. But the spirits of youth
are ever buoyant, and the spirits of no one could
be endowed, with more natural buoyancy than those
of the young navvy. Charley, therefore, in spite
of his misfortunes, was ready with his manuscript
when Saturday afternoon arrived, and, according to
agreement, met Norman at the railway station.
Only one evening had intervened since the night in
which he had ratified his matrimonial engagement,
and in spite of the delicate nature of his position
he had for that evening allowed Mr. Peppermint to
exercise his eloquence on the heart of the fair Norah
without interruption. He the while had been engaged
in completing the memoirs of ‘Crinoline and
Macassar.’
‘Well, Charley,’ they asked, one and all,
as soon as he reached the Cottage, ’have you
got the story? Have you brought the manuscript?
Is it all finished and ready for that dreadful editor?’
Charley produced a roll, and Linda and Katie instantly
pounced upon it.
‘Oh! it begins with poetry,’ said Linda.
‘I am so glad,’ said Katie. ’Is
there much poetry in it, Charley? I do so hope
there is.’
‘Not a word of it,’ said Charley; ’that
which Linda sees is a song that the heroine is singing,
and it isn’t supposed to be written by the author
at all.’
‘I’m so sorry that there’s no poetry,’
said Katie. ’Can’t you write poetry,
Charley?’
‘At any rate there’s lots of love in it,’
said Linda, who was turning over the pages.
‘Is there?’ said Katie. ’Well,
that’s next best; but they should go together.
You should have put all your love into verse, Charley,
and then your prose would have done for the funny
parts.’
‘Perhaps it’s all fun,’ said Mrs.
Woodward. ’But come, girls, this is not
fair; I won’t let you look at the story till
it’s read in full committee.’ And
so saying, Mrs. Woodward took the papers from her
daughters, and tying them up, deposited them safe
in custody. ‘We’ll have it out when
the tea-things are gone.’
But before the tea-things had come, an accident happened,
which had been like to dismiss ‘Crinoline and
Macassar’ altogether from the minds of the whole
of the Woodward family. The young men had, as
usual, dined in town, and therefore they were all able
to spend the long summer evening out of doors.
Norman’s boat was down at Hampton, and it was
therefore determined that they should row down as
far as Hampton Court Park and back. Charley and
Norman were to row; and Mrs. Woodward agreed to accompany
her daughters. Uncle Bat was left at home, to
his nap and rum and water.
