Except once, said Barnes, when he wanted me to let him have a ox to roast whole out on the common, for the Battle of Waterloo. I stood out against him on that. No, no, says I, Ill joint him for ye, Mr. Harrington. You shall have him in joints, and eat him at home;-ha! ha!
Just like him! said Grossby, with true enjoyment of the princely disposition that had dictated the patriotic order.
Oh!there! Kilne emphasized, pushing out his arm across the bar, as much as to say, that in anything of such a kind, the great Mel never had a rival.
That Marquis affair changed him a bit, said Barnes.
Perhaps it did, for a time, said Kilne. Whats in the grain, you know. He couldnt change. He would be a gentleman, and nothing d stop him.
And I shouldnt wonder but what that young chap out in Portugal ll want to be one, too; though he didnt bid fair to be so fine a man as his father.
More of a scholar, remarked Kilne. That I call his worst faultshilly-shallying about that young chap. I mean his. Kilne stretched a finger toward the dead mans house. First, the young chaps to be sent into the Navy; then its the Army; then hes to be a judge, and sit on criminals; then he goes out to his sister in Portugal; and now theres nothing but a tailor open to him, as I see, if were to get our money.
Ah! and he hasnt got too much spirit to work to pay his fathers debts, added Barnes. Theres a business there to make any mans fortune-properly directed, I say. But, I suppose, like father like son, hell becoming the Marquis, too. He went to a gentlemans school, and hes had foreign training. I dont know what to think about it. His sisters over therethey were fine women.
Oh! a fine family, every one of em! and married well! exclaimed the publican.
I never had the exact rights of that Marquis affair, said Grossby; and, remembering that he had previously laughed knowingly when it was alluded to, pursued: Of course I heard of it at the time, but how did he behave when he was blown upon?
Barnes undertook to explain; but Kilne, who relished the narrative quite as well, and was readier, said: Look here! I ll tell you. I had it from his own mouth one night when he wasntnot quite himself. He was coming down King William Street, where he stabled his horse, you know, and I met him. Hed been dining out-somewhere out over Fallow field, I think it was; and he sings out to me, Ah! Kilne, my good fellow! and I, wishing to be equal with him, says, A fine night, my lord! and he draws himself uphe smelt of good companysays he, Kilne! Im not a lord, as you know, and you have no excuse for mistaking me for one, sir! So I pretended I had mistaken him, and then he tucked his arm under mine, and said, Youre no worse than your betters, Kilne. They took me for one at Squire Uplifts to-night, but a man who wishes to pass off for more than he is, Kilne, and impose upon people, he says, hes contemptible, Kilne! contemptible! So that, you know, set me thinking about Bath and the Marquis, and I couldnt help smiling to myself, and just let slip a question whether he had enlightened them a bit. Kilne, said he, youre an honest man, and a neighbour, and Ill tell you what happened. The Squire, he says, likes my company, and I like his table. Now the Squire d never do a dirty action, but the Squires nephew, Mr. George Uplift, he cant forget that I earn my money, and once or twice I have had to correct him. And Ill wager Mel did it, too! Well, he goes on: There was Admiral Sir Jackson Racial and his lady, at dinner, Squire Falco of Bursted, Lady Barrington, Admiral Comblemanour admiral, that was; Mr. This and That, I forget their namesand other ladies and gentlemen whose acquaintance I was not honoured with. You know his way of talking. And there was a goose on the table, he says; and, looking stern at me, Dont laugh yet! says he, like thunder. Well, he goes on: Mr. George caught my eye across the table, and said, so as not to be heard by his uncle, If that bird was rampant, you would see your own arms, Marquis. And Mel replied, quietly for him to hear, And as that bird is couchant, Mr. George, you had better look to your sauce. Couchant means squatting, you know. Thats heraldry! Well, that wasnt bad sparring of Mels. But, bless you! he was never taken aback, and the gentlefolks was glad enough to get him to sit down amongst em. So, says Mr. George, I know youre a fire-eater, Marquis, and his dander was up, for he began marquising Mel, and doing the mock polite at such a rate, that, by-and-by, one of the ladies who didnt know Mel called him my lord and his lordship. And, says Mel, I merely bowed to her, and took no notice. So that passed off: and there sits Mel telling his anecdotes, as grand as a king. And, by and-by, young Mr. George, who hadnt forgiven Mel, and had been pulling at the bottle pretty well, he sings out, It s Michaelmas! the death of the goose! and I should like to drink the Marquiss health! and he drank it solemn. But, as far as I can make out, the women part of the company was a little in the dark. So Mel waited till there was a sort of a pause, and then speaks rather loud to the Admiral, By the way, Sir Jackson, may I ask you, has the title of Marquis anything to do with tailoring? Now Mel was a great favourite with the Admiral, and with his lady, too, they sayand the Admiral played into his hands, you see, and, says he, I m not aware that it has, Mr. Harrington. And he begged for to know why he asked the questioncalled him, Mister, you understand. So Mel said, and I can see him now, right out from his chest he spoke, with his head up When I was a younger man, I had the good taste to be fond of good society, and the bad taste to wish to appear different from what I was in it: thats Mel speaking; everybody was listening; so he goes on: I was in the habit of going to Bath in the season, and consorting with the gentlemen I met there on terms of equality; and for some reason that I am quite guiltless of, says Mel, the hotel people gave out that I was a Marquis in disguise; and, upon my honour, ladies and gentlemenI was young then, and a foolI could not help imagining I looked the thing. At all events, I took upon myself to act the part, and with some success, and considerable gratification; for, in my opinion, says Mel, no real Marquis ever enjoyed his title so much as I did. One day I was in my shopNo. 193, Main Street, Lymportand a gentleman came in to order his outfit. I received his directions, when suddenly he started back, stared at me, and exclaimed:
My dear Marquis! I trust you will pardon me for having addressed you with so much familiarity. I recognized in him one of my Bath acquaintances. That circumstance, ladies and gentlemen, has been a lesson to me. Since that time I have never allowed a false impression with regard to my position to exist. I desire, says Mel, smiling, to have my exact measure taken everywhere; and if the Michaelmas bird is to be associated with me, I am sure I have no objection; all I can say is, that I cannot justify it by letters patent of nobility. Thats how Mel put it. Do you think they thought worse of him? I warrant you he came out of it in flying colours. Gentlefolks like straight-forwardness in their inferiorsthats what they do. Ah! said Kilne, meditatively, I see him now, walking across the street in the moonlight, after he d told me that. A fine figure of a man! and there aint many Marquises to match him.