The Last Chronicle of Barset [431]
finding himself unable to decline them both. 'My son!' she exclaimed; and before he knew where he was the old woman had succeeded in kissing his nose and whiskers. 'My son!' she said again.
Now that the time had come for facing the dragon and the tigress in their wrath. If they were to be faced at all, the time for facing them had certainly arrived. 'I don't quite understand,' he said, almost in a whisper. Madalina put out one arm towards him, and the fingers trembled. Her lips were opened, and the white row of interior ivory might be seen plainly; but at the present conjuncture of affairs she spoke not a word. She spoke not a word; but her arm remained stretched towards him, and her fingers did not cease to tremble.
'You do not understand!' said Lady Demolines, drawing herself back and looking, in her short open cloak, like a knight who has donned his cuirass, but has forgotten to put on his leg-gear. And she shook the bright ribbons of her cap, as a knight in his wrath shakes the crest of his helmet. 'You do not understand, Mr Eames! What is it, sir, that you do not understand?'
'There is some misconception, I mean,' said Johnny.
'Mother!' said Madalina, turning her eyes from her recent lover to her tender parent; trembling all over, but still keeping her hand extended. 'Mother!'
'My darling! But leave him to me, dearest. Compose yourself.'
''Twas the word that he said--this moment; before he pressed me to his heart.'
'I thought you were fainting,' said Johnny.
'Sir!' said Lady Demolines, as she spoke, shook her crest, and glared at him, and almost flew at him in her armour.
'It may be that nature has given way with me, and that I have been in a dream,' said Madalina.
'That which mine eyes saw was no dream,' said Lady Demolines. 'Mr Eames, I have given you the sweetest name that can fall from an old woman's lips. I have called you my son.'
'Yes, you did, I know. But, as I said before, there is some mistake. I know how proud I ought to be, and how happy, and all that kind of thing. But--' Then there came a screech from Madalina, which would have awakened the dead, had there been any dead in that house. The page and cook, however, took no notice of it, whether they were awakened or not. And having screeched, Madalina stood erect upon the floor, and she also glared at her recreant lover. The dragon and the tiger were there before him now, and he knew that it behoved him to look to himself. As he had a battle to fight, might it not be best to put a bold face upon it? 'The truth is,' said he, 'that I don't understand this kind of thing.'
'Not understand it, sir?' said the dragon.
'Leave him to me, mother,' said the tigress, shaking her head again, but with a kind of shake differing from that which she had used before. 'This is my business, and I'll have it out for myself. If he thinks I am going to put up with this kind of nonsense he's mistaken. I've been straightforward and above board with you, Mr Eames, and I expect to be treated in the same way in return. Do you mean to tell my mother that you deny that we are engaged?'
'Well; yes; I do. I'm very sorry, you know, if I seem to be uncivil--'
'It's because I've no brother,' said the tigress. 'He thinks that I have no man near me to protect me. But he shall find that I can protect myself. John Eames, why are you treating me like this?'
'I shall consult my cousin the serjeant tomorrow,' said the dragon. 'In the meantime he must remain in this house. I shall not allow the front door to be unlocked for him.'
This, I think, was the bitterest moment of all for Johnny. To be confined all night in Lady Demolines's drawing-room would, of itself, be an intolerable nuisance. And then the absurdity of the thing, and the story that would go abroad! And what would he say to the dragon's cousin the serjeant, if the serjeant should be brought upon the field before he was able to escape from it? He did not know what a serjeant might not do to him in such circumstances. There was one thing no serjeant should do, and no dragon! Between
Now that the time had come for facing the dragon and the tigress in their wrath. If they were to be faced at all, the time for facing them had certainly arrived. 'I don't quite understand,' he said, almost in a whisper. Madalina put out one arm towards him, and the fingers trembled. Her lips were opened, and the white row of interior ivory might be seen plainly; but at the present conjuncture of affairs she spoke not a word. She spoke not a word; but her arm remained stretched towards him, and her fingers did not cease to tremble.
'You do not understand!' said Lady Demolines, drawing herself back and looking, in her short open cloak, like a knight who has donned his cuirass, but has forgotten to put on his leg-gear. And she shook the bright ribbons of her cap, as a knight in his wrath shakes the crest of his helmet. 'You do not understand, Mr Eames! What is it, sir, that you do not understand?'
'There is some misconception, I mean,' said Johnny.
'Mother!' said Madalina, turning her eyes from her recent lover to her tender parent; trembling all over, but still keeping her hand extended. 'Mother!'
'My darling! But leave him to me, dearest. Compose yourself.'
''Twas the word that he said--this moment; before he pressed me to his heart.'
'I thought you were fainting,' said Johnny.
'Sir!' said Lady Demolines, as she spoke, shook her crest, and glared at him, and almost flew at him in her armour.
'It may be that nature has given way with me, and that I have been in a dream,' said Madalina.
'That which mine eyes saw was no dream,' said Lady Demolines. 'Mr Eames, I have given you the sweetest name that can fall from an old woman's lips. I have called you my son.'
'Yes, you did, I know. But, as I said before, there is some mistake. I know how proud I ought to be, and how happy, and all that kind of thing. But--' Then there came a screech from Madalina, which would have awakened the dead, had there been any dead in that house. The page and cook, however, took no notice of it, whether they were awakened or not. And having screeched, Madalina stood erect upon the floor, and she also glared at her recreant lover. The dragon and the tiger were there before him now, and he knew that it behoved him to look to himself. As he had a battle to fight, might it not be best to put a bold face upon it? 'The truth is,' said he, 'that I don't understand this kind of thing.'
'Not understand it, sir?' said the dragon.
'Leave him to me, mother,' said the tigress, shaking her head again, but with a kind of shake differing from that which she had used before. 'This is my business, and I'll have it out for myself. If he thinks I am going to put up with this kind of nonsense he's mistaken. I've been straightforward and above board with you, Mr Eames, and I expect to be treated in the same way in return. Do you mean to tell my mother that you deny that we are engaged?'
'Well; yes; I do. I'm very sorry, you know, if I seem to be uncivil--'
'It's because I've no brother,' said the tigress. 'He thinks that I have no man near me to protect me. But he shall find that I can protect myself. John Eames, why are you treating me like this?'
'I shall consult my cousin the serjeant tomorrow,' said the dragon. 'In the meantime he must remain in this house. I shall not allow the front door to be unlocked for him.'
This, I think, was the bitterest moment of all for Johnny. To be confined all night in Lady Demolines's drawing-room would, of itself, be an intolerable nuisance. And then the absurdity of the thing, and the story that would go abroad! And what would he say to the dragon's cousin the serjeant, if the serjeant should be brought upon the field before he was able to escape from it? He did not know what a serjeant might not do to him in such circumstances. There was one thing no serjeant should do, and no dragon! Between