THE DUKE'S DRESSING-GOWN
Thinking thus, I almost forgot the storm, but coming to a slight
descent where the road was very smooth I became conscious that my
wheel was inclined to slip, and if I were not careful I might come to
grief. But no sooner had I reached the bottom of the declivity than I
beheld on my right a lighted doorway. Without the slightest hesitation
I turned through the wide gateway, the posts of which I could scarcely
see, and stopped in front of a small house by the side of a driveway.
Waiting for no permission, I carried my bicycle into a little covered
porch. I then approached the door, for I was now seeking not only
shelter but an opportunity to dry myself. I do not believe a sponge
could have been more thoroughly soaked than I was.
At the very entrance I was met by a little man in short jacket and
top-boots.
"I heard your step," said he. "Been caught in the rain, eh? Well, this
is a storm! And now what're we going to do? You must come in. But
you're in a pretty mess, I must say! Hi, Maria!"
At these words a large, fresh-looking woman came into the little hall.
"Maria," said the man, "here's a gentleman that's pretty nigh drowned,
and he's dripping puddles big enough to swim in."
The woman smiled. "Really, sir," said she, "you've had a hard time.
Wheeling, I suppose. It's an awful time to be out. It's so dark that I
lighted a lamp to make things look a little cheery. But you must come
in until the rain is over, and try and dry yourself."
"But how about the hall, Maria?" said the man. "There'll be a dreadful
slop!"
"Oh, I'll make that all right," she said. She disappeared, and quickly
returned with a couple of rugs, which she laid, wrong side up, on the
polished floor of the hallway. "Now you can step on those, sir, and
come into the kitchen. There's a fire there."
I thanked her, and presently found myself before a large stove, on
which it was evident, from the odors, that supper was preparing. In a
certain way the heat was grateful, but in less than a minute I was
bound to admit to myself that I felt as if I were enveloped in a vast
warm poultice. The little man and his wife--if wife she were, for she
looked big enough to be his mother, and young enough to be his
daughter--stood talking in the hall, and I could hear every word they
said.
[Illustration: "ON MY RIGHT A LIGHTED DOORWAY"]
"It's of no use for him to try to dry himself," she said, "for he's
wet to the bone. He must change his clothes, and hang those he's got
on before the fire."
"Change his clothes!" exclaimed the man. "How ever can he do that?
I've nothing that'll fit him, and of course he has brought nothing
along with him."
"Never you mind," said she. "Something's got to be got. Take him into
the little chamber. And don't consider the floor; that can be wiped
up."
She came into the kitchen and spoke to me. "You must come and change
your clothes," she said. "You'll catch your death of cold, else.
You're the school-master from Walford, I think, sir? Indeed, I'm sure
of it, for I've seen you on your wheel."
Smiling at the idea that through the instrumentality of my bicycle I
had been making myself known to the people of the surrounding
country, I followed the man into a small bed-chamber on the
ground-floor.
"Now," said he, "the quicker you get off your wet clothes and give
yourself a good rub-down the better it will be for you. And I'll go
and see what I can do in the way of something for you to put on."
I asked him to bring me the bag from my bicycle, and after doing so he
left me.
Very soon I heard talking outside of my door, and as both my
entertainers had clear, high voices, I could hear distinctly what they
said.
"Go get him the corduroys," said she. "He's a well-made man, but he's
no bigger than your father was."
"The corduroys?" he said, somewhat doubtfully, I thought.
"Yes," she replied. "Go get them! I should be glad to have them put to
some use."
"But what for a coat?" said he. "There's nothing in the house that he
could get on."
"That's true," said she. "But he must have something. You can get him
the Duke's dressing-gown."
"What!" exclaimed the man. "You don't mean--"
"Yes, I do mean," said she. "It's big enough for anybody, and it'll
keep him from ketching cold. Go fetch it!"
In a short time there was a knock at my door, and the little man
handed me in a pair of yellow corduroy trousers and a large and gaudy
dressing-gown. "There!" said he. "They'll keep you warm until your own
clothes dry."
With a change of linen from my bag, which had fortunately kept its
contents dry, the yellow trousers, and a wonderful dressing-gown, made
of some blue stuff embroidered with gold and lined throughout with
crimson satin, I made a truly gorgeous appearance. But it struck me
that it would be rather startling to a beholder were I to appear
barefooted in such raiment, for my shoes and stockings were as wet as
the rest of my clothes. I had not finished dressing before the little
man knocked again, this time with some gray socks and a pair of
embroidered slippers.
"These'll fit you, I think," said he, "for I'll lay you ten shillings
that I'm as big in the feet as you are."
I would have been glad to gaze at myself in a full-length mirror, but
there was no opportunity for the indulgence of such vanity; and before
leaving the room I sat down for a moment to give a few thoughts to
the situation. My mind first reverted to the soaked condition of my
garments and the difficulty of getting them dry enough for me to put
them on and continue my journey. Then I found that I had dropped the
subject and was thinking of the slender girl, wondering if she had
really hurt herself very much, congratulating myself that I had been
fortunate enough to be on hand to help her in her need, and
considering what a plight she would have been in if she had been
caught in that terrible rain and utterly unable to get herself to
shelter.
Suddenly I stopped short in my thinking, and going to my bag I took
from it the little box of quinine capsules which had been given to me
by the doctor's daughter, and promptly proceeded to swallow one of
them.
"It may be of service to me," I said to myself.
When I made my appearance in the hallway I met the little man, who
immediately burst into a roar of laughter.
"Lord, sir!" said he. "You must excuse me, but you look like a king on
a lark! Walk into the parlor, sir, and sit down and make yourself
comfortable. She's hurrying up supper to give you something warm after
your wettin'. Would you like a little nip of whiskey, sir, to keep
the damp out?"
[Illustration: A Few Thoughts]
I declined the whiskey, and seated myself in the neatly-furnished
parlor. It was wonderful, I thought, to fall into such a hospitable
household, and then I began to ask myself whether or not it would be
the proper thing to offer to pay for my entertainment. I thought I had
quite properly divined the position in life of the little man. This
small house, so handsomely built and neatly kept, must be a lodge upon
some fine country place, and the man was probably the head gardener,
or something of the kind.
It was not long before my hostess came into the room, but she did not
laugh at my appearance. She was a handsome woman, erect and broad,
with a free and powerful step. She smiled as she spoke to me.
"You may think that that's an over-handsome gown for such as us to be
owning. It was given to my man by the Duke of Radford. That was before
we were married, and he was an undergardener then. The Duchess
wouldn't let the Duke wear it, because it was so gay, and there wasn't
none of the servants that would care to take it, for fear they'd be
laughed at, until they offered it to John. And John, you must know,
he'd take anything! But I came in to tell you supper's ready; and, if
you like, I'll bring you something in here, and you can eat it on that
table, or--"
Here I interrupted my good hostess, and declared that, while I should
be glad to have some supper, I would not eat any unless I might sit
down with her husband and herself; and, as this proposition seemed to
please her, the three of us were soon seated around a very tastefully
furnished table in a dining-room looking out upon a pretty lawn. The
rain had now almost ceased, and from the window I could see beautiful
stretches of grass, interspersed with ornamental trees and
flower-beds.
The meal was plain but abundant, with an appetizing smell pervading it
which is seldom noticed in connection with the tables of the rich.
When we had finished supper I found that the skies had nearly cleared
and that it was growing quite light again. I asked permission to step
out upon a little piazza which opened from the dining-room and smoke a
pipe, and while I was sitting there enjoying the beauty of the
sunlight on the sparkling grass and trees I again heard the little man
and his wife talking to each other.
"It can't be done," said he, speaking very positively. "I've orders
about that, and there's no getting round them."
"It's got to be done!" said she, "and there's an end of it! The
clothes won't be dry until morning, and it won't do to put them too
near the stove, or they'll shrink so he can't get them on. And he
can't go away to hunt up lodgings wearing the Duke's dressing-gown and
them yellow breeches!"
"Orders is orders," said the man, "and unless I get special leave, it
can't be done."
"Well, then, go and get special leave," said she, "and don't stand
there talking about it!"
There was no doubt that my lodging that night was the subject of this
conversation, but I had no desire to interfere with the good
intentions of my hostess. I must stay somewhere until my clothes were
dry, and I should be glad to stop in my present comfortable quarters.
So I sat still and smoked, and very soon I heard the big shoes of the
little man grating upon the gravel as he walked rapidly away from the
house. Now came the good woman out upon the piazza to ask me if I had
found my tobacco dry. "Because if it's damp," said she, "my man has
some very good 'baccy in his jar."
I assured her that my pouch had kept dry; and then, as she seemed
inclined to talk, I begged her to sit down if she did not mind the
pipe. Down she sat, and steadily she talked. She congratulated herself
on her happy thought to light the hall lamp, or I might never have
noticed the house in the darkness, and she would have been sorry
enough if I had had to keep on the road for another half-hour in that
dreadful rain.
On she talked in the most cheerful and communicative way, until
suddenly she rose with a start. "He's coming himself, sir!" she said,
"with Miss Putney."
"Who is 'he'?" I asked.
"It's the master, sir Mr. Putney, and his daughter. Just stay here
where you are, sir, and make yourself comfortable. I'll go and speak
to them."
Left to myself, I knocked out my pipe and sat wondering what would
happen next. A thing happened which surprised me very much. Upon a
path which ran in front of the little piazza there appeared two
persons--one, an elderly gentleman, with gray side-whiskers and a pale
face, attired in clothes with such an appearance of newness that it
might well have been supposed this was the first time he had worn
them; the other, a young lady, rather small in stature, but
extremely pleasant to look upon. She had dark hair and large blue
eyes; her complexion was rich, and her dress of light silk was
wonderfully well shaped.
[Illustration: "The beauty of her teeth"]
All this I saw at a glance, and immediately afterwards I also
perceived that she had most beautiful teeth; for when she beheld me as
I rose from my chair and stood in my elevated position before her she
could not restrain a laugh; but for this apparent impoliteness I did
not blame her at all.
But not so much as a smile came upon the countenance of the elderly
gentleman. He, too, was small, but he had a deep voice. "Good-evening,
sir," said he. "I am told that you are the school-master at Walford,
and that you were overtaken by the storm."
I assured him that these were the facts, and stood waiting to hear
what he would say next.
"It was very proper indeed, sir, that my gardener and his wife should
take you under the protection of this roof, but as I hear that it is
proposed that you should spend the night here, I have come down to
speak about it. I will tell you at once, sir, that I have given my man
the most positive orders that he is not to allow any one to spend a
night in this house. It is so conveniently near to the road that I
should not know what sort of persons were being entertained here if I
allowed him any such privilege."
As he spoke the young lady stood silently gazing at me. There was a
remnant of a smile upon her face, but I could also see that she was a
little annoyed. I was about to make some sort of an independent answer
to the gentleman's remarks, but he anticipated me.
"I do not want you to think, sir, on account of what I have said, that
I intend to drive you off my property at this hour of the evening, and
in your inappropriate clothing. I have heard of you, sir, and you
occupy a position of trust and, to a certain degree, of honor, in your
village. Therefore, while I cannot depart from my rule--for I wish to
make no precedent of that kind--I will ask you to spend the night at
my house. You need not be annoyed by the peculiarity of your attire.
If you desire to avoid observation you can remain here until it grows
darker, and then you can walk up to the mansion. I shall have a
bed-room prepared for you, and whenever you choose you can occupy it.
I have been informed that you have had something to eat, and it is as
well, for perhaps your dress would prevent you from accepting an
invitation to our evening meal."
I still held my brier-wood pipe in my hand, and I felt inclined to
hurl it at the dapper head of the consequential little gentleman, but
with such a girl standing by it would have been impossible to treat
him with any disrespect, and as I looked at him I felt sure that his
apparent superciliousness was probably the result of too much money
and too little breeding.
The young lady said nothing, but she turned and looked steadily at her
father. Her countenance was probably in the habit of very promptly
expressing the state of her mind, and it now seemed to say to her
father, "I hope that what you have said will not make him decline what
you offer!"
My irritation quickly disappeared. I had now entered into my Cathay,
and I must take things as I found them there. As I could not stay
where I was, and could not continue my journey, it would be a sensible
thing to overlook the man's manner and accept his offer, and I
accordingly did so. I think he was pleased more than he cared to
express.
"Very good, sir!" said he. "As soon as it grows a little darker I
shall be glad to have you walk up to my house. As I said before, I am
sure you would not care to do so now, as you might provoke remarks
even from the servants. Good-evening, sir, until I see you again."
During all this time the young lady had not spoken, but as the two
disappeared around the corner of the house I heard her voice. She
spoke very clearly and distinctly, and she said, "It would have been a
great deal more gracious if you had asked him to come at once, without
all that----" The rest of her remarks were lost to me.
The little man and his wife presently came out on the porch. Her
countenance expressed a sort of resignation to thwarted hospitality.
"It's the way of the world, sir!" she said. "The ups are always up and
the downs are always down! I expect they will be glad to have company
at the house, for it must be dreadfully lonely up there--which might
be said of this house as well."
It soon became dark enough for me to walk through the grounds without
hurting the sensibilities of their proprietor, and as I arose to go
the good wife of the gardener brought me my cap.
"I dried that out for you, sir, for I knew you would want it, and
to-morrow morning my man will take your clothes up to the house."
I thanked her for her thoughtful kindness, and was about to depart,
but the little man was not quite ready for me to go.
"If you don't mind, sir," said he, "and would step back there in the
light just for one minute, I would like to take another look at you. I
don't suppose I'll ever see anybody again wearing the Duke's
dressing-gown. By George, sir, you do look real royal!"
His wife looked at me admiringly. "Yes, sir," said she, "and I wish it
was the fashion for gentlemen to dress something like that every day.
But I will say, sir, that if you don't want people to be staring at
you, and will just wrap that gown round you so that the lining won't
be seen, you won't look so much out of the way."
As I walked along the smooth, hard driveway I adopted the suggestion
of the gardener's wife; but as I approached the house, and saw that
even the broad piazza was lighted by electric lamps, I was seized with
the fancy to appear in all my glory, and I allowed my capacious robe
to float out on each side of me in crimson brightness.
The gentleman stood at the top of the steps. "I have been waiting for
you, sir," said he. He looked as if he were about to offer me his
hand, but probably considered this an unnecessary ceremony under the
circumstances. "Would you like to retire to your room, sir, or would
you prefer--prefer sitting out here to enjoy the cool of the evening?
Here are chairs and seats, sir, of all variety of comfort. My family
and I frequently sit out here in the evenings, but to-night the air is
a little damp."
I assured the gentleman that the air suited me very well, and that I
would prefer not to retire so early; and so, not caring any longer to
stand in front of the lighted doorway, I walked to one end of the
piazza and took a seat.
"We haven't yet--that is to say, we are still at the table," he
remarked, as he followed me; "but if there is anything that you would
like to have, I should be--"
I interrupted him by declaring that I had supped heartily and did not
want for anything in the world, and then, with some sort of an
inarticulate excuse, he left me. I knew very well that this nervously
correct personage had jumped up from his dinner in order that he might
meet me at the door and thus prevent my unconventional attire from
shocking any of the servants.
It was very quiet and pleasant on the piazza, but, although I could
hear that a great deal of talking was going on inside, no words came
to me. In a short time, however, a man-servant in livery came out
upon the piazza and approached me with a tray on which were a cup of
coffee and some cigars. I could not refrain from smiling as I saw the
man.
"The old fellow has been forced to conquer his prejudices," I said to
myself, "and to submit to the mortification of allowing me to be seen
by his butler!"
I think, however, that even had the master been regarding us he would
have seen no reason for mortification in the manner of his servant.
The man was extremely polite and attentive, suggesting various
refreshments, such as wine and biscuits, and I never was treated by a
lackey with more respect.
Leaning back in a comfortable chair, I sipped my coffee and puffed
away at a perfectly delightful Havana cigar. "Cathay is not a bad
place," said I, to myself. "Its hospitality is a little queer, but as
to gorgeousness, luxury, and----" I was about to add another quality
when my mind was diverted by a light step on the piazza, and, turning
my head, I beheld the young lady I had seen before. Instantly I rose
and laid aside my cigar.
"Please do not disturb yourself," she said. "I simply came out to give
a little message from my father. Sit down again, and I will take this
seat for a moment. My father's health is delicate," she said, "and we
do not like him to be out in the night air, especially after a rain.
So I came in his stead to tell you that if you would like to come into
the house you must do so without the slightest hesitation, because my
mother and I do not mind that dressing-gown any more than if it were
an ordinary coat. We are very glad to have the opportunity of
entertaining you, for we know some people in Walford--not very many,
but some--and we have heard you and your school spoken of very
highly. So we want you to make yourself perfectly at home, and come in
or sit out here, just as your own feelings in regard to extraordinary
fine clothes shall prompt you."
At this she reassured me as to the beauty of her teeth. "As long as
you will sit out here," said I, to myself, "there will be no in-doors
for me."
She seemed to read my thoughts, and said: "If you will go on with your
smoking, I will wait and ask you some things about Walford. I dearly
love the smell of a good cigar, and father never smokes. He always
keeps them, however, in case of gentlemen visitors."
She then went on to talk about some Walford people, and asked me if I
knew Mary Talbot. I replied in the affirmative, for Miss Talbot was a
member of our literary society, and the young lady informed me that
Mary Talbot had a brother in my school--a fact of which I was aware to
my sorrow--and it was on account of this brother that she had first
happened to see me.
"See me!" I exclaimed, with surprise.
"Yes," said she. "I drove over to the village one day this spring, and
Mary and I were walking past your school-house, and the door was wide
open, for it was so warm, and we stopped so that Mary might point out
her brother to me; and so, as we were looking in, of course I saw
you."
"And you recognized me," I said, "when you saw me at the gardener's
house?"
"We call that the lodge," said she. "Not that I care in the least what
name you give it. And while we are on a personal subject, I want to
ask you to excuse me for laughing at you when I first saw you in that
astounding garb. It was very improper, I know, but the apparition was
so sudden I could not help it."
I had never met a young lady so thoroughly self-contained as this one.
None of the formalities of society had been observed in regard to our
acquaintance with each other, but she talked with me with such an easy
grace and with such a gentle assurance that there was no need of
introduction or presentation; I felt acquainted with her on the spot.
I had no doubt that her exceptionally gracious demeanor was due to the
fact that nobody else in the house seemed inclined to be gracious, and
she felt hospitality demanded that something of the kind should be
offered me by some one of the family.
We talked together for some minutes longer, and then, apparently
hearing something in the house which I did not notice, she rose rather
abruptly.
"I must go in," she said; "but don't you stay out here a second longer
than you want to."
She had left me but a very short time when her father came out on the
piazza, his coat buttoned up nearly to his chin. "I have been
detained, sir," he said, "by a man who came to see me on business. I
cannot remain with you out here, for the air affects me; but if you
will come in, sir, I shall be glad to have you do so, without regard
to your appearance. My wife is not strong and she has retired, and if
it pleases you I shall be very glad to have you tell me something of
your duties and success in Walford. Or, if you are fatigued, your
room is ready for you, and my man will show you to it."
I snatched at the relief held out to me. To sit in the company of that
condescending prig, to bore him and to be bored by him, was a doleful
grievance I did not wish to inflict upon myself, and I eagerly
answered that the day had been a long and hard one, and that I would
be glad to go to bed.
This was an assertion which was doubly false, for I was not in the
least tired or sleepy; and just as I had made the statement and was
entering the hall I saw that the young lady was standing at the parlor
door; but it was too late now for me to change my mind.
"Brownster," said Mr. Putney to his butler, "will you give this
gentleman a candle and show him to his room?"
Brownster quietly bowed, and stepping to a table in the corner, on
which stood some brass bed-room candlesticks, he lighted one of the
candles and stood waiting.
The gentleman moved towards his daughter, and then he stopped and
turned to me. "We have breakfast," he said, "at half-past eight But if
that is too late for you," he added, with a certain hesitation, "you
can have--"
At this moment I distinctly saw his daughter punch him with her elbow,
and as I had no desire to make an early start, and wished very much to
enjoy a good breakfast in Cathay, I quickly declared that I was in no
hurry, and that the family breakfast hour would suit me perfectly.
The young lady disappeared into the parlor, and I moved towards the
butler; but my host, probably thinking that he had not been quite as
attentive to me as his station demanded, or wishing to let me see what
a fine house he possessed, stepped up to me and asked me to look into
the billiard-room, the door of which I was about to pass. After some
remarks of deprecatory ostentation, in which he informed me that in
building his house he thought only of comfort and convenience, and
nothing of show, he carelessly invited my attention to the
drawing-room, the library, the music-room, and the little
sitting-room, all of which were furnished with as much stiffness and
hardness and inharmonious coloring as money could command.
When we had finished the round of these rooms he made me a bow as
stiff as one of his white and gold chairs, and I followed the butler
up the staircase. The man with the light preceded me into a room on
the second floor, and just as I was about to enter after him I saw the
young lady come around a corner of the hall with a lighted candle in
her hand.
[Illustration: "I kicked off my embroidered slippers"]
"Good-night," she said, with a smile so charming that I wanted to stop
and tell her something about Mary Talbot's brother; but she passed on,
and I went into my room.
It seemed perfectly ridiculous to me that people should carry around
bed-room candles in a house lighted from top to bottom by electricity,
but I had no doubt that this was one of the ultra-conventional customs
from which the dapper gentleman would not allow his family to depart.
I did not believe for a moment that his daughter would conform to such
nonsense except to please her parent.
The softly moving and attentive Brownster put the candle on the table,
blew it out, and touched a button, thereby lighting up a very
handsomely furnished room. Then, after performing every possible
service for me, with a bow he left me. Throwing myself into a great
easy chair, I kicked off my embroidered slippers and put my feet upon
another chair gay with satin stripes. Raising my eyes, I saw in front
of me a handsome mirror extending from the floor nearly to the
ceiling, and at the magnificent personage which therein met my gaze I
could not help laughing aloud.
I rose, stood before the mirror, folded my gorgeous gown around me,
spread it out, contrasting the crimson glory of its lining with the
golden yellow of my trousers, and wondered in my soul how that
exceedingly handsome girl with the bright eyes could have controlled
her risibilities as she sat with me on the piazza. I could see that
she had a wonderful command of herself, but this exercise of it seemed
superhuman.
I walked around the sumptuously furnished chamber, looking at the
pictures and bric-à-brac; I wondered that the master of the house was
willing to put me in a room like this--I had expected a hall bed-room,
at the best; I sat down by an open window, for it was very early yet
and I did not want to go to bed, but I had scarcely seated myself when
I heard a tap at the door. I could not have explained it, but this tap
made me jump, and I went to the door and opened it instead of calling
out. There stood the butler, with a tray in his hand on which was a
decanter of wine, biscuits, cheese, and some cigars.
"It's so early, sir," said Brownster, "that she said--I mean, sir, I
thought that you might like something to eat, and if you want to enjoy
a cigar before retiring, as many gentlemen do, you need not mind
smoking here. These rooms are so well ventilated, sir, that every
particle of odor will be out in no time." Placing the tray upon a
table, he retired.
[Illustration: "IT WOULD BE WELL FOR ME TO SWALLOW A CAPSULE"]
For an hour or more I sat sipping my wine, puffing smoke into rings,
and allowing my mind to dwell pleasingly upon the situation, the most
prominent feature of which seemed to me to be a young lady with bright
eyes and white teeth, and dressed in a perfectly-fitting gown.
When at last I thought I ought to go to bed, I stood and gazed at my
little valise. I had left it on the porch and had totally forgotten
it, but here it was upon a table, where it had been placed, no doubt,
by the thoughtful Brownster. I opened it and took out the box of
capsules. I did not feel that I had taken cold in the night air; this
was not a time to protect myself against morning mists; but still I
thought it would be well for me to swallow a capsule, and I did so.