Giles Vernon and I agreed that it was necessary we should strike the
blow as soon as possible, while we had the weather-gage, so to speak,
of Sir Peter; and on the day after his traveling chariot took its way
north, a very plain post-chaise followed it, and in it were Giles
Vernon and myself.
Giles was in a state of the wildest happiness conceivable. There is
something appalling in that fervor of mind when the human creature,
forgetting all the vicissitudes of this life, treads on air and
breathes and lives in Heaven. Thus I was made sad by his gladness, but
I dared not show it, lest it be mistaken for a want of spirit in our
enterprise, so I joined with him in his joy and revelry.
We reached Scarborough at four o’clock in the afternoon, and put up at
a small inn on the outskirts of the town, and some little way on the
road to the north. We sallied forth immediately to find out something
about our inamoratas, and Fate--whether it was that kindly goddess who
leads our footsteps toward those we love, or whether it was the cruel
Destiny which delights in torturing men--at once directed us. We were
walking along near the playhouse, which had been lately opened in the
town, when we saw Jeames, Lady Hawkshaw’s own footman, go inside the
playhouse and buy some tickets of the man at the door. As soon as he
was well out of the way I sneaked in, and, thrusting two shillings into
the man’s hand, inquired if Sir Peter and Lady Hawkshaw and the young
ladies would favor the performance that night. The man grinned and
showed me a slip of paper, on which was written in Lady Hawkshaw’s bold
hand, “Three stalls for Lady Hawkshaw and party.”
This made me hope that Sir Peter would not be present, for I thought
our chances of getting off would materially improve if he were not on
the spot.
The play was to be over at half-past ten, and it may be imagined that
we had plenty to do until then. We engaged four of the best pairs
of nags in the town. We arranged to pay the postboys according to
the time they took us over the border, and we felt in ourselves the
strength of Titans, to overcome whatever resistance might be offered.
Of course we counted on the surprise, and we determined that the best
disposition to make of Lady Hawkshaw was for Giles Vernon to appear
suddenly, when the people were coming out, place Lady Hawkshaw in
her coach, and then make that bold dash for love and beauty which we
had determined upon. Our postboys, who were not new to the perils of
elopements, grinned at the prospect, and were instructed to remain near
Lady Hawkshaw’s coach and impede it as much as possible, so that it
might be the last to reach the door of the theater.
Our arrangements were complete by eight o’clock, and from that hour
until ten we employed ourselves in disposing of a good supper at the
tavern. We were in a gale of rapture then. It seemed to us both as
if we were in that happy and exultant mood, when the enemy is within
gun-shot and the ship is cleared for action; and we only awaited the
signal for victory. We had some punch, but both Giles and myself knew
enough to be exceedingly careful in attacking it.
“Dicky, my lad,” cried Giles, banging me in the back, “this day is
the anniversary of the day we whipped the _Indomptable_ and the
_Xantippe_!”--and so it was. “So we shall capture the _Indomptable_, in
the Lady Arabella, and we will disable the _Xantippe_,--ha! ha!--in my
Lady Hawkshaw.”
This I thought a very fine joke indeed, and we drank to it.
“Dicky,” began Giles again, wiping his mouth after the punch, “I never
thought I could be constant to any woman, as I have been to Arabella.
By Heaven, the whole sex is so seductive that it was the last one
I saw I loved the best. But since I knew that witch of a girl, St.
Anthony himself could not be more impervious to female charms than your
humble servant,” which was true enough. “And as for Overton,--that
psalm-singing devil,--I defy him. Give me but a week, and he shall see
Arabella hanging upon me so fondly! Let him have her thirty thousand
pounds; ’tis so much dirt and dross to me. And she may be Lady Vernon
yet. Do you know that old rapscallion Sir Thomas Vernon’s estate is in
this part of the country? though nearer York than Scarborough. On our
return from our honeymoon I have a great mind to take my Arabella to
Vernon Court, and show her what may one day be hers.”