If there be a special agreeability about all the meal-times of a
pleasant country-house, there is not one of them which, in the charm
of an easy, unconstrained gayety, can rival the hour of luncheon. At
breakfast, one is too fresh; at dinner, too formal; but luncheon, like
an opening manhood, is full of its own bright projects. The plans of the
day have already reached a certain maturity, and fixtures have been made
for riding-parties, or phaeton drives, or flirtations in the garden. The
very strangers who looked coldly at each other over their morning papers
have shaken into a semi-intimacy, and little traits of character and
temperament, which would have been studiously shrouded in the more
solemn festivals of the day, are now displayed with a frank and fearless
confidence. The half-toilette and the tweed coat, mutton broth and
“Balmorals,” seem infinitely more congenial to acquaintanceship than
the full-blown splendor of evening dress and the grander discipline of
dinner.
Irish social life permits of a practice of which I do not, while
recording, constitute myself the advocate or the apologist,--a sort
of good-tempered banter called quizzing,--a habit I scarcely believe
practicable in other lands; that is, I know of no country where it could
be carried on as harmlessly and as gracefully, where as much wit could
be expended innocuously, as little good feeling jeopardized in the
display. The happiest hour of the day for such passages as these was
that of luncheon, and it was in the very clash and clatter of the combat
that a servant announced the Attorney-General!
What a damper did the name prove! Short of a bishop himself, no
announcement could have spread more terror over the younger members
of the company, embodying as it seemed to do all that could be
inquisitorial, intolerant, and overbearing. Great, however, was
the astonishment to see, instead of the stern incarnation of Crown
prosecutions and arbitrary commitments, a tall, thin, slightly stooped
man, dressed in a gray shooting-jacket, and with a hat plentifully
garnished with fishing-flies. He came lightly into the room, and kissed
the hand of his hostess with a mixture of cordiality and old-fashioned
gallantry that became him well.
“My old luck, Cobham!” said he, as he seated himself at table. “I have
fished the stream all the way from the Red House to this, and never so
much as a rise to reward me.
“They knew you,--they knew you, Withering,” chirped out the Poet, “and
they took good care not to put in an appearance, with the certainty of a
'detainer.'”
“Ah! you here! That decanter of sherry screened you completely from my
view,” said Withering, whose sarcasm on his size touched the very sorest
of the other's susceptibilities. “And talking of recognizances,
how comes it you are here, and a large party at Lord Dunraney's all
assembled to meet you?”
The Poet, as not infrequent with him, had forgotten everything of this
prior engagement, and was now overwhelmed with his forgetfulness. The
ladies, however, pressed eagerly around him with consolation so like
caresses, that he was speedily himself again.
“How natural a mistake, after all!” said the lawyer. “The old song
says,--
'Tell me where beauty and wit and wine
Are met, and I 'll say where I 'm asked to dine.'
Ah! Tommy, yours _is_ the profession, after all; always sure of your
retainer, and never but one brief to sustain--'T. M. _versus_ the Heart
of Woman.'”
“One is occasionally nonsuited, however,” said the other, half
pettishly. “By the way, how was it you got that verdict for old
Barrington t'other day? Was it true that Plowden got hold of _your_ bag
by mistake?”
“Not only that, but he made a point for us none of us had discovered.”
“How historical the blunder:--
'The case is classical, as I and you know;
He came from Venus, but made love to Juno.'”
“If Peter Barrington gained his cause by it I 'm heartily rejoiced, and
I wish him health and years to enjoy it.” The Admiral said this with a
cordial good will as he drank off his glass.
“He's all right again,” said Withering. “I left him working away with
a hoe and a rake this morning, looking as hale and hearty as he did a
dozen years ago.”
“A man must have really high deserts in whose good fortune so many are
well-wishers,” said Stapylton; and by the courteous tone of the remark
Withering's attention was attracted, and he speedily begged the Admiral
to present him to his guest. They continued to converse together as
they arose from table, and with such common pleasure that when Withering
expressed a hope the acquaintance might not end there, Stapylton replied
by a request that he would allow him to be his fellow-traveller to
Kilkenny, whither he was about to go on a regimental affair. The
arrangement was quickly made, to the satisfaction of each; and as they
drove away, while many bewailed the departure of such pleasant members
of the party, the little Poet simperingly said,--
“Shall I own that my heart is relieved of a care?--
Though you 'll think the confession is petty--
I cannot but feel, as I look on the pair,
It is 'Peebles' gone off with 'Dalgetty.'”
As for the fellow-travellers, they jogged along very pleasantly on their
way, as two consummate men of the world are sure to do when they meet.
For what Freemasonry equals that of two shrewd students of life? How
flippantly do they discuss each theme! how easily read each character,
and unravel each motive that presents itself! What the lawyer gained by
the technical subtlety of his profession, the soldier made up for by
his wider experience of mankind. There were, besides, a variety of
experiences to exchange. Toga could tell of much that interested the
“man of war,” and he, in turn, made himself extremely agreeable by his
Eastern information, not to say, that he was able to give a correct
version of many Hindostanee phrases and words which the old lawyer
eagerly desired to acquire.
“All you have been telling me has a strong interest for me, Captain
Stapylton,” said he, as they drove into Kilkenny. “I have a case which
has engaged my attention for years, and is likely to occupy what remains
to me of life,--a suit of which India is the scene, and Orientals figure
as some of the chief actors,--so that I can scarcely say how fortunate I
feel this chance meeting with you.”
“I shall deem myself greatly honored if the acquaintance does not end
here.”
“It shall not, if it depend upon me,” said Withering, cordially. “You
said something of a visit you were about to make to Dublin. Will you do
me a great--a very great--favor, and make my house your home while you
stay? This is my address: '18 Merrion Square.' It is a bachelor's hall;
and you can come and go without ceremony.”
“The plan is too tempting to hesitate about. I accept your invitation
with all the frankness you have given it. Meanwhile you will be my guest
here.” “'That is impossible. I must start for Cork this evening.” And
now they parted,--not like men who had been strangers a few hours back,
but like old acquaintances, only needing the occasion to feel as old
friends.