FRANK'S EMBARRASSMENTS.
Thus remained Mr. Frank Curtis for some minutes—each moment expecting
that the bed-room door would again open, and that the voice of the
terrible Irishman would once more convey some hideous menace to his
ears.
But Captain O'Blunderbuss had fairly departed this time; and at length
the miserable young man slowly pushed down the clothes, and glanced
timidly round the room.
It was no dream—as for an instant he had endeavoured to make himself
believe that it was; for there was the chair in the very place where the
Captain had sate—there also was the bottle which the Captain had
condescended to empty.
"A duel!" groaned Frank, in a sepulchral voice—he who had fought so many
in imagination!
Then he remembered that there existed a means of averting all danger
from himself; and, elated by the sudden thought, he leapt nimbly from
his bed, with the affectionate intention of proceeding forthwith to his
uncle, and compelling the old gentleman to go forth and be shot at,
whether by Captain Mordaunt or Captain O'Blunderbuss, Frank did not care
a fig.
Having hastily dressed himself, the young gentleman hurried off to
Jermyn Street: and, on his arrival, he was surprised to find the
knight's travelling-carriage at the door, while the servants were busily
employed in piling up portmanteaus, and hat-boxes, and bandboxes, and
carpet-bags.
"Halloa!" cried Frank to Jeffreys, the groom, who was in the act of
hoisting one of the aforesaid articles of luggage to another servant who
stood upon the roof of the vehicle: "what does all this mean?"
"Means travelling, Mr. Frank," responded the domestic. "The order was
given in a violent hurry—and so I haven't a moment to spare. But here's
master and her ladyship."
And, sure enough, Sir Christopher and Lady Blunt made their appearance
at that instant, the former enveloped in his great coat and with a silk
handkerchief tied round all the lower part of his face,—and Charlotte
muffled in a splendid cloak.
"I say, Sir Christopher!" cried Frank: "this won't do at any price, you
know."
"What won't do, sir?" demanded the knight in a stern tone. "Now, then,
Jeffreys—down with the steps."
"Yes, sir:"—and the steps were lowered accordingly.
Frank stood aghast, as he saw the knight hand his better half into the
carriage: and the said better half pouted up her really pretty mouth in
a disdainful manner as she passed the forlorn youth.
Sir Christopher was about to follow her into the vehicle, when Frank
suddenly seized him by the skirts of his great coat, exclaiming, "You
shan't sneak off in this manner: you shall stay to—to——"
"To what?" growled Sir Christopher from the depths of the silk
handkerchief which came up to his nose.
"To be shot at!" returned Frank, almost driven to desperation.
The lady inside uttered a scream—Sir Christopher gave a desperate groan,
and, breaking away from his nephew, rushed into the carriage—Jeffreys
put up the steps and banged the door—and the vehicle rolled away,
leaving Curtis standing alone on the pavement, the very picture of the
most ludicrous despair.
What was to be done now? The formidable Captain O'Blunderbuss held
him—yes, _him_—Frank Curtis—answerable for the appearance of Sir
Christopher Blunt on the field of battle; otherwise——but the alternative
was too dreadful to think of!
What, then, _was_ to be done? Frank saw the impossibility of nerving
himself so as to encounter the desperate fire-eater; and yet he knew
that the Captain would find him out, even if he removed his abode from
the West-End to West Smithfield.
Yet something _must_ be done—and that speedily; for it was now two
o'clock in the afternoon—and next morning at eight the Captain would
expect him at the place of appointment.
An idea struck Frank:—he would go and consult Mr. Howard, the attorney.
To that gentleman's offices he accordingly repaired, composing himself
by the way as well as he could, so as not to express by his countenance
the alarms which agitated within his breast.
Mr. Howard was disengaged, and gave him an immediate audience.
"Well, I hope you're satisfied, now that you hanged that poor fellow
yesterday morning," said Frank, as he took the chair to which the
solicitor pointed.
"It was a duty which I owed to society," returned Howard, laconically,
as if the subject were not altogether a pleasant one.
"What an idea!" ejaculated Frank. "But, however, it is done, and can't
be undone. After all, he was a brave fellow—a man just such as I could
have admired, barring the highway part of his calling. And now, you who
are such a stickler about duties to society, and so on—suppose you
heard, for instance, that a duel was going to take place between some
friends of yours and another party—of course you'd do all you could to
stop it—you'd go to Bow Street, and you'd give private information
concerning the _where_ and the _when_;—or perhaps you'd speak openly,
and get the persons bound over to keep the peace—eh?"
"I should not do anything of the kind," answered Howard, who already
began to suspect that Mr. Frank Curtis had some special reason of his
own for speaking with so much earnestness—indeed, with such an air of
appeal, as he now displayed.
"You wouldn't—eh?" exclaimed Frank, grievously disappointed at the
ill-success of his little manœuvre. "And why not?"
"Because I should only lose my time for nothing," responded Mr. Howard.
"The devil! Then, did you get Tom Rain hanged because the prosecution
put money into your pocket?" demanded Frank.
"Did you merely come to chatter with me, or on business?" asked the
lawyer evasively. "If the former, I am busy—if the latter, make haste
and explain yourself."
"Well—the fact is," continued Frank, now feeling certain that the entire
affair of Tom Rain's prosecution was a very sore subject with the
lawyer,—"the fact is, I wanted to speak to you about a little matter—in
which my precious old uncle has placed me in a complete fix——not that I
care about a duel, you know—I'd see a duel damned first, before I'd care
for it—still——"
"Still you would rather not fight it?" observed Mr. Howard, with a
slight curl of the lip.
"You see, my dear fellow," proceeded Curtis, "that I have so many
affairs of my own to attend to, I really cannot undertake to conduct
those of other people. There's my marriage with Mrs. Goldberry coming
off in a few days——and now, bother to it! up starts this
duel-business——"
"Do explain yourself, Frank!" exclaimed Howard impatiently.
"Well, I will—and in a few words, too. It seems that Captain Mordaunt
has taken a tiff at my uncle's conduct towards his sister; and so he
sends Captain O'Blunderbuss——"
"Captain O'Blunderbuss, eh!" ejaculated the attorney, now becoming
suddenly interested in the narrative of Mr Curtis.
"Yes: a terrible-looking, wild Irishman," returned this young gentleman:
"but he didn't frighten me, though——_I_ should think not! Do you know
him?"
"Only by name," answered Mr. Howard coolly, as he glanced at a
suspicious-looking slip of parchment that lay upon his desk. "But go
on."
"Well, this O'Blunderbuss, it appears, goes to my uncle, who refers him
to me—naturally enough, seeing that I am pretty well experienced in all
matters of duelling," pursued Frank. "So the Captain calls on me a
couple of hours ago; and we discuss the business in a very friendly way.
Every thing is settled pleasantly enough; but before the Captain takes
his leave, I catch hold of him by the button, and let him know that if
he fails to produce his principal on the ground to-morrow morning, after
all the trouble entailed on me, I shall hold _him_ answerable
accordingly. The Captain looks rather glum at that, because I did tumble
down upon him a little unexpectedly with my threat. However, he agrees;
and we separate. But, lo and behold! I go to Sir Christopher to tell him
how comfortably I have settled the whole business for him—and he is
gone—fled—bolted—mizzled—cut his stick—baggage and all, including his
wife!"
"And, therefore," observed Howard coolly, "you will have to fight
Captain O'Blunderbuss, because _you_ will not be able to produce _your_
principal."
"It's just this that bothers me," exclaimed Frank. "If the man had
offended me, I shouldn't of course mind: in that case, one of us should
never quit the ground alive—for I'm a desperate fellow, when once I am
in earnest. But here's a poor devil who has never done me any injury,
but who seems to me to be a capital hand at the whiskey-bottle,—and my
fire-eating temper places us both in that position which compels _him_
almost, poor creature! to insist on our exchanging shots. I really feel
for the Captain——"
"And not at all for yourself, Frank?" said the lawyer, in his usual
quiet manner.
"Oh! not an atom!" ejaculated Mr. Curtis. "But don't you admit that
something ought to be done to prevent Captain O'Blunderbuss from
becoming the victim of a display of temper so unjust and uncalled for on
my part? I wish to heaven my friend the Duke of the Tower Hamlets was in
town—he would pretty soon put matters on a proper footing, and save me
from the chance of killing a man that has never injured me. But as his
lordship the Marquis is _not_ in town, why—I must throw myself on your
friendship."
"Well—I will undertake to prevent the duel, in this case," said Howard,
speaking as quietly as if he believed every word of Mr. Frank Curtis's
version of the affair.
"Will you, though?" cried the young man, unable to conceal his joy.
"I will indeed," returned Howard: "so make your mind perfectly easy on
that head. Where is the duel—or rather, where ought it to take place?"
"In Battersea Fields, to-morrow morning, at eight precisely," answered
Frank.
"Very good," said the lawyer. "Now, you must be with me at a quarter
before seven—here, at my office; and I will have a chaise ready to take
us there."
"But need we go at all?" asked Frank, his countenance suddenly assuming
a woeful expression again.
"We _must_ go to the field," replied the solicitor; "but trust to me to
settle the matter when we _do_ get there. Again I tell you not to make
yourself uneasy: I will guarantee the complete settlement of the
affair—and in a most peremptory manner too."
"Thank'ee kindly," returned Frank, again reassured. "You have taken a
load from my breast: not that I care about fighting, you know—but it
must be in a good cause. That was just what I said when my best friend,
the Prince of Scandinavia——"
"There's enough of it for the present, Frank," interrupted the lawyer.
"Leave the affair to me—and I shall manage it to your complete
satisfaction. Be here at a quarter to seven—not a minute later—to-morrow
morning,—and now you must permit me to attend to my own engagements."
Frank Curtis took the hint and his leave accordingly, wondering how the
lawyer would so manage matters as to subdue the terrible fire-eating
propensities of the redoubtable Captain O'Blunderbuss. Nevertheless, the
young man placed implicit reliance upon Mr. Howard's promise; and it was
with a comparatively light heart that he sped towards use dwelling of
Mrs. Goldberry, in Baker Street.