Sir Marmaduke had come away from his brother-inlaw the parson in much anger, for Mr Outhouse, with that mixture of obstinacy and honesty which formed his character, had spoken hard words of Colonel Osborne, and words which by implication had been hard also against Emily Trevelyan. He had been very staunch to his niece when attacked by his niece’s husband; but when his sympathies and assistance were invoked by Sir Marmaduke it seemed as though he had transferred his allegiance to the other side. He pointed out to the unhappy father that Colonel Osborne had behaved with great cruelty in going to Devonshire, that the Stanburys had been untrue to their trust in allowing him to enter the house, and that Emily had been ‘indiscreet’ in receiving him. When a young woman is called indiscreet by her friends it may be assumed that her character is very seriously assailed. Sir Marmaduke had understood this, and on hearing the word had become wroth with his brother-inlaw. There had been hot words between them, and Mr Outhouse would not yield an inch or retract a syllable. He conceived it to be his duty to advise the father to caution his daughter with severity, to quarrel absolutely with Colonel Osborne, and to let Trevelyan know that this had been done. As to the child, Mr Outhouse expressed a strong opinion that the father was legally entitled to the custody of his boy, and that nothing could be done to recover the child, except what might be done with the father’s consent. In fact, Mr Outhouse made himself exceedingly disagreeable, and sent away Sir Marmaduke with a very heavy heart. Could it really be possible that his old friend Fred Osborne, who seven or eight-and-twenty years ago had been potent among young ladies, had really been making love to his old friend’s married daughter? Sir Marmaduke looked into himself, and conceived it to be quite out of the question that he should make love to any one. A good dinner, good wine, a good cigar, an easy chair, and a rubber of whist — all these things, with no work to do, and men of his own standing around him — were the pleasures of life which Sir Marmaduke desired. Now Fred Osborne was an older man than he, and, though Fred Osborne did keep up a foolish system of padded clothes and dyed whiskers, still at fifty-two or fifty-three surely a man might be reckoned safe. And then, too, that ancient friendship! Sir Marmaduke, who had lived all his life in the comparative seclusion of a colony, thought perhaps more of that ancient friendship than did the Colonel, who had lived amidst the blaze of London life, and who had had many opportunities of changing his friends. Some inkling of all this made its way into Sir Marmaduke’s bosom, as he thought of it with bitterness; and he determined that he would have it out with his friend.
Hitherto he had enjoyed very few of those pleasant hours which he had anticipated on his journey homewards. He had had no heart to go to his club, and he had fancied that Colonel Osborne had been a little backward in looking him up, and providing him with amusement. He had suggested this to his wife, and she had told him that the Colonel had been right not to come to Manchester Street. ‘I have told Emily,’ said Lady Rowley, ‘that she must not meet him, and she is quite of the same opinion.’ Nevertheless, there had been remissness. Sir Marmaduke felt that it was so, in spite of his wife’s excuses. In this way he was becoming sore with everybody, and very unhappy. It did not at all improve his temper when he was told that his second daughter had refused an offer from Lord Peterborough’s eldest son. ‘Then she may go into the workhouse for me,’ the angry father had said, declaring at the same time that he would never give his consent to her marriage with the man who ‘did dirty work’ for the Daily Record as he, with his paternal wisdom, chose to express it. But this cruel phrase was not spoken in Nora’s hearing, nor was it repeated to her. Lady Rowley knew her husband, and was aware that he would on occasions change his opinion.
It was not till two or three days after his visit to St. Diddulph’s that he met Colonel Osborne. The Easter recess was then over, and Colonel Osborne had just returned to London. They met on the door-steps of ‘The Acrobats,’ and the Colonel immediately began with an apology. ‘I have been so sorry to be away just when you are here — upon my word I have. But I was obliged to go down to the duchess’s. I had promised early in the winter; and those people are so angry if you put them off. By George, it’s almost as bad as putting off royalty.’
‘D n the duchess,’ said Sir Marmaduke.
‘With all my heart,’ said the Colonel ‘only I thought it as well that I should tell you the truth.’
‘What I mean is, that the duchess and her people make no difference to me. I hope you had a pleasant time; that’s all.’
‘Well yes, we had. One must get away somewhere at Easter. There is no one left at the club, and there’s no House, and no one asks one to dinner in town. In fact, if one didn’t go away one wouldn’t know what to do. There were ever so many people there that I liked to meet. Lady Glencora was there, and uncommon pleasant she made it. That woman has more to say for herself than any half-dozen men that I know. And Lord Cantrip, your chief, was there. He said a word or two to me about you.’
‘What sort of word?’
‘He says he wishes you would read up some blue books, or papers, or reports, or something of that kind, which he says that some of his fellows have sent you. It seems that there are some new rules, or orders, or fashions, which he wants you to have at your finger’s ends. Nothing could be more civil than he was but he just wished me to mention this, knowing that you and I are likely to see each other.’
‘I wish I had never come over,’ said Sir Marmaduke.
‘Why so?’
‘They didn’t bother me with their new rules and fashions over there. When the papers came somebody read them, and that was enough. I could do what they wanted me to do there.’
‘And so you will here after a bit.’
‘I’m not so sure of that. Those young fellows seem to forget that an old dog can’t learn new t............