Onslow

“ Even in his attitude, as he sat at the table, there was a certain air of studied elegance that formed a curious contrast with the miserable meal before him. Helping himself to a small portion of cheese, and filling out a goblet of that element which neither cheers nor inebriates, he proceeded to eat his supper. Onslow looked on with a mingled sense of wonder and ridicule, and while half disposed to laugh at the disparity of the entertainment and him who partook of it, there was something in the scene which repressed his scorn and rendered him even an interested spectator of what went forward. ”

“ Has he told you?” asked Sir Stafford.
“Grounsell? no, sir. I did not even hear of his arrival. What are his tidings?”
“The saddest, perhaps, one friend can bring another,” sighed Onslow, as he covered his eyes with his hand. “Nay, nay, I am wrong,” said he, rapidly. “So long as Sydney and yourself are spared to me I have no right to say this; still, George, it is a terrible blow that strikes a man down from affluence to poverty, and, in place of wealth and power, leaves him nothing but insignificance and ruin!” ”

“ Onslow rapped out.
“I knock off a bit of verse occasionally,” said the skipper complacently. “When I’m in the mood, that is. It generally comes times like this—when I’ve been tail-twisting the hands, and have a spell of a rest and a think afterwards.”
“I see—the outcome of the vivid contrast,” said Onslow. He imagined to himself that these boasted poems would be of the “heroic” order, to the verge of melodrama. As it happened, he could not conveniently have made a worse guess. Kettle lugged from his pocket a doubled-up exercise-book, reddened slightly under the tan, and handed it across. ”

“ Within the Mazzarini Palace that night were at work every emotion and sentiment which sway the wide communities of men; and hope and fear, the yearnings of ambition, and the gloomy forebodings of despair, sat beside the pillows of those who, in vain, sought sleep and forgetfulness.
Before that long night ended, Sir Stafford had learned his ruin, for it was little less. Kate had yielded, to the pressing entreaties of Lady Hester, her consent to accept Midchekoff; and, just as day was breaking, George Onslow stole to his father's bedside to see him once more, perhaps for the last time. ”

“ A thought passed through Patrick Onslow’s mind, a thought of the drama to be played under shelter of those recesses within the next few days, and he frowned. He thrust the thought from him as an impertinence, and turned again to his novel. But he was destined just then to read no more from that dainty vignette of Stamboul. Through the grating of the fiddley above his head came a frightened shout; then a chorus; then a prolonged clattering, as iron tools were thrown on the floor-plates, and the boots of scared men smote the rungs of the ladders. ”

“ Small fear of any one raiding that cache, Onslow thought; and two days later, with a clear mind, he was cabling “Right” to Theodore Shelf from the Eastern Union Telegraph Company’s Office in the hotel hall at Point Sebastian.
Now, modern science enables us to cry a message by wire round half the earth at breakfast time, and have an answer returned to us before the gong sounds for luncheon; and it was in [231] anticipation of a quick exchange of news like this that Onslow had come to the nearest outpost of civilization. ”

“ Onslow was openly amused, and once broke out into a mocking laugh. He was never at any pains to conceal his contempt for Mr. Theodore Shelf; which was more honest than judicious on his part.
Kettle, on the other hand, wore the puckered face of a puzzled man. The combination of cant and criminality was not altogether new to him. Men of his profession are frequently apt to behave like fiends unbooted at sea, and then grovel in clamorous piety amongst the pews of some obscure meeting-house during all their stay ashore. It is a peculiar trait ”

“ Sir Stafford Onslow was an immensely rich London banker, who in his capacity of borough member had voted steadily with the Whigs for some five-and-twenty years; supporting them by all the influence of his wealth and family, and who now came abroad, in a pet of sulk with his party, on being refused the peerage. By nature generous, kind-hearted, and affectionate, the constant pressure of a more ambitious wife had involved him in a career to which neither his tastes nor habits suited him. ”

“ Onslow, who are playing the Yankee. You have been talking, sir, with one Henry Berwick, New-Yorker by birth, retired lawyer by profession, and now on his way to New Orleans to attend to some real estate belonging to his wife. That little girl is his daughter. This lady is his wife. My dear, this is our fellow-passenger, Mr. Onslow. Allow me to introduce him to your better acquaintance.”
The lady courtesied, flashing upon the stranger a smile that said as eloquently as smile could say, “I need no vouchers; I flatter myself I can distinguish a gentleman.” ”

“ When he threw off his bewilderment, he quieted himself with the thought, “She can’t be as beautiful as she looks,—that’s one comfort. A shrew, perhaps,—or, what is worse, a coquette!”
“When were you last in St. Louis, Miss Brown?” asked Onslow.
“All questions for information must be addressed to Miss Tremaine,” said Clara. “I shall be happy to talk with you on things I know nothing about. Shall we discuss the Dahlgren gun, or the Ericsson Monitor?”
“So! She sets up for an eccentric,” thought Onslow. “Perhaps politics would suit you,” he added aloud. “I hear you’re an Abolitionist.” ”

“ To draw the rags of poverty closer, to make their folds drape decently, and hide the penury within, that is the victory, indeed.”
“Mark you,” cried Onslow, laughing, “it is an old bachelor says all this.”
Grounsell's face became scarlet, and as suddenly pale as death; and although he made an effort to speak, not a sound issued from his lips. For an instant the pause which ensued was unbroken, when a tap was heard at the door. It was a message from Lady Hester, requesting, if Sir Stafford were disengaged, to be permitted to speak with him. ”

“ Patrick Onslow came into the chart-house on the bridge-deck, closing the door behind him. “A cheery, amiable crowd you’ve collected,” he said.
“Aren’t they?” replied Captain Kettle from a sofa locker. “They’re just a terror of a crew. You wait till we get to sea, and they start on mischief. My mate’s a cur; he wouldn’t stand up to a Chinaman. ”

“ If he persist, what then? Is it better to go back and share the poverty I cannot alleviate?
“But what alternative have I? Jekyl's flatteries are but fictions. Would I wish them to be otherwise? Alas, I cannot tell; I do not even know my own heart now. Oh for one true-hearted friend to guide and counsel me!” She thought of George Onslow, rash, impetuous, and ardent; she thought of the priest, D'Esmonde, but the last scene in which he figured made her shrink with terror from the man of dark intrigues and secret wiles. ”

“ Vance, for vindicating my authority.”
There was no further jarring. Both the young men were personally fine specimens of the Southern chivalric race. Onslow was the larger and handsomer. He seemed to unite with a feminine gentleness the traits that make a man popular and beloved among men; a charming companion, sunny-tempered, amiable, social, ever finding a soul of goodness in things evil, and making even trivialities surrender enjoyments, where to other men all was barren. ”

“ Of all men living, none were less suited than Onslow for assuming any part, or taking any decisive line, which could possibly be avoided, or even postponed. He hated, besides, to do an ungracious thing anywhere, or to any one. It might be, thought he, that Norwood's scrape could all be explained away. Perhaps, after all, the thing is a mere trifle; and if he were to take the decided line of cutting a man without due cause, the consequences might be most injurious. ”

“ You’ll need it more than I. Mr. Vance and Mr. Winslow have supplied me with ten times as much as I shall require.”
Onslow said no more. For the first time in his life he felt that a negro could be a gentleman and his equal.
“Peek,” said he, “you may refuse my money, but you must not refuse my friendship and respect. Promise me you will seek me if I can ever aid you. Nay, promise me you will visit me when you can.”
“That I do cheerfully, sir. Here we are close by the steam-tug.”
Peek pulled up the horses, and he and Onslow jumped to the ground. The door was opened, and those inside got out. ”

“ Some men, in the face of such conditions, would have been mazed, helpless—physically incapable, in the presence of that solitude, of making any necessary effort; for it is one thing to do a desperate matter before the eyes of an applauding crowd, and another when the Devil below is your only appreciative onlooker. It would have been beyond the capabilities of Captain Kettle, for instance. Onslow, however, was the one man in the million to whom the adventure was as meat and drink. ”

“ ONSLOW, RICHARD (1528–1571) , speaker of the House of Commons, was second son of Roger Onslow of Shrewsbury, by his first wife Margaret, daughter of Thomas Poyner of Shropshire, presumably a member of the family of Poyner settled at Beslow. The family of Onslow had long been settled at Onslow and other places in the county (Eyton, Antiq. of Shropshire, vol. x.) Roger Onslow lived chiefly in London, though he belonged to the Mercers' Company of Shrewsbury. His eldest son, Fulk, held the office of clerk of parliament under Elizabeth; married Mary Scott, a widow; died 8 Aug. ”

“ Onslow was a man of unblemished integrity and much ability. He was the third member of his family who had been speaker of the House of Commons. No speaker has ever supported the privileges of the House with more firmness, or sustained the dignity of his office with greater authority. ‘His knowledge of the constitution equalled his attachment to it. To the crown he behaved with all the decorum of respect, without sacrificing his freedom of speech. ”

“ With an effort that caused me to turn sick and giddy, I mastered the impulse that urged me to strike my enemy dead, there and then, and, mute with the intensity of my feelings, permitted my companion to lead me away. We descended the companion ladder in silence; and upon reaching the cabin Miss Onslow—as upon a former occasion—led me to one of the sofa-lockers, upon which she seated herself, gently drawing me down beside her. ”

“ Sir William Hotham [q. v.] noted that ‘soon after the action a nobleman very unkindly insinuated to the king that it was a lucky thing for Sir Richard Onslow that he had O'Bryen for his captain. His Majesty differed, and told his lordship they were equally brave men.’ The circumstance was reported to O'Bryen, who declared emphatically ‘from the time in which the enemy appeared to the hour at which the action ended, Sir Richard Onslow was his own captain.’ From 1801 to 1803 O'Bryen commanded the Kent in the Mediterranean. ”

“ In 1801 he was created Viscount Cranley and earl of Onslow, and he died at his Surrey residence, Clandon Park, on the 17th of May 1814. The second earl was his eldest son Thomas (1754–1827) , whose son Arthur George (1777–1870) , the 3rd earl, died without surviving male issue in October 1870. He was succeeded by his grand-nephew, William Hillier, 4th earl of Onslow (b. 1853) , who was governor of New Zealand from 1888 to 1892; under-secretary for India from 1895 to 1900 ”

“ The Estate at Lees-Court in Kent came by the above marriage.
Onslow and Cranley, Baron (Onslow) .—This Barony is both nominal and local, for the Family came from Onslow in Shropshire. Their first settlement in Surrey was at Knowle, in the Parish of Cranley, whence [178] came the second Barony by creation to George Onslow, the Son of Arthur (the Speaker) , in the life-time of his Cousin Richard, then Lord Onslow, 1776. The original Patent, 1716, to Richard (who was Speaker also) the eldest Son of Sir Arthur Onslow, Bart. ”

“ That’s my bunk there, bang above the place where it’s stowed, and I’ve sat on top of those sovereigns like a hen every watch below I’ve had this voyage, and heard ’em chinkle, and wondered what they’d hatch out into. You perhaps, understand what I mean?”
Onslow nodded.
“Then take the synch from me, sir, and cart your boxes away as quick as you can. Poor men like me shouldn’t have big temptations. ”

“ We engage in no such things as swindles in the [57] City. Our operations are all commercial enterprises.”
“Very well,” said Onslow, shrugging his shoulders; “don’t let’s squabble over it. You call your spade what you like, only I reserve a right to clap on a plainer brand. We’re built differently, Mr. Shelf. I prefer to be honest in my dishonesty. And now, as I’ve said, let’s get to business. You say the charter of this steamer of yours, the Port Edes, has expired, and she is back on your hands. She’s 2000 tons, built under Lloyds’ survey, and classed 100 A1. ”

“ Richard Onslow (1528–1571) [q. v.] was his grandfather (Surrey Archæological Collections, vol. iii. appendix; Harl. MS. 1430, f. 35) . Onslow the grandson succeeded to the family estate of Knoll on the death without issue of his elder brother, Sir Thomas, in 1616. He was knighted at Theobalds in June 1624, served as knight of the shire for Surrey in the parliament of 1628, and was appointed justice for the county (State Papers, Dom. 13 Feb. 1633–4, cclx. 58) . In November 1638 he was one of the deputy-lieutenants of Surrey. ”

“ George Onslow avoided play when in his company. Treviliani, one of Lady Hester's chief danglers, and the patron of the Turf in Tuscany, would n't even allude to a horse before him. Prince Midchekoff went further, and actually, save on rare occasions, omitted him from his dinner list. Now, although Norwood averred that he detested petit jeu, hated spooney talk about racing, and dreaded the tiresome display of a “Tartar feast,” these were all threatening indications, and he saw their meaning. He would willingly have fastened upon some one man, fixed a quarrel on him, and shot him. ”