Thomas Mulgrave

“ Fellows in misery, they left the church together, after Armando had searched for and recovered the valise that he had flung down, he knew not where, when he followed Juno to the altar. Side by side they walked through Mulberry, exchanging doleful tales. They were passing before Casa Di Bello, when Signor Tomato halted abruptly and said:
“Behold, comrade, the root of all our woe! She wanted to get into that house. Bertino has told me all. But Fate has [Pg 257] beaten her as well as us. ’Twixt the wish and the prize high mountains arise.” ”

“ When Signor Tomato reached Mulberry the day was spent, and the market minstrels [Pg 227] had begun their songs. It was no easy work for him to find a place at the curbstone wherein he could squeeze and join the long line of Saturday-night venders who filled the air with their ditties. In the weary solitude of his journey from Jamaica he had had ample time to plagiarize an ancient market couplet, so that when he began to offer his wares he was able to do so in the manner of a veteran:
“Dandelion, tra-la-la, dandelion, tra-la-lee ”

“ The bluebird came again to perch on Garibaldi’s cap, the baby maples put forth their leaves, and Signor Di Bello told Bertino it was time to give the Wooden Bunch a new coat of yellow. Once more the fire-escapes on either side of Corso di Mulberry bloomed with potted geraniums; glistening radishes lent their vernal blush to the vegetable stalls, and the thoughts of Sara the Frier of Pepper Pods turned to summer profits. The building trades had set the winter idlers to work, and the Alley of the Moon resounded no longer with the wild shouts of mora players. ”

“ Bridget treated herself to a flood of tears, and the children kept her company. All at once Signor Tomato stopped wailing, [Pg 207] and startled her by saying resolutely that they must all leave Mulberry—right away, that very night. His dear wife need give herself no care as to their destination. Enough that her loving husband, with an eye on the trickster Fate, had always kept a refuge in the country—a place of shelter for his family whereof he had never spoken. It was not far. They could load their household stuff on the push-cart still at the door, and be off under cover of the night. ”

“ Bertino had looked on silently during the metamorphosis of the bust, and when the long column of candle-bearers moved he kept abreast of the head. At length they wheeled into Mulberry Street and passed by Casa Di Bello. He had expected to see his uncle’s home in darkness and crape on the door. But the windows showed light, and, standing on the stoop to see the procession, like all the populace of Mulberry, were Aunt Carolina and—he pushed the hat from his brow at the risk of liberty and life, to make sure that his eyes did not beguile him—yes, Marianna and Armando! All in America! ”

“ A flock of fellow-pilgrims clattered by at high speed in care of a guide, who charged five cents a head for piloting them safely to the Italian colony. The hatless women, burdened with babies and heavy sacks, struggled bravely to keep up with the men, who carried the umbrellas. Bertino fell in behind, and soon they turned the corner of Franklin Street. Here they got their first glimpse of Mulberry, which lay clearly visible in the distance at the foot of a hill whose summit is Broadway. ”

“ Come on; we 'll get Harris first. He ought to be gettin' close to town if he got th' word I sent over to Tuxedo. He won't let us call him. He's a man of his word."
"He 'll be here, all right. Fred an' Tom is watchin' his shack, an' we better take th' other end of town—there 's no tellin' how he 'll come in now," suggested Art Thomas. "But I wish I knowed where that cussed gun-man is."
As they went out Bill, his chaps on and his boots in his hand, crept down the stairs, and stopped as he neared the hall door. The proprietor was coming back. ”

“ One night, when he was smoking his pipe with Musgrave, he said—
[Pg 147] "Christ died for all the lot of us, didn't He? That was a rare thing to do. Now, suppose He says, when I meet Him, 'What are you doing here? You have done nothing but go to chapel.' Now, Mr. Musgrave, will you tell me this: what should I say in a case of that sort?"
Old Musgrave wrinkled his wise brows and replied, "Thomas, my man, He knows your heart. I suppose you think you ought to save life, or something of that kind, don't you?" ”

“ Oh, the money it had cost him! One hundred and forty dollars for duty. Ah! yes; it was the cause of his ruin. But for that cursed marble he would be still a signore and one of the influential bankers of Mulberry. He had demanded his property, but the foreman would not surrender it until he had proved his ownership. What an outrage! But it mattered not now, for they, Armando and Signorina [Pg 299] Di Bello, would be his witnesses. “Who well does climb is helped in time.”
“Excuse me, signore,” remarked Armando; “this bust does not belong to you.”
“What!” shrieked the banker. ”

“ I think he would have kicked off his land (and he was a man who could kick) any man who talked in his hearing of the purely commercial relationship between a landlord and his tenants. Of course he was adored by all the country side. No doubt the stout Cumberland and Westmoreland farmers and hinds were good and loyal subjects of Queen Victoria, but for all practical purposes of reverence and obedience, Musgrave was king at Edenhall.
Lady Musgrave was a particularly lady-like woman, the marked elegance of whose breeding might, with advantage, have given the tone to many a London drawing-room. ”

“ He had no particular artistic sense, but the joy of colour, the blaze of the sky, the warm and exhilarating air, made him feel as though he must utter praises. After passing some miles of strange moorland, covered with the blaze of gorse, and the multitudinous flash of marshy pools, the two arrived at a curious square building, which stood a little outside the fishing village.
Musgrave said, "Now, Thomas, come in, and I'll find you a pew," and the two entered a low room. The congregation was already collected. There were fierce faces, bronzed by wind and sun. ”

“ I answered. "A simple scholar, who has been duped by Vermuijden."
My father laughed bitterly. "You simpleton! Does Mulgrave make much of 'simple scholars' and entertain them?"
As I believed, Earl Mulgrave cared little or nothing about Doctor Goel, while Sheffield, I felt sure, cared much about the doctor's daughter, but this was not the time to offer my father an explanation, which would bring in the name of Mistress Goel, so I left him to digest his wrath, and sought Mr. Butharwick. I found him in much affliction, for to hurt or offend his friend and patron was very grievous to him. ”

“ Then he added, after an apparent mental struggle with the stubborn truth: “Yes; she has made grand trouble for you, but you shall not suffer. I will buy your Juno and the Peacock and—the other Juno, if only to smash it in a thousand pieces!”
“Will you pay me back the Dogana, signore?” put in the banker, striking the hot iron. “I too have been ruined by the Last Lady.”
“Excuse me, signore; you are old enough to know better.”
“And so are you,” chirped Tomato, whereat Signor Di Bello held his tongue. ”

“ Monday.—Lord Mulgrave, Augustus Phipps, Miss Cooper, Dr. Harrington, and Dr. Woodward dined with us.
I like Lord Mulgrave [118] very much. He has more wit, and a greater readiness of repartee, than any man I have met with this age. During dinner he was all brilliancy, but I drew myself into a little scrape with him, from which I much wanted some of his wit to extricate myself. Mrs. Thrale was speaking of the House of Commons, and lamenting that she had never heard any debates there.
“And now,” said she, “I cannot, for this General Johnson has turned us all out most barbarously.” ”

“ How ridiculous to invite so many more people than could be accommodated! Lord Mulgrave was soon sick of the heat, and finding me distressed what to do with my cup, he very good—naturedly took it from me, but carried not only that, but himself also, away, which I did not equally rejoice at. ”

“ I think you are entitled to something for your knowledge of Greek and Latin—say five dollars apiece,” and Mr. Mulgrave drew from his pocket two gold pieces and handed them to Rodney.
“Thank you very much, sir,” said Rodney. “I shall find this money very useful, as I have taken a room, and am setting up housekeeping.”
“Then you have left the Lodging House?”
“Yes, sir; I only spent one night there.”
“You are right. It is no doubt a great blessing to the needy street boys, but you belong to a different class.” ”

“ What do you think of that, Thomas?" And thereupon the old man lighted his pipe, and sat smiling for a little and moving his long fingers daintily. "When the two queer companions had taken puff by puff together for some time, Musgrave said—
"Thomas, my lad, you are very unhappy. I am happy, and I think a man has no more right to keep happiness to himself than he has to keep money to himself. I am going to share with you. Now, I'm an old fellow that's got near done with the world, and you are a slashing young chap, and the girls look after you. ”

“ Lord Mulgrave lingered with us till last Tuesday (we had our little captain to dinner on the Monday) , and then went on to Canada. Kate is quite well, and so is Anne, whose smartness surpasses belief. They yearn for home, and so do I.
"Of course you will not see in the papers any true account of our voyage, for they keep the dangers of the passage, when there are any, very quiet. I observed so many perils peculiar to steamers that I am still undecided whether we shall not return by one of the New York liners. ”

“ Marlborough too must have been conscious of powers of a very different order from those which Buckingham had possessed, of a genius for politics not inferior to that of Richelieu, of a genius for war not inferior to that of Turenne. ”

“ Certain mobs collect and camp on their own particular ground, and also keep together in the water, but do not confine themselves to any particular part of the harbour. This I have ascertained from observations. There is one seal which we all know particularly well wherever we see him; he appears to be the king of the mob which belong to Figure-of-Eight Island. He is a very large dark coloured bull, of the tiger breed; we have named him Royal Tom. He is not at all afraid of us when we see him on shore; if the seals around him run away, 'Tom' will not move, and takes very little notice of us. ”

“ Macpherson in running about town, prosecuting his work of despatching the 'Flying Scud.' I took luncheon at his house again to-day, and at about four o'clock in the afternoon he walked down to the vessel with me to see us off; we were also accompanied by his brother, Mr. William Macpherson. A number of the townspeople were assembled on the wharf, from which, at about 5 p.m., we cast loose and sailed, amidst the cheers, and accompanied by the well-wishes, of the assembled crowd. The wind was moderate from west ”

“ Musgrave is!'
'Well, I should hardly call her that,' said I, with a smile.
'Oh, you mustn't depreciate her—you, of all men!' cried the matron, with a somewhat ponderous archness. 'Really I envy you her constant society.'
'I assure you,' said I, 'I see very little of her.'
'I beg your pardon?'
'I only go to the house about once a fortnight. Oh, it's not my fault. She won't have me there oftener.'
'What do you mean? I beg your pardon. Perhaps I've touched on a painful——'
'Not at all, not at all,' said I suavely. 'It is very natural. ”

“ He is not a common boy. You won't regret employing him."
"I hope not."
Then they talked of other matters, for Mr. Mulgrave was to start on his return to England the following day.
At five o'clock Rodney's day was over, and he went back to Bleecker Street. He found Mike already there, working hard to get his hands clean, soiled as they were by the stains of blacking.
"Did you have a good day, Mike?" asked Rodney.
"Yes; I made a dollar and ten cents. Here's a quarter towards the rent."
"All right! I see you are prompt in money matters."
"I try to be. ”

“ Lady Mulgrave was Maria Liddell, eldest daughter of the first Lord Ravensworth. She had married, in 1818, the second Earl of Mulgrave, who was created Marquess of Normanby in 1838. See p. 205.
[309] Sarah, daughter of the second Earl Spencer and widow of the third Lord Lyttelton. Afterwards Lady Superintendent to the Princess Royal and the Prince of Wales and the other Princes and Princesses. A shrewd observer and a woman of fine judgment and high ideals. ”

“ Along with Sidmouth his former colleague Hobart, now Earl of Buckinghamshire, returned to office as chancellor of the duchy. To make room for these new allies, Portland had consented to resign the presidency of the council, though he remained a member of the cabinet, while Mulgrave was appointed to the foreign office, in place of Harrowby, who was compelled by ill-health to retire. ”

“ We should have had a merry life indeed if all the splashes had sprinkled us as refreshingly as the waters we were even then to feel about our ears. Kent Mulville had been up to his room, but had come back with a face that told as few tales as I had seen it succeed in telling on the evening I waited in the lecture-room with Miss Anvoy. I said to myself that our friend had gone out, but I was glad that the presence of a comparative stranger deprived us of the dreary duty of suggesting to each other, in respect of his errand, edifying possibilities in which we didn't ourselves believe. ”

“ For they are like to have their house here, the earth, bound fast on their backs for ever, and not to walk with it where they will, as the snail creepeth about with hers, but to lie fast bound in the midst of it with the foul fire of hell about them. ”