Westby

“ Hark! the hounds are singing to their work again.
“I’ll take the fidgets out of you!” cries Westby, giving the old horse his head.
Away they go! down the turf slope, across the Devizes road, up the turf on the other side, right ahead. Newton well up this time—Westby pushing along the old horse at his best speed, in hopes of overtaking his friend.
The east wind rattles against the face, and whips up a tremendous glow, and cuts tears out of the eyes.
“Very pretty!” exclaims Westby, as the lady with the spirited chesnut skims a line of hurdles. “At it, old man!” ”

“ But the old horse was minded to push on, and the reins had fallen loose in Westby’s hands.
“Who’d have thought of seeing you?” exclaimed Newton.
“Karlo Magno!” broke involuntarily from Lilian’s lips.
Ah! the east wind and long gallop had steeped her fair face in rosy tints, and ruffled her golden hair beneath the shadow of the dark felt hat. The reins hung loose in her small gauntlet wax gloved hands. The chesnut did not want the curb.
“Lilian! an old friend of mine, Mr. Westby,” exclaimed Newton. ”

“ But Westby made no reply beyond a grasp of the hand; and standing on the landing he lighted Newton to the door. Bang went the door, and Westby returned to his room with a shiver that caused him to stir the fire violently.
“Confound the fellow!” he muttered, “that engraving is the very image of Lilian. Fool and ass! it’s been hanging here all this time, and I never chanced to look at it! Ten to one, but Lilian is the girl he’s been struck with; blockhead as he is, with his money he’s like enough to marry her.” ”

“ I don’t care if he is good looking; he’s fresher than paint.”
“He would think that was a queer criticism for you to make.”
Westby stalked on in angry silence. He was more wounded than he could let Carroll know. There was a side to him which he shrank from displaying,—the gentle, affectionate side of which Irving had had a glimpse when the boy was anxiously watching his young cousin Price in the mile run; and to this quality Lawrence’s greeting of his brother had unconsciously appealed. Westby had stood by and heard his words, “You carry that, you little fellow!” ”

“ Upton,” said Westby. “Of course no man wants to be arbitrary; he wants to be just. It really seems to me, Mr. Upton, that no action should be taken until the matter has been more thoroughly sifted.”
The other boys, with the exception of Allison, were chuckling at this glib persuasiveness. Westby stood there, in a calmly respectful, even deferential attitude, as if animated only by a desire to serve the truth.
“We will have no argument about it, Westby,” said Irving. “Please climb the ladder at once and release Allison.” ”

“ Westby looked at him coolly. “It’s funny you’ve never done anything that most fellows do,” he observed. “Were you always afraid of hurting yourself?”
“I was offering my congratulations, Westby,” said Irving stiffly, and walked away.
“Why did you go at him like that?” asked Carroll, who had heard the interchange.
“Oh,” said Westby, “I wasn’t going to have him hanging round swiping to me, soft-soaping me.”
“I think he was only trying to be decent,” said Carroll.
“I like a man who is decent without trying,” Westby retorted. ”

“ Then duty began to look mean in contrast with blue eyes and golden hair. Alas! for the foolish pass to which wise and solid men are brought. Old ambition grew pale before this new fascination. Why not space and time for enjoyment of the heart? Why constant labour with the chance of scanty laurels for thin grey hair? Cui bono, these after riches? Can we play Romeo with crowsfeet, and wrinkles, and a wig? So in that upper chamber Charles Westby ground his teeth at destiny, and, gazing fixedly on the swift green Rhine below, fell into strange new musings touching the affairs of life. ”

“ I’d rather sit at Scabby’s table.”
Mr. Randolph, however, the head of the Upper School, refused to grant Westby’s petition.
“You don’t give any special reason,” he said. “You have friends at Mr. Upton’s table; you ought to be contented to stay there. What’s the matter? Are you having friction with some one?”
“I should be better satisfied if I were at Scarborough’s table,” said Westby.
“We can’t gratify every individual preference or whim,” replied Mr. Randolph.
He asked Irving if he knew of any reason why Westby should be transferred and told him that the boy had asked for the change. ”

“ They have a proper sense of their responsibility as leaders of the school, and are more likely to help you than to make trouble. Morrill is their faithful follower, though a little harum-scarum at times. Westby—” the master hesitated over that name and looked at Irving with a measuring glance—“Westby is what you might call the school jester. He’s very popular with the boys—not equally so with all the masters. Personally I’m rather fond of him. He’s almost too quick-witted sometimes.” ”

“ The offspring of his first wife, Perpetua, daughter of Edward Norris, of Speke, were—John, Thomas, Edward, William, Francis, Margaret, Perpetua, and Anne. John Westby, the heir, came into the Mowbreck estate and Burn Hall some time after 1622, but dying without issue in 1661, was succeeded by his nephew, Thomas, the eldest son of his fourth brother, Francis Westby, Thomas Westby, M.D., slain in the civil wars, and his two other brothers, Edward and William, having died childless. ”

“ I’ll risk it!”
“Don’t be a fool!” exclaimed Westby, losing patience.
“Curse that infernal sanctimonious scoundrel, with his ten per cent.”
“We haven’t time for regrets now, George.”
Newton reflected for a moment.
“Westby, we’ll go straight to Brighton, to her father’s, be married there, and then go to the continent. What do you think?”
“It is for you to think,” replied Westby, gravely.
“I know she’d do it. No, no! I could not in honour marry a girl with my affairs in such a state. There, I’ll take her back to Mrs. ”

“ Lawrence refrained from discussing the game at all; he asked Westby what St. Timothy’s boys he knew at Harvard, and where he expected to room when he went there; he tried to be friendly. But Westby repelled his efforts, answering in a sullen voice. At last Lawrence finished dressing; he picked up his bag and turned to Westby.
“Look here,” he said, and there was a twinkle in his eyes. “I’m going to be at Harvard the next three years; we’re likely to meet. Must a little hard luck make hard feeling?” ”

“ I suppose he’s in India by this time; he was intending to get down to Marseilles soon after I left Interlachen.”
“Poor George! it will be a sad blow to him to leave the country—I never saw a man more deeply in love.”
“But he’ll have to go for all that,” replied Westby.
*****
Westby and Lilian did not meet till it was nearly time to start for the night ride to bid adieu to her lover. She entered the room veiled for warmth against the night air. Mrs. Wilson who had been conversing with Westby, arose to prepare herself for the journey. Lilian would evidently have accompanied Mrs. ”

“ Westby’s aim missed, his sponge-tipped lance slid past Collingwood’s shoulder, and the next instant Collingwood’s sponge—well weighted with water—smote Westby full in the chest and hove him overboard. For one moment Carroll struggled to keep the canoe right side up, but in vain; it tipped and filled, and with a shout he plunged in head foremost after his comrade.
They came up and began to push their canoe ashore; the two other canoes drew alongside and assisted, Scarborough and Morrill paddling, while Irving and Collingwood laid hold of the thwarts. ”

“ He was thrice married, and by his last wife, Ann, daughter of Sir Richard Molyneux, of Sefton and Larbrick, and widow of Thomas Dalton, of Thurnham, had issue—John, Thomas, William, Ellen, and Mary. John Westby succeeded his father in 1591, and dying unmarried in 1604, was in his turn succeeded by his brother, Thomas Westby, who was twice married, and purchased the estate of Whitehall, where the children of his second union established themselves. ”

“ Dear Frank,—I cannot answer your letter now—Captain Milton has just arrived with poor Fred’s things—some other time.
Your affectionate cousin,⁠
Lilian Temple. The servant announced Mr. Westby.
“I will see him,” said Lilian. She hid the letters within her desk. “No doubt,” she thought, “he has called in consequence of hearing about Captain Milton.”
That was the reason why Westby had come; indeed, he had seen Captain Milton, who had been good enough to call at his chambers. ”

“ The cries of encouragement to him and to Heath were more urgent this time; Bolton and Edwards and Morse had their supporters too.
Westby ran along the field beside Price, and Irving felt a moment’s indignation; was Westby taunting the plucky and exhausted small boy? And then Irving saw that he was not, and at the same instant Barclay turned to him and said,—
“Price is Westby’s young cousin.”
Irving stood near enough to hear Westby say, “Good work, Tom; you set the pace just right; it’ll kill Collingwood. Now drop out.” ”

“ Collingwood was laughing.
“Kiddy’s getting to be a regular lion,” he said, and when Morrill and Dennison were for expressing their indignation, he only laughed the more.
It was not very pleasant for Irving at luncheon. Westby gave him an amused glance when he came in—more amused than hostile—and Irving preserved his dignity by returning an unflinching look. Westby made no further overtures for a while; the other boys chattered among themselves, about football and tennis, and Irving sat silent at the head of the table. At last, however, Westby turned to him. ”

“ There was an interval of silence at the table; Westby, having fired his shot, sat straight, with cheeks flushed, looking across at Blake.
“Westby feels that he has had provocation and therefore may be rude.” Irving spoke at last with calmness. “It’s true that I never officiated before at any races. At the same time, I don’t believe I did anything which some experienced officials would not have done. There are probably a good many who believe in penalizing a runner for clumsy and stupid interference as well as for deliberate intent to foul.” ”

“ You know my brother well, you do know him because your nature is true and good as his.” Westby shuddered, and instinctively shrank back. “I want to speak to you as I should have spoken to him, it would strengthen and comfort me to hear your answer, knowing that that answer would be his. George Newton was introduced to us by Mrs. Wilson ”

“ He wanted now to share his happiness, to take the boys into his confidence—but one can share one’s happiness only with one’s friends. There was Westby, aggrieved and hostile; there was Carroll, sitting next to him, the queer, quizzical, silent youth, with whom Irving had been entirely unable to establish any relation of intimacy; no, there were no boys at his table with whom he was intimate enough to appeal for their interest and congratulations. ”

“ Irving measured the distance. “There,” he said, “you will start there.”
Westby took the place behind the others without a word.
“Ready now! On your marks!”
The pistol cracked, and this time they all got away safely, and Irving raced after them over the grass.
From the crowd at the finish came the instant shout of names; out of the short choppy cries two names especially emerged, “Flack! Flack! Flack!” “Westby! Westby! Westby!” Those two were the favorites for the event. Irving saw the scratch men forge ahead, and mingle with the handicap runners ”

“ Now it had come, and Westby was humiliated, and the audience were not unsympathetic with Irving for the achievement; yet Irving felt already the sting of remorse. Westby was only a boy, and he was a master; it was not well for a master to mortify a boy in the presence of other boys—a boy whose disappointment was already keen.
The letters were distributed; there was one for Irving from his brother. It contained news that made the world a different place from what it had been an hour ago. Lawrence was playing left end on the Harvard Freshman football eleven ”

“ Upton?”
Irving smiled feebly; the other boys were thinking it over with puzzled faces.
“That’s an old quibble,” said Irving. “The alternative for running is not running. Therefore when he’s not running—he’s not running.”
“I don’t see that that explains it,” answered Westby. “That’s just making a statement—but it isn’t logic.”
“He’s not running is the negative of he’s running; he’s not not-running is the negative of he’s not running—”
“Then,” said Westby, “how fast must a dog travel that is not not-running to catch a dog that is not exactly running but only perhaps?”
The boys laughed ”

“ Lilian thought that this speech would have placed Westby at his ease, but on the contrary, he seemed to grow more embarrassed. She felt puzzled what to do. She opened a box containing several small articles which had belonged to her brother.
“It will be too painful for you,” he murmured.
“Oh, no! I look at them very frequently. He bought that revolver just before he returned to India. Don’t you recollect the dreadful bother there was to get it through the French custom-house? I should like it to be given to you; however, I must ask mamma first.”
“Something far less valuable will do for me ”

“ Upton,” said Westby, and his voice was excessively urbane. It made Irving look forward to a better acquaintance with both expectancy and apprehension.
The first morning of actual school work went well enough; Irving met his classes, which were altogether in mathematics, assigned them lessons, and managed to keep them and himself busy. From one of them he brought away some algebra exercises, which he spent part of the afternoon in correcting. ”