第95章 EVENTS OF MONDAY: THE LAWYER'S PARTY(2)

'No, no, Mr.Ducie, man Todd and man Candlish are gone out of your life, and a good riddance! They are fine fellows in their way, but no proper associates for the like of yourself; and do you finally agree to be done with all eccentricity - take up with no more drovers, or tinkers, but enjoy the naitural pleesures for which your age, your wealth, your intelligence, and (if I may be allowed to say it) your appearance so completely fit you.And the first of these,' quoth he, looking at his watch, 'will be to step through to my dining-room and share a bachelor's luncheon.'

Over the meal, which was good, Mr.Robbie continued to develop the same theme.'You're, no doubt, what they call a dancing-man?' said he.'Well, on Thursday night there is the Assembly Ball.You must certainly go there, and you must permit me besides to do the honours of the ceety and send you a ticket.I am a thorough believer in a young man being a young man - but no more drovers or rovers, if you love me! Talking of which puts me in mind that you may be short of partners at the Assembly - oh, I have been young myself! - and if ye care to come to anything so portentiously tedious as a tea-party at the house of a bachelor lawyer, consisting mainly of his nieces and nephews, and his grand-nieces and grand-nephews, and his wards, and generally the whole clan of the descendants of his clients, you might drop in to-night towards seven o'clock.I think I can show you one or two that are worth looking at, and you can dance with them later on at the Assembly.'

He proceeded to give me a sketch of one or two eligible young ladies' whom I might expect to meet.'And then there's my parteecular friend, Miss Flora,' said he.'But I'll make no attempt of a description.You shall see her for yourself.'

It will be readily supposed that I accepted his invitation; and returned home to make a toilette worthy of her I was to meet and the good news of which I was the bearer.The toilette, I have reason to believe, was a success.Mr.Rowley dismissed me with a farewell: 'Crikey! Mr.Anne, but you do look prime!' Even the stony Bethiah was - how shall I say? - dazzled, but scandalised, by my appearance; and while, of course, she deplored the vanity that led to it, she could not wholly prevent herself from admiring the result.

'Ay, Mr.Ducie, this is a poor employment for a wayfaring Christian man!' she said.'Wi' Christ despised and rejectit in all pairts of the world and the flag of the Covenant flung doon, you will be muckle better on your knees! However, I'll have to confess that it sets you weel.And if it's the lassie ye're gaun to see the nicht, I suppose I'll just have to excuse ye! Bairns maun be bairns!' she said, with a sigh.'I mind when Mr.McRankine came courtin', and that's lang by-gane - I mind I had a green gown, passementit, that was thocht to become me to admiration.I was nae just exactly what ye would ca' bonny; but I was pale, penetratin', and interestin'.'

And she leaned over the stair-rail with a candle to watch my descent as long as it should be possible.

It was but a little party at Mr.Robbie's - by which, I do not so much mean that there were few people, for the rooms were crowded, as that there was very little attempted to entertain them.In one apartment there were tables set out, where the elders were solemnly engaged upon whist; in the other and larger one, a great number of youth of both sexes entertained themselves languidly, the ladies sitting upon chairs to be courted, the gentlemen standing about in various attitudes of insinuation or indifference.Conversation appeared the sole resource, except in so far as it was modified by a number of keepsakes and annuals which lay dispersed upon the tables, and of which the young beaux displayed the illustrations to the ladies.Mr.Robbie himself was customarily in the card-room;

only now and again, when he cut out, he made an incursion among the young folks, and rolled about jovially from one to another, the very picture of the general uncle.

It chanced that Flora had met Mr.Robbie in the course of the afternoon.'Now, Miss Flora,' he had said, 'come early, for I have a Phoenix to show you - one Mr.Ducie, a new client of mine that, I vow, I have fallen in love with'; and he was so good as to add a word or two on my appearance, from which Flora conceived a suspicion of the truth.She had come to the party, in consequence, on the knife-edge of anticipation and alarm; had chosen a place by the door, where I found her, on my arrival, surrounded by a posse of vapid youths; and, when I drew near, sprang up to meet me in the most natural manner in the world, and, obviously, with a prepared form of words.

'How do you do, Mr.Ducie?' she said.'It is quite an age since I have seen you!'

'I have much to tell you, Miss Gilchrist,' I replied.'May I sit down?'

For the artful girl, by sitting near the door, and the judicious use of her shawl, had contrived to keep a chair empty by her side.

She made room for me, as a matter of course, and the youths had the discretion to melt before us.As soon as I was once seated her fan flew out, and she whispered behind it:

'Are you mad?'

'Madly in love,' I replied; 'but in no other sense.'

'I have no patience! You cannot understand what I am suffering!'

she said.'What are you to say to Ronald, to Major Chevenix, to my aunt?'

Your aunt?' I cried, with a start.'PECCAVI! is she here?'

'She is in the card-room at whist,' said Flora.

'Where she will probably stay all the evening?' I suggested.

'She may,' she admitted; 'she generally does!'

'Well, then, I must avoid the card-room,' said I, 'which is very much what I had counted upon doing.I did not come here to play cards, but to contemplate a certain young lady to my heart's content - if it can ever be contented! - and to tell her some good news.'

'But there are still Ronald and the Major!' she persisted.'They are not card-room fixtures! Ronald will be coming and going.And as for Mr.Chevenix, he - '