LORD OF MANY SECRETS

THIRTY EIGHT

The shout of laughter that greeted this c****x brought several other people over to the group, Patrick amongst them, who arrived in time to hear his guardian say, "had your bloodthirsty opponent met with the accident that did not befall you, Bryant, or was his second less determined than yours?"

"I am inclined to believe", replied the Beau gravely, "that he realized in time the social solecism he had committed in calling me out at all".

Patrick worked his way through the knot of persons to Clements' side, and touched his sleeve. The Earl turned his head, frowning a little. "Well, Patrick, what is it?"

"I thought you had left", said Patrick in a low voice. "I must have a word with you, you know that is what I came here for".

"My good boy, you cannot be private with me at Watier's, if that is what you want. You may come and see me at my house tomorrow morning".

"Yes, but will you be there?" objected Patrick. "I have been to your house three times already, and you are never at home. Could I not walk back with you now?"

"You may call at my house tomorrow", repeated the Earl wearily. "In the meantime you are interrupting Mr Alexandra".

Patrick blushed, begged pardon, and withdrew in some haste just as Lord Alvana came up. Lord Alvana's chubby face wore a look of concern. He laid his hands on Clements' shoulder. "Gabriel, I am such a stupid fellow, do pray forgive me! But, do you know, you were so curt with the boy, and he looked so uncomfortable, that I had to ask him to join us".

"If only you will not be kind hearted!" said the Earl. "I had snubbed him quite successfully when you intervened".

"Oh well, of course, he should not have broken in on the table at he did", admitted Alvana. "But he's very young, after all, and quite a nice boy, from what I have seen".

"Quite", said Clements. "He will be still nicer when he has been snubbed a few more times. Bryant, you might attend to it".

Mr Alexandra shook his head. "My dear Clements, you really cannot expect me to do any more for your ward. Why, I once have him my arm all the way here from White's!"

"Ah, perhaps that may account for his presumption", said Clements. "You had better had given him one of your cuts".

"But I thought you wanted me to do what I could to bring him into fashion", said the Beau plaintively.

Whether from a natural impatience, or from a fear of once more missing his guardian, Patrick was in Cubandish Square by half past ten next morning, only to be informed that his lordship was dressing. He had nothing to do, therefore, but to kick his heels in the saloon for half an hour, skim through the newspaper, and silently rehearse all he meant presently to say.

At eleven o'clock the footman came back, and informed him that his lordship would receive him. He followed the man up the broad stairway, and was ushered into the Earl's bedroom. This was a large apartment with a canopy bed occupying the whole of one wall. It was an extremely fine piece, supported by two bronze gryphons, and with crimson silk hangings caught up by a pair of smaller gryphons on pedestals. A fifth gryphon surmounted the canopy with its wings spread ready for fight, and all the hangings depending apparently from its claws. Patrick was so much struck by the splendor of this edifice that for some moments he could only stand and gaze at it.

The Earl, who was seated before a mahogany dressing table with the drawer pulled out and the top pushed back to disclose a central mirror, cast him a fleeting glance, and went on attending to his toilet.

Patrick, having taken in the bed in all its details, looked round for his guardian, and, perceiving him, blinked a little at the elegance of the brocade dressing gown he was wearing, and wished that he could achieve the exquisite disorder of his lordship's black locks. These were brushed into a style which Patrick at once recognized as being au coup de vent. He himself had wasted half an hour in trying to arrange his own yellow curls in the same manner, and had had to be content in the end with a cherubim style.

"Good morning, Patrick. You choose a very early hour for your calls", said the Earl. "You need not wait, Foster. Stay, hand me the packet you will find on the table. Thank you, you may go".

The valet put a chair forward for Patrick, and went away. Patrick sat down, looking rather uneasily at the papers the man had fetched for the Earl. He had not the least difficulty in recognizing them, and blurted out, "those are my IOUs, are they not?"

"Yes", said the Earl. "Those are your IOUs. Shall we settle before we go any further?"

Patrick fixed his eyes anxiously on that calm profile, and moistened his lips. "Why - why, the fact of the matter is - I don't think I can", he confessed. "I'm not perfectly certain how much I lost last night, but..."

"Oh, not much above four thousand, I fancy", said the Earl.

"Not much above... Oh! Well - well, that is not such a vast sum after all, is it?" said Patrick valiantly.

"That", said the Earl, taking a slender knife from the open drawer, and beginning to pare his nails with it, "depends very largely on the size of your fortune".

"Yes", agreed Patrick. "Very true. I - I have a considerable fortune, haven't I?"

"At the moment", replied Clements, "you have what I should rather call an independence".

"You mean I have what you allow me", said Patrick in a dissatisfied voice.

"I am glad to find that you realize that", said Clements. "I was beginning to be afraid that you did not".

"Of course I do. But the money's there, ain't it? It's only a matter of advancing me some of it".

The Earl laid the knife down, and dipped his hands in a bowl of water, placed at his elbow. Having rinsed them he began to dry them carefully on a fine napkin. "But I have not the least intention of advancing you any of it", he said.