CHAPTER I.
ON a certain Wednesday a ft or noon in ]Siarch, the billiard - 100 m of the Waldegravo Club, Fall Vi all, was the scene of a lemarkable occurrence. The Waldegrave, it maybe said parenthetically, is hold in nmch venei alien by our country cousins as the lieadquatleis of a great political paity: there the chiefs of that party arc supposed to meet and direct the operations ot a general election ; thither impecunious candidates look for the sinews of wai ; and the honour of ito membership is understood to be the ci owning gloiy and reward of him i\ ho has wooed and won o\ or to the cause a doubtful cr.istituenc>. All this may be fo or it may not be so.'but to the Londonei, and especially to the London diner-out, the \Yaldegune is chieily known for its noble hall ami h.< stately galleries, its excellent cui-mc and eellai, itb pleasant outlook into Carlt'in (.ardent, and the propoitions and dceoi itiotn of its libiary, which 15 far am' away the most beautiful room in Cm ope As for the more modest apartment in v hieh this remarkable oe currenco M >k place, no \ isitor is aliou ed to eutei wirliin itb door, which may account for the uunoui that the proceedings there .are nui .'».iyo conducted with a dignity and lepo^e befit 1 ing the fame and name of &o notibK) a club, indeed, it has been am" i me 1 (but dun biles < by political enemies) that, the pool-player* ot the Waldcgra\e, safe in I'io friendly scciecy of that uppei chaml jt, occasionally, and o\ en frequently, biuik out into w Ud ie\elry: that dciii=i\o cheu- o-kh whelm ihe " ;" that £>ioan- <>f I'sLCiaUon In ing the " ilukoi " to open '-luiuo: and dial the timid and nervoih pl.'\ci i* fiiihlened out ot his wits by the o'udu.M ciy~th-<the has '• misled the ball!' Houeser, these stories aic probably not i.Lie ; the lancour of party strife k cap/ulo ot in\ eating any riving ; and it would be .i pity it the constituencies were to bolio\j tl at the WaldegKne is anything other tsian hat i h . leally is— that is to *ay, a gie.it Md deooauu. political institution On {\\2 aM,ornoon in question, one of tho jneraboi- ' i '.he dub went up to ihe billiaidroom, opened the door, and went in, greeting plea- nulv this one and the other of his acquMnL'iicea o- he pa^ed them. Ho was a tall man. of about M\ty ; hund&ome and veil diet -i 1; hc:>h-coinpie\ioncdand whitehj'iied ; ol debonnair look and bland ex-presj-iou ; mcl eMdently \eiyvell pleased with him-clf. This w a.- Sir Anthony Zembra, senior member for one of the big manufactuiing towns m the north; a man of enoimou . ,\oalth ; a wnLei of pamphlets on cuuency atid fiee ti ule and kindred questions ; a>i aclive and indu.-tuou.-- politician, who mi'ihl faiil> lK>pe to be imitcd to ioin the Go^einmcp.t, in a buboidiuatc capacity, one of Jie-j da>s ; and socially — • well, socially , ilr. n.ost detected man in London, liut how co aid he help that ' No one Could liase c^ nl. until why he wa^> .so detected ; he liimself tlld not know it ; naj , it would ha\ c been impi* >-iblc for him to grasp the idea, [iich. l.auii- mm, bland of manner ; hi- wife a queen or fashion ; his dinners quitu famon,- loi ' Mtir excellence: how could lie l>e deti.-tnlv 2\ T o, that was the last idea tho t ejuli! ha\u gained adh'i-'-ion into Sir Anblion\ Zunbia s head. "Iwill take a ball, niukei,' 1 he said; tor t-h'-y v ic ju&; beginning a new gamy. '• Tiighl, The new comoi walked up to the little ■mahogun\ h )\, and deposited the shilling claimed by (he pool ; then he proceeded to get down h, 5 cue from it- tin ca^e. The maiLei g.> > u out tho balls. *■ lied '.i' white — \ello\v'b your [>layer. The 'ii'inu h id begun. '• V> h.i'. b-dl atn I, maikcr .'" { - lilut, Eh- Authonj ; llu ball N in the pocket '' \\ ho ]>] {} s on me .'" 11 }h Hci .lid!.' said the marker, naming tin notouoafaly be~t player in the club. And no v, ocean ed the incident to which rcfcicnc Ivis beta made. "Oh, l.K.k hcie, that won't do at all," exclaimed . c ir Anthony. "Why, I shan't have aiha u c That won't do. Ilci.sclujll, do you ]»laj on me? Well, I'm out; I'm hoc fcj gl^e you thiee li\e^ for iiochiiig.' " Yuu may withdiaw your ball if you like, Sli Anlhoijj,*' ob-oi\cd the maikcr. " \Vhy, Oi coaiao 1 do. Mi Keiftchcll's too cv>oa Tm me. " The blue ball is withdrawn,"' the mrvtkoi -id, shutting up the three lives on the boa, a ; and then lie wa- about to call the game v. lien iSir Anthony interrupted him. >( Cotxo alonii, marlccr, give me that shilling on I." 'I he jnaikei surpii.sccl, but he poid (juity ics])cctfully. "^o. -lr, yon can't have thu shilling out. Vovi may withdraw your ball, but the shilling is in the pool ; you can't have that back.' "Oil, nonsense-!" called out Sir Anthony, \, ilh a kind of stormy good nature. " Nonsense. ! I haven't played. I'm not In the p.raie. "Do you think I'm going to let them pl.iy for my money ? Come, out with that shilling !" The mruKCi 1 "was Lelple-is ; he could only look at the other mcmboi.s in an appealing sol tof wii). And they looked at each other ' lor nothing of the kind had happened m the club before — no, nor in any other club, most likely. Then came inutteicd protests, some angry, some halfashamed. " No, no, you can't have tho shilling out — forfe'ilod u> the pool — you joined in the game when jou took a ball — tho rule of tho game — the marker's quite right — you can't interfere, with tho pool." " Oli, but can't I?" he Raid with a goodhumoured laugh. "Do you think I'm going to let you play for my money when fin not in the gamo?— you thieves and robbei f; '" j And therewithal he jauntily went up to' the mahopany box, and took out/ the shilling and put it in hia pocket. Then he proceeded to replace his cue in its case,
and as ho walked to the door ,110 shook his forefinger in a waggish manner at the old gentleman whose superior skill had induced him to withdraw from the game. " You old rascal," he said playfully, " you thought you were going to have an easy victim ? No, no, not to day, thank you.' They made no reply, no protest ; the magnificence of the man's meanness, and of his self-complacency, was too appalling ; when he had shut the doou a kind of awestruck .silence fell over the room, and they looked at each other in dumb amazement. " Green plays yellow 1" the marker called ; and this awoke them from their trance ; and then, as tho game wont on, theie were questions asked as to tho probable dimensions of Sir Anthony Zembra's fortune, and the bigger the figures the I greater the disgust. But there was li ( tlo said, for the marker was within hearing. Meanwhile, Sir Anthony, suave, lauiant, complaisant — and certainly little dioaminjj that he had just conferred afavoui on some eight or ten of his fellow-creatme-, in giving them something they could definitely produce as a reason for hating him— Sir Anthony, bland, smiling, and debonnair, went dow n through the hall of the club. Perhaps tho nod which he bestowed on his intimates had just a touch of patronage in it ; but how could that very well be helped ': His life had been all through so prosperous and so successful and satisfactory. Hits first wife had died as soon as she grew ugly ; his second wasgoocl-tempeied, except when ho wanted the carriage in the afternoon ; the "Times" printed his letters in leaded type ; his digestion enabled him to eat oven a House of Commons dinner with equanimity ; and his constituents believed him when he told lies about previous engage- | ments The old woman who s*reep3 the cioosins? at the corner of St James \s Square j eurUied lower to him than to anybody else ; though never a penny had he bestowed on her. In St. .lames's-strceb the cabmen had to look out for him, not he for them ; he i went out into the open thoroughfare with a chaiming uonjhalanee, glancing neither to the left nor to the right. And so eventually \ lie made his way home, to a big house in Lanea-ter Gate ; and he walked the whole 1 distance : for Lady Ziiinbra had po-sc^km of the carnage, and he did not caro to spend money on a hansom. Besides, hi- appear;mcc\uh much admired (and lie knew it) ias he &ti odo along Piccadilly and \w through the Park. He let himself in with a latch-key. The house was Aery quiet, insomuch that a faint murmur coming from the school-room was distinctly audible. And as the door oi the loom was open an inch or two, Sir Anthony thought he might as well pause there and discover whether the governess \\a* doing her duty; for this was one of the afternoons on which nothing but Fiench was allowed to be spoken ; and it was Miss Renshaw'b business to impose a fine of threepence for any lapse. However, everything" seemed going on well. Master Reginald (his father could hear) was reading aloud a composition of hi-> own. It was a description of the character and conduct ot a dog belonging to a publichouse in the Bayswater Road--' Cv ;/ros (h'en gui «]>i>a> fenit a line matron imbliqae da.^ A' Buy>watzr Road,' was the youthful scholai s rendering ; and apparently that animal had not found much favour in the eyes ot the nartator. But piesently other sounds smote tho listener's ear. xV squabble had aiisen somewhere. ' Vcye~., io'/c, 7)tC(d(7noi^r/le, if a fail ])Oi'i' won (/<>-.?'» ! ' yon, non — cc n' eta it pa* moi — »c iiiiV f (\ von-* pa*-~je von-* do micro, ii — coit > donuncn' - via ho>/<> Mir f oiaH< !' Sit Anthony thought this Ma- an opportune moment He opened the door and enteied ; and there was infant silence. But ho did not remonstrate or scold ; it was enough ihat Mi-s Kenshaw should pee how liX mere presence — his presence, without a look or a word — could produce calm. "Have you looked through to-day\s newspapers yet, Miss Rensluuv ?" said he, as ho oiled up io the chimney-j)icee and lifted (h.'refiom a pass-book labelled on the outside—" l>ome-stic. M " Yes, Bir Anthony : except tho=e that eume this afternoon," said the patientlooking, grey-faced young woman sitting the'C. And of these desultory paragraphs that lie was now .scanning with much complacent intcie-t, who could guecs at the authorship? Pei haps the patient-eyed young person who had that morning caiefully clipped them out of the vaiious journals, and palled them in tho pass-book, hud also herself inspired them, or even written them out, for the information of provincial cditoiai At all events they showed a icmaikable familiarity with the comings and going- of the Zembra family, and also a kind of pathetic assumption that the-e, and the smallest details about them, must be of keen interest to tho British public. Here are '■onus of them : " Lady Zembra and Miss Florence Zem- , bra -\\ ill shoi tly leave Lancaster Gate on a visit to Loid and Lady Petersfield at their beautiful place neai Mai low/ '• At the mar nap, e of Miss Emily Vcro and Colonti Lang ley last week, the oos- | fcuuie of Master Reginald Zembra, who was dressed as a puge of tho time of Henry ■ VliL, was much admired. The design of the eoi-lume, we understand, was presented j to L:uiy Zembra by a distinguished AcaI dumicau. "Tho Chapel Royal, St. Jamc&'h, was on Sunday la-,1 crowded to excess to hear a sermon Ir, the Bishop of Truro. Lady Zembia and her d-iughter^ were among the eongieocition." "At tlie Drawing Room hold by the Prince- s of Wales on Thuisday, no co&tume was moie lomarked and admiied than that of Lady Zembra. Her ladyship wore a train fiom the shoulder of crimson Lyons \ civet, lined with pink meneilleux, and trimmed with clusters of pink and crimson o-liich feather.-, tied with ribbons of the same colour. Her bodice was of pink merv, oa er a petticoat of the same material, draped with embroidered crept de Chine, and finished at the bottom with handsome t chenille fringe." " Sir Anthony and Lady Zembra and the Misses Florence and Gertrude Zembra were present al the lecture given by Dr. Felthiu'hb on Wednesday at Princess Hall, Picadilly. Her ladyship formed quite a distinct figure among the assembly, although merely unostentatiously occupying a sent with her husband and daughters in the body of the hall." But all these were as nothing to the description of a children's fancy dress ball given the week before by a sister-in-law of Sir Anthony's at which all tho Zembra family (except one, whoso acquaintance we will make by-and-by) appeared to havo been present ; and very pretty and nice were the things which the faithful chroni* cler had to say about every one of them. It must have beon a gay scene, according to this llatteving account ; everyone looked at his or her best ; the costumes wero charming; Lady Zembra was especially admired as- Maiio Antoinette;, and Sir An r^hony Zembra, as a courtier of the time oi was a most picturesque and sfcrik ing figure. It was a great success in sh ort ; and never had the ball-room at the Red House, Campden Hill, presented so beautiful a sight as when tlie children were ranged i n two' long rows to dance Sir Roger de Cover ley. Well, Sir Anthony was fchus pleasantly engaged in studying the social impression
produced by the various members of his family, when he was somewhat rudely interrupted. There was aaiu« usual noise outside. Then tho doors wenc flung wide open, and ttaer-e entered hurriedly a tall young lady, who- was very pale, but had sufficient firmnoss- hi the loolc of her clear-cut and beautiful vSace. " Miss Rsnshaw," said sfae quickly, " will you take the children upstairs. 1 want this roonu Take them do the night ! nursery." " What's tlttb, now?" Sir Anthony said, at once startled and angry at the sudden interruption. " There's a man hurt," his daughter answered him quietly ; but her fingers were quick enough in removing th© things that lay strewn on a- couch there. " They're bringing him in."' " What?" he exclaimed again, and still ! more angrily ; hut there waa a shuffling; ' of footsteps outside, and the- immediate answer was the appearance of a number of men, who were slowly and with difficulty carrying an apparently inanimate body along the passage. " Sabina, what is this ? who -is this f " 1 don't know, papa." She was busy with many things. "Then what do you mean by bringing him in here ? God bless my SQul r what are you about? Send him to a hospital! I
<\y he uiusb go to a uospital. Here, my | men, what are you doing ? Who told you to briiio- the man m heie '! He must go to the hospital "The young lady, &ir " one of the men said, " Sabiua, what id Ihi* ?" her father again angiily demanded. " I will have none of your Wluteohapei nonsense here. Are you going to turn the house into a public shambles ?" BuL Sabina had made her preparations during the.se few seconds. She caught her father's aim for a moment, with a gesture of entreaty. "Papa, I cannot send him to a hospital. This is all my doing. lam to blame for the accident — and — and there is no time to be lost — why common humanity " She turned to the footman who was standing helplessly by, " George, run downstairs and fetch me a basin of water and a sponge, and some clothe ; and send for Doctor Ilungeiford, no, Mr Hungreriokl, I mean— the son— and tell him to come at once. And you— ye?, bring him in now—but gently— gently — the head a little higher up — yes, that will do"— and when they had got him laid on the couch, ,<-he, Vi ith her own fingers, and swiftly and dexterously too, undid his decktie, and remo\ed his collar, and opened his waistcoat : it uas clear to the rao&t ignoiant of the by.standeis that this young lady knew very well what she was about. But as for Sir Anthony ? "Well, Sir Anthony btood looking on for a second or. two, \ery much exa&perated. Bub what could he do? He could not summon a policeman and have the whole pack of them thrust into the street : it was his own daughter who had had the man brought inland, moreover, she said she was responsible for the accident ; and it would nob look well bo quarrel with her before thcto people. Ho wi&hed the wounded man wa& at Jericho ; bub ho did not want to have theae rude folk staro at him for whab they would doubtless consider his inhumanity. But he was very angry with his daughter ; and thon again, ho did nob like looking at a head and neck that were bedabbled Avith blood ; and the doctor would have moro unpleasant business when .he arrived : so, on the whole, Sir Anthony thought he might as well retire from that scene, only he was growling and grumbling to him&elf fis he passed upstairs about the midsummer madness of young women who now-a-days went out and gob themselves tiaincd as nurses afc the London Hospital. On the writing-desk of his study there was lying a pass-book labelled outside "Political;" and apparently his private .secretary had clone for him what the governess did for Lady Zembra and the family. As he glanced over these paragraphs--" Sir Anthony Zembra, wo understand, has con1 sen ted to take the chair at the nexb meeting of the Statistical Society"— " Sir Anthony Zembra has given notice that on Thursday next he will ask tho Secretary ot State for the Home Department," &c— "Sir Anthony Zembra was present last evening at a dinner jriven at bhe official residence of bhe Prime Minister in Downingstreet"—"We understand that it is the intention of Sir Anthony Zembra's constituency to entertain* him at a public banquet in May next"— "The remarkable speech on bho Land Question which Sir Anthony Zembra delivered in bhe House of Commons last week, is, we understand, to be issued in the form of a pamphlet" — as he read these and many similar paragraphs, Sir Anthony's brow cleared, and his face resumed its ordinary pleasant and complacent expression, for he was glad bo have his merits recognised, and he rather liked to contemplate himself in the mirror of bhe public press.
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Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 229, 19 November 1887, Page 6
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3,128CHAPTER I. Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 229, 19 November 1887, Page 6
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