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tracks of a rolling stone-第18章

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But the most intimate of them was George Cayley; son of the  member for the East Riding of Yorkshire。  Cayley was a young  man of much promise。  In his second year he won the  University prize poem with his 'Balder;' and soon after  published some other poems; and a novel; which met with  merited oblivion。  But it was as a talker that he shone。  His  quick intelligence; his ready wit; his command of language;  made his conversation always lively; and sometimes brilliant。   For several years after I left Cambridge I lived with him in  his father's house in Dean's Yard; and thus made the  acquaintance of some celebrities whom his fascinating and  versatile talents attracted thither。  As I shall return to  this later on; I will merely mention here the names of such  men as Thackeray; Tennyson; Frederick Locker; Stirling of  Keir; Tom Taylor the dramatist; Millais; Leighton; and others  of lesser note。  Cayley was a member of; and regular  attendant at; the Cosmopolitan Club; where he met Dickens;  Foster; Shirley Brooks; John Leech; Dicky Doyle; and the wits  of the day; many of whom occasionally formed part of our  charming coterie in the house I shared with his father。

Speaking of Tom Taylor reminds me of a good turn he once did  me in my college examination at Cambridge。  Whewell was then  Master of Trinity。  One of the subjects I had to take up was  either the 'Amicitia' or the 'Senectute' (I forget which)。   Whewell; more formidable and alarming than ever; opened the  book at hazard; and set me on to construe。  I broke down。  He  turned over the page; again I stuck fast。  The truth is; I  had hardly looked at my lesson; … trusting to my recollection  of parts of it to carry me through; if lucky; with the whole。

'What's your name; sir?' was the Master's gruff inquiry。  He  did not catch it。  But Tom Taylor … also an examiner …  sitting next to him; repeated my reply; with the addition;  'Just returned from China; where he served as a midshipman in  the late war。'  He then took the book out of Whewell's hands;  and giving it to me closed; said good…naturedly:  'Let us  have another try; Mr。 Coke。'  The chance was not thrown away;  I turned to a part I knew; and rattled off as if my first  examiner had been to blame; not I。



CHAPTER X



BEFORE dropping the curtain on my college days I must relate  a little adventure which is amusing as an illustration of my  reverend friend Napier's enthusiastic spontaneity。  My own  share in the farce is a subordinate matter。

During the Christmas party at Holkham I had 'fallen in love;'  as the phrase goes; with a young lady whose uncle (she had  neither father nor mother) had rented a place in the  neighbourhood。  At the end of his visit he invited me to  shoot there the following week。  For what else had I paid him  assiduous attention; and listened like an angel to the  interminable history of his gout?  I went; and before I left;  proposed to; and was accepted by; the young lady。  I was  still at Cambridge; not of age; and had but moderate means。   As for the maiden; 'my face is my fortune' she might have  said。  The aunt; therefore; very properly pooh…poohed the  whole affair; and declined to entertain the possibility of an  engagement; the elderly gentleman got a bad attack of gout;  and every wire of communication being cut; not an obstacle  was wanting to render persistence the sweetest of miseries。

Napier was my confessor; and became as keen to circumvent the  'old she…dragon;' so he called her; as I was。  Frequent and  long were our consultations; but they generally ended in  suggestions and schemes so preposterous; that the only result  was an immoderate fit of laughter on both sides。  At length  it came to this (the proposition was not mine):  we were to  hire a post chaise and drive to the inn at G…。  I was to  write a note to the young lady requesting her to meet me at  some trysting place。  The note was to state that a clergyman  would accompany me; who was ready and willing to unite us  there and then in holy matrimony; that I would bring the  licence in my pocket; that after the marriage we could confer  as to ways and means; and that … she could leave the REST to  me。

No enterprise was ever more merrily conceived; or more  seriously undertaken。  (Please to remember that my friend was  not so very much older than I; and; in other respects; was  quite as juvenile。)

Whatever was to come of it; the drive was worth the venture。   The number of possible and impossible contingencies provided  for kept us occupied by the hour。  Furnished with a well… filled luncheon basket; we regaled ourselves and fortified  our courage; while our hilarity increased as we neared; or  imagined that we neared; the climax。  Unanimously we repeated  Dr。 Johnson's exclamation in a post chaise:  'Life has not  many things better than this。'

But where were we?  Our watches told us that we had been two  hours covering a distance of eleven miles。

'Hi!  Hullo!  Stop!' shouted Napier。  In those days post  horses were ridden; not driven; and about all we could see of  the post boy was what Mistress Tabitha Bramble saw of  Humphrey Clinker。  'Where the dickens have we got to now?'

'Don't know; I'm sure; sir;' says the boy; 'never was in  these 'ere parts afore。'

'Why;' shouts the vicar; after a survey of the landscape; 'if  I can see a church by daylight; that's Blakeney steeple; and  we are only three miles from where we started。'

Sure enough it was so。  There was nothing for it but to stop  at the nearest house; give the horses a rest and a feed; and  make a fresh start; … better informed as to our topography。

It was past four on that summer afternoon when we reached our  destination。  The plan of campaign was cut and dried。  I  called for writing materials; and indicted my epistle as  agreed upon。

'To whom are you telling her to address the answer?' asked my  accomplice。  'We're INCOG。 you know。  It won't do for either  of us to be known。'

'Certainly not;' said I。  'What shall it be?  White? Black?  Brown? or Green?'

'Try Browne with an E;' said he。  'The E gives an  aristocratic flavour。  We can't afford to risk our  respectability。'

The note sealed; I rang the bell for the landlord; desired  him to send it up to the hall and tell the messenger to wait  for an answer。

As our host was leaving the room he turned round; with his  hand on the door; and said:

'Beggin' your pardon; Mr。 Cook; would you and Mr。 Napeer  please to take dinner here?  I've soom beatiful lamb chops;  and you could have a ducklin' and some nice young peas to  your second course。  The post…boy says the 'osses is pretty  nigh done up; but by the time … '

'How did you know our names?' asked my companion。

'Law sir!  The post…boy; he told me。  But; beggin' your  pardon; Mr。 Napeer; my daughter; she lives in Holkham  willage; and I've heard you preach afore now。'

'Let's have the dinner by all means;' said I。

'If the Bishop sequesters my living;' cried Napier; with  solemnity; 'I'll summon the landlord for defamation of  character。  But time's up。  You must make for the boat…house;  which is on the other side of the park。  I'll go with you to  the head of the lake。'

We
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