The Duke in the Suburbs | Page 2

would move in on the 17th was not so widespread
until two days before that date.
Master Willie Outram (of 6 "Fairlawn") announced his intention of
"seeing what they'd got", and was very promptly and properly reproved
by his mother.
"You will be good enough to remember that only rude people stare at
other people's furniture when it is being carried into the house," she
admonished icily; "be good enough to keep away, and if I see you near
64 when the van comes I shall be very cross."
Which gives the lie to the detractors of Kymott Crescent.
Her next words were not so happily chosen.
"You might tell me what She's like," she added thoughtfully.
To the disgust of Willie, the van did not arrive at 64 until dusk. He had
kept the vigil the whole day to no purpose. It was a small van,
damnably small, and I do not use the adverb as an expletive, but to
indicate how this little pantechnicon might easily have inaffaceably
stamped the penury of the new tenants.
And there was no She.
Two men came after the van had arrived.

They were both tall, both dressed in grey, but one was older than the
other.
The younger man was clean--shaven, with a keen brown face and
steady grey eyes that had a trick of laughing of themselves. The other
might have been ten years older. He too was clean--shaven, and his
skin was the hue of mahogany.
A close observer would not have failed to notice that the hands of both
were big, as the hands of men used to manual labour.
They stood on either side of the tiled path that led through the strip of
front garden to the door, and watched in silence the rapid unloading of
their modest property.
Willie Outram, frankly a reporter, mentally noted the absence of piano,
whatnot, mirror and all the paraphernalia peculiar to the Kymott
Crescent drawing--room. He saw bundles of skins, bundles of spears,
tomahawks (imagine his ecstasy!), war drums, guns, shields and
trophies of the chase. Bedroom furniture that would disgrace a servant's
attic, camp bedsteads, big lounge chairs and divans. Most notable
absentee from the furnishings was She--a fact which might have served
as food for discussion for weeks, but for the more important discovery
he made later.
A man--servant busied himself directing the removers, and the elder of
the two tenants at last said:
"That's finished, Duke."
He spoke with a drawling, lazy, American accent.
The young man nodded, and called the servant.
"We shall be back before ten," he said in a pleasant voice.
"Very--good, m'lord," replied the man with the slightest of bows.
The man looked round and saw Willie.

"Hank," he said, "there's the information bureau--find out things."
The elder jerked his head invitingly, and Willie sidled into the garden.
"Bud," said Hank, with a hint of gloom in his voice, "where's the
nearest saloon?"
Willie gasped.
"Saloon, sir!" He did not quite comprehend.
"Pub," explained the young man, in a soft voice.
"Public--house, sir?" Willie faltered correctly.
Hank nodded, and the young man chuckled softly.
"There is," said the outraged youth, "a good--pull--up--for--carmen at
the far end of Kymott Road, the far end," he emphasized carefully.
"At the far end, eh?" Hank looked round at his companion. "Duke, shall
we walk or shall we take the pantechnicon?"
"Walk," said his grace promptly.
Willie saw the two walking away. His young brain was in a whirl. Here
was an epoch--making happening, a tremendous revolutionary and
unprecedented circumstance--nay, it was almost monstrous, that there
should come into the ordered life of Kymott Crescent so disturbing a
factor.
The agitated youth watched them disappearing, and as the
consciousness of his own responsibility came to him, he sprinted after
them.
"I say!"
They turned round.

"You--here I say!--you're not a duke, are you--not a real duke?" he
floundered.
Hank surveyed him kindly.
"Sonny," he said impressively. "this is the realest duke you've ever seen:
canned in the Dukeries an' bearin' the Government analyst's certificate."
"But--but," said the bewildered boy, "no larks--I say, are you truly a
duke?"
He looked appealingly at the younger man whose eyes were dancing.
He nodded his head and became instantly grave.
"I'm a truly duke," he said sadly, "keep it dark."
He put his hand in his pocket and produced with elaborate deliberation
a small card case. From this he extracted a piece of pasteboard and
handed to Willie, who read:
"THE Due DE MONTVILLIER," and in a corner. "San Pio Ranch,
Tex."
"I'm not," continued the young man modestly. "I'm not an English duke:
if anything I'm rather superior to the average English duke: I've got
royal blood in my veins, and I shall be very pleased to see you at No.
64."
"From