The Mighty Atom | Page 5

Marie Corelli
really don't know! There's a painter fellow staying with us,--one of those humbugs called 'rising artists,'--gives himself doosid airs too. He's got a commission to do the castle. Of course he isn't thought much of,--we keep him in his place as much as we can,--still he's there, and he doesn't dine with the servants either. The rest are the usual lot,--dowagers with marriageable but penniless daughters,--two or three ugly 'advanced' young women who have brought their bicycles and go tearing about the country all day, and a few stupid old peers. It's rather slow. I was bored to exhaustion at the general tea-meeting this afternoon, so knowing you were here I thought I'd ride over and see you."
"Delighted!" said Mr. Valliscourt politely--
"But may I ask how you knew we were here?"
Sir Charles bit his lip to hide a little smile, as he answered lightly,
"Oh, everybody knows everything in these little out-of-the-way villages. Besides, when you take the only available large house in Combmartin you can't expect to hide your light under a bushel. It's really a charming old place too."
"It's a barrack," said Mrs. Valliscourt, speaking now for the first time, and looking straight at her husband as she did so,--"It's excessively damp, and very badly furnished. Of course it could be made delightful if anybody were silly enough to spend a couple of thousand pounds upon it,--but as it is, I cannot possibly imagine why John took such a horrid little hole for a summer holiday residence."
"You know very well why I took it," returned Mr. Valliscourt stiffly--"It was not for my personal enjoyment, nor for yours. I am old enough, I presume, to do without what certain foolish people call 'a necessary change,' and so are you for that matter. I was advised to give Lionel the benefit of sea-air,--and as I was anxious to avoid the noise and racket of ordinary sea-side places, as well as the undesirable companionship of other people's children who might endeavour to associate with my son, I chose a house at Combmartin because I considered, and still consider, Combmartin perfectly suited for my purpose. Combmartin being off the line of railway and somewhat difficult of access, is completely retired and thoroughly unfashionable,--and Lionel will be able to continue his holiday tasks under an efficient tutor without undue distraction or interruption."
He said all this in a dry methodical way, cracking walnuts between whiles, with a curious air, as of coldly civil protest against the vulgarity of eating them.
Mrs. Valliscourt turned her head away, and looked out into the tangled garden, where the foliage, glistening with the day's long rain, sparkled in the silver gleam of the rising moon. Sir Charles Lascelles said nothing for a few moments,--then he suddenly broke silence with a question. "You are giving Montrose the sack aren't you?"
"I am dismissing Mr. Montrose,--yes, certainly;" replied Valliscourt, his hard mouth compressing itself into harder lines,--"Mr. Mon- trose is too young for his place, and too self-opinionated. It is the fault of all Scotchmen to think too much of themselves. He is clever; I do not deny that; but he does not work Lionel sufficiently. He is fonder of athletics than classics. Now in my opinion, athletics are altogether overdone in England,--and I do not want my son to grow up with all his brains in his muscles. His intellectual faculties must be developed,--"
"At the expense of the physical?" interposed Sir Charles,--"Why not do both together?"
"That is my aim and intention,"--said Valliscourt somewhat pompously--"but Mr. Montrose is not fitted either by education or temperament to carry out my scheme. In fact he has refused point-blank to go through the schedule of tuition I have formulated for the holiday tasks of my son, and has taken it upon himself to say to me,--to me!--that Lionel is not capable of such a course of study, and that complete rest is what the boy requires. Of course this is an excuse to obtain a good time for himself in the way of boating and other out-of-door amusements. Moreover, I have discovered to my extreme concern, that Mr. Montrose has not yet thrown off the shackles of superstitious legend and observance, and that in spite of the advance of science, he is really not much better than a savage in his ideas of the universe. He actually believes in Mumbo-Jumbo,--that is, God,--still!--and also in the immortality of the soul!" Here Mr. Valliscourt laughed outright. "Of course, if it were not so ridiculous, I should be angry,--all the same, one cannot be too particular in the matter of a child's training and education, and I am considerably annoyed that I was not made aware of these barbarous predilections and prejudices of his before he took up a responsible position in my house."
"Of course you would not have
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