登陆注册
5007800000001

第1章 A FAITHFUL RETAINER BY JAMES PAYN(1)

When I lived in the country,--which was a long time ago,--our nearest neighbours were the Luscombes. They were very great personages in the country indeed, and the family were greatly "respected"; though not, so far as I could discern, for any particular reason, except from their having been there for several generations. People are supposed to improve, like wine, from keeping--even if they are rather "ordinary" at starting; and the Luscombes, at the time I knew them, were considered quite a "vintage" family. They had begun in Charles II.'s time, and dated their descent from greatness in the female line. That they had managed to keep a great estate not very much impaired so long was certainly a proof of great cleverness, since there had been many spend-thrifts among them; but fortunately there had been a miser or two, who had restored the average, and their fortunes.

Mr. Roger Luscombe, the present proprietor, was neither the one nor the other, but he was inclined to frugality, and no wonder; a burnt child dreads the fire, even though he may have had nothing to do with lighting it himself, and his father had kicked down a good many thousands with the help of "the bones" (as dice were called in his day) and "the devil's books" (which was the name for cards with those that disapproved of them) and race-horses; there was plenty left, but it made the old gentleman careful and especially solicitous to keep it. There was no stint, however, of any kind at the Court, which to me, who lived in the little vicarage of Dalton with my father, seemed a palace.

It was indeed a very fine place, with statues in the hall and pictures in the gallery and peacocks on the terrace. Lady Jane, the daughter of a wealthy peer, who had almost put things on their old footing with her ample dowry, was a very great lady, and had been used, I was told, to an even more splendid home; but to me, who had no mother, she was simply the kindest and most gracious woman I had ever known.

My connection with the Luscombes arose from their only son Richard being my father's pupil. We were both brought up at home, but for verydifferent reasons. In my case it was from economy: the living was small and our family was large, though, as it happened, I had no brothers. Richard was too precious to his parents to be trusted to the tender mercies of a public school. He was in delicate health, not so much natural to him as caused by an excess of care--coddling. Though he and I were very good friends, unless when we were quarreling, it must be owned that he was a spoiled boy.

There is a good deal of nonsense talked of young gentlemen who are brought up from their cradles in an atmosphere of flattery /not/ being spoiled; but unless they are angels--which is a very exceptional case --it cannot be otherwise. Richard Luscombe was a good fellow in many ways; liberal with his money (indeed, apt to be lavish), and kind- hearted, but self-willed, effeminate, and impulsive. He had also-- which was a source of great alarm and grief to his father--a marked taste for speculation.

After the age of "alley tors and commoneys," of albert-rock and hard- bake, in which we both gambled frightfully, I could afford him no opportunities of gratifying this passion; but if he could get a little money "on" anything, there was nothing that pleased him better--not that he cared for the money, but for the delight of winning it. The next moment he would give it away to a beggar. Numbers of good people look upon gambling with even greater horror than it deserves, because they cannot understand this; the attraction of risk, and the wild joy of "pulling off" something when the chances are against one, are unknown to them. It is the same with the love of liquor. Richard Luscombe had not a spark of that (his father left him one of the best cellars in England, but he never touches even a glass of claret after dinner; "I should as soon think," he says, "of eating when I am not hungry"); but he dearly liked what he called a "spec." Never shall I forget the first time he realised anything that could be termed a stake.

When he was about sixteen, he and I had driven over to some little country races a few miles away from Dalton, without, I fear, announcing our intention of so doing. Fresh air was good for "our dear Richard," and since pedestrian exercise (which he also hated) exhausted him, he had a groom and dog-cart always at his own disposal. It was a day of greatexcitement for me, who had never before seen a race-course. The flags, the grand stand (a rude erection of planks, which came down, by-the-bye, the next year during the race for the cup, and reduced the sporting population), the insinuating gipsies, the bawling card-sellers, and especially the shining horses with their twisted manes, all excited my admiration.

I was well acquainted with them in fiction; and these illustrations of the books I loved so well delighted me. Richard, who had read less and seen more, was bent on business.

He was tall for his age, but very slight and youthful-looking, and the contrast of his appearance with that of the company in the little ring, composed as it was of a choice selection of the roughest blackguards in England, was very striking.

Many of these knew who he was, and were very glad to see him, but only one of the book-makers secured his patronage. The fact was, Master Richard had but one five-pound note to lay; he had been saving up his pocket-money for weeks for this very purpose, and he took ten to one about an outsider, "Don Sebastian,"--a name I shall remember when all other historical knowledge has departed from me,--not because he knew anything of the horse, but because the longest odds were laid against him.

同类推荐
  • 王阳明集

    王阳明集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 观音慈林集

    观音慈林集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 天翼翔禅师语录

    天翼翔禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Provincial Letters

    The Provincial Letters

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 奉和元承杪秋忆终南

    奉和元承杪秋忆终南

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 我的一个术士朋友

    我的一个术士朋友

    一场尸变引发的惊天秘密、学校里的灵异事件、商务大佬的密谋、牵扯出一件件陈年往事,但这一切的背后都指向一个阴谋!层层剥离后发现,事情远远没有想象的那么简单
  • 时短术

    时短术

    这是一本指导人们有效进行时间管理,掌握劳动时间缩短术的社科书。书稿从日程管理术一直讲到商务谈判和会议的技巧、最新的数字活用术,介绍了超过400个缩短工作时间的“技术”,内容涉及很多方面,其中也有关于如何有效处理人际关系的内容,指导读者展开令人际关系变通畅的交流,制定不出纰漏的资料,达到在挽救失败的同时兼具防止时间损耗的效果。
  • 画地为牢之娇宠一世

    画地为牢之娇宠一世

    七年前一场一见钟情的相遇,就注定两人要终生纠缠。七年前,因为陷害桢楠入狱,欧阳宸如同天使带着十七岁的桢楠离开,三年的真心相待终抵不过一场陷害,消失四年,当桢楠病痛缠身带着无奈,过往再次归来。才发现心中的男人如此的恨自己。当年的真相究竟是什么?当年的往事,四年乃至七年前的陷害和误会。身世之谜,闺蜜之情,爱情的坚守。都在岁月的流逝下一一的揭开。
  • 敖子逸0a

    敖子逸0a

    柒七【安柒(qi)七】:“爸妈,你们真是的,自己出去旅游把我丢给别人。”
  • 不负遇见沈嘉树

    不负遇见沈嘉树

    年年岁岁花相似岁岁年年人不同。是一句很喜欢的诗。
  • 元始天尊说甘露升天神咒妙经

    元始天尊说甘露升天神咒妙经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 侏儒的幻想

    侏儒的幻想

    慢热书,剧情推动相对慢一些,如果有兴趣,不妨尝试多看一些,希望多多支持、多多提出建议,感谢。
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 退膛

    退膛

    军队是一所大熔炉,每一个士兵将在这所大熔炉中接受一种特殊的锻造,他因此而变得像一块钢铁那样坚硬,因此而变得像一团烈焰那样嚣张,然后,他就会被锻造成为一颗子弹,在义不容辞的责任感以及神圣无比的使命感的驱使之下顶上了枪膛,尖锐的弹头在幽黑深邃的枪膛里沉默着,冷峻地指向那些胆敢来犯的狂徒草莽。
  • 祈愿造梦师

    祈愿造梦师

    续作《快穿之祈愿造梦师》正在连载中,求收藏! 以下为正经简介↓↓↓ ——『无男主!无男主!无男主!重要的事情说三遍。』紫柒16岁生辰那天,见义勇为出了车祸,在重症监护室躺了两年。 18岁时意识与系统075相遇,开启了奇妙的快穿之旅,为每一位委托者达成心愿,编织未来。 这是一场漫无目的的旅游,没有终点。 你要和我一起吗?