Quicksilver: The Boy With No Skid to His Wheel Read online

  CHAPTER THREE.

  DOCTOR GRAYSON'S THEORY.

  "I want some more."

  "Now, my dear Eddy, I think you have had quite as much as is good foryou," said Lady Danby, shaking her fair curls at her son.

  "No, I haven't, ma. Pa, may I have some pine-apple!"

  "Yes, yes, yes, and make yourself ill. Maria, my dear, I wish youwouldn't have that boy into dessert; one can hardly hear one's-selfspeak."

  "Sweet boy!" muttered Dr Grayson of the Manor House, Coleby, as heglanced at Sir James Danby's hopeful fat-faced son, his mother's idol,before which she worshipped every day.

  The doctor glanced across the table at his quiet lady-like daughter, andthere was such a curious twinkle in his eye that she turned aside so asto keep her countenance, and began talking to Lady Danby about parishwork, the poor, and an entertainment to be given at the workhouse.

  Dr Grayson and his daughter were dining at Cedars House that evening,greatly to the doctor's annoyance, for he preferred home.

  "But it would be uncivil not to go," said Miss Grayson, who had kept herfather's house almost from a child. So they went.

  "Well, doctor," said Sir James, who was a comfortable specimen of theeasy-going country baronet and magistrate, "you keep to your opinion,and I'll keep to mine."

  "I will," said the doctor; "and in two years' time I shall publish mybook with the result of my long studies of the question. I say, sir,that a boy's a boy."

  "Oh yes, we all agree to that, doctor," said Lady Danby sweetly."Edgar, my dear, I'm sure you've had enough."

  "Pa, mayn't I have half a glass of Madeira!"

  "Now, my dear boy, you have had some."

  "But that was such a teeny weeny drop, ma. That glass is so thick."

  "For goodness' sake, Maria, give him some wine, and keep him quiet,"cried Sir James. "Don't you hear that Dr Grayson and I are discussinga point in philosophy!"

  "Then you mustn't ask for any more, Eddy dear," said mamma, and sheremoved the decanter stopper, and began to pour out a very thin threadof wine, when the young monkey gave the bottom of the decanter a tilt,and the glass was nearly filled.

  "Eddy, for shame!" said mamma. "What will Miss Grayson think?"

  "I don't care," said the boy, seizing the glass, drinking some of therich wine, and then turning to the thick slice of pine-apple his motherhad cut.

  The doctor gave his daughter another droll look, but she preserved hercalm.

  "To continue," said the doctor: "I say a boy's a boy, and I don't carewhose he is, or where he came from; he is so much plastic clay, and youcan make of him what you please."

  "You can't make him a gentleman," said Sir James.

  "I beg your pardon."

  "And I beg yours. If the boy has not got breed in him--gentle blood--you can never make him a gentleman."

  "I beg your pardon," said the doctor again. "I maintain, sir, that itis all a matter of education or training, and that you could make agentleman's son a labourer, or a labourer's son a gentleman."

  "And are you going to put that in your book, doctor?"

  "Yes, sir, I am: for it is a fact. I'm sure I'm right."

  Sir James laughed.

  "And I'm sure you are wrong. Look at my boy, now. You can see in aninstant that he has breed in him; but if you look at my coachman's son,you will see that he has no breeding at all."

  _Crork, crork, crork, crork_.

  "Oh!" from her ladyship, in quite a scream.

  "Good gracious!" cried Sir James; and the doctor and Helen Grayson bothstarted to their feet, while Master Edgar Danby kept on making the mostunearthly noises, kicking, gasping, turning black in the face, androlling his eyes, which threatened to start from their sockets.

  "What is it?" cried Sir James.

  Crash went a glass. A dessert-plate was knocked off the table, andMaster Edgar kept on uttering his hoarse guttural sound of _crork,crork, crork_!

  He was choking, and the result might have been serious as he satstruggling there, with papa on one side, and mamma on the other, holdinghis hands, had not Dr Grayson come behind him, and given him atremendous slap on the back which had a beneficial effect, for he ceasedmaking the peculiar noise, and began to wipe his eyes.

  "What was it, dear? what was it, my darling?" sobbed Lady Danby.

  "A great piece of pine-apple stuck in his throat," said the doctor. "Isay, youngster, you should use your teeth."

  "Edgar, drink some water," said Sir James sternly.

  Master Edgar caught up his wine-glass, and drained it.

  "Now, sir, leave the room!" said Sir James.

  "Oh, don't, don't be harsh with him, James," said her ladyshippathetically. "The poor boy has suffered enough."

  "I say he shall leave the room," cried Sir James in a towering fury; andMaster Edgar uttered a howl.

  "Really, James, I--"

  Here her ladyship had an hysterical fit, and had to be attended to, whattime Master Edgar howled loudly till the butler had been summoned and hewas led off like a prisoner, while her ladyship grew worse, but underthe ministrations of Helen Grayson, suddenly becoming better, drank aglass of water, and wiped her eyes.

  "I am so weak," she said unnecessarily, as she rose from thedessert-table and left the room with Helen Grayson, who had hard workonce more to keep her countenance, as she encountered her father's eye.

  "Spoils him, Grayson," said Sir James, as they settled down to theirport. "Noble boy, though, wonderful intellect. I shall make him astatesman."

  "Hah!" ejaculated the firm-looking grey-haired doctor, who had takenhigh honours at his college, practised medicine for some years, andsince the death of his wife lived the calm life of a student in the oldManor House of Coleby.

  "Now, you couldn't make a statesman of some boys whom you took out ofthe gutter."

  "Oh yes, I could," said the doctor. "Oh yes, sir."

  "Ah, well; we will not argue," said Sir James good-humouredly.

  "No," said the doctor, "we will not argue."

  But they did argue all the same, till they had had their coffee, whenthey argued again, and then joined the ladies in the drawing-room, whereMaster Edgar was eating cake, and dropping currants and crumbs betweenthe leaves of a valuable illustrated book, which he turned over withfingers in a terrible state of stick,--the consequence being that headded illustrations--prints of his fingers in brown.

  "Have you settled your debate, Dr Grayson!" said Lady Danby, smiling.

  "No, madam; I shall have to prove my theory to your husband, and it willtake time."

  "My dear James, what is the matter!" said her ladyship as a howl arose.

  "Pa says I'm to go to bed, ma, and it's only ten; and you promised me Imight sit up as long as I liked."

  "How can you make such foolish promises, Maria?" said Sir Jamespetulantly. "There, hold your tongue, sir, and you may stay anotherhalf-hour."

  "But ma said I might stop up as long as I liked," howled Master Edgar.

  "Then for goodness' sake stop up all night, sir," said Sir Jamesimpatiently; and Master Edgar stayed till the visitors had gone.

  "Enjoyed your evening, my dear?" said the doctor.

  "Ye-es, papa," said his daughter; "I--"

  "Might have enjoyed it more. Really, Helen, it is absurd. That manopposed my theory tooth and nail, and all the time he kept on proving itby indulging that boy. I say you can make what you like of a boy. Nowwhat's he making of that boy?"

  "Sir James said he should make him a statesman," said Helen, smiling.

  "But he is making him a nuisance instead. Good-night."

  "Good-night, papa."

  "Oh, by the way, my dear, I shall have to prove my theory."

  "Indeed, papa!"

  "Yes. Good-night."