round Damerel‟s neck he obeyed, and thereafter devoted his energies to the really rather formidable task of maintaining a decent fortitude. Carrying so slight and thin a boy across the field presented no difficulties, but it was impossible to lift him into the chaise without subjecting him to a good deal of pain, and although little more than a mile had to be covered before the Priory was reached the road was so rough that the journey became a severe trial. No complaint was uttered, but when he was lifted down from the chaise Aubrey fainted again.
“Just as well!” said Damerel cheerfully, carrying him into the house. “No, no, take those smelling-salts away, Mrs. Imber! We‟ll have his boots off before we try to bring him round again, poor lad! Get a razor, Marston!”
The removal of his boots brought Aubrey to his senses again, but it was not until he had been stripped of his clothing and put into one of his host‟s nightshirts that he was able to collect his dazed wits. The relief to his swollen right ankle afforded by a cold compress seemed to mitigate the grinding ache that radiated from his left hip-joint, and the sal volatile which was tilted down his throat enabled him, after a fit of choking, to take stock of his surroundings. He frowned unrecognizingly upon Damerel and his valet, but when his eyes wandered to Mrs. Imber‟s concerned face his memory returned, and he exclaimed thickly: “Oh, I remember now! I took a toss. Hell and the devil confound it! Riding like a damned roadster !”
“Oh, the best of us take tosses!” said Damerel. “Don‟t fret yourself into a fever over
that!”
Aubrey turned his head on the pillow to look up at him. A surge of colour came into his cheeks; he said stiffly: “I‟m very much obliged to you, sir. I beg your pardon! Making such a bother of myself for nothing worse than a tumble! You must think me a poor creature.”
“On the contrary, I think you‟ve excellent bottom. More bottom than sense! You silly gudgeon! you know you ride a feather! What made you suppose you could hold such a heady young „un as that chestnut of yours?”
“He didn‟t get away with me!” Aubrey said, firing up. “I let him rush it—I was riding carelessly—but there isn‟t a horse in the stables I can‟t back!”
“ Much more bottom than sense!” said Damerel, quizzing him, but with such an understanding smile in his eves that Aubrey forbore to take offence. “And I suppose a few worse gudgeons, like that bailiff of mine, told you the horse was too strong for you, which was all that was needed to set you careering over the countryside! I own I should have done the same, so I won‟t comb your hair for it. Where am I to find the sawbones who doctors you when you‟ve knocked yourself up?”
“Nowhere! I mean, I don‟t want him: he will only pull me about, and make it ten times worse! It‟s nothing—it will go off if I lie still for a while!”
“Now, Mr. Aubrey, you know Miss Lanyon would have the doctor to you, and no argle-bargle about it!” interposed Mrs. Imber. “And as for making you worse, why, what a way to talk when everyone knows he‟s as good as any grand London doctor, and very likely better! It‟s Dr. Bentworth, my lord, and if it hadn‟t been for Croyde taking Nidd off with him like he did I would have sent him to York straight!”
“Well, if he has brought the horses in by now he can set off as soon as I‟ve written a note for the doctor. Meanwhile ”—
“I wish you will not!” Aubrey said fretfully. “I‟m persuaded I shall be well enough to go home long before he can come all this way. If you would but leave me alone—I—I won‟t have a grand fuss made over me! I hate it beyond anything!”
This ungracious speech made Mrs. Imber look very much shocked, but Damerel replied coolly: “Yes, abominable! No one shall make a fuss over you any longer. You shall try instead if you can go to
“Just as well!” said Damerel cheerfully, carrying him into the house. “No, no, take those smelling-salts away, Mrs. Imber! We‟ll have his boots off before we try to bring him round again, poor lad! Get a razor, Marston!”
The removal of his boots brought Aubrey to his senses again, but it was not until he had been stripped of his clothing and put into one of his host‟s nightshirts that he was able to collect his dazed wits. The relief to his swollen right ankle afforded by a cold compress seemed to mitigate the grinding ache that radiated from his left hip-joint, and the sal volatile which was tilted down his throat enabled him, after a fit of choking, to take stock of his surroundings. He frowned unrecognizingly upon Damerel and his valet, but when his eyes wandered to Mrs. Imber‟s concerned face his memory returned, and he exclaimed thickly: “Oh, I remember now! I took a toss. Hell and the devil confound it! Riding like a damned roadster !”
“Oh, the best of us take tosses!” said Damerel. “Don‟t fret yourself into a fever over
that!”
Aubrey turned his head on the pillow to look up at him. A surge of colour came into his cheeks; he said stiffly: “I‟m very much obliged to you, sir. I beg your pardon! Making such a bother of myself for nothing worse than a tumble! You must think me a poor creature.”
“On the contrary, I think you‟ve excellent bottom. More bottom than sense! You silly gudgeon! you know you ride a feather! What made you suppose you could hold such a heady young „un as that chestnut of yours?”
“He didn‟t get away with me!” Aubrey said, firing up. “I let him rush it—I was riding carelessly—but there isn‟t a horse in the stables I can‟t back!”
“ Much more bottom than sense!” said Damerel, quizzing him, but with such an understanding smile in his eves that Aubrey forbore to take offence. “And I suppose a few worse gudgeons, like that bailiff of mine, told you the horse was too strong for you, which was all that was needed to set you careering over the countryside! I own I should have done the same, so I won‟t comb your hair for it. Where am I to find the sawbones who doctors you when you‟ve knocked yourself up?”
“Nowhere! I mean, I don‟t want him: he will only pull me about, and make it ten times worse! It‟s nothing—it will go off if I lie still for a while!”
“Now, Mr. Aubrey, you know Miss Lanyon would have the doctor to you, and no argle-bargle about it!” interposed Mrs. Imber. “And as for making you worse, why, what a way to talk when everyone knows he‟s as good as any grand London doctor, and very likely better! It‟s Dr. Bentworth, my lord, and if it hadn‟t been for Croyde taking Nidd off with him like he did I would have sent him to York straight!”
“Well, if he has brought the horses in by now he can set off as soon as I‟ve written a note for the doctor. Meanwhile ”—
“I wish you will not!” Aubrey said fretfully. “I‟m persuaded I shall be well enough to go home long before he can come all this way. If you would but leave me alone—I—I won‟t have a grand fuss made over me! I hate it beyond anything!”
This ungracious speech made Mrs. Imber look very much shocked, but Damerel replied coolly: “Yes, abominable! No one shall make a fuss over you any longer. You shall try instead if you can go to
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