‘Yes, but the doctor must be sent for first.’

’Yes, indeed!  But it behoves us to previse that the doctor does not kill her before the lawyer comes.’

Caroline looked at Louisa, and said:  ‘Are you ignorant?’

‘No—­what?’ cried the Countess eagerly.

‘Evan has written to tell Lady Jocelyn the state of her health, and—­’

‘And that naturally has aggravated her malady!’ The Countess cramped her long fingers.  ’The child heard it from him yesterday!  Oh, I could swear at that brother!’

She dropped into a chair and sat rigid and square-jawed, a sculpture of unutterable rage.

In the afternoon Lady Jocelyn arrived.  The doctor was there—­the lawyer had gone.  Without a word of protest Juliana accompanied her ladyship to Beckley Court.  Here was a blow!

But Andrew was preparing one more mighty still.  What if the Cogglesby Brewery proved a basis most unsound?  Where must they fall then?  Alas! on that point whence they sprang.  If not to Perdition—­Tailordom!

CHAPTER XLI

REVEALS AN ABOMINABLE PLOT OF THE BROTHERS COGGLESBY

A lively April day, with strong gusts from the Southwest, and long sweeping clouds, saluted the morning coach from London to Lymport.  Thither Tailordom triumphant was bearing its victim at a rattling pace, to settle him, and seal him for ever out of the ranks of gentlemen:  Society, meantime, howling exclusion to him in the background:  ’Out of our halls, degraded youth:  The smiles of turbaned matrons:  the sighs of delicate maids; genial wit, educated talk, refined scandal, vice in harness, dinners sentineled by stately plush:  these, the flavour of life, are not for you, though you stole a taste of them, wretched impostor!  Pay for it with years of remorse!’

The coach went rushing against the glorious high wind.  It stirred his blood, freshened his cheeks, gave a bright tone of zest to his eyes, as he cast them on the young green country.  Not banished from the breath of heaven, or from self-respect, or from the appetite for the rewards that are to follow duties done!  Not banished from the help that is always reached to us when we have fairly taken the right road:  and that for him is the road to Lymport.  Let the kingdom of Gilt Gingerbread howl as it will!  We are no longer children, but men:  men who have bitten hard at experience, and know the value of a tooth:  who have had our hearts bruised, and cover them with armour:  who live not to feed, but look to food that we may live!  What matters it that yonder high-spiced kingdom should excommunicate such as we are?  We have rubbed off the gilt, and have assumed the command of our stomachs.  We are men from this day!

Now, you would have thought Evan’s companions, right and left of him, were the wretches under sentence, to judge from appearances.  In contrast with his look of insolent pleasure, Andrew, the moment an eye was on him, exhibited the cleverest impersonation of the dumps ever seen:  while Mr. Raikes was from head to foot nothing better than a moan made visible.  Nevertheless, they both agreed to rally Evan, and bid him be of good cheer.