and there
collected, had looked upon me with anything but flattering regards; some
turned up their noses, some grinned, all appeared astonished, and all
disgusted. At the conclusion of this speech, I was surprised at the
benignity which beamed upon me from under their variously shaped and
coloured eyebrows. There was magic in the words "for his father's
sake," and "my young friend."

Captain Reud replied, "It is not, my lord, so much the fault of Mr
Rattlin as it would, at the first blush, appear to be. He himself
pressed a wicked, mischievous young blackguard, who was appointed the
young gentleman's servant. Incredible as the fact may appear, my lord,
he contrived, in a manner that Dr Thompson can best explain to you, to
destroy all the clothes of his young master merely in the wantonness of
his malice. I know that Mr Rattlin is well provided with money, and
that he will take the first opportunity again to assume the garb of a
gentleman; and I do assure your lordship that no man becomes it better."

"Sir, if this youth be Mr Rattlin--I believe it--the very oldest blood
in the country flows in his veins--but it does seem a kind of species of
miracle how a scion of that noble house should stand before me, his
father's friend, with two black eyes and a ragged jacket--there may be
some mistake, after all. I was going, Mr Rattlin, to take you with me
to my hotel, having matters of the utmost importance to communicate to
you; but, oh no!--I am not fastidious, so we had better first have a
little private conference in the after--gentlemen, will you excuse
us?"--bowing round--"Captain Reud will perhaps do me the favour to be of
the party?"

So, into the after-cabin we three went, I burning with impatience, and
speechless with agitation, supposing that the much-coveted secret of my
parentage would be at length unfolded to me.

Lord Whiffledale and Captain Reud being seated with their backs to the
cabin-windows, and I standing before them with the light full upon my
disfigured face, I must have had a great deal more the look of a
battered blackguard, being tried for petty larceny, than a young
gentleman on the eve of being acknowledged the heir to greatness by a
very noble lord.

There was a pause for some minutes, during which Lord Whiffledale was
preparing to be imposing, and the light of mischief began to beam with
incipient insanity in Reud's eye. "Certainly," I said to myself, "he
will not dare to practise one