‘I am in the fullest possession of my faculties, I thank you, Frederick!’ said Mrs Griffin, gathering strength.
‘Of course, of course, Mama! But the agitation – the natural agitation –’
‘If he is speaking the truth,’ interrupted Mrs Griffin, ‘let him summon his nephew to stand before me!’
‘Ah, I begin to understand you!’ said Sir Richard. ‘Is itpossible, ma’am, that you suspect my nephew of being your errant ward?’
‘No, no!’ said Griffin feebly.
‘Yes!’ declared his mother.
‘But Mama, only consider what such a thought must imply!’ said Mr Griffin in a frenzied aside.
‘I can believe anything of that unnatural creature!’
‘I should doubt very much whether my nephew is upon the premises,’ said Sir Richard coldly. ‘He was engaged to spend the day with friends, upon an expedition of pleasure. However, if he should not yet have left the house, I will engage to – er – allay all these heart burnings.’
‘If he has run out to escape us, I shall await his return!’ said Mrs Griffin. ‘And so I warn you!’
‘I admire your resolution, ma’am, but I must point out to you that your movements are of no possible interest to me,’ said Sir Richard, stepping over to the bell, and jerking it.
‘Frederick!’ said Mrs Griffin. ‘Will you stand by and hear your mother being insulted by one whom I strongly suspect of being a dandy?’
‘But Mama, indeed, it is no concern of ours if he is!’
‘Perhaps,’ said Sir Richard, in arctic tones, ‘it may be of service if I make myself known to you, ma’am. My name is Wyndham.’
Mrs Griffin received this information with every appearance of disdain, but its effect upon her son was staggering. His eyes seemed to be in danger of bursting out of their sockets; he started forward, and ejaculated in tones of deepest reverence: ‘Sir! is this possible? Have I the honour of addressing Sir Richard Wyndham?’
Sir Richard bowed slightly.
‘The celebrated whip?’ asked Mr Griffin.
Sir Richard bowed again.
‘The creator of the Wyndham Fall?’ pursued Mr Griffin, almost overcome.
Tired of bowing, Sir Richard said: ‘Yes.’
‘Sir,’ said Mr Griffin, ‘I am happy to make your acquaintance! My name is Griffin!’
‘How do you do?’ murmured Sir Richard, holding out his hand.
Mr Griffin clasped it. ‘I wonder I should not have recognized you. Mama, we have been quite mistaken. This is none other than the famous Sir Richard Wyndham – the friend of Brummell, you know! You must have heard me – you must have heard him spoken of. It is quite impossible that he can know anything of my cousin’s whereabouts.’
She seemed to accept this, though with obvious reluctance. She looked Sir Richard over with disfavour, and said paralysingly: ‘I have the greatest dislike of all forms of dandyism, and I have ever deplored the influence exerted by the Bow-Window set upon young men of respectable upbringing. However, if you are indeed Sir Richard Wyndham, I dare say you would not object to showing my son how to arrange his cravat in what he calls the Wyndham Fall, so that he need no longer spoil every neckcloth in his drawer before achieving a result which I consider lamentable.’
‘Mama!’ whispered the unhappy Mr Griffin. ‘I beg of you!’
The entrance of a servant, in answer to the bell’s summons came as a timely interruption. Upon being asked to discover whether Sir Richard’s nephew were in the house, he was able to reply that the young gentleman had left the inn some time previously.
‘Then I fear there is nothing for you to do but to await his return,’ said Sir Richard, addressing himself to Mrs Griffin.
‘We should not dream of – Mama, there can be no doubt that she – he – did not come here after all. Lady Luttrell disclaims all knowledge, remember, andshemust certainly have known if my cousin had come into this neighbourhood.’
‘If I could think that she had gone to cousin Jane, all would not yet be lost!’ said Mrs Griffin. ‘Yet it is possible? I fear the worst!’
‘This is all very perplexing,’ complained Sir Richard. ‘I wasunder the impression that this mysterious truant was of the male sex.’
