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360 THE ADVENTURES OF PHILIP
for tastes, but he, Rudge, would not marry his daughter to a
black man.
Now : that day when Mr. Firmin went to see my Lord Ringwood
was one of my Lord's very worst days, when it was almost
as dangerous to go near him as to approach a Bengal tiger. "When
he is going to have a fit of gout, his Lordship (Mr. Rudge remarked)
was hawful. " He curse and swear, he do, at everybody ; even the
clergy or the ladies—all's one. On that very day when Mr. Firmin
called he had said to Mr. Twysden, 'Get out, and don't come
slandering, and back-biting, and bullying that poor devil of a boy
any more. It's blackguardly, by George, sir—it's blackguardly.'
And Twysden came out with his tail between his legs, and he says
to me—'Rudge,' says he, 'my Lord's uncommon bad to-day.'
Well, he hadn't been gone an hour when pore Philip comes, bad
luck to him, and my Lord, who had just heard from Twysden all
about that young woman—that party at Paris, Mr. Ridley—and it
is about as great a piece of folly as over I heard tell of—my Lord
turns upon the pore young fellar and call him names worse than
Twysden. But Mr. Firmin ain't that sort of man, he isn't. He
won't suffer any man to call him names ; and I suppose he gave
my Lord his own back again, for I heard my Lord swear at him
tremendous, I did, with my own ears. When my Lord has the
gout flying about I told you he is awful. When he takes his
colchicum he's worse. Now, we have got a party at Whipham
at Christmas, and at Whipham we must be. And he took his
colchicum night before last, and to-day he was in such a tremendous
rage of swearing, cursing, and blowing up everybody, that it was as
if he was red hot. And when Twysden and Mrs. Twysden called
that day—(if you kick that fellar out at the hall door, I'm blest if
he won't come smirking down the chimney)—he wouldn't see any
of them. And he bawled out after me, ' If Firmin comes, kick him
downstairs—do you hear ?' with ever so many oaths and curses
against the poor fellow, while he vowed he would never see his
hanged impudent face again. But this wasn't all, Ridley. He
sent for Bradgate, his lawyer, that very day. He had back his
will, which I signed myself as one of the witnesses—me and Wilcox,
the master of the hotel—and I know he had left Firmin something
in it. Take my word for it. To that poor young fellow he means
mischief." A full report of this conversation Mr. Ridley gave to
his little friend Mrs. Brandon, knowing the interest which Mrs.
Brandon took in the young gentleman ; and with these unpleasant
news Mrs. Brandon came off to advise with those who—the good
nurse was pleased to say—were Philip's best friends in the world.
We wished we could give the Little Sister comfort: but all the