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ON HIS WAY THROUGH THE WORLD 443
dreary rubber when the General came in. Mrs. B. knew by the
General's face that he had been having recourse to alcoholic
stimulus. But she dared not speak. A tiger in a jungle was
not more savage than Baynes sometimes. "Where's Char?"
he asked in his dreadful, his Bluebeard voice. "Char was gone
to bed," said mamma, sorting her trumps. " Hm! Augoost,
Odevee, Osho!" Did Eliza Baynes interfere, though she knew
he had had enough ? As soon interfere with a tiger, and tell him
he had eaten enough Sepoy. After Lady Macbeth had induced
Mac to go through that business with Duncan, depend upon it, she
was very deferential and respectful to her general. No groans,
prayers, remorses could avail to bring his late Majesty back to life
again. As for you, old man, though your deed is done, it is not
past recalling. Though you have withdrawn from your word on a
sordid money pretext ; made two hearts miserable, stabbed cruelly
that one which you love best in the world; acted with wicked
ingratitude towards a young man, who has been nobly forgiving
towards you and yours; and are suffering with rage and remorse,
as you own your crime to yourself;—your deed is not past recalling
as yet. You may soothe that anguish and dry those tears. It is
but an act of resolution on your part, and a firm resumption of
your marital authority. Mrs. Baynes, after her crime, is quite
humble and gentle. She has half murdered her child, and stretched
Philip on an infernal rack of torture; but she is quite civil to
everybody at Madame's house. Not one word does she say
respecting Mrs. Colonel Bunch's outbreak of the night before. She
talks to sister Emily about Paris, the fashions, and Emily's walks
on the Boulevard and the Palais Royal with her Major. She
bestows ghastly smiles upon sundry lodgers at table. She thanks
Augoost when he serves her at dinner—and says, " Ah, madame,
que le boof est bong aujourd'hui, rien que j'aime comme le potofou.
Oh, you old hypocrite ! But you know I, for my part, always
disliked the woman, and said her good-humour was more detestable
than her anger. You hypocrite ! I say again :—ay, and
avow that there were other hypocrites at the table, as you shall
presently hear.
When Baynes got an opportunity of speaking unobserved, as he
thought, to Madame, you may be sure the guilty wretch asked her
how his little Charlotte was. Mrs. Baynes trumped her partner's
best heart at that moment, but pretended to observe or overhear
nothing. " She goes better—she sleeps," Madame said. " Mr. the
Doctor Martin has commanded her a calming potion." And what
if I were to tell you that somebody had taken a little letter from
Charlotte, and actually had given fifteen sous to a Savoyard youth