“It is a great pleasure for me to see you again, Mr Egremont;” said the worthy1 baronet. “Your father was my earliest and kindest friend. I remember you at Firebrace, a very little boy. Happy to see you again, Sir, in so eminent2 a position; a legislator—one of our legislators. It gave me a sincere satisfaction to observe your return.”
“You are very kind, Sir Vavasour.”
“But it is a responsible position,” continued the baronet. “Think you they’ll stand? A majority. I suppose, they have; but, I conclude, in time; Sir Robert will have it in time? We must not be in a hurry; ‘the more haste’—you know the rest. The country is decidedly conservative. All that we want now is a strong government, that will put all things to rights. If the poor king had lived—”
“He would have sent these men to the right-abouts;” said Egremont, a young politician, proud of his secret intelligence.
“Ah! the poor king!” said Sir Vavasour, shaking his head.
“Poor man” said Sir Vavasour.
“You think it was too late, then?” said his companion.
“You are a young man entering political life,” said the baronet, taking Egremont kindly4 by the arm, and leading him to a sofa; “everything depends on the first step. You have a great opportunity. Nothing can be done by a mere5 individual. The most powerful body in this country wants a champion.”
“But you can depend on Peel?” said Egremont.
“He is one of us: we ought to be able to depend on him. But I have spoken to him for an hour, and could get nothing out of him.”
“He is cautious; but depend upon it, he will stand or fall by the land.”
“I am not thinking of the land,” said Sir Vavasour; “of something much more important; with all the influence of the land, and a great deal more besides; of an order of men who are ready to rally round the throne, and are, indeed, if justice were done to them, its natural and hereditary6 champions (Egremont looked perplexity); I am speaking,” added Sir Vavasour, in a solemn voice, “I am speaking of the baronets.”
“The baronets! And what do they want?”
“Their rights; their long withheld7 rights. The poor king was with us. He has frequently expressed to me and other deputies, his determination to do us justice; but he was not a strong-minded man,” said Sir Vavasour, with a sigh; “and in these revolutionary and levelling times, he had a hard task perhaps. And the peers, who are our brethren, they were, I fear, against us. But in spite of the ministers, and in spite of the peers, had the poor king lived, we should at least have had the badge,” added Sir Vavasour mournfully.
“The badge!”
“It would have satisfied Sir Grosvenor le Draughte,” said Sir Vavasour; “and he had a strong party with him; he was for compromise, but d— him, his father was only an accoucheur.”
“All, or nothing,” said Sir Vavasour; “principle is ever my motto—no expediency9. I made a speech to the order at the Clarendon; there were four hundred of us; the feeling was very strong.”
“A powerful party,” said Egremont.
“And a military order, sir, if properly understood. What could stand against us? The Reform Bill could never have passed if the baronets had been organized.”
“I have no doubt you could bring us in now,” said Egremont.
“That is exactly what I told Sir Robert. I want him to be brought in by his own order. It would be a grand thing.”
“There is nothing like esprit de corps,” said Egremont.
“And such a body!” exclaimed Sir Vavasour, with animation10. “Picture us for a moment, to yourself going down in procession to Westminster for example to hold a chapter. Five or six hundred baronets in dark green costume,—the appropriate dress of equites aurati; each not only with his badge, but with his collar of S.S.; belted and scarfed; his star glittering; his pennon flying; his hat white with a plume11 of white feathers; of course the sword and the gilt12 spurs. In our hand, the thumb ring and signet not forgotten, we hold our coronet of two balls!”
Egremont stared with irrepressible astonishment13 at the excited being, who unconsciously pressed his companion’s arm, as he drew this rapid sketch14 of the glories so unconstitutionally withheld from him.
“A magnificent spectacle!” said Egremont.
“Evidently the body destined15 to save this country,” eagerly continued Sir Vavasour. “Blending all sympathies: the crown of which they are the peculiar16 champions; the nobles of whom they are the popular branch; the people who recognize in them their natural leaders. But the picture is not complete. We should be accompanied by an equal number of gallant17 knights18, our elder sons, who, the moment they come of age, have the right to claim knighthood of their sovereign, while their mothers and wives, no longer degraded to the nomenclature of a sheriff’s lady, but resuming their legal or analogical dignities, and styled the ‘honourable baronetess,’ with her coronet and robe, or the ‘honourable knightess,’ with her golden collar of S.S., and chaplet or cap of dignity, may either accompany the procession, or ranged in galleries in a becoming situation, rain influence from above.”
“I am all for their going in the procession,” said Egremont.
“The point is not so clear,” said Sir Vavasour solemnly; “and indeed, although we have been firm in defining our rightful claims in our petitions, as for ‘honorary epithets19, secondary titles, personal decorations, and augmented20 heraldic bearings.’ I am not clear if the government evinced a disposition21 for a liberal settlement of the question, I would not urge a too stringent22 adherence23 to every point. For instance, I am prepared myself, great as would be the sacrifice, even to renounce24 the claim of secondary titles for our eldest25 sons, if for instance they would secure us our coronet.”
“Fie, fie, Sir Vavasour,” said Egremont very seriously, “remember principle: no expediency, no compromise.”
“You are right,” said the baronet, colouring a little; “and do you know, Mr Egremont, you are the only individual I have yet met out of the Order, who has taken a sensible view of this great question, which, after all, is the question of the day.”
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1
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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7
withheld
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| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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demure
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| adj.严肃的；端庄的 | |
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9
expediency
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| n.适宜；方便；合算；利己 | |
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10
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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plume
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| n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰 | |
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gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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15
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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epithets
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| n.（表示性质、特征等的）词语( epithet的名词复数 ) | |
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Augmented
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| adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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stringent
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| adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的 | |
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adherence
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| n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着 | |
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24
renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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