CHAPTER II.THE REV. DAN DUDGEON. |
I was walking very sadly across the Green Park one day, my hat pressedover my eyes, not looking to right or left, but sauntering slowly along,depressed and heavy-hearted, when I felt a friendly arm slip softly withinmy own, while a friendly voice said,—“I think I have got somethingto suit you, for a few months at least. Don't you know Italian?”
“In a fashion, I may say I do. I can read the small poets, and chat alittle. I'll not say much more about my knowledge.”
“Quite enough for what I mean. Now tell me another thing. You 're not avery timid fellow, I know. Have you any objection to going amongst thebrigands in Calabria,—on a friendly mission, of course,—whereit will be their interest to treat you well?”
“Explain yourself a little more freely. What is it I should have to do?”
“Here's the whole affair; the son of a wealthy baronet, a Wiltshire M.P.,has been captured and carried off by these rascals. They demand a heavysum for his ransom, and give a very short time for the payment. SirJoseph, the youth's father, is very ill, and in such a condition as wouldmake any appeal to him highly dangerous; the doctors declare, in fact, itwould be fatal; and Lady Mary S. has come up to town, in a state borderingon distraction, to consult Lord Scatterdale, the Foreign Secretary, who isa personal friend of her husband. The result is that his Lordship liasdecided to pay the money at once; and the only question is now to find theman to take it out, and treat with these scoundrels.”
“That ought not to be a very difficult matter, one would say; there arescores of fellows with pluck for such a mission.”
“So there are, if pluck were the only requisite; but something more isneeded. If Sir Joseph should not like to acknowledge the debt,—if,on his recovery, he should come to think that the thing might have beenbetter managed, less cost incurred, and so on,—the Government willfeel embarrassed; they can't well quarrel with an old supporter; theycan't well stick the thing in the estimates; so that, to cover the outlayin some decent fashion, they must give it a public-service look beforethey can put it into the Extraordinaries; and so Lord S. has hit upon thisscheme. You are aware that a great question is now disputed between theBourbonists of Naples and the party of New Italy,—whether brigandagemeans highway robbery, or is the outburst of national enthusiasm in favorof the old dynasty. The friends of King Bomba, of course, call it a 'LaVendée;' the others laugh at this, and say that the whole affair is simplyassassination and robbery, and totally destitute of any politicalcoloring. Who knows on which side the truth lies, or whether some po