Vanity Fair - Page 438/573

His father sagaciously tipped Blackball, his master, a sovereign, and

secured that young gentleman's good-will towards his fag. As a protege

of the great Lord Steyne, the nephew of a County member, and son of a

Colonel and C.B., whose name appeared in some of the most fashionable

parties in the Morning Post, perhaps the school authorities were

disposed not to look unkindly on the child. He had plenty of

pocket-money, which he spent in treating his comrades royally to

raspberry tarts, and he was often allowed to come home on Saturdays to

his father, who always made a jubilee of that day. When free, Rawdon

would take him to the play, or send him thither with the footman; and

on Sundays he went to church with Briggs and Lady Jane and his cousins.

Rawdon marvelled over his stories about school, and fights, and

fagging. Before long, he knew the names of all the masters and the

principal boys as well as little Rawdon himself. He invited little

Rawdon's crony from school, and made both the children sick with

pastry, and oysters, and porter after the play. He tried to look

knowing over the Latin grammar when little Rawdon showed him what part

of that work he was "in." "Stick to it, my boy," he said to him with

much gravity, "there's nothing like a good classical education!

Nothing!"

Becky's contempt for her husband grew greater every day. "Do what you

like--dine where you please--go and have ginger-beer and sawdust at

Astley's, or psalm-singing with Lady Jane--only don't expect me to busy

myself with the boy. I have your interests to attend to, as you can't

attend to them yourself. I should like to know where you would have

been now, and in what sort of a position in society, if I had not

looked after you." Indeed, nobody wanted poor old Rawdon at the parties

whither Becky used to go. She was often asked without him now. She

talked about great people as if she had the fee-simple of May Fair, and

when the Court went into mourning, she always wore black.

Little Rawdon being disposed of, Lord Steyne, who took such a parental

interest in the affairs of this amiable poor family, thought that their

expenses might be very advantageously curtailed by the departure of

Miss Briggs, and that Becky was quite clever enough to take the

management of her own house. It has been narrated in a former chapter

how the benevolent nobleman had given his protegee money to pay off her

little debt to Miss Briggs, who however still remained behind with her

friends; whence my lord came to the painful conclusion that Mrs.

Crawley had made some other use of the money confided to her than that

for which her generous patron had given the loan. However, Lord Steyne

was not so rude as to impart his suspicions upon this head to Mrs.

Becky, whose feelings might be hurt by any controversy on the

money-question, and who might have a thousand painful reasons for

disposing otherwise of his lordship's generous loan. But he determined

to satisfy himself of the real state of the case, and instituted the

necessary inquiries in a most cautious and delicate manner.