Kings & rulers > Kenilworth > Volume 1

KENILWORTH.
33
England’s sun shines on. Know thy friends and
kindred, Cicily, and come hither, child, that I
may kiss thee, and give thee my blessing.”
“ Concern not yourself about Cicily, kins¬
man,” said Giles Gosling, “ but e’en let her go
her way, a’ God’s name ; for although your mo¬
ther were her father’s sister, yet that shall not
make you and her cater-cousins.”
“ Why, uncle,” replied Lambourne, “ think’st
thou I am an infidel, and would harm those of
mine own house ?”
“ It is for no harm that I speak, Mike,” an¬
swered his uncle, “but a simple humour of pre¬
caution which I have. True, thou art as well gild¬
ed as a snake when he casts his old slough in the
spring-time; but for all that, thou creepest not
into my Eden. I will look after mine Eve, Mike,
and so content thee.—But how brave thou be’est,
lad! To look on thee now, and compare thee with
Master Tressilian here, in his sad-coloured rid¬
ing-suit, who would not say that thou wert the
real gentleman, and he the tapster’s boy ?”
“ Troth, uncle,” replied Lambourne, “ no one
would say so but one of your country-breeding,
that knows no better. I will say, and I care not
who hears me, there is something about the real
gentry that few men come up to that are not born
and bred to the mystery. I wot not where the
trick lies; but although I can enter an ordinary
with as much audacity, rebuke the waiters and
drawers as loudly, drink as deep a health, swear
as round an oath, and fling my gold as freely
about as any of the jingling spurs and white fea¬
thers that are around me,—yet, hang me if I can
ever catch the true grace of it, though I have prac¬
tised for anhundred times. The man of the house
sets me lowest at the board, and carves to me the
last; and the drawer says,—‘Coming, friend,*