He never mentioned his own name, but
introduced me as 'my friend Captain Cole.' Now, in those
days, Captain Cole was well known as a distinguished naval
officer. To Russell's absent and engineering mind, 'Coke'
had suggested 'Cole,' and 'Captain' was inseparable from the
latter. It was a name to conjure with. Captain Anderson
took off his cap, shook me warmly by the hand, expressed his
pleasure at making my acquaintance, and hoped I, and my
friend Mr. - ahem - would come into his cabin and have
luncheon, and then allow him to show me over his ship. Scott
Russell was far too deeply absorbed in his surroundings to
note any peculiarity in this neglect of himself and marked
respect for 'Captain Cole.' We made the round of the decks,
then explored the engine room. Here the designer found
himself in an earthly paradise. He button-holed the engineer
and inquired into every crank, and piston, and valve, and
every bolt, as it seemed to me, till the officer in charge
unconsciously began to ask opinions instead of offering
explanations. By degrees the captain was equally astonished
at the visitor's knowledge, and when at last my friend asked
what had become of some fixture or other which he missed,
Captain Anderson turned to him and exclaimed, 'Why, you seem
to know more about the ship than I do.'
'Well, so I ought,' says my friend, never for a moment
supposing that Anderson was in ignorance of his identity.
'Indeed! Who then are you, pray?'
'Who? Why, Scott Russell of course, the builder!'
There was a hearty laugh over it all. I managed to spare the
captain's feelings by preserving my incognito, and so ended a
pleasant day.
CHAPTER XLIV
IN November, 1862, my wife and I received an invitation to
spend a week at Compiegne with their Majesties the Emperor
and Empress of the French. This was due to the circumstance
that my wife's father, Lord Wilton, as Commodore of the Royal
Yacht Squadron, had entertained the Emperor during his visit
to Cowes.
We found an express train with the imperial carriages
awaiting the arrival of the English guests at the station du
Nord. The only other English besides ourselves were Lord and
Lady Winchilsea with Lady Florence Paget, and Lord and Lady
Castlerosse, now Lord and Lady Kenmare. These, however, had
preceded us, so that with the exception of M. Drouyn de
Lhuys, we had the saloon carriage to ourselves.
The party was a very large one, including the Walewskis, the
Persignys, the Metternichs - he, the Austrian Ambassador -
Prince Henri VII. of Reuss, Prussian Ambassador, the Prince
de la Moskowa, son of Marshal Ney, and the Labedoyeres,
amongst the historical names.
