He said,
"Oh no, the darlings; wait till I get them on board ship! I will have
them tucked up comfortably in bed with nice hot grog." Whether her
intercession availed is not related.
In August, 1881, the Burtons started on a trip somewhat farther afield
than was their wont for short expeditions. They went up to Veldes, a
lovely spot, where there was a good inn and first-rate fishing. Burton
was absent without leave from the Foreign Office; and though he had left
the Consulate in charge of the Vice-Consul, his conduct was, officially
speaking, irregular, and both he and his wife were afraid of meeting any
one they knew. The first person they saw at the inn was the Chaplain
of the British Embassy at Vienna, who might have reported the absentee
Consul to his Ambassador. Burton bolted up to bed to avoid him; but
Isabel thought that the better plan would be to take the bull by the
horns. So she went to the Chaplain, and made a frank confession that
they were truants. He burst out laughing, and said, "My dear lady, I
am doing exactly the same thing myself." She then went upstairs, brought
Burton down again, and the three had a convivial evening together.
After this they went on by stages to Ischl, where they parted company,
Burton going to Vienna, and Isabel to Marienbad for a cure. Her stay
at Marienbad she notes as mainly interesting because she made the
acquaintance of Madame Olga Novikoff. Her cure over, with no good
result, she joined her husband at Trieste.
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