The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 38: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

24 re TIE YOUNG DUCHESS ; OR, MUMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. Sylvester. ‘Only conceive what au expense it is when you move! And then too, you: would be wanting me to insure it !” “Well, come, we will not have any words,” in- terrupted Alice: and then she added coaxingly, ‘“‘T suppose you have brought me the gold watch you promised ?” ““No, by Jove, I haven’t though!” cried Syl- vester. ‘The truth is, I couldn’t find a second- hand I mean to say a neat little lady’s watch —though, *pon honour, I went strolling about last evening, looking in at all the pawnbrokers’ ——1I mean to say jewellers’ windows ” ‘Oh, I daresay,” interrupted Miss Alice, ‘* what you first said you meant! For shame of you, Sylvester! You set up your carriage: byt you treat me ” “Treat you?” he ejaculated: “how the deuce do I treat you? Why admirably! Here you are living at the rate of at least five guineas a week———” . “Half of which I earn by my own profession,” interjected Alice. ‘‘And a very good job, too, that you can do it!” said Sylvester. “But you promised me when—when—you know what I mean when our connexion be- gan,” continued Alice, half pouting, half good- humouredly coaxing, ‘that you would take me altogether away from the horsemanship : ““Tt would be a sin,” observed Sylvester. ‘ You look admirably in the circus !” “‘But I don’t like it!” exclaimed Alice. “You ought to like it, my dear girl,” rejoined Sylvester. “It keeps down your fat. You are the least thing inclined to embonpoint ” “Then why not buy me a horse?” exclaimed Alice. “Ah, that would be something liberal on your part!” “Well, well, my dear girl, we shall see. You musn’t talk to me of gold watches and horses for the present: I am as hard up as the deuce! It is with difficulty I can spare you your two guineas to-day: ” ‘‘Two guineas and a half, if you please, sir!” cried Alice, now speaking vehemently, and in- deed with ill-concealed scorn and disgust. - “Oh, two guineas and a half, is it? Well, be it so. But as I was saying, if you only knew the bother and trouble I have had to screw enough out of the governor to get that little drag and those prads a ‘And yet your father is very rich, Sylvester ?” interjected Alice. i “Rich? Well, no doubt of it—but precious close! And therefore, Alice, if sometimes I don’t seem to be quite as liberal to you as I ought—— But Ah, by the bye!” he abruptly ejaculated, “‘the very thing I ought to have told you first I am coming to last! It’s all settled.” ‘What is all settled?” inquired Miss Denton, with an air of more indifference than interest. “Why, the little business that I was hinting to you about t’other day,” rejoined Sylvester. “‘ The fact is, Alice, it shan’t make any difference betwixt you and me as far as my coming to see you on the sly and giving you your money is con- cerned: but I don’t think it will be proper for us to be seen too publicly together e “What on earth does he mean ?” ejaculated Alice. ; BR ene ol ae te er a AD a a NS NO = “Oh, you know very well! That business is coming off. Not that I shall be proud, you know, Alice — because it’s all very well to have an Honourable prefixed to your name; but in.my humble opinion Sylvester Casey, Esquire is just as good as the Honourable Launcelot Osborne.” “6Oh,” said Alice; “‘now I do recollect you said something the other day about marriage between your sister and the gentleman you have just named. But Lord bless you, Sylvester! those kind of things go in at one ear and out at another —particularly as you are now and then given to shooting with the long bow.” “Don’t say that again, Alice,” interjected the young man angrily, while his countenance was as red as a peony; “ or else I shan’t like it.” “Well, but about this marriage?” said Miss Denton; ‘ when is it to take place ?” “In a few days,” responded Sylvester. ‘’T'was only settled this morning. My father and Launce- lot had a final interview ” ““Mr. Osborne, I presume, having duly pro- posed to your sister and being referred by her to your father ?” “Well, that was not exactly the way in which the business was managed,” resumed Sylvester. “You see, my dear Alice, the Trentham family are entirely in my father’s power. The governor can sell up everything at any moment—landed estates and all—bécause Launcelot has executed adeed cutting off the entail; so that in plain terms it only depends on the governor to make beggars of the Trentham family at any moment. But this is not his game; he has got plenty of money: it isn’t cash that he wants, Alice—it’s connexion. ‘There! deuce take it! I’ve spoke it out plain enough—-and now you understand me. But don’t go telling anybody what I’m saying to you.” ‘Not I,” said Miss Denton carelessly. ‘‘ I am not acquainted with a soul to whom your family affairs or those of Lord Trentham are at all likely to prove of any interest. But does Launcelot Osborne love your sister ?” ‘Oh, love! bother take love in a match of this sort! But the truth is, Launcelot and Selina have seen each other so seldom Ah, by the bye!” and here he again interrupted himself with suddenness: then taking out his watch, he cried, ““Yes—this is just about the time!” “What is the time?” asked Alice: ‘‘I mean, to what do you allude ?” . “Why, Selina is to be at Trentham House be- tween three and four o’clock, to be introduced to my lord and her ladyship.” _ “What?” ejaculated Alice, in astonishment: “have things gone so far without your sister even so much as knowing the parents of her intended husband? Well, this 7s the most extraordinary thing I ever heard of in all my born days?” | ‘Oh, but in fashionable life,” said Sylvester flippantly, “love never enters into the question. Launcelot Osborne is a good-looking young fel- low enough—though perhaps he hasn’t quite so much of the dash about him as I have, and there- fore is not likely to get on quite so well with the fair sex : “Oh, you are indeed irresistible!” said Alice: and then she burst forth into the merriest peal of uncontrollable laughter. ‘IT don’t know what you mean,” cried young teers COMO YN Wn) COIN,