The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 203: what you’re looking at

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

|. Sm your heart you hate me: it is gall and worm- d | handed to him, 190 by letter and by word of mouth, declare that you were my saviour and acknowledge the obligation under which I lay towards you.” ‘No doubt,” rejoined Sir Frederick. “ Bat letters may he as ineincero as bills of exobange themeelves may be fictitious: for the man who would forge a name to the latter, would scarcely hesitate to lie through the medium of the former. And then too, as for verbal expressions——Ah ! my Lord Viscount Rushbrook, I know the value of auch language from your lips |” “Why, what-what—my dedz. Sir Frederick,” atammered the young nobleman, looking dreadfully confused, despito hie cheracteristic impudence, “whut.dq you mean P” “ Every fable has its moral—every string of truths produce their corollary,” replied the mer- chant, sententiously. “Think you that I have entered this night into all these reespitulations for the purpose of parading my own generosity in a pecuniary sense towards your father and yourself? —or think you that I seek to enhance the impor- tance of the favour I am ebout to bestow upon you,—a favour which however great it may be in reference to your present necesaitiog, is in respect to my means and sesources of tho wost trumpery and trivial desoription. No--these are not my objeots. But I wish to let you know, Lord Vis- count Rusbbrook, that I am nos your dupe.” “My dupe? Ha! ha! Sir Frederick, that is really too good !""—and the Vieeount affeoted to laugh chucklingly. “It would be rather diffleult, I taney, ta get the better of a shrewd, clear- headed man of business such as you are.” “It isthe very thing of which [ am seeking to eonvince you,” rejoined Sir Fredevick: “for if I give yeu my money, end if I have given your father my money, it is thet I. toss my thousands to you. patrician beggars of Bolgeavie, just as when the humour takes ma,I toss my peace to the grovolling mendicants of St. Giles’s or White- chapei.”’ “On my soul, these ara hard woods, Sir Frede- rick !” ejaculated the Viscount, colouring, © “Doubtless they ave hard words,’ responded the merchant; “but it is your own fault, and that of your. father, if they are now addressed to you. I wil] come to the point.. The RBar] of, Vordwieh boasts that his patrician band bas teen grasiously and oondesceadingly pleased to grasp my. plebeian haod. Such things as these is your Right Honourpble father conataatly saying; while your Bight Honourable mother hesitates nos to delare that hey daughter was thrown away upon a City merchant, when with a littlo trouble and.manqu- vring she might no doubt have married one of her own sphere. Mark !—one of her ovm . It is eeay, therefore, to comprekem! what your lady- mother thinks of me. But wih you, my Lord Viscount, it. is infinitely worse, In your sober moments as well ag in your drupken revelries, you have spoken scoznfully of the City merchant. Have the words ‘vain, pompous, self sufficient, upstogt, vever issucd from your lipa? But [ will not dusil upon these things,—though I oan assure you. thay wound me not; Jep I can scorn and do- ‘spise them. I have said enough te coavince you, ‘ my lord, that Tam not your dupe, I know that wood for you, to reesive favours ak my hands; an oe ‘ een SS ae. A Sars 2S — THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. . therefore, even in conferring them— sad in giving you that which your necessities will not permit you to refuse, but which indeed they compel you to ask -~{ am revenged |” Nothing could exceed the discomfiture of Vis- count Rushbrook while Sir Frederick Latham thus apoke. The patrician dared not look the rich plebeian in the face. He wai abashed—eon- founded-—ennibilated, But with éhe utmost cool- ness Sir Frederick Latham filled up a-cheque for the sum of two thousand pounds ; and. as he it across the table te the Viscount, he said, “ Not a word of what has passed need be repeated ia the presence of Anastatia! And romomber, my lord —when we rejoin your sister in the drawing-room, we woar countenances as if nothing extraordinary bad taken place. And now, my lord, for that other bedtle of wine which I promised you.” “ Thanke for the accommodation,” said the Vis- counts, now suddealy recovering all his self: possession and hie flippant complacency. “ But, ah! you have crossed this cheque—and I shall have to send it through my bankere’,—whom, to tall you the truth, I have overdrawn to the tane of a fow hundreds: so that they would intereept a comsider- able portion of this amount in order to repay themselves—which would by no means answer my “Then come to me in the City to-morrow, and I will give you bank-netes,” said the merchant. “Or stop, I think I cam manage it in another way. Have the geodness ta follow me, my lord.” Bir Frederick Latham rose from jis: eeat, and issued from the room. He conducted the Viscount through the library, into a emall cabinet, which eerved an @ private offices or study where Sir Fre- derick:- was wont to. look over letters, or transaet any other little business which he might manage at home, and on those days on which it was not noecssary for him.to proceed to hia great establish: ment-in the City. Drawing forth a key from his pocket, Gir Frederick. opened am iron safe, which was concealed by a door formed in the beaufitully painted and exquisitely gilt: pannelling»work ; and he took from that safe a ecash-box contsining a quantity of goldin one compartment and anumber of bank-notes in another. “Ah! I sec, Siz Hrederiok,” said the Viscount, with one of his flippant laughs, “that you always keep a good supply of momey in the house in caso of emergencies.” Always,” responded the merchant, with ap- parest coolness and indifference: but the proceed- ing wae in reality another piece of oatentation on his part, to pique the envy of his patrician brother- in-law, whom he. alike despised and hated. When Sir Frederick had counted down bank- notes. to the amount of a couple of thousand pounds, there was still a considerable amount left ; and in the same spigit.of ostentation, the merchant folded them up methodically —condusting the pso- cess in such a manner that Rushbrook might catch a glilapse of the word “Husprep” in the corner of some dozen or fifteen of these remaining notes, “Shall I give you « little memerandam—an acknowledgmeste-a note of haad—or anything you think fié2” inquired the Viscount, as he thrust into his. pecket the two thousand pounds. just ECOMRniclacae SS (CO)