The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 63: what you’re looking at

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

| | (aa Ea AP IEEE SAT LC SAE OE LEA ECG ELC AA CO a eee) Ss 52 “Let us recur to my argument about equiva- lents,” said the Duke. “If you give a title, and the lady brings a fortune, you make common stock of those elements which constitute social position and comfort: you are mutually indebted —and in that respect you stand on perfectly inde- pendent grounds towards each other.” “Admitting the force of your argument,” ob- served Meredith,—“ and supposing that I fell in with some young lady who, possessing a fortune, would accept me as her husband,—how could I tutor my heart to love her? and how could I marry her unless it did?” “Oh! if you mean to throw love into the acale,” ejaculated the Duke, almost contemptuously, “I must retreat from the argument. I only under- take to advise you how to obtain a settled posi- tion: I cannot compose philters that will engen- der love. Perhaps, my dear Meredith, you love already P.’ according to the counsel which I have given you. It may seem repulsive at first; but the longer you think of it, the more palitable will my plan appear. Get a position, by all means: make yourself truly independent of your father, and of your ¢lder brother after him. There are heiresses who would jump at an offer from a good-looking young man with the title of Lord prefixed to his name. What say you, Meredith P’ “It is something to be thought over,” replied ° the young nobleman: and then ng afided slowly, “If I did form such an alliance, I would do my duty towards my wife—I would surround her with attentions, even if I could not bring my heart to love her with eincerity———But where are such heiresses to be looked for P” “Where?” said the Duke, apparently tn a care- less manner. “Qh, that is your business! I have given you the counsel: it is now for you ——But, Ab! when I bethink me, there is the daughter of “IT know-not,” responded Octavian, with some | that very gentleman we spoke of just now.” degree of confusion. “And yet methinks that the image of one whom I have seeen—on two or three occasions —is often present to my | you know, my good fellow, that Armytage is a> fancy——” “ And pray who is this fair being to whom you allude?” asked the Duke: “for of course she must be fair, thus to have made an impression on your heart.” “She is tho lovoliest girl I ever beheld in my life!” ejaculated Octavian, with an enthusiasm which he could not at the moment repress, but which when thus given way to, left him over- whelmed with confusion. “ But who is she P” inquired Marchmont. “You aay tell me: I never interfere treacherously with my Yrionde’ love-affairs.” “I would tell you cheerfully—but I myself do not know,” responded Octavian. “I have seen her on two or three occasiéns, walking with a outh whom by the likeness I know to be her rother——” “Then you have never spoken to her?” asked the Duke. “ Never,” replied Meredith. “She is as modest as she is beautiful; and I do net think that she even so much as noticed that she was on those oc- casions the object of my interested regards. No -~she is virgin bashfulness iteelf !” “ And to what sphere of life does your unknown fair one belong? Ah, by that tell-tale blush I see she is beneath your aspirations—or rather be- neath what they ought to be.” “This brother and sister of whom I am speak- ing,” replied Octavian, in a serious tone, “are evidently respectable———” “ Respectable, but not richP’ exclaimed the Duke. ‘ Perhape tradesman’s children, or some- thing of that sort? Now, my dear friend, re- nounce this phantasy of your’s as epeedily as ever you cen.” “ Yos—I must, I must,” said Octavian quickly, and with pome degree of emotion. “It is useless to cherish a dream—macness, in ition, to eradle myself in a delusion |” ™y powmoe “The fact is,” resumed Marchmont, “that if you fancied an obesure girl ever so fondly and passicnately—I mean in 6 virtupus sense-—you could not afford to love ber. ‘Your cireumstances will mot permit you. ‘You must marry, Octavian, “yh, _ t 4 t a agen ee re RP ar Ee Pt ea fr ng “Who ?” inquired Octavian. “ Armytage,” was the Duke's response. “ Do very wealthy man ~—and that his daughter’s dowry will be sixty thousand pounds on her wedding- day? This I can tell you for a fact. I have known Armytage, as you are aware, for a great number of years: I respect him because he is an upright, honest man, who by his own industry has made himself.”’ . “He was your factor, or steward, or intendant originally—or something of that sort—was he not?” inquired Octavian, who had been listening thoughtfully to all that the Duke said. “Yes — something of that sort,” responded Marchmont, again relapsing into his manner of seeming careleseness. “ He scraped together some money; and I think he had a pretty considerable sum left him by a deceased relative. So he came up to London—launched out in business as a mer- chant and speculator—and thus made his fortune. You know very well, Octavian, that my antipa- thies are great in respect to the plebeian money- plodders on the other side of Temple Bar: but in thie individual instance I have never forgotten that Armytage served me faithfully and honestly—and s0 I have countenanced him.” “ The feeling does you honour, my dear Duke,” replied Octavian warmly: for he believed in its sincerity. “It 1s all the more honourable too, inasmuch as it is atghe expense of a prejudice.” “And Zoo—Mr.gemytage's daughter—is really a beautiful girl,” pépceeded the Duke,—“ elegant, accomplished, and Well calculated to ahine in any drawing-room. Come, my dear friend, I see that my counsel is not altogether thrown away upon you. We will have lunch now, an® then go out fora ride. You can reflect at your leisure upop all that I have heen suggesting.” “Yos,” murmured Octavian, with another ill. repressed sigh, as he thought of the beautiful un- known whom he had seen on two or three oeca- sions, and whoee bashful lovel, hed made moro or less impression on his ; NOG # Senne een THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. SS CO