Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 144: what you’re looking at

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

spe tS EOLA LLL ELLE IIE DLL ALLA LAAAAALAE JCSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. disposition to place himself at once on friendly and familiar terms with me, But I could not possibly take the same immediate liking to him that I had conceived for his Pather=tauch less that friendship which had so quickly sprung up in my heart towards Avellino. And as for the personal appearance of the Viscount of Tivoli, it was indeed very different from what I anticipated. Thad ex- pected to see the reflection of the father’s good looks though in a more youthful form: whereas there was not the slightest family similitude be- tween them. “TT believe my father,” resumed the Viscount, “made an appointment for me to call upon you to-day, and act as your guide to whatsoever places you may think fit to visit. My carriage is at the door—and I am at your service. Although we now meet for the first time, let us throw off all re- straint, and mutually deport ourselves as if we had known each other for a more lengthened period.’ I made a suitable response; and there was an air of so much frankness, good temper, and cor- diality in the way in which the Viscount spoke, that I was really angry with myself for not feeling as satisfied with him as he appeared to be with me. However, I resolved that whatever my feeling might be, my manner and discourse should reci- procate the friendliness of his own; and I said to myself, “ Doubtless I shall hke him much better when we get more acquainted.” There was an elegant equipage waiting in front of the hotel: we entered—and proceeded to view such places as I had not already seen. The Vis- count talked a great deal, and evidently did his best to amuse me: but I profited nothing from lis remarks upon the public buildings we visited, or the specimens of art which we inspected. He had not the critical taste nor sound judgment of his father—much less the refined appreciation of the beautiful or the awe-inspiring comprehension of the pure and sublime which had been manifested by Francesco Avellino. In some respects indeed he was shallow even to border upon the frivolous: yet I saw that he had been well educated, though from a certain degree of mental incapacity he had been unable to profit by those advantages of tuition. Moreover, from a few observations which he let drop I perceived that he was given to pleasure— and that if I had only said the word, he would have introduced me to scenes which, with the image of Annabel in my mind, I had no inclination to enter upon. I may add that he had a sort of supercilious way of alluding to the lower orders, and frequently expressed his contempt for every- thing that was not associated with gentility: but so far as his bearing towards me was concerned, it increased in ecordiality and friendship. I could not however help thinking to myself, that if he knew X had filled menial positions and had not always been the gentleman in which character I now figured, I might have experienced very different treatment at his hands. When our round was over, and the evening was approaching, he ordered his coachman to drive to the Tivoli palace; and during our way thither, he said, “ You are to be my guest at dinner, you know—aund when I say my guest, it is literally so: ior my father enjoined me to make his apologies for his unavoidable absence. The truth is, he was called away from home yesterday evening by a letter of considerable importance [ believe) by the bye, that the letter reached his hands at the time you were with him: but he awaited my return in the evening ere he set off—as he had to make cer- tain communications to me—amongst which was the pleasing intelligence that I was to show every attention toa friend of the Count of Livorno.” By the time this speech was finished, the Vis- count’s equipage reached the Tivoli palace; and he conducted me to a sumptuously furnished drawing-room, where we sate and conversed until a domestic entered to announce that dinner was served. “T have invited no one to meet you,” said the Viscount, as we proceeded to another apartment, % because I thought that on the first occasion we would be téte-a-téte. My father told me that you understood but little of Italian—he had forgotten to inquire whether you spoke French—and there- fore I was fearful of inviting guests whose lan- guage you might not understand. However, as you have informed me during our drive to-day that you do speak French, we shall take care on another occasion to have guests whom you may be pleased to meet; and as for your Italian, you will speedily pick that up, as [ can very well judge.” The banquet to which we two sate down—for a veritable banquet it proved to be—was of the most elegant description, and was sumptuously served. A domestic stood behind each chair, ready to anti- cipate our slightest wants; and two others stood by the sideboard. The Viscount displayed a truly Apician appetite; and he drank copiously of the choice wines that were presented by the domestics. He seemed astonished at my moderation: but he was too well bred to press me to drink more than I chose—though on the other hand he appeared perfectly well inclined to drink enough for us both, When I took leave of him in the evening, truth compels me to state that he was something more than merely excited by his potations. I have mentioned that the hotel where I had taken up my quarters, was much frequented by foreigners; and the coffee-room was well supplied with English, French, and German newspapers. While at breakfast on the morning after my enter- tainment at the Tivoli palace, I amused myself with an English journal: and my looks lighted On a paragraph announcing certain promotions which had recently taken place in the ranks of the British peerage. Amongst these I perceived the name of Lord Eccleston, who was raised to the degree of an Earl. The mention of that name vividly called back to my mind all the mysterious circumstances which had in any way brought my- self in contact with those whom I must now call the Earl and Countess of Eccleston; and the scenes which had taken place at Florence were seriously reviewed by me over and over again. -Would those mysteries be ever cleared up? should I ever learn why Lord Eccleston had been my bitter persecutor, and how in Lanover he had found so ready an agent for his atrocious machinations ? And then too, I thought of those secret conversa- tions which I had with Lady, now Countess of Kecleston, near the bridge of Santa Trinitata; and how she had offered to elevate me from a menial position and provide for me in a pecuntary sense for the remainder of my days. 131 ~~ Ate, OOO) S (C©@)