The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 65: what you’re looking at

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

63 | THE MYETERIES OF THE COURT. “Let us recur to my argument about equiva- lets,” 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 4 fortune, would accept me as her husband, tutor my heart to love hér? and how could I her unless it did P” “Oh! if you mean to throw love into the scale,” ejaculated the Duke, almost contemptuously, “ I must retreat from the argument. I only under- take to advise you how to obtain a settled pdsi- tion ; I cannot compose philters that will engen- der love, Perhape, my dear already ?” “JT know not,” responded Octavian, with some degree of confusion. ‘And yet methinks that the image of one whom I ‘have seen—on two or three occasions—is often present to my “ 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 the loveliest 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?” inquired Marchmont. “You may tell me: I never interfere treacherously with my friends’ love-affairs,”’ “TI would tell you cheerfully—but I myself do not know,” responded Octavian. “I have seen her on two or three oocasions, walking with a outh whom by the likeness I know to be her rother-———” “Then you have never spoken to her?’ asked “ Never,” replied Megedith, “She is as modest as she is beautiful; and I do not think that she even so much as noticed that she was on those oo- casions the object of my interested regards, No —she is virgin bashfulness iteelf!”’ } “ And to what sphere of life doee 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 evideftly respectable——”’ ‘Respectable, but not rich?’ exclaimed the Duke. “Perhaps tradesman’s children, or some- thing of that sortP Now, my dear friend, re- nounce this phantasy af your's as speedily as ever you can,” “ Yes—I must, I must,” said Ootavian quickly, end with some degyee of emotion. “It is useless to cherish a dream—madness, in my position, to eradle myself in a delusion |” . “The fact is,” resumed Marchmont, “that if you fancied ap obscure girl ever so fondly and passionately] mean in # virtuous senbo—you could pot afford tq Joye her. Your circumstances will not permit you. You myst marry, Octavian, —how could I: according. to the counsel which I have given you. It may seem repulsive at first; but the longer you think of it, the mare palatable will my plan appear. Get a position, by all means: make yourself truly independent of’ your father, and cf your elder 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?” “It is something to be thought over,” replied the young nobleman: and then he added slowly, “Tf 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 sincerity——~—But where are such heireeses to be looked for ?”’ “ Where ?” said the Duke, apparently in a care- lees manner. “Qh, that is your business! I have Ah! when I bethink me, there is the daughter of that very gentleman we spoke of just now.” “ Who P” inquired Octavian. Armytage,” was the Duke's response. “Do you know, my good fellow, that Armytage is a 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 himeelf,” “He was your factor, or steward, or intendant igi something of that sort—was he ori y—or not P” 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 carelessness. “ 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 tor—-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 this individual instance I have never fargotten that Armytago. served me faithfplly and honestiy—and so I have countenanced him.” “ The feeling dope you honour, my dear Duke,” replied Octavian warmly: for he believed in its sincerity, “Jt is all the more honourable too, inasmuch as it is at the expense of a prejudice.” “ And Zoo—Mr. Armytage’s daughter—is really a beautiful girl,” proceeded the Duke,—*“ elegant, aceomplished, and well calculated to shine 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, and then go out for a ride, You can reflect at your leisure upon all that I have been suggesting.” * Yos,”” murmured Ootavian, with another ill. repressed sigh, as he thought of the beautiful un- known whom he had seen on two or three occa sions, and whose bashful loveliness had made nose or jess impression on his heart. se eee 4 iven you the counsel: it is now for you ——But, | Meredith, you love gt COMMUC DOO CS (COL