The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 82: what you’re looking at

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

A SINGULAR PROPOSAL 65 the principal, if not the sole attraction. Amongst her suitors were Colonel Malpas and the redoubtable Captain Tash. At that special moment the affairs of the former stood in particular need of a patching-up by means of a good matri- monial alliance, and as for the latter, there was no moment better than another for a fortune to fall into his hands. At first the young lady was inclined to listen most favourably to Captain Tash, because he not only had a tremendous pair of moustaches, but also the finest pair of whiskers possible, whereas Colonel Malpas had but a delicate moustache and slight whiskers. But, when it was made known to the > sentimental young lady that the colonel was of much.-higher rank than the captain, that the former really moved in the best circles, whereas the latter only obtained admittance to them by an occasional accident, that the former was actually in the Guards, while the latter was on half-pay or else on no pay at all, she at once decided in favour of the colonel and eut the eaptain. Now Tash was not the man to stand this. He raged, fumed, bullied, and threatened to commit a wholesale slaughter in Butcherhall Lane, where the family resided. The young lady’s father had him bound over to keep the peace, but the captain, in defiance.of his recog- nizances, sent a challenge to Colonel Malpas. This the colonel would not accept, but had the captain locked up in prison for breaking the peace. However, the indefatigable Tash found bail again, emancipated himself from captivity, and threatened to expose the colonel’s cowardice at every club in London. He even contrived to obtain a clandestine interview with the young lady, and made such an impression on her by his representations of the colonel’s poltroonery and his own remarkable valour, that the sentimental miss, who had just been reading a romance of chivalry, thought that the captain was, after all, the hero into whose arms she ought to fling herself. A runaway match was therefore agreed upon, but the parents discovered all, the colonel was communicated with, and the young lady, overpersuaded once more, agreed to accompany Malpas at once to the altar. While the marriage ceremony was taking place, a discreet friend of the family sought an interview with Captain Tash, and broke to him the terrible tidings how he was thus fore- stalled by the colonel after all. The gallant captain pum- melled the discreet friend within an inch of his life, and then CoOnniclooolks (E(O) mM