The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 287: what you’re looking at

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

270 REYNOLDS’ WORKS sion to finery, much less of mawkish dandyism. Neverthe- less, a stranger who beheld that elegant young man, of such exquisite masculine beauty, apparelled in the most becoming style, would have been very far from suspecting that he was anything less than a scion of the aristocracy.. And yet, as the reader is already aware, William Deveril earned his bread by giving lessons in drawing, music, and painting upon ivory. But then, he had become quite the rage, so to speak, as a professor of these arts, and teaching only in the best families, he was enabled to turn his talents to a very lucrative advantage. It was about midday as Mr. Deveril knocked at the door of Lady Macdonald’s mansion in Cavendish Square, and to his questions as to whether Lady Florina Staunton was at home, the footman who answered his summons replied in the affirmative. The young professor was thereupon con- ducted to a parlour, where he found Lady Florina seated alone. The young patrician damsel had already arranged upon a table the requisite drawing materials, and it had been with a fluttering heart that she had counted the minutes until Wiliam Deveril made his appearance. Now, as he entered the room, she with that command which a well- bred and modest young female is enabled to exercise over her feelings, received him with that affable courtesy which she was always wont to display toward her young preceptor. Then resuming her seat from which she had risen, she said, ‘“T have done but little, Mr. Deveril, to this picture since you were last here, but I hope to make some progress this morning.”’ As she thus spoke she bent her head over a piece of ivory, of an oval shape, and about six inches in diameter at its widest part. The subject of the design was a beautiful landscape which the fair pupil was copying from a water- colour drawing made by Deveril himself, and so far.as her performance had advanced, it gave promise of Wig a very tolerable imitation of the original. “Your ladyship has not touched it, I see, since I was here the day before yesterday,” observed Deveril, as he glanced at the ivory. Then taking a seat near his beautiful pupil, he added, “ But if your ladyship can give me an hour to-day, some progress will indeed be made.”’ CONNIE ICOO KS (E(0)