The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 109: what you’re looking at

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

fe ——= onesies aeetemeemeeed corporation address to the Sovereign. He had risen from nothing ; but he was by no means proud of being considered the architect of his own fortunes. On the contrary, he liked as little as possible to refer to the obscurity and the strug- gles of his earlier years. hood he had the reputation of being a hard mas- —while the John Bull openness of his looks tended to aid in the deception. The benevolence worthlessness of his heart, just as the smooth and polished veneer hides the inferior ‘material upon which it is laid. “My dear Warren,” he began, shaking the stockbroker’s hand with apparent effusion, “I am delighted to fall in with you! I particularly want to make a settlement of that twenty thou- sand on my daughter, who is going to be married, you know, to Sir Peregrine Peacock a good enough match, you know, though situated as I am, I might perhaps have aspired higher. I shall regale all my factory people—buns and ginger beer ad libitem——no alcoholic liquor, Warren! But come, make haste, there’s a dear good fellow ! for I am in a hurry.” ** But I am in no hurry, Sir Moses,” answered Warren. ‘“How ? what ? You don’t mean to say that there’s any difficult a “But Ido. There’s a very great difficulty. The truth is, Sir Moses,” continued the stock- broker, with a coolness that was perfectly asto- nishing to the portly Knight, ‘“‘ my funds are all so locked up at this moment 2 ‘“* Your funds, sir?” exclaimed Bellamy, his face becoming of a most apoplectic redness. ‘‘ They are my funds! I entrusted them to you—I told you to do a particular thing with them In fact, I have suspected for two or three days past that there was something wrong; but for fear of being mistaken, I did not choose to make inquiries.” “YT tell you, Sir Moses, you cannot have your money. Now don’t bluster or make a noise in the office,” continued Warren, hastily and threat- eningly ; “for if you do you will only force me into a retaliation which will lead to the most painful exposure.” ‘* Exposure ?”— and Sir Moses looked half frightened and half doubting whether he. heard aright. “Yes—I mean exposure, Sir Moses :”—and then Warren, walking straight up to his client, said in a deep but perfectly audible whisper, “You would scarcely like it to be known that some years ago the now wealthy Sir Moses Bel- lamy, who holds his head so high, was a pri- soner in Newgate for some low'base felony !” All the colour fled from the naturally rubicund countenance — the wretched man’s under-jaw dropped—and he trembled violently. “Again is Mandeville right !” thought Warren within himself: and ecstatic was his inward chuckling. . “Mr. Warren,” said the abject Bellamy, so soon as he could recover the slightest power of utterance, “it is a terrible secret which you have got in your possession : but I see by the manner in which you are using it, that we may either ruin each other, or that there is an arrangement to be made.” THE YOUNG DUCHESS: OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. In his own neighbour- | - | plied Warren. ter ; but he made a great show of philanthropy | ar Fe et A re oN a ee 95 ‘Whichever you like, Sir Moses: for when you entered the room, you found me a desperate ‘man—although perhaps I did not immediately ‘show it.” ‘‘ But who told you of this hideous secret ?” ‘“A person who will not mention it again,” re- “ Of this you may rest assured.” “What would you have me do? Do you want time for the payment of the money—it is a » | very large sum——” of his aspect covered and concealed the innate |' '“ A mere trifle to you!—an enormous amount tome! Give me a receipt in full—and as God is py judge the secret shall never more pass my ips.” ‘ ' “It is a high price which I am to pay for the keeping of this secret,” said Sir Moses with the tone and look of a man who was profoundly humi- liated ; “but I nevertheless assent.” He sat down at the desk; and with a trem- bling hand he penned the receipt. He then ex- pressed an entreaty that the stockbroker would keep the secret inviolable; and he took his depar- ture. “Two!” exclaimed Mr. Warren, as he placed that receipt upon his file. It was now one o’clock; and the stockbroker thought of taking some lunch. He felt elate and happy: he had already been relieved in the space of a few hours of an immense load of difficulty— and he had therefore every reason to calculate upon the efficacy of Count Mandeville’s informa- “tion and suggestions in the cases which remained to be settled. ; ‘Tt is one o’clock, Phipps,” he said to his head clerk, as he paused in the outer office; “and I think I shall just run down to Greenwich and get a snack at the Trafalgar. I shall be back by three. If anybody calls in the meantime, just say I’m gone ‘Where had you better say? Oh, up to Downing Street, to wait upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer, according to special summons.” Mr. Phipps ventured to smile ‘faintly but very blandly, bowing at the same time; and Mr. War-’ ren passed out of the office. Taking a cab, he proceeded to the London Bridge Station; and thence in a few minutes he was transported by the railway to Greenwich. He bent his steps to ‘the Trafalgar Hotel, where he was conducted to a ‘private room; and he ordered an exquisite repast:. to be speedily served up. . Now who does the reader suppose happened’ to be in the adjacent apartment at that world- renowed establishment for fish dinners and choice wines? None other than Mr. Sylvester Casey, who had brought down his mistress, the handsome Alice Denton, to regale her with a little banquet. It had certainly required a great deal of cajolery- on the part of Alice to induce Sylvester to launch out into such an extravagance: but she had how-’ ever succeeded; and there they were seated at a table placed close against the open window, dividing their attention between the good things on the dishes before them, and the pleasant view which the casement afforded. It was a bright and beautiful day: the steamers, crowded with passengers, were passing to and fro on the bosom of the Thames; and there were likewise several beautiful little vessels belonging to the Thames Yacht Club, cruising in that part of the river’ ‘which takes a grand sweep round from Greenwich to Blackwall. °° -.« COMO oO Colin