The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 129: what you’re looking at

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THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. 115 bachelor was a Captain in the Guards. There were swords and foils, rifles and boxing-gloves, pistols and fishing-rods, cigar boxes and meer- schaum pipes, scattered about the place. One of the folding-doors leading into the bed-room was half open; and a glance thrown into the inner apartment, would discern the articles of raiment, alike of uniform and plain clothes, lying about. The toilet-table was indicative of the extravagance of its owner, it being covered with bottles containing the most expensive scents and perfumes which can be purchased at the celebrated emporium in Bond Street. At the table in the front room, as we have said, Sir Abel Kingston was seated. He now wore a superb flowered silk dressing-gown, confined at the waist by a cord with massive tassels; and on his head was a smoking cap in the shape of a Turkish fez, and decorated with a long tassel. He was certainly a very handsome man: that cap set off his light hair which curled naturally; and the dressing-gown, although loose, seemed to de- fine rather than to conceal the proportions of his slender form. He was in the midst of his luncheon, when the door ef the apartment was thrown open, and the man-servant announced Mr. Sylvester Casey. For various reasons it suited the Baronet’s pur- pose to treat Sylvester with every appearance of a familiar friendship; and such was therefore the demeanour with which he greeted him on the pre- sent occasion. “Well, old fellow,” exclaimed Sylvester, “so you've been up to the Garden this morning ?—but. the governor wasn’t at home. What the deuce is the caper now ?” “Why, is anything the matter?” asked the Baronet. _ ‘‘All I can say is, the governor is furious against you. I can’t make it out—he didn't come home till very late last night—in fact I should think it was pretty near two o’clock before he returned——— ‘“ Well, and what did he say ?” asked Sir Abel. “Oh, I was sitting up for him. The brandy was good, and the cigars were good; and though I was all by myself, I didn’t mind sitting up an extra hour or two. Well, at last in comes the governor; and precious savage he was!” ‘Where could he have been ?” asked the Baro- net, as if quite ignorant upon the point. “Ah, that I don’t know !—and what’s more, he didn’t say. He’s a rum file, that governor of mine! But I almost thought he must have been with you; for he began talking about you the very instant he entered the house—and then again this morning at breakfast.” ‘‘ But you have not told me what he said,” in- terjected the Baronet. “Oh! he threatened to do his worst—he de- clared you had humbugged and deceived him— - that you had regularly made a fool of him—that he would stand it no longer—and that as it was clear you didn’t mean to pay him what you owed, and hadn’t the means, he should punish you for getting his money out of him. You know I pro- mised you, old fellow, to throw in a word with my e father whenever J had the opportunity : so I began saying all I could in your favour.” ‘And what was that?” asked Sir Abel, who. was now somewhat in a thoughtful mood. ‘Why, that you was a regular brick—a jolly good fellow—could sing a capital song could ~ nandle your fives and play a pretty bout with the sticks—that you was a stunner at driving a four- in-hand—and as for a pretty gal, there wasn’t a better judge of beauty or a greater favourite amongst the fair sex than you. And then I went on to say that if you had run through all your property and sold off all your horses except your chargers and your pair—and if you was up to your very eyes in debt, why, it wasn’t your fault —you wasn’t the less a brick and a trump for all that.” “‘ And this you call speaking a good word for me to your father?” ejaculated Kingston, with some degree of impatience. ‘‘ Why, it was the very sort of argument to make him all the more bitter against me!” “Ah, but that wasn’t all,” interjected Sylvester. “T told him that as you hadn’t a penny in the world, it was no use his throwing good money after bad by arresting you or putting you in prison or anything of that sort—for that of course you would go through the Court and snap your fingers at all your creditors n ‘‘And what did he say then?” inquired Sir Abel. “Why, he only made a peculiar grimace, just as the old file sometimes does when he means something that he keeps quiet and dark to him- self. And so, as I didn’t exactly like his humour, I thought I'd just drive round and let; you know. Besides,” added Sylvester, fidgetting with his watch chain, “if you haven’t used that little acceptance of a thousand which I sent you t’other morning, you may just as well give it me back; for if you must go to smash, old fellow, there’s no use in lugging your friends into the mess along with you.” ‘““Ah, the little acceptance——Well, I really forgot all about it. But now you mention it———” “Ob, well then, you haven’t done anything with it?” cried Sylvester, rubbing his a gleefully. “The fact is, you know, old fellow, I wasn’t aware the other day when I sent you the acceptance how devilishly involved you were—— I thought your difficulties were only temporary But after all I heard the governor say when he came home last night, and then again this morning at breakfast-——” “Oh, as for that acceptance,” interrupted the Baronet, “I remember now! I paid it away to my jeweller——-He was pressing me. But as for your father, I hope he won’t be foolish enough to do anything hastily ; for the fact is I shall have plenty of money in an hour or two. At about four o’clock [ expect a handsome sum.’ “Oh, well then, I daresay it will be all right enough ! » exclaimed Sylvester: ‘‘but several things have made the governor precious savage. In the first place he lost five thousand pounds bang—that was yesterday; but he didn’t tell me how it happened—though I rather fancy it must have been. by some speculation on the Stock Ex- change, for it was after he had been to Warren his broker that he came home so deuced queer. And then, too, there’s that marriage affair “What do you mean?” inquired Sir Abel, somewhat eagerly. “Why, I told you about Launcelot Osborne and my sister? Everything seemed to.be settled conniclooolk Colin