The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 147: what you’re looking at

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

THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. ee 133. came home that night from Hastley’s, as how that I thought there was summut that wasn’t alto- gether right about that Sir Habel—and I remem- ber tellin’ Mr. Shinybrass next morning,‘when he called to ask your father’s wote on putting up as guardian of the ’Oborn Union ” ‘Well, well,” interrupted Mr. Casey impa- . tiently, “I have no doubt you said a great deal upon the subject. But how came you to hear, Sylvester, that Sir Abel Kingston was arrested ?” ‘“‘{ happened to be dining with him. It was rather too bad, father, that you didn’t drop me a hint of what you was going to do: you might have known that being intimate as I am witha set of fellows at the West End, it was very pro- bable I might get thrown in Kingston’s way. However, there’s no harm done——~” ‘‘ And so you were actually dining there, Syl- vester, at the time?” said his sister, who with a natural delicacy of feeling which was foreign to every other member of the Casey family, was shocked at the thought that her brother should have been partaking of the Baronet’s hospitality at the instant when such a catastrophe ensued. ““T was there, as I tell you—and some other friends of mine. I didn’t see any of you when I came home in the afternoon to dress for dinner: you was all gone out—and so I couldn’t tell you where I was going.” ‘“‘ And who were these other friends of your's?” asked Mr. Casey senior, with a scornful sneer upon his lip. ‘Silly young men about town, I suppose—who, if they yield to dissipation and debauchery, will one of these days come to the same strait as the scoundrel Kingston himself.” ““Come, come, sir,” interjected Sylvester, with a self-sufficient air, “that’s being too strong on my friends Colonel Bulder, Captain Cauliflower, Lieutenant Tiffany, and though last not least, the Duke of Ardleigh.” “What!” exclaimed Mrs. Casey; ‘ta Dook ? Sylwester, have I heerd with my hears that you’ve been a-dinin’ with a Dook ?” “ And why not?” said the young man, stretch- ing himself out and yawning in an affected man- ner in the arm-chair in which he had thrown him- self, at the same time that he ran his hand through his horrible red hair. ‘I can assure you that me and the Duke got very intimate together —and a devilish nice fellow he is—quite a young man, you know—not above six or seven and twenty. Well, when the business was all over, he took me by the arm; and says he, ‘ Casey, my dear fellow, let’s you and me walk along the street together, and chat about this business.’ So there we was ” ‘Quite fermiliar, I dessay!” ejaculated Mrs. Casey, tossing her head proudly; “and all the perlicemen a-touching their hats as you walked past—and the werry cabmin a bowin’ down to the ground at the Dook’s presence! Selina dear, if that there Dook should ever come up with Syl- wester to take potluck in ’Atton Garding, it would never do for his Greese to stand the chance of meetin’ Shinybrass. Besides, them Shinybrasses is so wulgar! We must cut ’em.” *‘ And pray,” asked Mr. Casey, ‘what did the Duke of Ardleigh say to you?”—for the usurer was too much a man of the world not to suspect that the Duke must have had some private reason of his own to affect a sudden fricndship for his a SS a a US son, and go walking arm-in-arm with him through the streets of London. ‘Oh! we chatted on different things,” replied Sylvester,—" principally on the business that had just took place—I mean Kingston’s arrest. The Duke said he always knew Kingston to be a blackguard, and that he was in the habit of boasting of his successes with the fair sex, telling a pack of lies and compromising the characters of ladies without the slightest rhyme or reason. In fact, the Duke seemed to hint that he thought it was by no means unlikely Sir Abel might have spoken in an impudent way of his own wife, the beautiful Duchess: but I set the Duke’s mind at rest on that score. ‘My lord,’ says I, ‘Kingston and me have been pretty intimate together, and I must do him the justice to declare that I never heard from his lips any bragging or boasting in respect to the Duchess.’—‘ Well,’ says the Duke, ‘If am glad of it :’ and then he shakes hands with me, bids me good night, and tells me that when I am passing Ardleigh House I’m to look in and give him a call.” Mr. Casey senior now comprehended why the Duke had affected a friendship towards his son. ““His Grace suspects something between his wife and Kingston,” thought the usurer to him- self ; ‘‘ and he wanted to ascertain to what extent it might have been known or boasted of by that scoundrel the Baronet.” The Casey family retired to rest ; and on the following day the usurer deliberated with himself whether he should write to Stephen Ashborne, or whether he should proceed into Dorsetshire and obtain a personal interview with him. Circum- stances appeared to indicate that Stephen Ash- borne was his son: but still there was a possi-~ bility that it might be otherwise—he might have some different motive for getting possession of the papers—though it was difficult to conjecture what such a motive could be. Nevertheless, Casey was very prudent, and he scarcely liked to commit himself by writing. On the other hand, he did not much relish the idea of venturing into Dorsetshire—especially to seek out one who was now living upon the estate of his mortal enemy Squire Ponsford. What was to be done? He almost regretted that he had not sent off Tim Gaffney into Dorsetshire,’to bring wp Ashborne, so that a meeting might take place under circum- stances altogether favourable to Casey’s views and safety. After along deliberation, the usurer made up his mind how to act; and the following letter was duly penned and despatched by the post :— : ‘‘ Hatton Garden, May 13, 1847. “Mr. Michael Casey is instructed to communi- cate with Mr. Stephen Ashborne in reference to certain papers which have fallen into Mr. Ash- borne’s hands. If Mr. Ashborne will therefore acquaint Mr. Casey with his views upon the sub- ject, they shall at once receive the best atten- tion.” The usurer waited with much suspense the re- sult of this communication. We should explain that although he dressed in a sordid manner and sneered at the extravagancies and frivoli- ties of fashionable life, he was in his heart most anxious to form high family connexions. He fee COMO oO Colin