The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 151: 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. ments on the expected guest—all with ove excep- tion; and this was the Duchess of Ardleigh. She seemed to listen with a cold indifference; and every now and then a smile, either contemptuous or disdainful, curled her lip. Lady Todmorden was piqued at finding that the idea of the ex- pected lion of a French Count made no impression upon the brilliant Duchess; and having vainly waited in the expectation that she would mingle in the discourse, Lady Todmorden again said, “Did your Grace happen to hear of our pheenix from Paris before his name was mentioned this evening ?” ‘‘Yegs—I think so,” replied the Duchess, with an air of careless indifference. ‘‘1 believe the Duke met the Count at Mr. Warren’s office a few days ago.” “Do tell us,” cried a young lady, ‘* what report his Grace made of this famous French imperta- tion !” ‘ No. 18.—TuHEe Youna DucHEss, _—— — 137 ~ we « && SIRE os we \ \\ vw WS <. \\ \ WAS ~ | — eee AO ca fa ae et re a meat _— “Oh, I believe my husband was very well pleased with him,” said the Duchess, still with an air of indifference and listlessness. _ “JT wonder your Grace’s curiosity should not have been excited by the report of your own husband,” observed Lady Todmorden, still with an air of pique, which, well-bred though she were, she could not altogether conceal. “Curiosity ?” echoed the Duchess; and then she gave a low mocking laugh, but which was exquisitely musical. ‘I never experience curiosity in such matters. I have no faith in this system of lionizing foreigners. Indeed I often think that we English people pay ourselves a very bad compliment in constantly turning our adoring looks upon everything that is foreign.” The Duchess was so high an authority in the fashionable sphere, that no one dared venture to breathe a syllable in opposition to the sentiments she had just delivered,—until Lady Todmorden COMO oO Se a TE To Colin