The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 392: what you’re looking at

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

| | a 378 It is extremely unex pected—unforeseen—perplex- Indeed, it is impossible for me to surmise ing what my daughter’s sentiments may be “ Just listen a bit,” ejaculated Sylvester ; ” mind—and so it would be much better for us to come to a complete understanding at once.” ‘““Much better, Mr. Casey. Pray proceed.” “You owe me, my lord, sixty thousand pounds,” resumed the young man; “and this sum I can claim at any moment——aye, and enforce too if I choose. There’s all the papers in my possession. And I know very well it’s a sum ' too large for you to pay all in a moment—while on t’other hand it’s much too large for me to lose Now, what I say is this:—Your fattily estates ought to go to Launcelot at your death—that’s clear enough. I'll give up twenty ‘thousand pound of the sixty—and we can let the other forty remain as a sort of charge on the estate, to be paid off at the rate of a thousand a-year ; and as a matter of course Launcelot must become a party to this transaction. If yor was to insure your life, my lord not more than five and fifty it would make . things still better for Launcelot, and at your ‘death relieve the estates altogether from the burden. But that’s your look-out—not mine.” “The arrangement, Mr. Casey,” answered Lord Trentham, ‘is one which I might accept, provided my daughter would agree to the alliance which you have proposed. But really—I am afraid”—and the proud peer surveyed Sylvester from head to foot as he spoke—“ I am afraid that Azaline ” ‘‘Oh, that be bothered!” exclaimed the young man. ‘‘ She'll like me well enough when she comes to know me better. Besides, love has nothing to do with money-matters. This was the maxim you acted upon, my lord, when you agreed / to make your son Launcelot marry my sister Selina.” The nobleman bit his lip, and observed, ‘True, Mr. Casey: marriage has become more or less a conventionalism. But still there are cases—— Indeed I know not what to say—lI must consult Lady Trentham ‘ Consult fiddlesticks!” exclaimed Sylvester. The nobleman fell back aghast in his chair: then slowly drawing himself up to his full height in a sitting posture, he asked in a freezing tone, ‘‘ What was that you said, sir? I think—I think I must have been mistaken.” ‘““Beg pardon, my lord—beg pardon:” and Sylvester coloured up to the very summit of his forehead, for he felt that he had been guilty “ a fearful sdlecism in good manners. ‘ It’s—it's’”’ —and he ran his hand through his horrid ‘red hair in the bewildering attempt to seek for a sufficient apology—until lighting, as he flattered himself, upon a brilliant idea, he hastened to ejaculate, ‘It’s the affection I bear for your lordship’s daughter that hurried me away. How- ever, no offence!” “I accept the apology, sir:” and Trentham again suffered himself to become partially affable. Sylvester felt humiliated, and it was therefore perfectly consistent with the obtuseness and nar- rowness of his ill-conditioned mind that he should suddenly feel himself animated by a certain spite against the individual in whose presence he was “* for I’ve got the whole thing cut and dried in my you ain’t too old—you’re | ee THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. thus humbled—so that he quickly began to wonder within himself how it was that he was cringing and apologizing where he fancied that he had a right to dictate, to menace, and to bully. ‘‘ Now come, my lord,” he said, with so abrupt » a snappishness of manner that it for a moment startled the nobleman, ‘‘let’s get on with our business. I’m not a fellow to dilly-dally. I've told you what I'll do—and it is for you to say whether you'll meet me on fair terms or not.” “Mr. Casey, in one word,” responded Lord Trentham, ‘‘I can.express the hope and the wish that I have formed. I beg that you will permit the entire sum of sixty thousand pounds to re- main as a charge upon the estate, to be paid off at the rate of two thousand a year—Launcelot becoming a party to the transaction, and I in- suring my life, if you desire it.” “And what about Azaline?” demanded Syl- vester impatiently. “The arr angement I am now suggesting,” re- joined Trentham, “is in contemplation of the sure and certain fact that my daughter will de- cline the Lonour which you have proposed when seeking her hand in matriage.” “Then E cry off altogether!” exclaimed Syl- vester, with coarse dogged sullenness, as he rose from his seat. ‘So when Bulteel comes ‘What do you mean, Mr. Casey ?” inquired the nobleman, seized with alarm at the mention of the ominous name of the solicitor who had so very recently put a execution into the mansion. “Mr. Bulteel—do you expect him ?” “Yes, I do, my lord. I told him that I was coming here, and why I was coming. I desired him to follow me in an hour, that he might draw up an agreement betwixt you and me, and witness it, so that there need be no more palaverings or comings and goings in this business. For I made sure you'd agree, my lord.” ‘A little patience, Mr. Casey—a little patience! I have not definitively refused.” ‘*So much the better. I left Bulteel at the house in Hatton Garden, making out a list of all the deeds and documents that relate to your busi- ness, my lord; so that when he comes you will see exactly how you stand. And I also told him to have a good look over all my father’s papers, to see whether there’s anything else that concerns your lordship, besides the deeds that were lust and found again.” ‘And therefore, Mr. Casey,” said Trentham, trembling nervously, ‘‘ youexpect that when your solicitor Mr. Bulteel arrives, I shall be piepaned to give an answer ?” “Yes—that’s what I’ expect,” responded Syl- vester. ‘*My mind is made up to have the affair settled at once, somehow or another. Don’t think that ’m too hard upon you, my lord; because remember that if you've got a daughter that you're anxious about, there’s on t’other side sixty thou- sand pounds that I ought to look precious sharp after. So give me the daughter; and I say in re- turn, ‘ Here’s quits as far as twenty thousand go, and there’s pleasant and easy terms for paying off the remaining forty thousand.’ That’s the gist of the whole business. There it lies, in a nutshell; and blow me if anybody can say Pm dtopping down too hard upon your lordship !” “ But if on the other hand, Mr. Casey, I should be unable to give you a positive answer—or if—if YN Wn) COMO Colin