The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 397: what you’re looking at

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

MR. SYCAMORE 375 at the same time suffering a long whiff of smoke to exhale slowly from his lips. Our hero took the chair, and said, “ I have called, sir, in consequence of the letter which I received from you by this morning’s post.” “‘ Ah, I see,” observed Mr. Sycamore, speaking with that sort of drawing-room drawl which impresses one with the idea that it requires a very great effort indeed to make use of that faculty of speech which is one of the main distinc- tions between its possessor and the lower animals. ‘‘ You are the young man who advertised for the post of private secretary, with all sorts of qualifications? ” “‘ And you, sir, I presume,”’ answered Christian, ‘ are the gentleman who wrote to inform me that you required pre- cisely such an assistant as [ announced myself to be.” Mr. Sycamore slowly turned himself half-around upon the sofa, and gave a good long stare at our young hero, whose speech he evidently fancied had a sort of covert irony or rebuke in it. And such was indeed the case, for Christian, though perfectly free from undue pride, was somewhat in- censed at being called “ a young man,” and the term “ all sorts of qualifications ”’ had struck him as being more or less supercilious. He, however, endured the staring process with a becoming composure, firmly without hardihood, and with a suitable dignity that was devoid of disrespect as it was totally apart from insolence. “Well, it is perfectly true,’’ resumed the Honourable Mr. Talbot Sycamore, “ that I am in want of a private sec- retary. You see, 1 am a man of large acquaintance, but select, Mr. Ashton — all select. Damme, nothing vulgar! Dukes, marquises, earls, and those sort of people, — these are my friends. Now, this acquaintance — so extensive and yet so choice — involves me in a devil’s own mass of corre- spondence, and it’s more than I can manage for myself. That’s why I require a secretary,” he lazily added. Christian remarked that he considered that there was nothing very onerous or difficult in the duties which he would have to fulfil, and we may observe that he was too anxious to obtain another situation to suffer himself to be disheartened or disgusted by any peculiarities in Mr. Syca- more’s conversation or manners. “You have no objection to travel?’ resumed this gen- tleman; “I don’t mean travelling all over the world, but EGOMIIGIOO <S) mM (E©)