The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 247: what you’re looking at

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

230) THE COURT OF LONDON since. Now, wasn’t that a lark?” he exclaimed, laughing most joyously at this unblushing revelation of his rascality, while his boon companions joined in his mirth. ‘“ Well, I did even better than that,’’ said the third; “ for when I came of age I hadn’t a blessed farthing in the world. But I bought a precious large pair of whiskers and mus- ~ tachios in the Burlington Arcade, clapped a long, jingling pair of spurs upon my heels, wore a frogged coat, stuck my hat Jauntily over my right ear, and called myself Captain. Thus decorated personally and titularly, I took up my abode at Long’s Hotel and lived in the most sumptuous manner. The fashionable jewellers were delighted to supply the Captain with all he wanted in the shape of watches, chains, rings, and so on; and the Captain borrowed their full value on them from that accommodating relative, his uncle. Things went on well enough in this manner for nearly a twelvemonth, and I was on the point of marrying an heiress with a hundred thousand pounds, when the very night before the happy morning, I unfortunately left my pocketbook behind at the house of my intended. Her papa and mamma —- like prying old folks as they were — could not resist the curiosity of peeping inside, just to catch a slimpse of the Captain’s little secrets, when, lo and behold! to their astonishment and dismay, they found the said pocketbook crammed with pawnbrokers’ duplicates. Early next morning, just as I was dressing for my bridal, not having previously missed the pocketbook, nor suspecting the storm which was about to burst over my head, a parcel was put into my hand by the head waiter at Long’s. I tore it open, and out dropped the fatal pocketbook, accom- panied by a note from my intended’s papa, couched in terms which always make me feel very uncomfortable when I think of them. Of course it was all up with the matrimonial scheme; the landlord of Long’s arrested me for my bill, I was brought to the Bench, and here I have been vegetating for the last four years. How the devil I shall ever get out, not daring to face all those jewellers in the insolvent’s court, I really don’t know, nor yet particularly care,’ and this conclusive observation was the signal for another uproarious burst of laughter. “Ah! my career was equally short, perhaps not so bril- liant, and most assuredly ten thousand times more foolish,” EONMIELNCO KS. (E0)