“Lady Bareacres made me a myjestick bow--a grand and hawfle pusnage
her Ladyship is, with a Roming Nose, and an enawmus ploom of Hostridge
phethers; the fare Hangelina smiled with a sweetness perfickly
bewhildring, and said, 'O, Mr. De la Pluche, I'm so delighted to make
your acquaintance. I have often heard of you.'
“'Who,' says I, 'has mentioned my insiggnificknt igsistance to the fair
Lady Hangelina? kel bonure igstrame poor mwaw!' (For you see I've not
studdied 'Pelham' for nothink, and have lunt a few French phraces,
without which no Gent of fashn speaks now.)
“'O,' replies my lady, 'it was Papa first; and then a very, VERY old
friend of yours.'
“'Whose name is,' says I, pusht on by my stoopid curawsaty--
“'Hoggins--Mary Ann Hoggins'--ansurred my lady (laffing phit to splitt
her little sides). 'She is my maid, Mr. De la Pluche, and I'm afraid you
are a very sad, sad person.'
“'A mere baggytell,' says I. 'In fommer days I WAS equainted with that
young woman; but haltered suckmstancies have sepparated us for hever,
and mong cure is irratreevably perdew elsewhere.'
“'Do tell me all about it. Who is it? When was it? We are all dying to
know.”
“'Since about two minnits, and the Ladys name begins with a HA,' says I,
looking her tendarly in the face, and conjring up hall the fassanations
of my smile.
“'Mr. De la Pluche,' here said a gentleman in whiskers and mistashes
standing by, 'hadn't you better take your spurs out of the Countess of
Bareacres' train?'--'Never mind Mamma's train' (said Lady Hangelina):
'this is the great Mr. De la Pluche, who is to make all our
fortunes--yours too. Mr. de la Pluche, let me present you to Captain
George Silvertop,'--The Capting bent just one jint of his back very
slitely; I retund his stare with equill hottiness. 'Go and see for Lady
Bareacres' carridge, George,' says his Lordship; and vispers to me, 'a
cousin of ours--a poor relation.' So I took no notis of the feller when
he came back, nor in my subsquint visits to Hill Street, where it seems
a knife and fork was laid reglar for this shabby Capting.”
“Thusday Night.--O Hangelina, Hangelina, my pashn for you hogments
daily! I've bean with her two the Hopra. I sent her a bewtifle Camellia
Jyponiky from Covn Garding, with a request she would wear it in
her raving Air. I woar another in my butnole. Evns, what was my
sattusfackshn as I leant hover her chair, and igsammined the house with
my glas!
“She was as sulky and silent as pawsble, however--would scarcely speek;
although I kijoled her with a thowsnd little plesntries. I spose it
was because that wulgar raskle Silvertop WOOD stay in the box. As if he
didn't know (Lady B.'s as deaf as a poast and counts for nothink) that
people SOMETIMES like a tatytaty.”
“Friday.--I was sleeples all night. I gave went to my feelings in the
folloring lines--there's a hair out of Balfe's Hopera that she's fond
of. I edapted them to that mellady.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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