England -- Fiction; Gothic fiction; Inheritance and succession -- Fiction
"And an eagle on the button, I know. That's Lady May Penrose's livery,"
said his companion. "He came down with her, I lay you fifty. And he has
a nice sister as ever you set eyes on--pretty gal, Mr. Levi--a reg'lar
little angel," and he giggled after his wont. "If there's a dragful of
hangels anyvere, she's one of them. I saw her yesterday in one of Lady
May Penrose's carriages in St. James' Street. Mr. Longcluse is engaged
to get married to her; you may see them linked arm-in-arm, any day you
please, walkin' hup and down Hoxford Street. And her brother, Richard
Harden, is to marry Lady May Penrose. That will be a warm family yet,
them Hardens, arter all."
"A family with a title, Mr. Ballard, be it never so humble, Sir, like
'ome shweet 'ome, hash nine livesh in it; they'll be down to the last
pig, and not the thickness of an old tizzy between them and the
glue-pot; and while you'd write your name across the back of a cheque,
all's right again. The title doesh it. You never shaw a title in the
workus yet, Mr. Ballard, and you'll wait awhile before you 'av a
hoppertunity of shayin', 'My lord Dooke, I hope your grashe's
water-gruel is salted to your noble tasht thish morning,' or, 'My noble
marquishe, I humbly hope you are pleashed with the fit of them
pepper-and-salts;' and, 'My lord earl, I'm glad to see by the register
you took a right honourable twisht at the crank thish morning.' No,
Mishter Ballard, you nor me won't shee that, Shir."
While these gentlemen enjoyed their agreeable banter, and settled the
fortunes of Richard Arden and Mr. Longcluse, the latter person was
walking down the course in the direction in which Mr. Levi had seen
Arden go, in the hope of discovering Lady May's carriage. Longcluse was
in an odd state of excitement. He had entered into the spirit of the
carnival. Voices all around were shouting, "Twenty to five on
Dotheboys;" or, "A hundred to five against Parachute."
"In what?" called Mr. Longcluse to the latter challenge.
"In assassins!" cried a voice from the crowd.
Mr. Longcluse hustled his way into the thick of it.
"Who said that?" he thundered.
No one could say. No one else had heard it. Who cared? He recovered his
coolness quickly, and made no further fuss about it. People were too
busy with other things to bother themselves about his questions, or his
temper. He hurried forward after young Arden, whom he saw at the turn of
the course a little way on.
"The first race no one cares much about; compared with the great event
of the day, it is as the farce before the pantomime, or the oyster
before the feast."
The bells had not yet rung out their warning, and Alice said to
Vivian,--
"How beautifully that girl with the tambourine danced and sang! I do so
hope she'll come again; and she is, I think, so perfectly lovely. She is
so like the picture of La Esmeralda; didn't you think so?"
"Do you really wish to see her again?" said Vivian. "Then if she's to be
found on earth you shall see her."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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