Vivian GreyDisraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield
ReligionIslamic
Vivian Grey
Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield
Bildungsromans; British -- Europe -- Fiction; Political fiction; Politicians -- Fiction; Young men -- Fiction
But your traveller, your adventurous traveller, careless of the future,
reckless of the past, with a mind interested by the world, from the
immense and various character which that world presents to him, and not
by his own stake in any petty or particular contingency; wearied by
delightful fatigue, daily occasioned by varying means and from varying
causes; with the consciousness that no prudence can regulate the
fortunes of the morrow, and with no curiosity to discover what those
fortunes may be, from a conviction that it is utterly impossible to
ascertain them; perfectly easy whether he lie in a mountain-hut, or a
royal palace; and reckless alike of the terrors and chances of storm and
bandits, seeing that he has a fair chance of meeting both with security
and enjoyment; this is the fellow who, throwing himself upon a down
couch or his mule’s pack-saddle, with equal eagerness and equal
sangfroid, sinks into a repose, in which he is never reminded by the
remembrance of an appointment or an engagement for the next day, a duel,
a marriage, or a dinner, the three perils of man, that he has the
misfortune of being mortal; and wakes not to combat care, but only to
feel that he is fresher and more vigorous than he was the night before;
and that, come what come may, he is, at any rate, sure this day of
seeing different faces, and of improvising his unpremeditated part upon
a different scene.
We have now both philosophically accounted and politely apologised for
the loud and unfashionable snore which sounded in the blue chamber about
five minutes after Vivian Grey had entered that most comfortable
apartment. In about twelve hours’ time he was scolding Essper George for
having presumed to wake him so early, quite unconscious that he had
enjoyed anything more than a twenty minutes’ doze.
“I should not have come in, sir, only they are all out. They were off by
six o’clock this morning, sir; most part at least. The Prince has gone;
I do not know whether he went with them, but Master Rodolph has given
me--I breakfasted with Master Rodolph. Holy Virgin! what quarters we
have got into!”
“To the point; what of the Prince?”
“His Highness has left the castle, and desired Master Rodolph; if your
Grace had only seen Master Rodolph tipsy last night; he rolled about
like a turbot in a tornado.”
“What of the Prince?”
“The Prince desired this letter to be given to you, sir.”
Vivian read the note, which supposed that, of course, he would not wish
to join the chase this morning, and regretted that the writer was
obliged to ride out for a few hours to visit a neighbouring nobleman,
but requested the pleasure of his guest’s company at a private dinner in
the cabinet on his return.
After breakfast Vivian called on Mr. Sievers. He found that gentleman
busied in his library.
“You never hunt, I suppose, Mr. Sievers?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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