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 L I E) RARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 Of ILLINOIS 
 
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 L^
 
 ALMACK'S 
 
 A NOVEL. 
 
 Nothing exteuuate, uor set down aught in malice.'' 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 
 THIRD EDITION. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 SAUNDERS AND OTLEY, CONDUTT STREET. 
 
 1827.
 
 V. I 
 
 TO THAT MOST DISTINGUISHED AND DESPOTIC 
 
 CONCLAVE, 
 
 Composed of their High Mightinesses 
 THE LADIES PATRONESSES OF THE BALLS AT 
 
 ALMACK'S, 
 
 The Rulers of Fashion, the Arbiters of Taste, 
 
 The Leaders of Ton, and the Makers of Manners, 
 
 Whose sovereign sway over " the world" of London has 
 
 long been established on the firmest basis. 
 
 Whose Decrees are Laws, and from whose judgment 
 
 there is no appeal ; 
 
 To these important Personages, all and severally, 
 
 N, WTio have formed, or who do form, any part of that 
 
 "^ ADMINISTRATION, 
 
 *1 USUALLY DENOMINATED 
 
 4^ THE WILLIS COALITION CABAL, 
 
 ^ Whether Members of the Committee of Supply, 
 
 or 
 CABINET COUNSELLORS, 
 
 s 
 
 '1 Holding seats at the Board of Control, 
 
 TllK FOLLOWING PAGES, 
 Are with all due respect, humbly dedicated by 
 :^ AN OLD SUBSCRIBER. 
 
 A 3
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 " To expose the vices of fashionable life, in their 
 original and proudest sphere, is not only to purify 
 the stream at its source, but to counteract their per- 
 nicious influence where it is the most formidable and 
 
 extensive." 
 
 Edinburgh Review. 
 
 This passage is presented to the reader as 
 the only excuse that can be properly offered 
 for obtruding the following Work upon the 
 notice of the public. 
 
 It was originally commenced with no other 
 intention, than that of amusing a family party
 
 Vlll 
 
 in the country, with recollections of the various 
 scenes of dissipation which the preceding winter 
 had supplied. 
 
 Some of the fashionable foibles of the day 
 were gently hinted at ; and among others, that 
 decided preference for every thing foreign, which 
 is at present so very prevalent, could not but be 
 considered a fair subject for good-natured ridi- 
 cule. At length it was presumed to enter upon 
 the proud field of Almack's, where so irresistible 
 a fund of folly was discovered, that it was im- 
 possible to resist the temptation of drawing forth 
 some of the riches of so invaluable a store. It 
 was even supposed that a display of the manners 
 and conversation of the very highest ton, might 
 furnish matter both for instruction and amuse- 
 ment. 
 
 Instruction, by exemplifying the various 
 disappointments to which those who possess
 
 IX 
 
 fashion, and those who pretend to it, are 
 alike exposed. 
 
 Amusement, from the manner in which such 
 disappointments might be illustrated. It is 
 hoped that both these objects have been in some 
 measure attained. 
 
 All personal allusion is positively disclaimed ; 
 though it is not pretended to deny, that many 
 of the follies described are taken from the life, 
 as well as several of the anecdotes related. 
 
 To the Ladies Patronesses of Almack's, some 
 apology seems due for the liberty taken, in pre- 
 suming to introduce them in the course of these 
 Volumes; but public characters have been al- 
 ways considered to be public property, and it 
 is only in their capacity of avowed agents for 
 various places of public amusement, that they 
 are here alluded to. 
 
 Nor is any slight presumed to be thrown
 
 upon their self-created official situation ; it is 
 only intended to point out a few abuses which 
 have crept in, among the executive agents. 
 
 Few can yet have forgotten the attacks made 
 upon an Administration composed of " All the 
 Talents." Who then can wonder, if a cabinet, 
 though distinguished by " all the beauties," 
 should yet fail to please every body ? 
 
 On the other hand, these respected and most 
 respectable ladies are fully entitled to a large 
 portion of gratitude, from a polite and discern- 
 ing pubhc, for volunteering their services in 
 so arduous an undertaking, and for sacrificing 
 their " time, talents, and personal influence,"* 
 to the pubhc weal, in so disinterested a manner. 
 
 The only reward they seem hitherto to have 
 obtained, is the general censure of all parties ; 
 and numbers, who profit weekly by their bene- 
 * Pitt's Speeches.
 
 XI 
 
 fits, are yet unjust enough to be loud in abuse 
 of these fashionable monopolists. 
 
 Ill-fated ladies ! well may ye exclaim with 
 the hero of ancient Rome, " O ingrata patria P* 
 
 * The dying exclamation of Scipio Africanus, when 
 he ordered his bones to be kept at Liternum, and 
 not conveyed to Rome. " Ingrata Patria ne quidem 
 ossa mea habebis."
 
 " No ! no ! sir, what Shakspeai'e says of actors, may 
 he better applied to the purpose of plays — they ought to 
 be the ' abstract and chronicle of the times/ Therefore 
 when the history of our own age furnishes a case in 
 point, if an author knows his own interest, he will take 
 advantage of it." Critic- 
 
 " So, sir, I call my novel " Ai.mack's," and have laid 
 the catastrophe in Willis's Rooms." Author.
 
 ALMACK'S. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ATHERFORD ABBEY. 
 
 Voyons nos personnages ! 
 
 The beauty of a fine spring morning induced 
 Colonel Montague to prefer making his way to 
 Bishop's- Court on foot, where he had, for some 
 days previously, given its amiable possessors, 
 the Mildmay family, reason to expect his pre- 
 sence. On his way thither he determined to go 
 through the grounds of Atherford Abbey, the 
 Tenerable seat of his ancestors, that he might 
 spend a melancholy hour in surveying the 
 
 ▼OL. I. B
 
 2 almack's. 
 
 much-loved spot, where his happy childhood 
 had been passed. 
 
 The last time he had trod that road, how dif- 
 ferent had been his feelings ! Ten years had 
 now passed away, since, with the gay spirits 
 of sixteen, he had taken leave of his family 
 to join the Guards and embark for Spain. How 
 bright had been his hopes — ^how fair a prospect 
 did fortune then present to him ! — He remem- 
 bered well that the only tears he had shed were 
 excited by the idea that his mother appeared in 
 delicate health ; but her spirits were so cheer- 
 ful, and her complexion so blooming, that it 
 was impossible to think her very ill, and at 
 the last he had bade her adieu with a smile. His 
 father had assisted him to mount the favourite 
 old horse which was to convey him to Merton ; 
 his elder brother and his pretty little sister had 
 walked by his side to the bottom of the park. — 
 Where were they all now ? — all gone ! His 
 parents were both dead ; his brother was a dis-
 
 ALMACKS. 
 
 graced exile in a foreign land ; his sister had 
 lately married an Austrian grandee ; a great 
 part of the property was sold ; and the old Ab- 
 bey inhabited by strangers — for it was let for 
 a term of years. What a sad reverse ! 
 
 Such were the melancholy thoughts which 
 overpowered the mind of Colonel Montague, as 
 he walked for a mile or two along the turnpike 
 road. He determined to avoid the principal 
 entrance, and to go through the village of 
 Atherford ; behind the church he remember- 
 ed there was a very pretty path that led to a 
 less frequented part of the park, and which 
 had been formerly his favourite Avalk, on ac- 
 count of the beautiful view it afforded of the 
 Abbey. 
 
 He passed through that village, unknown 
 and unnoticed, where once every one would 
 have hailed him with dehght, for he had al- 
 ways been a general favourite.
 
 * ALMACK S. 
 
 The old-fashioned parsonage showed its grey 
 front, half hid between two aged elms, and the 
 ivy grew thicker than ever round the Gothic 
 casements ; the ancient yews, cut into various 
 grotesque figures, now, as of old, attracted the 
 notice of every passer-by to the nice-kept 
 flower-beds ; but who could tell if the venerable 
 Dr. Askew yet survived his patron ? Our hero 
 feared to ask. 
 
 He paused for a moment to admire a row of 
 neat little white cottages ; they had belonged to 
 old pensioners of his mother''s. The creepers 
 which had been trained round them were just 
 beginning to throw out their first leaves, and the 
 privet hedges were as nicely trimmed as ever : 
 it was some comfort to see that there was no 
 appearance of distress. Upon a little green 
 at the end of the village, stood the school- 
 house ; a tribe of healthy children were seen 
 issuing from the porch, intent on their various 
 amusements. The smart little inn next attracted
 
 almack's. 5 
 
 his notice : the old si^n of the Montague Arms 
 appeared to have been newly painted. The 
 shop of all wares was next the inn ; its gossip- 
 ing mistress stood at the door, on the watch for 
 customers ; she dropped a low curtsey to the 
 traveller as he passed. He recognized in her 
 time-worn face an old servant of his family ; 
 but she gazed for some time at him, unconscious 
 of ever having seen him before. As he turned 
 into the church-yard, he had to pass by the 
 blacksmith's shop ; and close to the forge sat, 
 on an old stone seat, a lame beggar ; his crutches 
 lay on the ground beside him, but were guard- 
 ed by a faithful little dog. This had been the 
 poor fellow's resting-place for many a long 
 year : Lionel remembered him well, and thrcAv 
 a half-crown into his hat as he passed. 
 
 " God bless you. Sir, God bless you !" cried 
 the beggar, " such luck has not often visited 
 me since the Montagues' golden days."^ 
 
 Lionel was so much affected by this little
 
 O ALMACK S. 
 
 incident, that he dared not trust himself to 
 speak, but hastened to cross the church-yard. 
 
 The church was a pretty small building, but 
 much of its beauty was owing to a remarkably 
 large picturesque old ash-tree, whose branches 
 half-covered the tower. 
 
 " What is become of the yew hedge, which 
 used to lead to the church-yard from the 
 Abbey-lane ?" said Colonel Montague to a 
 countryman who was passing by. 
 
 *' All cut down, Sir, by my Lady Birming- 
 ham's orders, and these here new green rails put 
 up instead ; — all the country cried shame on 
 her. Ah ! if old Sir Walter Montague had 
 been alive, it would never have been." 
 
 "What a pity!" said Colonel Montague, 
 who now turned into what was called the Ab- 
 bey-lane : it opened into the park, and he was 
 struck with the sight of a very pretty rustic 
 gate, which terminated the lane. 
 
 " Pray, is not this gate new ?'''' said he to a
 
 ALMACK S. 7 
 
 farmer, who was passing through at the same 
 time. 
 
 " Oh dear no, Sir ! it has been here this 
 five years at least ; the last thing poor Sir Wal- 
 ter did, before he left the place, was to put up 
 this here new gate : it was a fancy of my Lady's, 
 they said ; God bless her memory, and his too ! 
 we shall never see their Hke again.'' 
 
 " Does the old gamekeeper, James Wells, 
 still live at the West lodge ?" 
 
 " Oh, no ! Sir, he's dead long ago, and his 
 wife too ; and the new people have brought 
 fresh servants along with them. There's hardly 
 any body left at the Abbey that was there in 
 Sir Walter's time, but old Isaac, the gardener, 
 and his wife." 
 
 It was some consolation to Colonel Montague 
 to think that he should at least find one who 
 would recollect him at the Abbey ; and he pro- 
 ceeded on his melancholy way. 
 
 The green path he had chosen led him to a
 
 8 almack's. 
 
 fine plantation; the road passed through the 
 middle of it, and the ground rose on either side 
 to a considerable height. Laurels, and different 
 kinds of evergreens, were planted in the fore- 
 ground, and contrasted their hghter green with 
 the sombre hue of a wood of Scotch firs, which 
 extended for a long way, and ended in a steep 
 descent ; at the bottom of which the road turned 
 abruptly, and, emerging from the gloomy shade 
 of the wood of firs, our traveller burst at once 
 on a view which, for its various beauties, could 
 hardly be equalled. 
 
 Before him flowed the river Ather, a beauti- 
 ful stream, which meandered through the park; 
 the town of Merton, with its ancient minster 
 and very handsome bridge, terminated the view 
 to the right ; the left was bounded by a ridge 
 of grey hills. 
 
 On the opposite bank of the river, upon a 
 gentle ascent, the ancient Abbey of Atherford
 
 ALMACX S. 9 
 
 displayed its ivied towers and mullioned win- 
 dows ; it was almost embowered in wood, and 
 the effect of the thick grove of ancient oaks 
 which rose behind the building, was extremely 
 fine. 
 
 Not a sound was heard, but now and then the 
 gentle rippling of the water ; and here and there 
 a group of deer were seen at times darting from 
 the wood across the park. Montague stood for 
 some minutes fixed to the spot, lost in recollec- 
 tion, — he thought of his father, of all that was 
 past, and sighed deeply. Some one coming 
 along the road, whistling, disturbed his medi- 
 tations ; it was a farmery's boy, followed by a 
 very handsome dog : he crossed the road close 
 by him, and made his way along the grass to a 
 little foot bridge, Avhich was concealed from 
 view by a fine old willow. Lionel recollected 
 that it would be his nearest way, and followed 
 the boy : he came up to him as he was driving 
 B 5
 
 10 almack's. 
 
 oflF a group of fine cows. " Pray, friend," said 
 he, " can I get tliis way to the back-yard of the 
 Abbey?" 
 
 ". Sure you can, Sir ; I am going that way 
 myself with these here cows, to have 'em ready 
 again milking-time, or Nanny Dairy -will be in 
 a stew." 
 
 " What a fine dog that is !" said Lionel ; 
 " it is one of the old Abbey breed, isn't it ?" 
 
 *' Ay, that it is. Sir ; it was Sir Walter's old 
 favourite ; — poor Pouts !" said the boy, stroking 
 him. " When the family went of for France, 
 old Isaac, the gardener, begged him for a keep- 
 sake. I boards at Isaac's, and the beast, quite 
 nat'ral like, always follows me when I comes to 
 fetch the cows a-milking." 
 
 " Is Isaac Smith likely to be at home now ?" 
 
 '* Oh, yes. Sir, as likely as not ; if your honour 
 will look in the back-yard, or stable court, 
 you'll find him cracking off* some of his jokes, I
 
 almack's, n 
 
 warrant ye ; he's quite the king among the folks 
 at the Abbey." 
 
 Montague accompanied the boy till they 
 came to the farm-yard gate, where he told him 
 he would wait till old Isaac came out to speak 
 to him. The boy, followed by Pouts, whistled 
 in his cows ; while Lionel wandered about the 
 well-known place in quest of a favourite peep 
 at Atherford Church, which had been well ma- 
 naged by thinning the branches of two old oaks. 
 The distant view of the pretty little tower had 
 a very happy effect. At a short distance he spied 
 a purple beech tree, which he well remembered 
 planting just before he first went to Westminster. 
 
 It seemed but yesterday that he was stand- 
 ing by the gardener, and putting the little 
 plant into the ground, yet it was now a tall and 
 flourishing tree. He stood for some minutes 
 moralizing upon the rapid march of time, when 
 some one tapped him on the shoulder, and a 
 well-known voice addressed him with —
 
 12 almack's. 
 
 " I say, Sir, did you want to speak to me ?" 
 
 Lionel turned his head, and perceived old 
 Isaac's ruddy, weather-beaten face fixed on him 
 in immovable surprise : the old man wondered 
 what such a fine gentleman could have to say to 
 him, though he had, at the same time, a kind 
 of suspicion that it was some one he ought to 
 know. 
 
 *' Ah, Isaac ! is it you, my good old fellow ? 
 It is so long since I have seen you, that I fear 
 you must quite have forgotten me." 
 
 " Why, Sir, I am puzzled for certain, and 
 yet I think I should know you. Why sure it 
 can't be !" — here the old man took a second 
 glance at him — " Yes, but it is though. Ah ! 
 Sir, I know you now, for all you 're grown so 
 stout, and so much darker ; I thought it must 
 be Master Lionel." 
 
 " Yes, my honest Isaac, it is indeed : I am 
 only lately returned to England ; I am going 
 now to Mr. Mildmay's, at Bishop's-Court, for a
 
 almack's. 13 
 
 few days, and I could not be so near the old 
 Abbey, and not cast one sad look at it."" 
 
 " Ay," said old Isaac, brushing off a tear 
 from his furrowed cheek , " I can believe it makes 
 you sad. Sir, to think of all that is past since 
 you was here : but cheer up, Sir, and be of good 
 heart, youVe no ways to blame for any thing 
 that has happened."". 
 
 Here the old man's loquacity got the better 
 of him, and he ran into his ordinary strain of 
 reflection, on the contrast between the past and 
 present possessors of the Abbey : which Lionel 
 at length found an opportunity of interrupting, 
 by inquiring if the family were then at home ? 
 
 *' No, Sir, there's nobody at home to-day ; 
 Sir Benjamin is gone to Liverpool, on some 
 particular business; and my Lady and Miss 
 Birmingham are just gone to Norbury, to stay 
 all night with the grand folks there." 
 
 Colonel Montague asked if he could see the 
 house.
 
 14 * almack's. 
 
 To be sure he could ; his wife, old Molly, was 
 still head house-maid. " And sure, Master 
 Lionel," said the old man, " you'll let her have 
 a peep at you: why she'd never recover it, if 
 she was to hear that you'd been at the Abbey, 
 and she not see you." 
 
 Isaac led the way to the pleasure-grounds, 
 where every change was pointed out and criti- 
 cized. The turning the green-house into a con- 
 servatory was a terrible offence ; the altering the 
 form of the flower-beds and destroying the box 
 border was dreadful ; but the cutting down a 
 group of old cypress trees, and the removing 
 an old hour-glass, which had stood under them 
 time out of mind, was what he never could nor 
 would forgive. 
 
 In process of time, but it was no short ope- 
 ration, our hero was ushered into the ancient 
 mansion, and old Molly was summoned to do 
 the honours to her young master. She recog- 
 nized him instantly, and no words can describe
 
 almack's. 15 
 
 the rapture she expressed at the sight of her 
 old favourite. She had hved at the Abbey 
 ever since he was born, and she had always, she 
 boasted, pronounced him to be the flower of the 
 family. 
 
 Lionel expressed a wish to go through the 
 principal rooms ; and the two old servants led 
 the way. 
 
 As they passed the Gothic hall, our hero 
 gazed with a sort of melancholy pride on the 
 numerous coats of arms which covered the walls, 
 belonging: to different families with whom the 
 Montagues had been of old connected. The fine 
 old oak staircase, richly carved, struck him as 
 more beautiful than it had ever done before ; but 
 on entering the saloon, the sight of his mother's 
 picture, a very striking resemblance, by Opie, 
 quite unmanned him. As he gazed upon her 
 interesting countenance, he mentally thanked a 
 kind Providence, which had removed her to 
 a better world before those misfortunes had
 
 16 almack's. 
 
 befallen the family, which terminated in their 
 leaving England. 
 
 A fine bust of Sir Walter, which was placed 
 in a niche opposite, drew forth many exclama- 
 tions of affection from the honest domestics, but 
 , LionePs heart was too full for utterance. There 
 were some excellent pictures in the room, but 
 neither Holbein nor Vandyck could draw his 
 attention from these mementos of his beloved 
 parents. In vain did his two cicerones endea- 
 vour to fix his observation on various portraits 
 of his ancestors; he heard not all their remarks 
 upon the trifling resemblance between his bro- 
 ther Sir Edmund, and the great Admiral Mon- 
 tague ; his thoughts were not his own. At 
 length forcing himself away, he burst into the 
 next room, which had formerly been his mo- 
 ther's dressing-room. Here all stood just as it 
 used to do : the harp and piano-forte both open, 
 as if some one had lately been playing on them ; 
 the old chintz arm chair turned to the fire, just
 
 almack's. 17 
 
 as it had stood when his mother rose from it, 
 the last time he saw her, to bid him adieu ; 
 nay, the very screen, on which when a boy 
 he had pasted caricatures, still retained its 
 place in the corner. As he advanced to the 
 middle of the room, gazing around him in 
 silence, his attention was excited by the sight 
 of an easel, on which was placed an unfinished 
 picture : he could not mistake it, for it was 
 the copy of his mothers portrait, which had 
 affected him so deeply only just before. 
 
 " Whose painting is that ?" said he to the 
 two old servants. 
 
 " Oh, that is our young lady's doing, Sir; 
 this is her morning room ; this is where Miss 
 Birmingham plays the music, and paints the 
 pictures. The ladies has only been gone about 
 an hour to Lord Norbury's, where they be to 
 stay all night." 
 
 " Ay, it is a pity she ben't at home. Sir," 
 cried old Molly, " for she 's a nice young lady,
 
 18 almack's. 
 
 and so respects the old family, and all that 
 belongs to 'em." 
 
 The library and dining-room were soon visit- 
 ed. Isaac insisted on his young master, as he 
 always called him, taking particular notice of 
 his own picture when a boy : he was caressing 
 his favourite dog Neptune, and his little pony, 
 Dick, was represented in the back-ground — 
 " Poor Dick, he was sent to 'Squire Mildmay's, 
 when the famiJy went abroad ; and the good old 
 gentleman never let any body mount him but 
 himself; but he died of old age, this last 
 winter." 
 
 Montague would now have taken leave of the 
 faithful pair, but as he crossed the hall, the 
 sight of the old cloisters reminded him of the 
 ancient Church, from whence the mansion took 
 the appellation of Abbey. He could not re- 
 frain from taking one look at it. 
 
 Atherford Abbey had been a religious house, 
 of considerable importance, before the Refor-
 
 almack's. 19- 
 
 mation : the lands pertaining to it had been 
 granted by Henry VIII. to the Montague 
 family, and the whole of the monastic buildings 
 were then destroyed, except the beautiful Abbey- 
 church, in which service continued to be per- 
 formed till the time of the civil wars, when it 
 was dismantled by Oliver Cromwell's soldiers : 
 and in the reign of Charles II. a grant had been 
 obtained from Parliament to build a Church in 
 the Village of Atherford, about a mile from the 
 Abbey. The Montague family had, however, 
 repaired the Abbey at their own expense, so 
 that service was constantly performed there till 
 about the beginning of the reign of George I. : 
 from that time the old church was seldom 
 used, except upon great occasions, such as the 
 visits of any of the Royal Family, or any other 
 solemn occasion. During the march of the 
 Pretender, in 1745, from Carlisle to Derby, 
 prayers had been offered up for his success in 
 the ancient Abbey-church ; but that was the last
 
 20 almack"'s. 
 
 time that divine service had been fully perform- 
 ed there, though it was still usual for marriages 
 and funerals to be celebrated at it, as the mother- 
 church. This ancient edifice was entirely co- 
 vered with ivy, and the old towers had a most 
 picturesque effect, peeping over the more mo- 
 dern mansion-house, which was built in the 
 reign of Elizabeth. The cloisters were ex- 
 tremely fine, and were seen to great advantage 
 from some of the living rooms. 
 
 The inside of the Church was now quite 
 bare. There was at one end a superb painted 
 glass window, and round the walls were some 
 very fine monuments of most of the old families 
 in the country : — those of the Montagues were 
 of course pre-eminent. A plain marble-slab 
 marked the resting-place where lay Sir Walter 
 and Lady Montague ; and a simple inscription 
 told the passer by who they were that lay 
 below. 
 
 Colonel Montague was much overcome ; the
 
 almack's. 21 
 
 servants, with 'a degree of delicacy which could 
 hardly have been expected from them, withdrew 
 into a corner that they might not intrude upon 
 his grief- 
 He was roused by the sound of the Abbey 
 clock, and, recollecting that he had still some 
 way to go, and -that his old friend, Mr. Mild- 
 may, did not keep late hours, he forced himself 
 away from scenes to him so full of interest, and, 
 after taking an affectionate leave of the two old 
 servants, and giving them ample cause to re- 
 member his generosity, he turned through the 
 park to the road which led to BishopVCourt. 
 
 " There goes a flower of a youth," said Isaac 
 to his ancient spouse ; " he '11 make a figure 
 wherever he goes, my life on it, and my bless- 
 ing go with him." 
 
 " Amen," said old Molly, wiping her eyes 
 upon her blue checked apron. 
 
 Colonel Montague had indeed been the flower 
 of his family, as he had, since the death of Lady
 
 22 almack's. 
 
 Montague, been its stay; for that event, hav- 
 ing completely overthrown his poor father. Sir 
 Walter, left the affairs of the family at the 
 mercy of an unprincipled steward, whose de- 
 signs, together with the extravagance of the 
 elder son, Edmund, gave rise to difficulties 
 which nothing but a foreign residence could 
 permanently retrieve, and which doubtless tend- 
 ed to hasten the termination of Sir Walter's 
 valuable life. It was during this stay at Paris, 
 that Colonel Montague's friend, the Baron de 
 Wallestein, had sought and obtained the hand 
 of Miss Montague, between whom and Lionel, 
 Lady Montague had divided her fortune ; Ed- 
 mund, the eldest, having filled up the measure 
 of his absurdities, by a disgraceful marriage 
 with a beautiful but intriguing opera-dancer, in 
 Italy.
 
 almack's. 2S 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 BISHOP's-COURT AND ITS INHABITANTS. 
 
 " Sir, there is no character I esteem so highly as 
 an English country gentleman of the old stamp." 
 
 Strawberry Hill Anecdotes. 
 
 A]?"TEK a walk of about three miles. Colonel 
 Montague reached Bishop's-Court, the venera- 
 ble mansion of Reginald Mildmay, Esq. In 
 Catholic times, this place had been a lesser re- 
 ligious house to Atherford Abbey, and, having 
 frequently been the residence of the priors of 
 Merton, it had been in those days commonly 
 denominated the Priory Court ; but in the 
 reign of Henry VIII., it became part of the 
 grant to the Montagues, who were much fa-
 
 24 almack's. 
 
 voured by that monarch, and one of the family 
 afterwards rose to be bishop of it. He beau- 
 tified and enlarged this ancient edifice, and 
 changed its name to Bishop's-Coiirt. The 
 Mildmays, a family of considerable importance 
 
 in the county of H , and of a very ancient 
 
 race, had purchased this property from the Mon- 
 tagues soon after the Revolution, at which pe- 
 riod Sir Walter's ancestor had considerably im- 
 poverished himself, by the supplies he from time 
 to time transmitted to the abdicated monarch. 
 Bishop's-Court was a very curious gable-ended 
 house, built of a sort of grey stone, and very 
 richly ornamented. It had Gothic windows, and 
 an ancient porch of entrance, which led into a 
 quadrangular court, arched round. Under the 
 porch were niches, in which, in Catholic times, 
 there had been figures. 
 
 The house was surrounded with Scotch firs ; 
 it stood low, closed in on every side by steep 
 round hills, which gave it a very singular ap-
 
 AL mack's. 25 
 
 pearance. The river Ather meandered at the 
 foot of these green hills, and the banks above, 
 on the opposite side, were steep and picturesque. 
 
 Montague was again completely at home, for 
 here he had been accustomed, when a boy, to 
 spend part of his holidays every year, and fish- 
 ing in the river had then been one of his fa- 
 vourite amusements. 
 
 The hall was a low, irregular room, decorated 
 with deer's antlers, and stufPed birds and beasts 
 of various kinds. A fine American blood-hound 
 lay upon a thick rug before the fire : Lionel 
 remembered his sister's writing him word of its 
 being sent from America by a younger son of 
 Mr. Mildmay, Avho had afterwards been killed 
 at the attack upon New Orleans. Caesar started 
 up to welcome the stranger, and frohcked be- 
 fore liim into the drawing-room. 
 
 Like the hall, this was also a low, spacious 
 room, but had a most comfortable appearance. 
 Thick scarlet cloth curtains relieved the sombre 
 
 VOL. I. c
 
 2b ALMACK S. 
 
 hue of oak wainscoting; two very handsome 
 japan cabinets were the chief ornaments; but 
 at one end hung a magnificent picture, a 
 hunting piece by Sneiders. The favourite 
 pursuits of the master of the house might be 
 easily guessed, for the passages were covered 
 with prints relating to field sports, interspersed 
 with here and there a picture of a favourite 
 dog. 
 
 Musical instruments, and ladies' work, seemed 
 to indicate that female inhabitants were not 
 wanting at Bishop's-Court ; and Lionel seated 
 himself at a table covered with newspapers, 
 reviews, and French novels. He was revolving 
 in his mind how many years had passed away 
 since he had occupied the same old-fashioned, 
 high-backed arm-chair, and listened to the good 
 squire''s fox-hunting anecdotes. 
 
 He was roused from his reverie by the en- 
 trance of Mr. Mildmay, a fine-looking, hale 
 man of sixty, a complete country gentleman of
 
 almack's. 27 
 
 the old school, whose manners were polished, yet 
 without fashion, and his taste simple, though 
 without rudeness. He was attended by a fine 
 spaniel, who seemed to be a privileged fa- 
 vourite. 
 
 "Ha! Lionel, my boy, is it you? how re- 
 joiced I am to see you !" and the kind old gen- 
 tleman almost shook his hand off. " A hearty 
 welcome to you to BishopVCourt Now let's 
 look at you ; — God bless me I is it possible you 
 can be the curly-pated boy I have carried so 
 often on my back ? Let 's see, how long is it 
 since I have seen you ? — ten years, I declare, 
 next month, since you first put on your red coat ! 
 What a change, to be sure ; w^hat a stout, fine 
 man you are grown, — and a Lieutenant-colonel 
 already, and not yet seven-and-twenty ; there's 
 luck for you ! or rather merit, I should say. 
 You were always a steady, good fellow, so I 
 have told yoiu- poor father many a time ; but 
 he was so fond of thai jackanapes of a bro- 
 c 2
 
 28 almack's. 
 
 ther of your's: — pray, where may he and his 
 well-matched lady be, at present ?" 
 
 " The laai.' time I heard, Sir, they were at 
 Naples;' 
 
 " "Well, well, let them stay there and wel- 
 come. Plenty of sharpers and knaves of every 
 description, among the English on the Con- 
 tinent already — one or two more or less won't 
 signify. But to think of any one bearing the 
 name of Montague so disgracing himself and his 
 family, — it makes my blood boil again. Pray 
 what family has he ?^' 
 
 " Only one little girl. Sir." 
 
 " What, no son as yet ; well, pray heaven 
 he never may have one, and it will be all the 
 better for you, my dear boy." 
 
 " Oh ! spare me this subject, I entreat you. 
 Sir," said Lionel. 
 
 " When I look at you,'" pursued the old 
 gentleman, " I know your features again, though 
 YOU are so altered ; your hazel eyes, just like
 
 almack's. 29 
 
 poor Sir Walter's, and that dimple on yom- 
 cheek — well, it does my heart good to see you 
 again. Which way did you come, pray ?" 
 
 " Bj Weldon Regis, Sir, but I stayed an 
 hour or two at the Abbey." 
 
 " Ay, I guessed you would ; and very right 
 too, though I dare say it made you very 
 melancholy : why it makes me so whenever I 
 go that way, and to you it must have been a 
 heart-rending business. Well, you would find 
 every thing in excellent order, for I must say, 
 the Birminghams are capital tenants, and take 
 as much pride in the place as if it were their 
 own : in that respect you are well off. I must 
 introduce you to them : they are among our 
 best neighbours, and we are on excellent terms. 
 They have their little peculiarities, but, on 
 the whole, we go on vastly "well ; and it is a 
 great thing to have let the Abbey to people 
 who are both able and willing to improve the 
 place."
 
 so ALMACK^S. 
 
 " Are Sir Benjamin and Lady Birmingham 
 agreeable people, Sir?" said Lionel. 
 
 " Why, as to that, there may perhaps be two 
 opinions. They are mortal rich people, from 
 the neighbourhood of Liverpool. No great 
 pedigree between them: my lady brought a 
 considerable part of the property, and so she 
 is, as may be expected, a little purse-proud or 
 so, too fond of pomp and show — rather over- 
 rates the power of wealth. Sir Benny will do 
 no one any harm, poor man : but there's one of 
 the family I will defy any body to say a word 
 against, and that is their daughter: a sweet 
 girl she is. She 's the sworn friend of my two 
 girls." 
 
 " I beg the young ladies' pardon for not 
 inquiring after them before ; I hope they are 
 quite well. Sir ?" 
 
 "Oh, you will see them both at dinner, in 
 high spirits. They have been most impatient 
 for your arrival, I can assure you. Poor Julia
 
 almack's. 31 
 
 had a sad dull time while her sister was at 
 Paris, for I was constantly laid up with the 
 rheumatism ; but she made me a famous nurse : 
 however, I do not mean her to be so confined 
 again. I have now got my sister Pen to live 
 with me, which will give the girls more liberty, 
 I hope. You must remember Mrs. Penelope 
 Mildmay : she used to live at the bow-windowed 
 white house, at Merton, on the right-hand side, 
 opposite St. Nicholas's Church. I dare say, when 
 a boy, you have often eat some of her queen- 
 cakes ; for I remember old Dinah, her maid, was 
 famous for queen-cakes. But I have now got the 
 whole establishment — sister Pen, old Dinah, and 
 their tortoise-shell cat," said the old gentleman, 
 laughing, " an addition of three tabbies to my 
 family ; I trust too that they are all as well off 
 as that one," pointing to a very beautiful cat, 
 which lay in great state upon a cushion before 
 the fire. " But, really," continued Mr. Mildmay, 
 " I find sister Pen a very valuable acquisition :
 
 32 almack's. 
 
 she 's a good-hearted old soul. She makes my 
 flannel waistcoats : knits my worsted stockings 
 for the winter ; quacks all the poor people ; over- 
 looks the servants ; and amuses old Dr. Askew 
 of an evening with backgammon, or, if we are 
 enough, she is ready to take a hand at whist. 
 Poor Askew ! how sorry he will be not to see 
 you, Lionel ; but he has been obliged to winter 
 at Bath for his health : he has lost his teeth 
 very much lately, so that I find some difficulty 
 in understanding him, when he begins one of 
 his long stories." 
 
 " But you have not named Miss Louisa, 
 Sir," said Montague ; " I hope she is at home." 
 
 *' Oh, I forgot that you and Louisa are very 
 great friends : she is quite well, and as gay and 
 as Frenchified as ever. I suppose you saw her 
 constantly at Paris." 
 
 " Yes, Sir," said Montague ; " I saw her 
 almost every day at my sister's." 
 
 " What, at my little god-daughter Caro-
 
 almack's. 33 
 
 line's ? And so she is married to one of your 
 foreigners, and my old friend Sir Walter liked 
 it. Well now, that is one of the things I cannot 
 comprehend ! Baron de what is his name ?" 
 
 " The Baron de Wallestein, Sir. He is a 
 most amiable man, I assure you, and I feel 
 certain, when you know him, you will approve 
 her choice, though he is a foreigner. He has 
 very considerable landed property in his own 
 country, and he has been lately named ambas- 
 sador from Austria to this court : he and my 
 sister were just arrived at Brunet''s Hotel when 
 I left London." 
 
 " This is good news, indeed," said Mr. Mild- 
 may, " to find that Caroline (I never shall be 
 able to call her Madame la Baronne) will not 
 be entirely lost to her family and friends. I 
 don't know whether it's her fault, or whose fault 
 it is, — but this I do know, that my Louisa has 
 never been pleased with any one thing since she 
 left Paris last October. She does nothing but 
 c5
 
 S4 almack's. 
 
 compare this winter with the last; and then 
 she crams us all day long with such fine ac- 
 counts of Lady Elizabeth Stuart's parties, (no, 
 soirees is the word, I remember,) and the Duke 
 of Wellington's balls, and all the Princes, 
 Dukes, Marquises, Counts, and Barons, besides 
 the Cuirassiers, Chasseurs, Lanciers, Gardes du 
 Corps, and Gardes Royales, with whom she 
 has been used to figure away. It is really 
 quite provoking to hear her rave about these 
 same Whiskerandos ; but, if your sister Ca- 
 roline has^ married one of them, of course she 
 must be even much worse." 
 
 " I will not pretend to answer that question, 
 Sir,** said Lionel, " till I have seen Miss 
 Louisa ; I believe the ladies in general are 
 very partial to foreigners. We Enghshmen 
 do not say insinuating things ^vith the same 
 bewitching tournure.'^ 
 
 " Tournure, indeed! now that's one of the 
 words that's never out of Louisa's mouth. I
 
 almack's. 35 
 
 assure you I often regret having let her go 
 abroad ; she was perfectly happy before, and I 
 do not see that it is any advantage to leam to 
 despise oner's own country and country people ; 
 it is buying a taste for dress, dancing, and the 
 guitar, rather too dear. But, however, don't 
 let us discuss this matter at present, for I hear 
 so much about it, that I always grow out of 
 humour whenever it is named. I fancy too, Mr. 
 Lionel, that it ""s almost dressing-time — >Yes ! 
 there's the bell. I can tell you that your ser- 
 vant and portmanteau are come, for I saw your 
 horses in the yard an hour ago. A nice black 
 mare you 've got : where did she come from ?" 
 
 "It was one my poor father took with him 
 to Paris, Sir; he gave it me to ride down to 
 Cambray upon, and it has carried me ever since." 
 
 The gentlemen now separated for the impor- 
 tant business of the toilette. When they met 
 again, Lionel was introduced to Mrs. Penelope 
 Mildraay, a nice-looking old lady, whose man-
 
 36 almack''s. 
 
 ners were marked with a little of the precision 
 said to belong to her tribe, but she was good- 
 humoured, and very conversable. 
 
 So many years had passed away since Colonel 
 Montague had seen Julia, the eldest Miss Mild- 
 may, that she seemed like a new acquaintance 
 to him. She was at this time about seven- and- 
 twenty. Having early lost her mother, she had, 
 almost from childhood, been accustomed to 
 preside as mistress of her father'^s house ; and 
 this had given her a degree of gravity and re- 
 flection, which some might think misplaced at 
 her age. She had also superintended the educa- 
 tion of her sister, who was a most beautiful and 
 accomplished girl, several years younger than 
 herself. Miss Mildmay was not handsome, if 
 regularity of features be required to constitute 
 beauty, but she had a sweetness of countenance 
 which could never fail to charm. The expres- 
 sion of her eyes bespoke sense and intelligence, 
 and in her smile you could trace her gentle,
 
 ALMACK'S. 37 
 
 feeling disposition. Her's was, indeed, no com- 
 mon character : she had been taught, by the ex- 
 perience of her youth, to depend upon her own 
 resources for amusement ; and being naturally of 
 a very cheerful disposition, she required not the 
 excitement of company to make her love home, 
 for she knew how to render it agreeable both to 
 herself and others : a better gift, perhaps, than 
 any fortune can bestow, — Se suffire a soi- 
 meme. She derived constant pleasure from her 
 various pursuits ; a ride, a walk, her garden, her 
 pencil, nay, even her needle, would suffice at any 
 time to afford her both occupation and interest ; 
 yet she was in every respect qualified to be an 
 ornament to society. Nothing could disturb the 
 equanimity of Julia's temper : her father's little 
 peculiarities — her aunt's prejudices— her sister's 
 caprices — she listened to the complaints of each, 
 without betraying one to the other, and might, 
 indeed, be termed the general comforter. 
 
 The Frenchified Louisa was a very different
 
 38 AL mack's. 
 
 person : she was all brilliancy and animation ; 
 she had eyes of the brightest blue, a most trans- 
 parent complexion, and a profusion of the finest 
 auburn ringlets : these charms, united to a most 
 graceful person, had turned the heads of half 
 Paris during the last two winters, which she 
 had spent in that capital with her friend the 
 Baroness de Wallestein. Louisa had now been 
 returned a few months, but she was yet far from 
 reconciled to the change; Bishop's-Court appear- 
 ed so dull, particularly in the winter, after all the 
 gay society to which she had been accustomed. 
 
 The H shire squires were, in truth, such very 
 
 different beings to the smart militaires on thp 
 other side of the water, that she might perhaps 
 be excused for feeling a little regret at all the 
 gaiety she had left ; be it remembered too, that 
 she was not yet twenty. She had always been 
 her father's darling, and he had indulged her 
 in every whim ; she had very quick parts, and a 
 considerable share of wit, but she could not live
 
 almack's. S9 
 
 without excitation of some kind or other. In 
 society she was all life and gaiety ; but at home, 
 and particularly since her visit to the Continent, 
 she was often discontented and out of spirits. 
 She had acquired a taste for higher society 
 than she could easily meet with in the neigh- 
 bourhood of BishopVCourt In Julia, however, 
 she had the kindest of friends and advisers. 
 Tliat amiable sister felt anxious to trace the 
 source of Louisa's frequent depression. Did it 
 merely arise from want of amusement, or was 
 there any other cause connected with it ? She 
 suspected the latter, from observing that an 
 epistle from Madame de Wallestein never failed 
 to restore, in some degree, the gaiety of her smiles. 
 Since her return from Paris, Louisa had be- 
 come quite the fashion in the county of H ; 
 
 and even at Norbury, which was the great house 
 of that part of the world, her foreign tournure^ 
 her guitar, her French romances, and Parisian 
 fashions, made her considered in no common
 
 40 almack's. 
 
 light : she was pronounced, even by the Coun- 
 tess of Norbury herself — a most difficult and 
 exclusive personage — to be a valuable acquisition 
 to their set ; and the style of company she met 
 with in that house, seemed the only one that 
 afforded her any amusement ; for, as both Lord 
 and Lady Norbury had a horror of natives, so 
 most of their visitors came from town, and were 
 generally persons of ton and consequence. 
 
 Mr. Mildmay had but one son, who Avas 
 considerably older than Julia, and who had 
 lately been called to the bar : he generally re- 
 sided at home, and had a good deal of practice 
 in that neighbourhood. He was an excellent 
 young man, but he had not sufficiently attended 
 to the Graces to please his sister Louisa ; she 
 thought he wanted tournure, and had Pair tres 
 peu cornme il faut. Godfrey was intent upon 
 his profession ; and, careless of his external ap- 
 pearance, he sometimes ventured, presumptu- 
 ous man ! to indulge a joke at his fair sister's
 
 almack's. 41 
 
 refinements, and she was much offended at 
 what she termed the impertinence of his cri- 
 ticisms. On all occasions he was a great com- 
 fort to his father, who, now in the decline of 
 life, required Godfrey's advice and assistance in 
 the management of his property. The Bishop's- 
 Court estate was not large, but Mr. Mildmay 
 was descended from so ancient a stock that he 
 inherited a considerable degree of influence in 
 the county, which the respectability of his cha- 
 racter, and the benevolence of his disposition, 
 had much increased; he was, therefore, very 
 generally esteemed, and was certainly one of 
 the most popular men in the county. Sir Wal- 
 ter Montague had been his nearest neighbour 
 and intimate friend ; and no one had exerted 
 himself more effectually than the worthy squire 
 of Bishop''s-Court had done, to bring about 
 some kind of settlement of the Atherford pro- 
 perty, at the time when the unfortunate Baronet 
 had been obliged to retire to France.
 
 42 almack's. 
 
 " And so Caroline is really in London,'" said 
 Louisa to Colonel Montague, as they sat round 
 the tea-table in the evening. "It was such a 
 surprise to me to hear of the Baron's appoint- 
 ment to this country, that it seems even now 
 like an agreeable dream to think that they are 
 arrived so near us ; and how does she bear 
 this horrid foggy atmosphere ?" 
 
 " Oh, perfectly well !" replied Lionel, laugh- 
 ing, " you forget that it is her native land : — it 
 is only six years since she first left England."" 
 
 " And the dear Baron ? How does he sup- 
 port the change ?" 
 
 " Oh t with great composure ! or I might 
 say even pleasure. He hkes every thing Eng- 
 lish ; and as he was brought up in this country, 
 he is quite delighted to find himself once again 
 among all his old friends ; what will you say 
 when I tell you he calls himself un veritable 
 Rosbiffr
 
 almack's. 43 
 
 " Oh, that 's all very well for the Baron, quite 
 diplomatic. It is his metier, you know, to 
 adore whatever country his court sends him to ; 
 but as for Caroline, I fancy I know her taste 
 tolerably well, and I am sure she will not like 
 England. How she will regret le cher Feydeau ! 
 et les Italiens ! where she used to go so con- 
 stantly ; and then les Tuileries, and the Champs 
 Elyseesr 
 
 " But you forget," said Julia, " that she will 
 have Hyde-Park, and Kensington- Gardens." 
 
 " Oh, my dear sister, how can you be so 
 cruel as to name them at the same time ? There 
 are trees, to be sure, in both places, and a tree 
 can be but a tree ; but for the men and women, 
 heavens ! what a difference ! There si eveille, si 
 bien mis, with so much tournure : here such a 
 monotonie, and, as my old singing-master, Pac- 
 cini, used to say, ' Avant tout il faut detruire 
 la monotonie /' Are they to be compared ?" said
 
 % 
 
 44 almack's. 
 
 the fair orator, with an appeahng look at Colo- 
 nel Montague, — " you, who know both, speak 
 without national prejudice." 
 
 '• If you mean to compare the trees in Hyde- 
 park or Kensington-gardens, with those in the 
 Tuileries, there certainly can be no doubt that 
 the advantage is all in favour of the former ; if 
 the men, — I think the English are a much finer, 
 stouter race : and as for the fair sex, oh ! my 
 dear countrywomen must ever gain by a com- 
 parison with the ladies of any other nation ;" and 
 he bowed with much gallantry, first to Julia, 
 then to Louisa. 
 
 " There, niece,'' said Mrs. Penelope, bridling 
 up with dignity, " now I hope you are satisfied." 
 
 ** Not at all," repHed Louisa ; " one thing I 
 am sure you will allo^v, though," said she, turn- 
 ing to Lionel ; " that French women, of all 
 classes, understand dress much better than the 
 EngHsh."
 
 almack's. 45 
 
 " Do you remember what your great admirer, 
 the Chevalier de Villemont used to say ?" 
 
 " What, the tall Colonel of the Premier Re- 
 giment des Cuirassiers, with his immense mus- 
 tachios ? I remember he used always to teaze me 
 to death to valse with him : what did he say ?" 
 
 " Que les Aiiglaises ont plus de naturel, et les 
 Francoises plus d" acquis.'''' Caroline took him up 
 immediately, " Reste a savoir, Monsieur le Cheva- 
 lier,"" said she, " lequelvaut mieux." — He answer- 
 ed her, very quickly, " Pour moi, Madame, je 
 dtsirerais surtout que mafemme cut du natureiy 
 
 " Oh ! but the Chevalier de ViUemont would 
 say any thing to please a fair lady ; I dare say 
 he would maintain that black M'as white, if it 
 would gain him an invitation to a ball."" 
 
 " But if the spirit of truth once moved him 
 to say that white was white, I might believe 
 him ; might not I ?'^ 
 
 " Oh, I hate an argument ; I see vou have
 
 46 almack"*s. 
 
 not got over your bad habit of disputing every 
 point with me, so let us change the subject. 
 Will Caroline remain long in London, do you 
 think ?'' 
 
 " I should fancy not ; T left them at Brunet's 
 Hotel; but they had seen a house she thought 
 would suit them, which had belonged to the 
 late Spanish Ambassador, in Portland Place ; 
 it is a very convenient mansion, and well fur- 
 nished ; I dare say they will get into it imme- 
 diately. But as the King is at Brighton, Wal- 
 lestein must go there to pay his court to his 
 Majesty, and I should not wonder if Caroline 
 were to accompany him : you know she loves 
 change better than any thing. In that case, 
 she will probably take the children with her, 
 that they may have a little sea air during the 
 next month." 
 
 ** Think of my never asking after them ! so 
 fond as Gustavus used to be of dear Loo, as he 
 always called me. Let me see, he is now just
 
 almack's. 47 
 
 three years old. Does Caroline still nurse my 
 pretty god-daughter, that sweet little Ulrica?" 
 
 *' Oh, dear no ! you may be sure she got rid 
 of that troublesome office before the winter balls 
 began ; I remember the Baron was very angry 
 because the poor little girl was to be weaned, 
 that mamma might dance at a great fete, which 
 was given on New Year's Night, at the Hotel 
 de la Prefecture." 
 
 " Well ! I think Caroline was quite right : I 
 am sure she had led a stupid life long enough ; 
 nearly a year and a half since she had been to 
 one ball ! The whole of last winter she could 
 go nowhere, from being then so near her con- 
 finement. Why you and the Baron would make 
 quite a slave of her ; and at her age too, it is so 
 natural to love dancing and amusements. Why, 
 after all, you know, she is but two-and-twenty ; 
 just three years older than I am." 
 
 '' But is that any reason why she is to neg- 
 lect her children.'*" inquired Julia with a smile.
 
 '48 almack"'s. 
 
 " Now, that is such a true English idea!" re- 
 phed her sister. " In France they understand 
 these things so well, the children are never in 
 the way as they are here, where they interfere 
 with every amusement : a'm^re de famille there, 
 is not the sort of domestic drudge she is with 
 us humdrums : as that same Chevalier de Ville- 
 mont observed one day, ' L? Angleterre c'est le 
 pays des demoiselles^ mats pour les femmes ma- 
 rites, ce sont des veritables mallieureusesJ " 
 
 " Now you see how she goes on," said Mr. 
 Mildmay ; " ah ! my sweet Louisa, you have 
 picked up some strange odd notions in France, 
 but you will soon grow English again, I hope." 
 
 " Oh, my dear papa, what an idea! however, 
 there is no telling what rustication may not pro- 
 duce : and I assure you,'"* turning towards Lionel, 
 " if it were not for Caroline's delightful letters, 
 and an occasional visit to Norbury, I should, by 
 this time, have become a perfect Goth." 
 
 " Oh, then you have been at Norbury!" said
 
 almack's. 49 
 
 Colonel Montague, with some surprise ; " What ! 
 lately ?" and he fixed his eyes in a very scru- 
 tinizing manner upon her. 
 
 The effect of this glance upon the young 
 lady was instantaneous, for she turned scarlet ; 
 her face, her neck, her arms, were all of the 
 same glowing hue : she said something in reply 
 to his question, which it was impossible for any 
 one to hear, and then turned her head another 
 way, to avoid his stedfast gaze, 
 
 " I was just going to ask you whether you 
 had been at Norbury since your last letter to 
 Caroline," continued he with much sang-froid^ 
 yet still keeping his eyes fixed upon her, " be- 
 cause she will expect you to have something 
 very important to communicate in your next 
 dispatch. I shall write to her to-morrow, if 
 you have that to tell, which she will wish to 
 hear." 
 
 *' No, no, nothing," replied the young lady, 
 in the greatest embarrassment, and she began 
 
 VOL. I. ©
 
 50 almack's. 
 
 very deliberately to pour the tea into the 
 cream-pot. 
 
 " I think," said Julia, laughing, as she touch- 
 ed her sister"'s hand, " you had better let me 
 help you ; suppose we order some fresh cream." 
 Poor Louisa smiled as she wiped away a 
 starting tear, which she had in vain tried to 
 check, and Julia, who felt for her distress, 
 though ignorant of what had occasioned it, was 
 thinking how she could best change the subject, 
 when Mrs. Penelope, who had left the room 
 some minutes before, re-entered with a small 
 parcel, which she put before Louisa. 
 
 " There, niece ! Colonel Montague's servant 
 has brought this packet for you, from London." 
 " Oh, how delightful ! Caroline's own hand- 
 writing, I see." 
 
 The parcel contained a quantity of the last 
 
 invented patterns for broderies, a dozen new 
 
 French romances for the guitar, a few brochures 
 
 politiques, a Roman des plus nouveaux dans le 
 
 {.
 
 almack's. 51 
 
 genre romantique, a honyiet a lajoliefemme^di 
 volume of new costumes, and last, though not 
 least, a letter. Louisa pressed the dear epistle 
 to her lips, and broke the perfumed green seal, 
 on which was inscribed these words : — " Co- 
 stante per la vita." " Ah," said she, " that is 
 the seal poor little Alplionse de Rosenval gave 
 Caroline. How is the Count ?" 
 
 " You have been very ungrateful not to ask 
 after him before," said Lionel, " such a warm 
 admirer as he was of your's. You will be 
 happy to hear, that he is named private se- 
 cretary to the Baron ; he is shortly to arrive, 
 and he looks forward with much pleasure to 
 seeing you again, — cette charmante demoiselle 
 Anglaise.'"' 
 
 Another blush, but it was of a paler hue, again 
 overspread the fair Louisa''s lovely face ; and to 
 hide her very becoming confusion, she collect- 
 ed together the various articles of the Parisian 
 packet, and with her unread epistle retired to 
 D 2
 
 52 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 her own apartment. Two well-fiUed folio sheets ! 
 what happiness in perspective ! Before, how- 
 ever, she could compose her fluttering spirits 
 sufficiently to commence the perusal of this in- 
 teresting manuscript, she gave way to a sudden 
 burst of tears, which somewhat relieved her 
 distress. " Cruel Lionel," said she to herself; 
 " to allude so suddenly to what he knew must 
 agitate me ! what must Julia have thought of 
 my tears ? oh ! I must unburthen my mind to 
 her ; but first let me read this letter." 
 
 While we leave her thus agreeably occupied, 
 let us return to the drawing-room. 
 
 " So my little Louisa has left the room/' 
 said Mr. Mildmay, waking out of a comfortable 
 nap, which he generally took after tea i " what 
 has she gone away for ? I must have some music 
 presently.' 
 
 " She is gone to read a long letter she has 
 just received from Madame de Wallestein, Sir," 
 said Julia.
 
 almack's. 53 
 
 . " Well then, till she comes back," said the 
 old gentleman, " Sister Pen, you must give me 
 my revenge at Backgammon ; I have not for- 
 gotten how you beat poor dear Dr. Askew yes- 
 terday ; he was quite angry, I assure you." 
 
 The old pair were soon settled at their game ; 
 Julia took up her work, and Lionel drew his 
 chair close to her. " Your pretty sister is a sad 
 flirt, Miss Mildmay," said he in a low voice. 
 " I often used the privilege of a very old friend 
 to lecture her in Paris; she made sad havoc 
 with the gentlemen's hearts, I assure you.'' 
 
 " But you seem to have escaped unhurt your- 
 self, '^ said Miss Mildmay with a smile : " you 
 know ' He jests at scars, who never felt a 
 wound. ' " 
 
 " The society in Paris is too brilliant for my 
 taste," continued he ; " perhaps, also, I may have 
 seen too much of it ; or else the unexpected 
 change in my own prospects may very possibly 
 have disposed me to gravity. But I own that I
 
 54 
 
 ALMACKS. 
 
 often regret my sister Caroline's thirst for dis- 
 sipation : at one time I had hoped she was grow- 
 ing domestic, but that was^ before your sister 
 came to Paris." 
 
 •' Both so young, so hvely, and so much ad- 
 mired," said Julia^ " there is great excuse to be 
 made for them; and the Baroness's situation, of 
 course, exposed her to much temptation of that 
 kind." 
 
 *' Ah !" said Lionel, " I remember you were 
 always the most indulgent and good-natured 
 person that ever lived, the kind excuser of every 
 body's faults : when we were children, if I got 
 into disgrace, I always used to say. Ah ! Julia 
 Mildmay will ask pardon for me, and nobody 
 can resist her. Do you remember those happy 
 days, when, during the holidays, I used to come 
 here with the fish I had caught in the river? 
 Alas, poor Atherford !" 
 
 " You came by the dear old Abbey to-day, 
 did not you ?"
 
 almack's. 55 
 
 ** Yes, and most melancholy it made me : — 
 Do tell me, Miss Mildmay, what kind of people 
 are these tenants of my brother's — this Birming- 
 ham family ?" 
 
 " Of Sir Benjamin and Lady Birmingham," 
 said Julia, " perhaps the less I say the better : 
 they are vulgar, odd people, immensely rich, 
 and ridiculously purse-proud. There cannot be 
 a more absurd woman than her Ladyship ; Sir 
 Benjamin is a good sort of man, and very gene- 
 rous, but has never lived in society, and his 
 appearance and manner are much against him." 
 
 " And they have one daughter ?''"' 
 
 '* Yes, a most delightful girl, with whom 
 Louisa and I are extremely intimate. She was 
 brought up by a sort of connection of ours, and 
 therefore we have long been well acquainted ; 
 you must formerly often have heard my father 
 mention his old friend Dr. Selwyn." 
 
 "What! thelate Vicar of Atherford? Oh! 
 to be sure I have, frequently."
 
 56 almack's. 
 
 " Well, his son married a half-sister of Lady 
 Birmingham's, who, by her father''s side, was 
 related to us, and this lady had the charge of 
 Barbara Birmingham for several years, while 
 her father and mother were in the West Indies' 
 Mr, and Mrs. Selwyn are most amiable people ; 
 he has the living of Derwent, in this neigh- 
 bourhood ; of course, you may believe they 
 have educated this young heiress in a very 
 different manner to what she would have been 
 at home. 
 
 " She is now turned eighteen, a remark- 
 ably fine girl, yet without the smallest vanity 
 or affectation. She is to be presented immedi- 
 ately after Easter, and as she will, in all proba- 
 bility, be one of the greatest heiresses in this 
 country, you may imagine the ambitious plans 
 which a very artful manoeuvring mother is 
 already forming in her active mind for the 
 establishment of this her only child. Poor 
 Barbara ! I hope you will see her, Colonel
 
 almack'«. 57 
 
 Montague, for I am sure her*s will be a cha- 
 racter quite to charm you. Then, she per- 
 fectly adores the old Abbey, and is so good and 
 charitable to all the poor people in the vil- 
 lage. She has heard so much of the many 
 virtues of your mother, that she has taken Lady 
 Montague's character as a model : she keeps 
 up all her schools and benevolent institu- 
 tions, and wishes that every thing should con- 
 tinue just as it used to be at Atherford in 
 former times." 
 
 " May God bless her for it !" said Lionel, 
 with much feeling. " I have often thought, if 
 ever there was an angel in this world, my be- 
 loved mother was one." 
 
 " The Birminghams are gone to Norbury 
 to-day, but as they do not set off for town 
 immediately, I hope we shall see them while 
 you are with us. Barbara often calls here, 
 to talk to us about her school or her poor 
 people." 
 
 D 5
 
 58 almack's. 
 
 " Is Lord George Fitzallan at Norbury ?" 
 
 " Indeed I do not know." 
 
 " Has he ever been here to visit Mr. Mild- 
 may ?'"' 
 
 " I cannot say; I am not aware that my 
 father is acquainted with him. But why do 
 you ask ?" 
 
 " Because I fancied that, as he is Lady Nor- 
 bury''s nephew, he probably often visited in 
 this neighbourhood ; and, as he is an old friend 
 of mine, I should like to have seen him again. 
 Pray where is Godfrey ?'''' 
 
 " He is gone to the Quarter Sessions at Wel- 
 don Regis, and I fear he may not return to us 
 till to-morrow : he will be most anxious to see 
 you.'' 
 
 " Oh ! I long to shake him by the hand once 
 again ; such kindness as he has often shown me ! 
 He and your good father have indeed proved 
 themselves the true and attached friends of my 
 family, and I trust I shall never forget my
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 5^ 
 
 obligations to them : I hope Godfrey is getting 
 on well in the law ?" 
 
 " Indeed I believe he is. I hear from all 
 sides how much he is looked up to, and he 
 seems always full of business ; but he is the 
 last person to mention his own success ; he has 
 too much modesty." 
 
 " The usual attendants upon merit. I am not 
 at all of the opinion of the fashionable lecturer, 
 who said, that modesty and merit were only 
 associated together, because they both began 
 with an M.*" 
 
 Louisa now made her appearance. *' Ah ! ray 
 love," said her father, " you are just come in 
 right time, for Aunt Pen has been gammoning 
 me most desperately, and I want a pretty tune 
 before I go to bed : I hope your letters were 
 pleasant." 
 
 " Did they contain the information you so 
 anxiously looked for ?"" said Lionel, Avith an air 
 
 * The Rev. Mr. Sydney Smith.
 
 60 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 of mock gravity. " You must pardon my 
 curiosity." 
 
 " Indeed I shall not," said she with quick- 
 ness : " you have not deserved my confidence ; 
 you hurt me very much just now, you know you 
 did ; and I have not forgiven you." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, I did not mean to vex 
 you ; though my regard for your interest might 
 make me appear officious. Let us be friends 
 again, and I will promise to ask no more im- 
 pertinent questions : so thus let me seal my 
 peace," and he pressed her hand with gallantry 
 to his lips. 
 
 " There, that is right," said Mr. Mildmay : 
 " now for some music." 
 
 '■ Oh, a French air on the guitar," said 
 Lionel, — " de grace.'''' 
 
 Louisa looked very arch as she tuned up 
 her instrument, and sang with much expression 
 that beautiful air from Joconde, which has 
 those lively words :
 
 almack's. 61' 
 
 " Semillante avec les Francaises, 
 Romanesque avec les Anglaises, 
 Partout ou j'ai voyage 
 Suivant les pays j'ai change. 
 
 " Is that true ?"" inquired Lionel, with mean- 
 ing. 
 
 " Perhaps it is the case with all men," said 
 the young lady, " and may be as true a repre- 
 sentation of your sex, as Pope's is of ours, when 
 he had the impertinence to declare, that 
 
 ' Everj' woman is at heart a rake.' " 
 
 " What can this mean ?"" thought Julia, " has 
 she some attachment to a foreigner ? they seem 
 to understand each other ; yet why all this 
 mystery .?" ^ 
 
 " Well, certainly, your travelled gentry 
 have comical ways," said good old Mrs. Pene- 
 lope to her eldest niece, as she lighted her can- 
 dle. " So, good night, my dear girl, and may 
 you at least preserve your English tastes and 
 habits."
 
 62 • almack's. 
 
 " Suppose we all retire," said Louisa. 
 
 When the sisters were at the top of the stairs, 
 Julia hoped Louisa would have asked her in 
 to her apartment ; but no, she only embraced 
 her tenderly at the door. " Eloise will be wait- 
 ing for me," said she, " and it is late ;" as if 
 to excuse her want of confidence. 
 
 Eloise, however, was soon dismissed, and the 
 young lady sat down at leisure to reperuse 
 the Baroness de Wallestein's voluminous epistle 
 before she retired to rest. Previous, however, 
 to making its contents known, we must refer 
 to the circumstances which occurred during 
 Louisa's visit to Paris.
 
 ALMACKS. 
 
 63 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PARISIAN LIFE. 
 
 " That region where the sun's so bright. 
 The air so pure, the wine so light." 
 
 Louisa had been for some months in rather 
 delicate health, and Madame de Wallestein 
 no sooner heard it, than she wrote in the 
 most aflPectionate terms to insist upon her friend 
 coming over to her ; she was certain the climate 
 of France would entirely cure her. Mr. Mild- 
 may resisted all entreaties for some time, but, 
 as Louisa was undoubtedly very deHcate, the 
 physician at last advised change of air, and her 
 brother Godfrey very tenderly offered to escort 
 her over to Paris in the beginning of Septem-
 
 64 almack's. 
 
 ber 1818. The season was so unusually ^fine, 
 that she really did reap immediate benefit from 
 the difference in the climate, so that, to the 
 great delight of her friend, she was sufficiently 
 recovered to enter into every kind of dissipa- 
 tion long before the carnival commenced. 
 
 Louisa was three years younger than Ma- 
 dame de Wallestein, and the extreme delicacy 
 of her complexion struck the Parisians. Many 
 thought her handsomer than the Baroness; as 
 on the other side of the water a belle blonde 
 has the same novelty of attraction, which a pi~ 
 quante brunette has with us. Louisa had more 
 eclat, — she attracted at first sight; Caroline 
 more expression — she gained by being known. 
 Louisa's dress was always gay, but simple ; she 
 looked lovely in any thing. Madame de Walle- 
 stein studied effect ; what she wore was sure to 
 be becoming and coquettish. Their conversa- 
 tion and manner had the same difference: one 
 had more vivacity, and the other more esprit ;' 
 both were equally graceful ; but Louisa charmed
 
 almack's. 65 
 
 every body, while her friend was better pleased 
 to turn the heads of a chosen few. They Mere 
 each pursued by fashion and admiration ; and a 
 poet of the day wrote a little romance upon the 
 two beauties, which has been now long forgotten, 
 but which had a wonderful run at the time : — it 
 was called Les Yeux Bleus et les Ycux Noirs.* 
 
 * LA PROCEDURE DES YEUX KOIRS ET DES 
 YEUX BLEUS. 
 
 Les yeux noirs brillans d'etincelles, 
 
 Et les yeux bleus tendres et doux, 
 Dans leurs disputes ^ternellesj 
 
 Pr^tendaient regner seuls sur nous. 
 Chacun voulait la preference, 
 
 L'un parlait contre, et I'autre pour : 
 Enfin ce proces d'iniportance 
 
 Vient d'etre jugi par 1' Amour. 
 
 Jamais proces a I'audience 
 
 N'avait cause tant d'embarras. 
 Les noirs, les bleus pour leur defense 
 
 Avaient de nombreux avocats : 
 Pour temoinsj des baisers de flame. 
 
 Pour d^fenseurs miUe soupirs. 
 Pour preuve le trouble de I'ame, 
 
 Et pour rapporteur les desirs.
 
 66 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 Madame de Wallestein was one of the leaders 
 of the haut ton, the most admired of all ks 
 dames da chateau, as the circle of first-rate 
 distwguees at Paris were then denominated. 
 The balls at her hotel were among the most 
 brilliant of the season, and no fete was per- 
 fect unless she and her beautiful friend were 
 present. 
 
 The Baroness set the fashion in dress; and 
 
 L'Amour termine la querelle 
 
 Par cet arret judicieux : 
 " Avec des yeux noirs on est belle, 
 
 On_est belle avec des yeux bleus. 
 Les bleus marquent plus de tendresse, 
 
 Les noirs plus de vivacity : 
 Les noirs annoncent la finesse, 
 
 Les bleus expriment la bonte. 
 
 Les noirs sont sujets aux caprices. 
 
 On ne peut les voir sans danger ; 
 Les bleus n'ont pas tant d'artifices, 
 
 Sont moins exposes a changer. 
 Dans les noirs j'ai mis mon d^lire, 
 
 Dans les bleus la tendre langueur, 
 L'esprit dans les yeux noirs respire, 
 
 Dans les yeux bleus c'est la douceur."
 
 ALMACK'S. 67 
 
 hats and toques were called Wallesteins and 
 Carolines. To become completely French was 
 her great aim, and, after toiling month after 
 month in pursuit of this glorious object, she 
 was forced to be satisfied with the sentence pro- 
 nounced upon her by a French merveilleux : 
 " Que quoiqu''eUe ne fut pas Fran^aise, elle mt- 
 ritaii bien de VttreT 
 
 The Baron, even the philosophic Wallestein, 
 had his head a Kttle turned by the extraordinary 
 admiration his lovely wife excited : but Lionel 
 lamented constantly the never-ending course of 
 dissipation in which she was involved. He some- 
 times remonstrated, and talked of her duties as 
 the mistress of a family and a mother : but he 
 was told that the servants went on very well, 
 and the child could not be better. Madame la 
 Marechale, and Madame la Princesse, and Ma- 
 dame la Duchesse une telle, all led the same 
 lives, and nobody thought any thing of it : — be- 
 sides Wallestein did not disapprove ! Lionel 
 was answered.
 
 68 almack's. 
 
 The summer was the time to be quiet, and 
 after Longchamp and all its millinery glories 
 were over, the saison du repos arrived:— and were 
 they quiet then, amid the beauties of the vallee 
 de Montmorenci t No ; the too indulgent Baron 
 collected all the most agreeable society in Paris, 
 to chase away the eyinui which a country life 
 inspired — not to him, but to his adored lady. 
 
 Private theatricals, pic-nic parties, impromptu 
 rural fetes, and all those amusements which the 
 fine climate of France gives birth to, succeeded 
 each other so rapidly, that Louisa thought the 
 dissipation of the country infinitely more en- 
 chanting than that of the capital; — it even 
 swallowed up more time, it occupied all day as 
 well as all night. After a year spent in such 
 scenes, it was not very surprising that she should 
 forget the rural shades of BishopVCourt, and 
 the simpler pleasures of her childhood. She re- 
 covered her health completely on the Continent; 
 but, like many other fine ladies, in foreign dis.
 
 almack's. 69 
 
 sipation she lost her taste for every thing Eng- 
 hsh. Fond of the Avorld, of a gay and thought- 
 less dissipation, the insinuating flattery of Pari- 
 sian btaux became so agreeable to her, that she 
 wondered how she should ever be able to live 
 without it. Her twelvemonth's leave of absence 
 had now expired, and she received a summons 
 home. Mr. Mildmay's letter arrived at an 
 unfortunate moment : Madame de Wallestein's 
 health had been but very indifferent for some 
 little time. Her life had of late been so fa- 
 tiguing, that it was natural to suppose her indis- 
 position arose from that source, and that a little 
 quiet would soon restore her. But this was not 
 the case : a medical man was called in, and the 
 Baroness heard her worst fears confirmed — she 
 was threatened with another confinement in the 
 course of the spring. She was forced to give up 
 all hope of enjoying any of the gaieties of the win- 
 ter, to hear of balls which she could not attend, 
 to read oi fttes which she might not witness:
 
 70 almack''s. 
 
 alasj too hapless lady ! Could Louisa leave her 
 friend in such a trying moment ? Impossible ! it 
 would have been too barbarous ! The tender 
 heart of Mr. Mildraay was softened by her re- 
 presentations ; he consented to spare her till after 
 the Baroness's confinement had taken place, and 
 till she was no longer wanted as a nurse. Mon- 
 sieur de Wallestein rejoiced, from the bottom of 
 his heart, at the prospect before him of at least 
 six months' tranquillity ; and Lionel, who had 
 passed the summer in England, again joined the 
 party in the Rue Royale. — I would not have it 
 supposed that our little ambassadress led a life 
 of perfect seclusion during this spring : far from 
 it, all her intimate friends congregated to her 
 hotel, to prevent la charmante Baronne from 
 losing her spirits ; and her wit in conversation 
 procured her almost as many admirers as her 
 beauty had done the year before. She gave no 
 balls it was true, but she had a select circle every 
 evening, of agreeable causeurs, and, reclining on
 
 ALMACK'S. 71 
 
 her bergere, or her sofa, habilUe en malade 
 elegante, the interesting languor of her fine 
 dark eyes did full as much execution as when 
 they sparkled with all the brilliancy of joy and 
 health. Nor was the fair Louisa forgotten in 
 these delightful little coteries : her voice and her 
 guitar often charmed the society, and she form- 
 ed some pleasant intimacies among the friends 
 who frequented the Hotel de Wallestein. From 
 being thus thrown into the best society, her 
 manners became highly fashioned ; and as her 
 mornings were this year devot ed to masters, she 
 made great progress in languages and music. 
 
 Several fashionable young Englishmen were 
 often at the Baroness's soirees, and among 
 these Louisa was a particular favourite. How- 
 ever, their general observation upon her was 
 one of regret, that so pretty a creature should 
 be such a desperate flirt. 
 
 " 'Faith, George, you are the only man she 
 will listen to ; such a confounded little coquette
 
 72 almack's. 
 
 as that Miss Mildmay is !"" said one of these 
 youths to the handsome Lord George Fitzallan, 
 a dasliing officer of Hussars, and decidedly 
 Louisa's favourite partner. He stroked up his 
 moustache with a complaisant air, and smiled as 
 he cast a side-look at himself in the glass which 
 was over the chimney piece, and then arranged 
 the well-curled locks upon his forehead with 
 much satisfaction. 
 
 In dressing, talking, and flirting, time passed 
 rapidly away to Louisa ; the Baroness perhaps 
 might think it very long to the end of April j 
 when all the little set who usually passed every 
 evening with her, were delighted to hear one 
 morning that her friend was doing as well 
 as possible Avith a fine little girl. Louisa was 
 all attention and importance as a nurse, and 
 the Baroness in a very short time recovered 
 perfectly. 
 
 Monsieur de Wallestein had business which 
 obliged him to visit Coblentz in the summer ;
 
 almack's. 73 
 
 and it was agreed that his family should accom- 
 pany him, as he might be detained some time in 
 that part of Germany. Louisa again wrote 
 home with a fresh request ; she might never 
 have such another opportunity of visiting the 
 interesting scenery of the Rhine. Mr. Mildmay, 
 as usual, all indulgence, agreed to her wishes, 
 and she accompanied her friends to Spa. There 
 the Baroness assumed a new character, and she 
 certainly deserved some credit for being able to 
 accommodate herself to circumstances, mais une 
 femme ifesprit salt tirer parti de tout. The 
 Baron had, as usual, insisted on her going 
 through all her duties, and nursing her little 
 girl herself, as she had succeeded so well before 
 with the boy. The Baroness consented, but 
 much against her will: however, she now as- 
 sumed a kind of consequence from her rigorous 
 attention to her maternal office. She found 
 many of her old acquaintance at Spa ; her infant 
 was strikingly beautiful, she was therefore to be 
 
 VOL. 1. E
 
 74 AL mack's. 
 
 constantly produced and nursed in public ; and 
 her mother had a particular costume for the oc- 
 casion. She read nothing but treatises on edu- 
 cation ; she was beginning to think of teaching 
 her little Gustavus to read : if she dined out, 
 the nurse and baby followed her ; if she went to 
 the redoute or the theatre, she had to go away 
 so early, always at the moment her friends 
 wished her to stay, and every body was to be 
 told the why and the wherefore. 
 
 " Cette pauvre petite femme, comme elk est 
 esclave de ses devoirs, comme je la plains!"" said 
 the sentimental Alphonse de Rosenval, to a fair 
 Parisian elegante who had done him the honour 
 to accept him for her cavalier in a polonaise at 
 one of the balls. 
 
 " C'est vraiment une mere comme il ny en a 
 point,'" replied the lady with an affected lisp. 
 
 " Voild ee qu'elle desire paroitre au moins,"" 
 observed the canstique Prince de Steinberg, who 
 had overheard the conversation as he joined the
 
 almack's. 75 
 
 procession whh Louisa, not kno^\4ng that she 
 belonged to the Wallesteins. 
 
 In September the party left Spa, and proceed- 
 ed to Coblentz. Louisa's journal and sketch- 
 book proved how much she profited by her 
 tour. In November they returned to Brussels, 
 where Mr. Godfrey Mildmay met them; and 
 soon after, the young lady took a sad and re- 
 luctant leave of her kind friends, and accompa- 
 nied her brother back to BishopVCourt, after 
 having been absent from her family rather more 
 than two years. The Baron and Baroness about 
 the same time pursued their way to Paris. 
 
 The affectionate welcome which Louisa re- 
 ceived at home, the delight with which her fond 
 parent gazed upon her now blooming cheek, 
 made her some little amends for the agreeable 
 society she had left. Julia was all happiness at 
 having her friend and companion restored to 
 her, and Miss Birmingham pronounced their lit- 
 tle coterie to be now quite complete. There was 
 E 2
 
 76 almack's. 
 
 some pleasure, too, in desci'ibing all the won- 
 ders she had seen, in making Julia and Barbara 
 laugh at French ideas, and Aunt Pen stare with 
 horror at French customs, while her solemn 
 maid Dinah shrugged up her shoulders at their 
 outlandish fashion. Godfrey, more presumptu- 
 ous still, ventured to dispute the propriety of 
 some of his fair sister's newly acquired senti- 
 ments, while he quizzed with considerable zest 
 her French idioms, and the foreign phrases with 
 which she interlarded her conversation. 
 
 Mr. Mildmay, in his old-fashioned simplicity, 
 was much perplexed by the change two years 
 had made in his daughter's character. " She is 
 much improved in beauty, to be sure," said the 
 good old gentleman to the venerable Dr. Askew, 
 the vicar of Atherford : " and she is vastly 
 smart and entertaining; but yet methinks I liked 
 her better as she was, my dear Doctor. It is hard- 
 ly worth while to cross the sea, in order to find 
 out that Old England is not a place worth hving
 
 almack's. 77 
 
 in. Why, too much taste seems just as bad a 
 thing as too little." The Doctor could not but 
 assent, and groaned in reply. 
 
 In the midst of her regret and disappointment 
 Louisa was roused by a letter from Madame de 
 Wallestein, with the delightful information that 
 the Baron had just been appointed Ambassador 
 to the Court of Great Britain, and that they 
 should arrive in England in the course of a 
 few weeks. Lionel was to come a little before 
 them, in order to secure apartments for theA in 
 some hotel ; and as he had some business which 
 
 would call him into H shire, she prepared 
 
 her for a visit from him. 
 
 Louisa's rapture is not to be described : from 
 the day she received the letter, till the arrival 
 of Colonel Montague, she was in such a con- 
 tinual flutter, that Julia began to fancy that 
 Lionel was, after all, the object of her sighs and 
 tears. But this was not the case ; for, as she 
 wrote to the Baroness, " how many, many ideas
 
 78 almack's. 
 
 will the sight of your brother recall to my 
 mind ! Oh ! my dear Caroline, when I hear his 
 deep-toned voice, I shall fancy myself in your 
 dear boudoir, and all our choicest set about us — 
 you reclining on the sofa, in that beautiful bon- 
 net coquette you used to wear with your orange 
 cachemere ; the Baron reading by the fire, or 
 else talking politics with Lionel; and you know 
 who tuning my guitar, while Xhejolie moustache 
 by you, and the old Colonel described the group 
 in verse. Ah ! too happy days ! mais Us sont 
 passts ces jours dej'ete. I can give you no news. 
 I never hear of him, or from him ; I do not 
 even know if he is expected at Norbury. But 
 when I go there, how my heart beats !" 
 
 Whom did she mean ? There was a certain 
 gay youth who was constantly one of the tea 
 party in the Hotel de Wallestein ; we have for- 
 gotten whether he was a Marquis or a Comte, 
 and whether his uniform bespoke him to be of 
 the Cavalerie legkre, or one of les grosses bottes :
 
 almack's. 79 
 
 he had a ribbon, too, suspended at his button- 
 hole. This decoration might be the cross of St. 
 Louis, or of the Legion d'Honneur ; or perhaps 
 it was onli/ a Waterloo medal. Je ii'en sais rien ; 
 only this I do know, that this same Chevalier 
 de la Jidelite, for that he certainly was, made 
 himself infinitely useful to the fair Louisa : he 
 it was who cut her pencils, who mended her 
 pens, who copied music for her, and then sang 
 it with her. 
 
 She always sighed when she thought of this 
 same militaire ; she felt how true is the re- 
 mark, — 
 
 " Que nos plus doux plaisirs 
 Sont dans nos souvenirs." 
 
 JOCOXDE. 
 
 And now for the Baroness's letter, which Co- 
 lonel Montao;ue had brought from London ; and 
 which, at the conclusion of the last chapter, we 
 left Louisa reading en robe de chambre, before 
 she retired to rest.
 
 80 
 
 ALMACKS. 
 
 It was dated, Brunet's Hotel, March 22, 182... 
 " Ma tres chere et trh aimee Louise, 
 
 " Lionel, who will be the bearer of this to Bi- 
 shopVCourt, will tell you that at last we have 
 torn ourselves away from dear delightful Paris, 
 and that we are debarques sains et saufs in dirty, 
 smoky, detestable London. We have taken up 
 our abode at Brunef s Hotel, but only pour le 
 moment, as Wallestein has seen a house in Port- 
 land-place likely to suit us, and we are told that 
 is the quartier diplomatique ; it belongs to the 
 Spanish Minister, and the bargain with el Senor 
 is already nearly completed. As it is well-fur- 
 nished, we shall soon be etablis, and I really flat- 
 ter myself we shall be very comfortable ; that 
 is the English word, you know, and I am en- 
 deavouring par force to naturalize myself again. 
 Entre nous, I think I should have preferred a 
 house in Portman, or Grosvenor-square, but 
 they say this is the situation chosen by all am- 
 bassadors, et il faut St conformer aux usages —
 
 almack's. 81 
 
 soit. — Oh, my dear Louisa, how I wish my- 
 self back again in France ; I have done no- 
 thing but abuse England ever since I came 
 into it. The wine, the cookery, the houses, the 
 people, the women — heavens ! what dowdies ! 
 I walked through the Park on Sunday, and I 
 protest I did not meet one single well-dressed 
 woman ; and their imitations of French fashions 
 ai'e so ridiculous ! I blush for their want of tour- 
 nure and taste ; I really felt thankful that I 
 had no Frenchman with me. The Baron laughs 
 at my tirades ; he likes, or at least he professes 
 to like, every thing English ; and that true 
 John Bull Lionel encourages him in all his pre- 
 judices. I shall long to hear how he finds you 
 and all at Bishop's-Court. What pleasure it 
 would give me to see dear Mr. Mildmay once 
 again, and that kind Julia : I hope she loves me 
 still, as she used to do. Lionel means to visit 
 the dear, dear old Abbey ; I do not think I could 
 bear it : really my heart would break at the sight 
 £ 5
 
 82 almack''s. 
 
 of Atherford. Give my beloved godfather a 
 kiss from his little pet Caroline, as he used to 
 call me ; and tell him he must come to London 
 to see me, and to be introduced to the Baron, 
 and to my children. Gustavus is quite proud 
 to show off his English ; he is a fine boy, and 
 really Ulrica is beautiful. Charmante comme 
 sa mere — you can guess who said that. 
 
 " And now, my dearest friend, I have a pro- 
 posal to make to you, which you positively 
 must agree to. Come and spend the Spring 
 with us in town ; I shall have a charming little 
 boudoir to offer you. The man who had the 
 house before his Spanish Excellency, fitted it up 
 for his favourite mistress ; and really he must 
 have had some taste. The furniture is beauti- 
 ful ; the bed im parfait amour, lined with rose 
 colour. Do persuade your father to consent to 
 this plan, or make the excellent Julia talk him 
 into our wishes. I will assure you an agreeable 
 Spring. I am in excellent health and spirits,
 
 ALMACIC'S. 83 
 
 without any of my usual drawbacks ; so I mean 
 to be very gay, to prevent the spleen from get- 
 ting possession of me. All the embassies at 
 present here are tits mal monltcs, and what with 
 widowers, old gentlemen, and others, embar- 
 rassed with large families and small incomes, 
 not one of them makes any effect ; so as I am 
 decidedly the youngest, and soit dit en passant^ 
 the only tolerable looking woman among them, 
 I mean, ma tres chere, to eclipse the whole corps 
 diplomatique, and to have my own petite socittc 
 tres hieii composte et tres recheixhee. I hate the 
 English style of routs, where, as Madame de 
 Stael wisely observed, ' le corps fait plus de 
 frais que Vesprit ;"" but I think small select 
 soirees of all the foreigners in London, with a 
 few of the very best English women, would 
 take amazingly among the haut ton, with good 
 music to prevent dulness. Think what an ef- 
 fect your sweet voice will be sure to produce. 
 How my Louisa will be admired in that charm-
 
 84 ALMACK S. 
 
 ing air of Blangini's, which she used to give 
 with such expression, such abandon — * M'ai- 
 meras-tu f 
 
 " Dites-moi done, have you ever seen il caro 
 oggetto ? Has he never visited his relations at 
 Norbury ? Your next meeting must be deci- 
 sive, at least on his part, et vous ' costante per 
 la vita,' of course. You will smile when you 
 see that seal ; * il pastor fido' cannot yet name 
 you without looking so miserable ! Poor little 
 Alphonse, I hope he is to be one of our at- 
 taches, but it is not certain : none of them are 
 yet arrived except the solemn Ffifer, your aver- 
 sion ; but of course the Baron could not do 
 without him, and he is very useful in teaching 
 Gustavus, when he has nothing else to do, 
 which saves me trouble. If you come to me, as 
 I hope you will, I shall spare no pains to pre- 
 vent your returning home Louisa Mildmay. 
 You must not lose any more time, positively ; 
 if a certain person does not come forward very
 
 ALMACK S. 85 
 
 soon, ilfautfaire un autre choix. — Why not the 
 poor little pastor ? il vous aime bien^ and I should 
 so like to have you well established at Paris 
 in our set. The French secretaire d'ambassade 
 is a trtsjoli gar^on, et aussi d''une bonne Jamille, 
 et assez bien du cote de la fortune ; his mother 
 spoke to me about him at Paris, so I am to pro- 
 tect him. Why might not he do ? — Or, if not, 
 there is a choice I could wish you had made, 
 but somehow, admiring each other, there yet 
 never seemed any sort of probability, rna 
 perche ? — I mean Lionel : that would make me 
 happy ! But I know you will be furious witli 
 me, for supposing the ben amato is not a true 
 knight. Well, then, I hope he will prove him- 
 self one for your sake. 
 
 " Julia, I imagine, means to pass her life in 
 single blessedness ; much good may it do her ! 
 Now that comes of living in such total solitude. 
 Send me all the gossip of your neighbour- 
 hood, I entreat ; for I have not forgotten its
 
 86 almack's. 
 
 grandees, though I darg say they have me long 
 ago. Is Lady Anne Norbury grown up as 
 proud and handsome as she promised to be ? 
 and the stately Lord Glenmore, I hear, has 
 married a little girl of sixteen, and is expecting 
 soon to have an heir ; well, that is certainly 
 wonderful ! 
 
 *' I see I shall fill all my paper, for you will 
 scold me if I do not send you some Paris pro- 
 pos dii jour. Madame la Princesse de Beau- 
 mont (Miss Martin, the great city fortune that 
 was,) has just had twins, to the utter horror 
 of all the French ladies, who tremble lest she 
 should set this fashion ; she makes so very obe- 
 dient a wife, that the old Duchesse declares 
 qu'elle gate le metier de mart, and that the Eng- 
 lish women will utterly ruin the French men, 
 by accustoming them to passive submission. 
 The Baron de Wolmar has heard that Lady 
 Catherine Macneil is an heiress; so he is tjis
 
 almack's. 87 
 
 devout, and she fancies liim U7i ti'es grand seig- 
 neur, un Baron de fEmpire at least : how nicely 
 they will both be taken in ; for he is a thorough 
 aventurier, and she has nothing but her high 
 blood, and her still higher cheek bones, for 
 dower. Old Mrs. Martin, with her other two 
 red-haired Graces, made a grand set at our 
 Prince de Steinberg: after marrying the eldest 
 to the Prince de Beaumont, she thought he 
 would do for the second ; and so she told him, in 
 her horrible French, that she wished her daugh- 
 ters to marry foreigners, but not Frenchmen, 
 and that they had refused peers both of France 
 and England. Poor Steinberg ! you can fancy 
 how frightened he was. Your old adorateur, le 
 Comte Melchior de Soubise, charged me with 
 a thousand souvenirs to his fair enemy, as he 
 always terms you : he has left la Garde for the 
 Second Lanciers; he had an offer to go into the 
 First Cuirassiers, but he preferred la Cavalerie
 
 88 almack's. 
 
 legere, to les grosses bottes ; indeed les panta- 
 lons rouges always carry the day, at least with 
 the women. 
 
 " Edward de Villars grows more sauvage 
 every year : he is in the compagnie de Noailles, 
 who are now at Versailles ; of course Madame 
 de Luzi has taken an apartment there, near the 
 Hotel des Gardes du Corps: you may imagine quel 
 scandale, c'est vraiment affreux. The joli petit 
 Marquis de Ferrare rrCaprie de vous presenter ses 
 hommages les plus respectueux : that cruel Colonel 
 of his, le Chevalier de Villemont, put him aux 
 arrets for a month, for a mere bagatelle ; so he 
 worked away at English all the time most per- 
 severingly with the grammar you gave him. I 
 saw in the last Gazette de France, that the 
 General St. Amand marries Mademoiselle The- 
 rese de Villeneuve ; the King has signed the con- 
 trat : imagine the despair of Madame de Bel- 
 fort — ou elk se jettera dans la devotion, ou elle
 
 ALMACKS. 89 
 
 reprendra son ancien amant le petit Command- 
 ant : nous verrons. 
 
 " I have been miserable at leaving Paris before 
 Longchamp, for it was expected to be brilliant 
 beyond expression ; beaucoup de toilettes sii- 
 perbes ; Josephine de la Tour writes me word 
 that * dos d' Araignee,' * Puce en couche^ and 
 ' arbre de Judee^ were the favourite colours. 
 Madame la Marechale Soult sported * Queue 
 de singe ' really beautiful ; but Mademoiselle 
 Amenaide de Quatrebarbes quite cut her out 
 in ' Eau du Nil/ a new shade, which many 
 say should be called ' tete de negre.'' Les Be- 
 rets et chupeaux a la Casque are much worn 
 by les premieres elegantes. La belle Madame 
 Burat est plus a la mode que jamais a Long' 
 champ; on Pa nommee la belle des belles. 
 Ce rCest pas mal, comme elle a eu pour 
 amant le brave des braves. La Duchesse de 
 Melcour en est Jalouse ! ! ! mais a un point ! /
 
 90 almack's. 
 
 rautrejour elks se sont rencontrees au hois; ' Ah^ 
 Madame,^ s'ecria la Duchesse, avec son petit 
 ton affecte que vous lui connaissez, ' Comme on 
 est mechant dans ce has monde ! imaginez-vous 
 qu'on dit que je porte du blanc /' * Comment 
 Madame^ repondit la belle Burat en ouvrant ses 
 grands yeux bleus, ' vous qui etes sijaune P 
 
 " Voila des eclats de rire de tons les cotes, et vous 
 pouvez vous Jigurer la mine que Jit lajaune Du- 
 chesse, et le regard triomphant de Valtiere riante. 
 Ah ! c'^tait vraiment impayable. One must tell 
 these things in French ; our language will not 
 describe shades of any sort ; so matter of fact .' 
 so downright 1 At last I must say adieu. 
 Write to me soon, and teU me when I may ex- 
 pect you. Pray give Lionel the history of the 
 Birminghams ; I want to know about them. 
 Apropos, I hear that Lord Killarney has been 
 more lie with Edmund than ever this last win- 
 ter ; however, he has at last left Naples, and 
 is en chemin to Paris.
 
 almackV 91 
 
 '' Say a thousand kind things, de ma part, to 
 Juha and your dear father. Gustavus sends a 
 kiss to Loo, Loo. — Ever your most affectionate, 
 Caroline de Wallestein. 
 
 " My Baron se met a vos pieds, sans quefi/ 
 trouve a redire. — You know how he admires 
 you. 
 
 " P. S. I open my letter to tell you that we 
 are going to Brighton. The house in P. Place 
 is not quite ready for us, and W. must pay his 
 court to his M — — y. Tant mieux — I want to 
 see the Pavilion. Direct — Steyne, Brighton." 
 
 Louisa passed a sleepless night. The letter 
 had recalled so many ideas to her mind, and 
 brought so many almost forgotten persons be- 
 fore her eyes, that, if she did close them for a few 
 moments, she always dreamt she was at some 
 ball at Paris, surrounded by men who all asked 
 her to waltz, — all except one, and that one was 
 the very person she most Avished for as a part-
 
 92 almack's. 
 
 ner. This identical individual indeed torment- 
 ed her almost as much in her sleeping as in her 
 waking thoughts. Sometimes he was in a gay 
 Hussar uniform ; then he was equally charming 
 en bourgeois ; one moment he appeared on 
 horseback in the Champs Elysees; the next he 
 was attending her a pied on the Boulevards. 
 In one of her dreams she was seeking him on 
 the terrasse de Veau in the garden of the Tui- 
 leries, and all at once the scene changed, and he 
 was walking arm-in-arm with her in the shrub- 
 bery at Bishop's-Court. 
 
 The morning found her in a most agitated 
 and embarrassed state ; she looked at herself in 
 the glass, and thought that her heavy eyes and 
 pallid cheeks would excite fresh suspicions in 
 Colonel Montague's mind. Suppose he should 
 name them to Julia: — that was an idea she 
 could not brook. It was a very wet morning, — 
 every promise of rain for the whole day ; there 
 would be no escape from hinting looks and in-
 
 almack's. 93 
 
 nuendoes of every sort. — No ! better make a 
 clear conscience at once, and tell all the secrets 
 of her heart to that kindest of friends and 
 advisers, her beloved sister. 
 
 She was up in a moment, and, throwing on 
 her dressing-gown, she proceeded with the letter 
 in her hand to Julia's room, who was not a 
 little astonished to see the generally late Louisa 
 half dressed before seven o'clock. That young 
 lady immediately established herself in an arm- 
 chair, and after reading the precious manu- 
 script aloud quite through, and explaining, as 
 she went along, the obscure parts, the little hints, 
 and various asterisks, she burst into tears, 
 after the manner of all heroines, and asked her 
 sister if she had not perceived how unhappy 
 she often was. Julia, like a true and amiable 
 confidant, assured her that she had often seen 
 with pain, that something weighed upon her 
 mind, but that she felt it would be unkind in 
 her to press for any communication, unless
 
 94 almack's. 
 
 Louisa was quite at liberty to give it. " But 
 you cannot doubt my afFection," said she, " or 
 my anxious wish to promote your happiness." 
 
 Louisa then, after tenderly embracing her, 
 and swearing her to secresy, revealed the whole 
 mystery. The individual, then, who had touch- 
 ed her fancy, and gained her little heart, was 
 the young and handsome Lord George Fitzallan, 
 the brother of the Earl of Killarney, the second 
 son of the Marquis of Allandale, and the nephew 
 of Lady Norbury, who, as we have already 
 mentioned, resided in the neighbourhood of 
 Bishop' s-Court. He had been acquainted with 
 Madame de Wallestein formerly, before she left 
 Atherford Abbey, and tlierefore, after he came 
 to Paris, he was a constant visitor at the house. 
 — " Did Colonel Montague know him .?" was 
 Julia's inquiry. 
 
 " Oh dear, yes ! for Lionel had talked so 
 much about Lord George before his arrival. It 
 Avas about a month before the Baroness's con-
 
 ALMACK'S. 95 
 
 finement took place that he had been introduced 
 to them ; and from that time he used to come 
 every evening, and he sang so well — and was 
 so agreeable, — and certainly — he did appear — 
 as if he had liked her very. much ; — and both 
 the Baron and Baroness thought so too, and 
 approved him in every respect : — and after that 
 he had followed them to Spa ; and there she had 
 danced every night with him, and rode Avith 
 him every morning; in short, they had been 
 much together, and every body had said that if 
 he meant nothing, he would be using her very 
 ill indeed :"" and here her little heart again 
 became too full. 
 
 The story, after all, was a very common one : 
 a smart young officer had been thrown so much 
 into the society of a very beautiful girl, and had 
 paid her so much attention, that she was over 
 head and ears in love with him. Is not that an 
 e very-day occurrence ? It had been a despe- 
 rate flirtation both at Paris and at Spa ; the
 
 96 almack's. 
 
 lady was in earnest — and the gentleman ! Ah 
 there was the rub. 
 
 " Did he ever say anything particular to 
 you ?" asked the prudent Julia. 
 
 " He told me we should see a great deal of 
 each other at Norbury, and always seemed to 
 hint that we should meet at Christmas." 
 
 " And when you were there last month ?" 
 
 " Oh, I had a great deal of talk with Lady 
 Anne about him ; they knew nothing where 
 he was ; but he is a great favourite with them 
 all, and they talked of his coming in the spring 
 to Norbury : — but he has no fortune, I fear," 
 said Louisa with a deep sigh; " and his bro- 
 ther, Lord Killarney, is so extravagant." 
 
 " But if Colonel Montague knows him so 
 well, he might find out where he is." 
 
 *' Oh ! do not ask Lionel, because he has 
 always been so angry with me." 
 
 " Why, what have you done to make him 
 angry .?"
 
 ALMACK S. 97 
 
 " Because, before Lord George came, I had, 
 what he called, flirted a great deal with M. de 
 Rosenval." 
 
 " Oh, fie ! Louisa ; why did you do so ?" 
 
 *' Indeed I never meant any thing ; but he 
 was a very good partner, and so I always used 
 to dance with him, and Caroline and I called 
 him il mio pastor Jido, but that was all ; and 
 after Lord George came, indeed I never flirted 
 with him in the least. " 
 
 " And now tell me honestly, my dear Louisa, 
 do you wish to spend the spring with the Wal- 
 lesteins ?" 
 
 " Wish it ! oh, my beloved Julia, there is 
 nothinoj on earth I wish so much ! — then I 
 should be certain to see him again : — I should 
 be quite happy. Oh ! do persuade Papa to let 
 me go — will you be so kind ?'* and the little 
 coaxer threw her arms round her sister's neck. 
 
 '' I would do any thing to make you happy," 
 
 VOL. I. F
 
 98 almack's. 
 
 said Julia, tenderly ; " and you know how kind 
 Papa always has been to both of us."" 
 
 " But promise me you will not say a word 
 to Colonel Montague about what I have told 
 you." 
 
 " Indeed I will not ; unless I find it abso- 
 lutely necessary, and for your advantage. I 
 think you may trust me, Louisa."" 
 
 The sisters then parted, to meet again at 
 breakfast with the rest of the family. The rain 
 continued, and many and heavy were the la- 
 mentations it occasioned. Mr. Mildmay it pre- 
 vented from attending the market-day at Mer- 
 ton, as was his usual custom; Julia had in- 
 tended to have been busy at her school, and 
 Louisa had projected a ride to Norbury. 
 
 " It is an ill wind that blows nobody good,'' 
 said Mr. Mildmay, as he took his seat at the 
 breakfast-table ; " this wet morning will enable 
 me to look over some accounts that have been 
 waiting for me this last month ; and as for you,
 
 almack's. 99 
 
 Lionel, there are some Atherford deeds you 
 might as well be at the trouble of examining ; 
 as for the ladies, what with their needles and 
 their music they are never at a loss for employ- 
 ment'' 
 
 " You promised, Sir, to give me some ac- 
 count of the Birmingham family," said Lionel. 
 " Perhaps you will have time this wet morning."" 
 
 " Oh ! do, Papa !" said Louisa : " for the 
 Baroness begs me to send her their history, and 
 if you tell it Lionel, it will do just as well.'" 
 
 " And so you heard from my god-daughter 
 last night," said Mr. Mildmay. "And what 
 does she say ? Will she come and see me, and 
 bring her husband here to visit us .?" 
 
 " No ; she wants you to go to London to 
 stay with her, and she has invited me to spend 
 the spring with them in Portland-place." 
 
 " She will not catch me in London in a 
 hurry," said Mr. Mildmay ; " but as for you, 
 my dear girl, I think it is an excellent plan ; for 
 F 2
 
 100 almack's, 
 
 I know very well that you find Bishop's-Court 
 terribly dull ; so I am sure I have no objection, 
 if you wish to go." 
 
 '* Oh ! my dear Papa ! how kind this is 
 of you," said Louisa, kissing Mr. Mildmay's 
 hand ; " I hardly dared ask to go from home 
 so soon again." 
 
 *' Dear brother," said Mrs. Penelope, " you 
 certainly do spoil these girls sadly. Too much 
 dissipation is a bad thing for young people." 
 
 " Come, come, no pi'eaching, Mrs. Pen. if 
 you please; let my daughters enjoy themselves, 
 and be happy. I don't want to have any more 
 old maids in my family, and there are not many 
 beaux for them in this part of the world, as you 
 know very well."" 
 
 Mrs. Penelope stroked her handkerchief down 
 with an air of displeasure ; Lionel gave one of 
 his sly looks at Louisa, which she perfectly 
 understood, and which, as usual, called all the 
 roses into her cheeks.
 
 almack"'s. 101 
 
 *' Well then, my dear," said the old gentle- 
 man, " go and write your answer to your friend, 
 that it may be ready for the post ; and pray say 
 many civil things from me to my old favourite, 
 for all her kindness to you. I always consider 
 her like another daughter. Well, the rain still 
 continues, and so I shall have plenty of time for 
 my accounts ; therefore, Colonel Montague, if 
 you will give me your company in the library, 
 I will tell you the history of our neighbour Sir 
 Benjamin, and Lady Birmingham; and after 
 that, I will show you those deeds." 
 
 Lionel followed the worthy squire into the 
 adjoining room, which was rich in old books, 
 and still older oak. Mr. Mildmay took his 
 seat in his comfortable library chair; his com- 
 panion placed himself opposite to him on the 
 sofa, and listened with attention to his pro- 
 mised narrative, the principal facts of which 
 were : — " That Sir Benjamin, from having been 
 the accidental protege of Governor Mildmay,
 
 102 almack's. 
 
 Mr. Mildmay's uncle, had risen from the con- 
 dition of a poor lad to a station in which he 
 had realized a handsome fortune, besides the 
 property bequeathed to him by his patron ; and 
 that Lady Birmingham, from an almost equally 
 low origin, had been elevated by marriage with 
 a rich West Indian merchant, the whole of 
 whose immense wealth she inherited ; Sir Ben- 
 jamin having obtained permission to add to his 
 own the name of the latter, on his marriage and 
 accession to the Baronetcy."
 
 almack's. 103 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER. 
 
 " Which do you prefer^ Art or Nature ?" 
 
 Strawberry Hill Anecdotes. 
 
 The next morning Colonel Montague walk- 
 ed towards Merton, and on his way back de- 
 termined to vary his road a little ; and instead 
 of the path across the meadows, by turning over 
 a well-known stile he found himself in a shady 
 lane, which had formerly been a favourite walk 
 of his, and which opened upon Horsely Com- 
 mon. Close by the gate he paused to admire 
 a most magnificent oak-tree, which, he remem- 
 bered well, his father used never to pass with-
 
 104 almack's. 
 
 out some observation ; even then, though un- 
 adorned with a single leaf, its stately trunk and 
 great branches could not fail to attract some 
 degree of attention. The following lines, which 
 Lionel had often heard Sir Walter repeat, came 
 into his mind : — 
 
 " In my great grandsires' trunk did Druids dwell ; 
 My grandsire with the Roman eagle feU ; 
 Myself a sapling, when my father bore 
 The hero Edward to the Gallic shore." 
 
 He leaned over the gate as he repeated them, 
 and stood for some time admiring a beautiful 
 red sky, and the setting sun retiring in full glory 
 towards the west. He was roused from his re- 
 verie by the sound of horses' feet, and on look- 
 ing up, he perceived two ladies on horseback, 
 who were approaching at a pretty brisk canter ; 
 the groom was at some little distance behind ; 
 the ladies paused at the gate, which Lionel 
 opened for them, before the servant could come 
 up. The elder of the two gave him a broad
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 105 
 
 stare as she bowed her thanks, but said nothing ; 
 the younger smiled most graciously, thanked 
 him in a sweet tone of voice, and was shocked 
 to have given him so much trouble. — What an 
 interesting incident ! The groom was in a 
 white and red livery. He might have asked 
 him who the ladies were, but this he at the mo- 
 ment omitted, and was therefore left to ruminate 
 upon " the who," and " the what"" these ladies 
 could possibly be ; but in vain ; he could only 
 determine that the one who spoke to him was 
 a very pretty girl, and had a very sweet voice, 
 that " most excellent thing in woman." 
 
 " Could it be Miss Birmingham i^"" Nous 
 verrons ! A clump of old elms on Horsely 
 Common diverted his attention ; they stood j ust 
 at the entrance of Mr. Mildmay's grounds. It 
 was a thousand pities they should not be seen 
 from the Park, an opening might so easily be 
 made through the fir belt; he thought too it 
 would be just the place for a new lodge, wliich 
 F 5
 
 106 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 Mr. Mildmay had often projected. He entered 
 the plantations, and listened to the pheasants, 
 which were just retiring to rest ; and thus, with 
 his head full of rural ideas and remembrances 
 of past scenes, excited by these objects, our hero 
 reached the ancient mansion, and proceeded di" 
 rectly to the library. 
 
 He found Mr. Mildmay in deep conversation 
 with a lady in a riding-habit, whom he instantly 
 recognized as the elder of the fair equestrians 
 who had passed him in Horsely-lane. He would 
 have retreated, but Mr. Mildmay called out, 
 " Come in, Lionel !" — then turning to the 
 stranger, he said, " Lady Birmingham, allow 
 me to present Colonel Montague to you." 
 
 Her Ladyship bowed most graciously, and, 
 after a very scrutinizing glance, " I think," said 
 she, " we were obhged to Colonel Montague 
 just now for opening the gate upon Horsely 
 Common : Barbara and I were puzzling our- 
 selves to make out who it could possibly be.
 
 almack's. 107 
 
 We were just come from Norbury, and we had 
 not heard of any stranger expected. I fancy it 
 is many years now, Sir, since you were in this 
 neighbourhood."" 
 
 " It is above ten years : I have never been 
 here since I first went into the army." 
 
 " Yet I assure you, my dear Sir, you Uve in 
 the recollections of all about here. Since I 
 came into this country, I have heard of nothing 
 but the gallantry, the generosity — what shall I 
 say that will not make you blush ? — the amia- 
 bility of the general favourite. Colonel Mon- 
 tague." 
 
 " I am sure my friends are much too good 
 to me, but their old regard to my family must 
 excuse their partiality." 
 
 " Oh, I see," said Lady Birmingham with 
 playful politeness, " that you more than deserve 
 all that I have heard of you. How painful 
 must a visit to this neighbourhood be to your 
 feelings ! but now having come, I hope you will
 
 108 almack's. 
 
 find that you are still among old friends. When 
 shall we see you at our 1 mean, at your Ab- 
 bey? for it is still yours ; we are only temporary, 
 possessors, you know. Consider us, therefore, 
 as the visitors, and be yourself at home. I de- 
 pend upon you ;" and Lady Birmingham held 
 out her hand with much apparent kindness. 
 
 " I leave Barbara with you, my dear Mr. 
 Mildmay ; don't let her sing herself quite hoarse 
 this evening ; but I know there is some danger 
 with Miss Louisa. Best regards to dear Miss 
 Mildmay— quite sorry to miss her this morning 
 — pray beg her to send me a speedy answer to 
 my note; and will you be so good as tell Barbara, 
 Mr. Mildmay, that if it should rain to-morrow 
 morning I will send the barouche and four for 
 her. Good morning, my dear Sir." Then turn- 
 ing to Montague ; " I shall long to have you for 
 my cicerone round your dear Abbey: I flatter 
 myself you will find it in excellent order, and 
 I must have you admire my American plants.
 
 almack's. 109 
 
 Lee and Kennedy tell me I have the finest col- 
 lection in the kingdom. I am sure few people 
 can have laid out so much with them as I have. 
 Colonel Montague, lend me your arm, if you 
 please, to mount my pretty mare ; — Grey Den- 
 mark, I call her : is not she a pretty crea- 
 ture .'' I bought her last summer of Lord Mor- 
 daunt for 120 guineas; she is thorough-bred. 
 Lord Glenmore wants her for his pretty bride, 
 and sent to offer me 150 for her; but I refused. 
 Adieu !" 
 
 After having seen her ladyship fairly off, 
 Lionel returned to the library, where he found 
 Mr. Mildmay, who observed the half-hour bell 
 had rung some time, — " So you and I, my good 
 fellow, must make haste, or we shall be late." 
 
 Before dinner, Colonel Montague was intro- 
 duced to Miss Birmingham. If he had thought 
 her pretty-looking in her habit, he was ready to 
 call her very handsome in her evening costume. 
 
 To regularity of features, however, she had
 
 110 almack's. 
 
 no pretence, though the charm of countenance 
 was all her own, and few people could help 
 admiring her soft hazel eyes ; the dehcacy of 
 her complexion was set off by jet black hair, 
 and her colour varied every time she spoke. 
 Her manner was unassuming, and her gentle 
 voice, and modest, feeling countenance, formed 
 a striking contrast to the decided tone and 
 bold expression of her mother. 
 
 Miss Birmingham could not bear competition 
 with the dashing and beautiful Lady Anne 
 Norbury ; she had not the fashion and ele- 
 gance of Miss Louisa Mildmay; nor did she 
 possess the tact of manner, and finished good 
 breeding of her friend Julia. Her mild un- 
 pretending nature desired not to strike, hardly 
 dared attempt to please : to attach those she 
 lived with was all she wished ; and in this she 
 seldom failed, for to know her and not to love 
 her was quite impossible. 
 
 She revered Mi:. Mildmay, she admired
 
 almack's. Ill 
 
 Louisa, she looked up to Julia, she esteemed 
 Godfrey, — she loved them all ; and the idea of 
 leaving such tried and valued friends for the 
 heartless crowds of London, was what weighed 
 on her mind at this moment. 
 
 Her mother, who was given up to the world, 
 laboured anxiously to excite in her mind a wish 
 to see and to be seen, a desire to show all she 
 knew, and the art to seem to know more than 
 she really did ; but all in vain, Barbara did 
 nothing but regret that the time drew so near 
 for their departure. The splendid mansion 
 preparing for them, the entertainments and 
 balls which her mother busied herself in pro- 
 jecting, excited no hopes in her youthful 
 mind. 
 
 As the journey to London drew nigh, the 
 fair Barbara felt how much she must regret 
 her garden, and her walks and rides, and, more 
 than all, how she should miss her dear friends 
 at Bishop's-Court. This last thought pressed
 
 112 almack's. 
 
 the heaviest on her spirits ; indeed she said 
 so much about it, that at last her mother was 
 induced to write a note to Miss Mildmay to en- 
 treat her to persuade Mr. Mildmay to allow her 
 to accompany them up to town. Lady Birming- 
 ham left this note upon the library-table, and 
 this was the petition she begged Mr. Mildmay 
 would tell Julia to answer without delay. 
 
 The party were all particularly animated at 
 dinner, Mr. Mildmay and his good sister Mrs. 
 Penelope were never so happy as when sur- 
 rounded by young people, and the three girls 
 were all spirits and gaiety : thus inspired, could 
 Lionel fail of being agreeable ? 
 
 " I suppose, Colonel Montague," said Bar- 
 bara, " you were returning from Merton, when 
 we passed you by the old oak. I wonder you 
 did not take my favourite walk by the Abbey ; 
 it is a so much prettier road." 
 
 " Oh,"" said Louisa, " he penserosoed there for 
 a full two hours the day before ; indulged all
 
 almack's. 113 
 
 sorts of mournful recollections, my dear ; em- 
 braced your two old favourites, that stupid 
 grey-beard Isaac, and his long lanky wife 
 Molly ; wrote some tender lines upon some 
 picture you are copying, and then arrived here 
 tout-Orfait larmoyant.'''' 
 
 " Fie ! Louisa, how can you talk so ?"" said 
 Julia. 
 
 " I was delighted," said Lionel, " to find 
 my two old friends looking so well, and they 
 are fortunate in being so comfortably off in 
 their old age; but your copy of my dear mo- 
 ther'^s picture quite charmed me. Miss Birming- 
 ham : it is extremely like ; I cannot say how 
 much I was struck with it." 
 
 " NoAv, were you really ? I hope you would 
 not say so if you did not think it like : when 
 you come to the Abbey next, pray examine it 
 particularly, and point out any alterations you 
 would wish to have made. I trust I shall 
 finish it before I go to town, and then — I
 
 114 almack's. 
 
 should like to ask a favour of you, — only, per- 
 haps, you might think it a liberty." 
 
 " Oh, my dear Barbara,"" said Julia, " I guess 
 what you are going to ask, and I am certain, 
 that, instead of thinking it such, Colonel Mon- 
 tague will be quite flattered by it." 
 
 " Do you think so ?" said Barbara, blushing ; 
 then turning towards Lionel, she added in a 
 very low tone, for she hardly dared to trust 
 her voice, " perhaps you will be so good as to 
 present the picture from me to your sister, 
 Madame de Wallestein. I thought she would 
 like to have a copy of so beautiful a painting, 
 and of one so dear to her ; I only wish it were 
 better worth her acceptance. Perhaps, too, this 
 may lead to my becoming acquainted with your 
 sister: I have heard so much about her, that 
 I quite long to know her." 
 
 Montague was indeed flattered, and ex- 
 pressed his thanks in warm terms, assuring 
 the fair artist that there was nothing in the
 
 almack's. 115 
 
 Abbey he and his sister valued so much as 
 that picture. 
 
 The conversation was here interrupted by 
 Mr. Mildmay, who had been discussing some 
 little family business with Mrs. Penelope, which 
 was at length settled. " So, my dear Miss Bir- 
 mingham,"" said he, " we are soon to lose you, 
 I find, from the Abbey ; well, I dare say you 
 are longing to be figuring away in London. I 
 hear your ncAv house in Regent-street is quite 
 a palace. I suppose your little head is begin- 
 ning already to run upon balls and beaux, if you 
 would speak the honest truth," said the old 
 gentleman, tapping his snuff-box. 
 
 *' And that. Sir," said Louisa, " is a thing 
 no woman ever has done yet since the days of 
 Eve.'^ 
 
 " Say you so, my dear .''" said her father ; 
 " I should never have expected you, of all 
 people, to libel your sex in such a way; you, 
 who are just come from le paradis des femmes.
 
 116 almack's. 
 
 I thought, in your eyes the female sex were 
 quite perfect." 
 
 " Niece/' said Mrs. Penelope, arranging her 
 spectacles and bridling up with great dignity, 
 " you really surprise me ! When once a young 
 woman well born, and prudently educated, de- 
 preciates the moral qualities of her sex, what 
 are we to expect from the men .?" 
 
 " Why, madam, that, out of contradiction, 
 they will bestow on us all those good qualities 
 we confess we want. Come, aunty, do not be 
 angry, and I will retract : in your young days, 
 I dare say, women were angels ; but now they 
 are fallen from their high estate, and do not 
 alwaj'S speak the truth as they used to do for- 
 merly ;*" and the flighty young lady hummed 
 half aloud the old words : — 
 
 " What know we of angels ? 
 I spoke it in jest." 
 
 " Incorrigible girl !*" 
 
 " Well now, my dear aunt ! I will lay you
 
 almack's. 117 
 
 a wager, that Barbara declares she would prefer 
 passing the winter at the Abbey to going to 
 town ; she would rather stay and teach broderie 
 to the children at widow Croft's school; make 
 flannel waistcoats for all the old men and women 
 in the village ; and visit old Teddy and all the 
 Merton humdrums, than figure away at Al- 
 mack's, the Opera, the French play, the Phil- 
 harmonic, &c. &c. &c. Well, though she should 
 say it, can you in your sober senses believe 
 her? — Now, Barbara, what would you say? let 
 us hear." 
 
 " You see what a madcap of a friend I have 
 got," said Barbara laughing : " but really, 
 Louisa, you are not fair ; were your brother 
 here, I am sure he would tell you the case was 
 not half made out. I am extremely fond of the 
 country, and all its amusements ; but I never 
 said I preferred these things, as you have 
 stated, though I own indeed that I love the 
 country best. Then, is it not natural to feel
 
 118 almack's. 
 
 for all the poor old people who depend upon 
 you, particularly when they are so grateful to 
 you ? As for the people at Merton, I hope 
 I am civil to them; but really I do not see 
 them very often. Well then, you and Julia 
 are my two best friends ; I should be ungrate- 
 ful indeed were I not to regret those who have 
 been so constantly kind to me. How should I 
 like London ? — I know few people there ; and 
 tlie three winters I have passed there I have been 
 always so tormented with masters ! Every hour 
 brought a fresh one, till I hated every thing 
 I learned, except painting. Then, you know, 
 I used to be pent up with poor Madame Du- 
 pont in a dark back room ; my only relax- 
 ation was walking up and down that dull 
 Berkeley Square, or else riding round and round 
 at Fozard's riding- school, which was quite as 
 tiresome. Can you then w^onder I did not use 
 to like London.?" 
 " Quite an exculpatory oration !" said Louisa;
 
 almack's. 119 
 
 " and delivered con amore ; and I see it has had 
 its effect upon the audience, for Colonel Mon- 
 tague looks quite penetre de vos sentimens pas- 
 toraux."" 
 
 " Louisa, my love, I wish you would not 
 quiz so," said her father : " your spirits run 
 away with you." 
 
 " Oh, I am well used to Miss Louisa's wit," 
 said Lionel: " I have often smarted under it 
 at Paris."" 
 
 " And as the burnt child dreads the fire,"" 
 said Louisa, " I suppose you likewise rue ray 
 appearance." 
 
 The ladies rose to leave the dining-room. — 
 
 *' Vile custom," said Louisa, " of this our bar- 
 barous country ! Had we been at Paris now, 
 mon cher Colonel, I would have made you rvee 
 me a little longer." 
 
 " Then, in that case," said Lionel, " I am at 
 least in this instance a gainer by this vile cus- 
 tom."
 
 120 ALMACK^S. 
 
 As Barbara passed Mr. Mildmay, he held out 
 his hand affectionately to her, and said, " Pray, 
 my dear, do not be ashamed of loving the 
 country and its simple pleasures; I only fear 
 the time may come when you will tell another 
 tale." 
 
 As soon as they were all established in 
 the drawing-room, Mrs. Penelope composed 
 herself for her usual evening nap, and the 
 young ladies continued their conversation round 
 the fire. 
 
 *' Oh, Barbara," said Louisa, " I had no 
 idea your heart had been so soon caught : I see 
 this gallant Colonel, with his dark eyes and 
 sentimental feelings, has shot you dead directly. 
 I have been playing off all my Paris airs and 
 graces in vain, after having had this same man 
 as my cavalier for a whole season. See what a 
 pastorale does, played in proper time and tune. 
 You will play Damon and Phillis together ad- 
 mirably : his charmant serieux, and your inno-
 
 almack's. 121 
 
 cente douceur— oh, it will be irresistible ! The 
 first act is over dejd, ipray Jilez le parfait amour 
 as quick as you can, for there is nothing so in- 
 teresting as the dtnouemens. 
 
 " But now tell us whom you had at Norburj- 
 yesterday." 
 
 " Oh, there were a great many people alto- 
 gether : I shall hardly be able to recollect them 
 all. First, there was a fat tattling Mrs. Met- 
 calf, a decided old lady ; then there was a 
 fat tattling would-be young lady, an odd Miss 
 Bevil; and the two Miss Molyneuxes, of course ; 
 you know they are a standing dish there, Dora 
 was more pitied than ever, and Maria always 
 talking and smiling to every body ; and then, to 
 be sure, she might smile for some purpose." 
 
 " Oh ! then I suppose good old Sir Edward 
 Barrington was there," said Louisa. 
 
 *' Yes, he left them at the same time wc did, 
 and Miss Maria was sadly discomposed at the 
 shortness of his visit." 
 
 VOL. I. G
 
 122 
 
 ALMACKS. 
 
 "If perseverance can succeed, she will cer- 
 tainly become Lady Barrington; but slie has 
 been a long time about it, for the courtship on 
 her side began before I went to France. But 
 whom else had you, Barbara ?*" 
 
 " Oh ! there was that strange Dr. Sloper, and ' 
 the obsequious Frenchman the Abbe Ic Blanc, 
 one or tAvo officers of the Fourth Dragoons, and 
 Lady Norbury"'s nephew, Lord George some- 
 thing or other." 
 
 " Fitzallan it must be,'' said Louisa eagerly. 
 
 " Yes, yes, the same. VV^e were to have had 
 Lord and Lady Glenmore also, but her lady- 
 ship was unwell." 
 
 " Was it a pleasant party ?"" inquired Louisa 
 thoughtfully. "Not to my taste," replied Miss 
 Birmingham, " for the business of one half of 
 the company seemed to consist in ridiculing 
 the other ; and Lady Norbury always gives me 
 the idea of a person obliged to submit to her
 
 almack's. 123 
 
 hard fate, in receiving so many persons whom 
 she does not care about." 
 
 During this conversation Miss Mildmay had 
 retired to her dressing-room, to read Lady Bir- 
 mingham"'s very long note, which was as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 *^ Atherford Abbey, Tue&day. 
 " My dearest Miss Mildmay, 
 
 " I have promised Barbara, before we go 
 to town, to propose a scheme to you which 
 she has very much at heart. Will you, my 
 dear, become our guest for the next three 
 months in town ? I think you will have influ- 
 ence enough with your good father to persuade 
 him to consent to this plan, if it be agreeable to 
 3'ourself. I need not point out its advantages 
 to you. I think I can promise you plenty of 
 amusement, and an introduction to the very 
 best society ; for of course I mean to bring out 
 Barbara in the first style ; and with her many 
 G 2
 
 124 almack's. 
 
 advantages, both present and future, there can 
 be no doubt that she will make some noise in 
 the world. I depend upon your sending me 
 a favourable answer by Barbara to-morrow, in 
 which case I will write to town immediately, 
 that a bed-room and dressing-room may be 
 prepared for you ; and I can also offer you a 
 place in my barouche-landau, and 3'^our maid 
 can follow, with mine and Barbara"'s, in Sir 
 Benj amines britscha. 
 
 " You will find our society in town a very gay 
 one, my dear Miss Mildmay ; — in the country, 
 of course, we lead quite a different life. I 
 have agreed for an excellent Opera-box in the 
 centre of the house, and Ebers has received my 
 draft for 300 guineas by this day's post. If 
 you settle to accompany me, I will take up the 
 brown mare, as well as Grey Denmark, and the 
 little chesnut, that we may all exhibit in Hyde 
 Park, which, I hear, is now more the ton than 
 ever.
 
 almack's. 125 
 
 " Shall I endeavour to get you a subscrip- 
 tion for the Philharmonic ? — I know it is very 
 difficult, but I pique myself on doing impossi- 
 bilities. We have not yet determined about 
 the Ancient Music; perhaps one concert a week 
 may be enough. You see I write as if it were 
 all fixed that we are to have you, and I do 
 really hope that you will consent. I am de- 
 lighted to hear that both Mr. Mildmay and 
 Mrs. Penelope are so free from rheumatism, 
 notwithstanding all these cold east winds. I 
 shall probably see them this morning ; but the 
 sun shines so bright, I have little hopes of 
 finding either you or Miss Louisa. Barbara 
 summons me to mount, so adieu for the present. 
 Ever, my dear young friend, 
 
 " Most faithfully your''s, 
 
 " Bettina Birmingham. 
 
 " We stayed last night at Norbury, as formal 
 and disagreeable as usual. We rode back here to 
 luncheon, and have to let our horses rest, before
 
 126 
 
 ALMACKS. 
 
 we set of again for Bishop's-Court. I am very 
 busy in the shrubbery, enlarging my American 
 plantations, and making a new rose-bed ; I have 
 just got 180 new sorts from Lee and Kennedy; 
 and my friend, Governor Smith, has sent me seve- 
 ral thousand new seeds from the Cape. Pray tell 
 Miss Louisa, my China silks and Indian fans are 
 arrived quite safe — I long to show them to you. 
 Our new coach is to be ready for the birth- 
 day ; it is in Leader's best style. I shall pre- 
 sent Barbara at the drawing-room, which I hear 
 is to be held the week before. I have ordered 
 her a splendid set of amethysts for that day, 
 at Hamlet's. But I must conclude — once more 
 adieu."" 
 
 When Miss Mildmay returned to the draw- 
 ing-room, she was agreeably surprised to find 
 her brother Godfrey was arrived ; the Weldon 
 Sessions being over sooner than he expected, had 
 set him at liberty. Godfrey Mildmay was over-
 
 almack's. 127 
 
 joyed to meet his old friend and schoolfellow 
 Lionel, whom he had not seen for so many 
 years ; and the girls were amused at the plea- 
 sure each took in relating some of their old 
 school adventures. Godfrey was some years 
 older than his friend, a sensible rising young 
 man, much esteemed in his profession, but very 
 inferior to Montague in personal advantages : 
 he had a kind of dry caustic humour, which 
 made him at times very entertaining. His sister 
 Juha doated on him ; but his total want of 
 pohte accomplishments often shocked Louisa, 
 who declared it was impossible to make any 
 thing of him but un vrai Rosbiff. His father 
 had the highest opinion of the integrity of his 
 character, and felt justly proud of his abilities 
 and industr}'. 
 
 During tea, Colonel Montague, Miss Mild- 
 may, and Miss Birmingham, had got into a pri- 
 vate conversation, and Louisa, who was next her 
 brother, observing him yawn once or twice.
 
 178 almack's. 
 
 in a way that might be forgiven to a young 
 barrister who had closed a very fatiguing week 
 with a ride of ten miles, attacked him thus : — 
 
 " Pray, Godfrey, what have you and all your 
 musty confreres been about at the sessions ? 
 Had you any dandies on the bench ?" 
 
 " I really can't say," said Godfrey, thinking 
 of something else. 
 
 " Well now, that is odd ; but I suppose you 
 learned fellows make use but of two powers 
 at a time, — so, having to hear and to speak, you 
 never use your eyes ; in which case they are re- 
 turned home fresh to admire the ladies of Bi- 
 shopVCourt. Do take a cup of strong green 
 tea, to refresh you ; there,"" said she, pouring out 
 a cup as she spoke. " Now how many lumps ? — 
 Six ? — Mercy ! how outrageous ; but I suppose 
 you are a friend to Colonial produce." 
 
 " Don't waste your wit so, Louisa," said God- 
 frey, "for I am tired and stupid.'' 
 
 " Oh, then you require exciting ; a little ex-
 
 ALMACK S. 129 
 
 ,ertion is always necessary, my good brother, in 
 order to be agreeable. Begin by saying some- 
 thing pretty to each of the ladies in turn. What 
 think you of Aunt Pen's cap as a subject ?"" in 
 a whisper — " Just arrived from her friend Miss 
 Parry, the milliner at Merton. — Lionel," stretch- 
 ing across the table, " I want to speak to you. 
 Do you remember la Baronne de Marsan's head- 
 dress, at the great ball at the H6tel-de-Ville, 
 which Wallestein used to call laie casserole — 
 what jokes were made upon it .'' And then that 
 Polish Prince Yablonouski, with his black hair 
 and red whiskers, who was ■ called Rouge et 
 Noir ; and those two English girls with black 
 petticoats and red bodies, who used to dance 
 with him, and whom he always termed, * les jo- 
 lies petites diablesses de Londres T Now I think 
 I will make a drawing of Aunty's cap; the title 
 shall be La chateau en Espagne, and the device, 
 IVIadame de Sevigne's pretty motto, Vatto nan 
 temo. But, I see, no one listens : Mrs. Penelope 
 G 5
 
 130 
 
 ALMACE S. 
 
 snoring, my father nodding over the Quarterly, 
 Godfrey resting in the great chair, both body 
 and mind; Barbara, Julia, and Lionel, whis- 
 pering very rudely. Come, good people, I am 
 in the humour to sing;'' and she tuned her 
 guitar and gave them a lively little French air 
 with much spirit. 
 
 When she had finished, she flew to the 
 piano. 
 
 " Now, Colonel Montague,'' said she, " you 
 have often sung with me formerly, and I want 
 you to take the second in that old air, Pescator 
 deir onde." 
 
 Lionel obeyed : their voices accorded per- 
 fectly, and they sung several little things with 
 great effect. 
 
 Louisa then favoured them with some Spanish 
 airs to the guitar. She had learnt the true 
 Spanish strike from some Castilian Don, who 
 had been a beau of hers, somewhere on the Con- 
 tinent.
 
 almack's. 181 
 
 " Louisa," said Julia, " let us hear Barbara." 
 
 " Oh dear," said Barbara, " after Louisa's 
 beautiful voice, can you wish to hear me? I 
 never could catch the Italian style," said she, 
 " much to mamma's mortification. Mine is 
 mere ballad-singing; but if it will give you any 
 pleasure, I will try." 
 
 She sat down to the instrument, and gave the 
 favourite Scotch ballad of " Auld Robin Gray," 
 with so much pathos and feeling, that even 
 Godfrey was charmed ; as for Lionel, he was 
 perfectly enchanted. Her voice was not power- 
 ful, but it was so sweet, and so pathetic. 
 
 '* Oh, before you go. Miss Birmingham," said 
 Godfrey, " do favour us with my favourite 
 Scotch song, * Should auld acquaintance be 
 forgot; " 
 
 Barbara immediately comphed. 
 
 }yhen she had concluded that beautiful air, 
 all were profuse in their thanks, except Lionel ; 
 he only looked what he felt. 

 
 13i2 almack's. 
 
 " Well now," said Godfrey, " let each of the 
 young ladies have their turn. Julia, you must 
 give us the Overture to Alexander's Feast ; I 
 call Handel's, music for the Gods, not like your 
 French frippery." 
 
 " Pray," said Mrs. Penelope, " let the con- 
 cert conclude with ' God save the King,* for 
 harp and pianoforte." 
 
 " No, no!" said Mr. Mildmay, ""Rule Bri- 
 tannia' must be the grand finale." 
 
 " And then to bed, perchance to sleep," said 
 Godfrey, " for, by that time, I shall be tired 
 even of sweet sounds."
 
 almack's. 133 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE DEPUTATION. 
 
 Grentles, perchance you wonder at this show ; 
 But wonder on, till time makes all things plain. 
 
 Prologue to Pyramus and Thisbe. 
 
 Early the next morning, Mr. Mildmay was 
 seen taking his usual walk with his son round 
 the grounds of Bishop' s-Court. Godfrey was 
 relating to him the principal causes which had 
 been settled during the sessions at Weldon 
 Regis: the father made his remarks on the dif- 
 ferent decisions that had been given ; inquired 
 about several poachers, who he hoped had been
 
 184 almack's. 
 
 convicted and sent to the house of correction. 
 Then came the subject of the approaching elec- 
 tion for Merton. Godfrey had had much con- 
 versation with Mr. Bennet, son of the late 
 member, who decidedly declined standing. He 
 had fully explained to that gentleman all Mr. 
 Mildmay's reasons for wishing him to stick 
 entirely to the law, which few Parliament-men 
 ever did. 
 
 They had talked over all the most likely can- 
 didates. It had been supposed not impossible 
 for Lord Norbury to have thoughts of bringing 
 forward his nephew Lord George Fitzallan, but 
 one and all the country gentlemen were deter- 
 mined to oppose such an attempt ; and Godfrey 
 beheved Lord Norbury had ascertained the feel- 
 ings of the county too weU to try this time. 
 
 Here their conversation was interrupted by 
 one of the servants, who announced the arrival 
 of some gentlemen from Merton, who proved
 
 almaceV 135 
 
 to be a deputation for inviting Colonel Mon- 
 tague to offer himself : a proposal highly ap- 
 proved, and warmly seconded by Mr. Mildmay, 
 who immediately undertook all that was neces- 
 sary for insuring his friend''s election, only blam- 
 ing himself for his remissness in not having been 
 the first to think of, and set forward, so proper a 
 proposal. The preliminaries having thus been 
 gone through, it was at length determined that 
 the whole party should adjourn to Merton; when 
 Miss Birmingham, looking through the window, 
 exclaimed : — " Bless me, there is Colonel Mon- 
 tague, and your brother, both mounted ! Oh, 
 open the window, dear Louisa, and ask them 
 what all the fuss is about : and if it is really 
 true that they are going to elect your friend 
 member for the borough." 
 
 Louisa threw open the sash, and exclaimed : 
 " Colonel Montague, pray do not be so rude as 
 to go away without taking leave of Miss Bir-
 
 136 almack's. 
 
 mingham : you know she returns to the Abbey 
 this morning, and perhaps may not see you 
 again." 
 
 Both the young men obeyed the summons, 
 and rode to the window. " Well, ladies," said 
 Godfrey, " you must wish my friend Lionel 
 success ; he is going to offer himself to represent 
 the borough of Merton Minster ; a deputation 
 of six gentlemen came on purpose to invite him. 
 I am quite sorry we are to lose you so soon. 
 Miss Birmingham ; I was in hopes you would 
 have stayed and canvassed with us. Make plenty 
 of red and white cockades, girls, against we 
 come back." 
 
 " May I hope you are interested in my suc- 
 cess, Miss Birmingham ?"" said Lionel softly. 
 
 " Oh, indeed you have my warmest good 
 wishes :" said Barbara, with much animation. 
 " I wish I could be of use to you in any way ; 
 but you will not forget to call on Mamma, she 
 knows all the people about.'"'
 
 almack's. 137 
 
 " My first call will be on Lady Birmingham,"' 
 said Colonel Montague ; " therefore perhaps I 
 may see you again ; I am afraid now I must 
 say good-b'ye." 
 
 " Well, this is strange," said Ijouisa, as the 
 young men rode off: " I shall be inclined to 
 reverse Napoleon's famous saying ; for, in this 
 case, it is ' du ridicule au sublime il iCy a qu'un 
 pas.'' How provoking now it is, Barbara, that 
 you should be going this morning ; for, to be 
 sure, you and Lionel do take so violently to each 
 other, that you ought to stay to hear about his 
 success." 
 
 " Louisa must have her joke," said Barbara ; 
 " but I really am quite sorry that mamma set- 
 tled to send the horses this morning." 
 
 *' Could not you send them back," said Julia, 
 " with a note to Lady Birmingham ? I am afraid 
 there is not a man left about the house, or we 
 might send word for them not to come." 
 
 " Oh, it is too late now," said Barbara,
 
 138 almack's. 
 
 " they would be set off; and I am afraid 
 mamma would not be pleased were I to send 
 them back ; but you will promise to let me 
 know all that happens. I wonder whether we 
 can command many votes; I do hope mamma 
 will exert herself for Colonel Montague." 
 
 At this moment the footman entered with 
 a note for Miss Birmingham ; " Oh, it is from 
 mamma, I see," said the young lady ; " then the 
 horses are come, I fear."" But after perusing the 
 contents of the billet, " Oh, I am so glad !" 
 said she, " Mamma writes me word that she is 
 so busy with the steward auditing the accounts, 
 and settling every thing with the housekeeper 
 about our journey to town, that if I am not in 
 your way, perhaps you will permit me to stay 
 a day or two longer with you. — I wonder whe- 
 ther you will," said she, looking archly at Julia. 
 
 " My dearest Barbara, how happy this good 
 news makes us !"" said Miss Mildmay. " Pray 
 write Lady Birmingham word, how glad Ave
 
 almack's. 139 
 
 shall be to keep you as long as she will 
 allow us." 
 
 " I think I know a certain gentleman, who 
 will be much displeased at this arrangement," 
 said Louisa ; " but do not you want to write, 
 Barbara ? here is my desk al your service." 
 
 " Thank you ; but, as I must speak to my 
 maid, I will write in my own room." 
 
 As soon as Barbara was gone, " Julia," said 
 Louisa, " I would lay a good deal, that this is 
 all a scheme of Lady Birmingham's to keep 
 Barbara in ignorance of her projects with regard 
 to Hollins ; for I am told she certainly intends 
 to get him proposed as a candidate for Merton. 
 At all events, I see her drift is to keep her ma- 
 noeuvres a profound secret from all of us ; and 
 to the world it will appear as if she were favour- 
 able to Lionel, from her daughter remaining 
 here. Commend me to such crooked policy. 
 What do you mean to do, my dear sister, about 
 her wish to have you with them in London .^"
 
 140 almack's. 
 
 " I have hardly thought of it at all yet,"" said 
 Julia : " you know I am not very partial to 
 London ; but if I could suppose I should be 
 any comfort to our dear Barbara, it certainly 
 would be a great inducement to me to go. But 
 I must have a long talk on the subject with my 
 father, before I settle any thing/' 
 
 At dinner, the family party met all again 
 in high spirits, and the gentlemen were not a 
 little pleased to find Miss Birmingham still at 
 Bishop's-Court. Each had a great deal to re- 
 late, and they all seemed highly pleased with 
 what had passed. Mr. Mildmay had found 
 Mr. Molyneux, the high- sheriff, at home, and 
 had been quite delighted with the account his 
 old friend gave him of the deputation from 
 Merton. He remembered Lionel well, as a fine 
 spirited boy, and expressed himself most anxi- 
 ous for his success. They had gone together 
 to Merton to hear what had been done there ; 
 and Mr. Molyneux had then been introduced
 
 almack's. 141 
 
 to Colonel Montague. Moreover it had been 
 determined in full committee, that the worthy 
 squire of BishopVCourt should propose the 
 candidate on the day of nomination, and that 
 Mr. Sydenham, of Elsinore Lodge, should se- 
 cond him : the last mentioned gentleman hap- 
 pened most opportunely to call on Mr. Wilson 
 the banker, while Mr. Mildmay was there, and 
 he readily agreed to give every assistance in his 
 power to Lionel's party. Lord Norbury had 
 also given a most obliging answer. 
 
 Lady Birmingham was not at home when 
 they called at Atherford Abbey ; but Mr. 
 Mildmay delivered his letter himself to her 
 ladyship's butler, with a strict charge to pre- 
 sent it the very instant she came in. Sir Ben- 
 jamin was not yet returned from Liverpool. 
 
 Lionel had been most highly gratified with 
 his reception at Merton ; he had been intro- 
 duced to some of the leading people in the 
 borough, who seemed all unanimous in their
 
 142 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 approval of him, and in promising him their 
 support. 
 
 The general feeling of good-will towards 
 him was certainly very strong ; his being one 
 of the old Montague family seemed alone to 
 insure his popularit}'^ ; and Godfrey made his 
 sisters laugh with the ridiculous account he 
 gave, of how much his friend's handsome per- 
 son was admired by sundry most respectable 
 old ladies at Merton.
 
 almack's. 14S 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 GRANDEKS. 
 
 Begin ! who first the catalogue shall grace. 
 To quality belongs the highest place ; 
 My lord comes forward ! forward let him come, 
 Ye vulgar, at your peril give him room. 
 
 Young's Satires. 
 
 Ok the Saturday morning, Mr. Mildmay 
 proposed to the two young men, that they 
 should all ride over to Norbury, as it would 
 be as well that Lionel should be introduced 
 to that family before the election. The Earl 
 received them with the utmost urbanity ; but 
 notliinff could be more flatterinff than his 
 reception of Colonel Montague, for he was 
 a complete man of the world, a courtier, and
 
 144< almack's. 
 
 a politician, one who perfectly understood the 
 value of words, and knew how far he might 
 go without committing himself. It had been 
 often said of Lord Norbury, that any one 
 following him up St. James's-street, and ob- 
 serving his manner of returning the bows of 
 his acquaintance, might safely pronounce on 
 their respective ranks, so nicely did he attend to 
 the minutise des bienseances. He was a little- 
 minded man, with much experience of the world, 
 and not one grain of heart in his whole com- 
 position ; he had risen to high rank by the ta- 
 lent of bending men to his purpose, and, as this 
 was the qualification he had found most useful 
 himself, so it was the only one he esteemed 
 in others. He loved — himself alone ; and he 
 wished well to his family, as belonging to him- 
 self, not for their own individual merits. 
 
 The Countess was a very different person ; 
 the rock on which she split was pride — pride 
 of blood, pride, of situation. The world with
 
 almack's. 145 
 
 her was divided into two classes — patricians and 
 plebeians ; she knew of no shades, no go-be- 
 tweens — people whom every body knows, or 
 people whom nobody knows ; and to belong to 
 the latter class was certainly, in her opinion, 
 one of the severest visitations of Heaven : it 
 seemed to her as if it was hors de noblesse point 
 de saint. Lady Norbury's good qualities were 
 all clouded by these violent, ultra aristocratic 
 notions; for she was in reality a kind-hearted 
 woman, with a well-cultivated mind ; and, when 
 she chose to unbend, she could be very agree- 
 ble ; but this was rarely the case, for she was 
 fastidious in no common degree, and it was dif- 
 ficult to meet with any person less generally 
 liked than the haughty Countess of Norbury. 
 
 Lady Anne, her daughter, was extremely 
 beautiful, fascinating, and accomplished, but 
 her character had been ruined by excessive 
 flattery. She was haughty, selfish, and unfeel- 
 ing, with a power of concealing these defects 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 146 at.mack's. 
 
 from a common observer by her wit and viva- 
 city. The power of pleasing she considered as 
 an art reducible to rules, of which she had 
 made herself mistress ; her pride was not, hke 
 her mother's, pride of rank, but pride of talent. 
 She loved flattery, though she despised the flat- 
 terers. She laughed at every body and every 
 thing, for frolic was her passion; fools of all 
 kinds she thought fair game ; indeed, no foibles 
 could escape her ; her father's manoeuvres, her 
 mother''s hauteur, were equally amusing to her. 
 AH religious principle had been forgotten in her 
 education ; she had never in her life paused for 
 a moment to reflect, and it was her favourite 
 maxim, that 
 
 " Le Monde est plein de foux, 
 Et qui n'en veut pas voir^ 
 Doit se nicher dans un trou, 
 lit casser son miroir.'' 
 
 Ijord Mordaunt, the only son of this illus- 
 trious family, possessed the same kind of dis-
 
 almack's. 147 
 
 position as his sister, but without any of her 
 wit ; he had all the pride of his mother, without 
 her heart ; and the same love of intrigue as his 
 father, but with very inferior talents. He had 
 been thwarted by the Earl in his first wish, which 
 was to shine on the opposition benches, probably 
 from a kind of spirit of contradiction, because 
 his father held a very good place under Govern- 
 ment ; but Lord Norbury had announced to the 
 young man his fixed determination to reduce 
 his allowance one half, the very first show he 
 should make of joining the other party. Lord 
 Mordaunt was therefore obliged to submit for 
 the present to obscurity ; and this only increased 
 his cynical humour : he revenged himself by en- 
 tering into every sort of dissipation, and attain- 
 ing all the celebrity which ton can give in the 
 nineteenth century to the frequenters of clubs, 
 gambling-houses, the noble associates of sharpers 
 and jockeys — glorious pre-eminence ! His lord- 
 ship wanted only to have been engaged in some 
 H 2
 
 148 almack's. 
 
 crim. con. affair, with a duel at his heels, in 
 order to have attained to the pinnacle of that 
 kind of fame so eagerly sought for by our young 
 nobility. 
 
 Such was the family to which Mr. Mildmay 
 now presented his young friend ; and Lord Nor- 
 bury really exceeded himself in the politeness of 
 his manner and the expression of his good-will 
 towards this woithy old gentleman. His lord- 
 ship had many reasons for wishing to be on 
 good terms with Mr. Mildmay, whose age and 
 populari4;y gave him a degree of weight in the 
 country not exactly belonging to his situation, 
 but arising from the tried respectability of his 
 character. 
 
 Provided Lord Mordaunt was secure of his 
 seat, Lord Norbury cared little who was the 
 other member for Merton Minster ; yet it would 
 certainly be far more agreeable to have a gen- 
 tleman for his son's colleague, than such a low- 
 born fellow as the Attorney Hollins.
 
 ALMACK'S. 149 
 
 Moreover, Montague might eventually be- 
 come a man of consequence ; it was in the cards, 
 as his brother Sir Edmund had only a daugh- 
 ter, and the estate was entailed on the male 
 heir. On these calculations. Lord Norbury de- 
 termined on receiving the young man with the 
 most distinguished courtesy, and to overpower 
 him with his gracious affability. He remained 
 at home the whole morning, in order to receive 
 the party from Bishop's-Court, and played his 
 part with his usual dexterity : he was much dis- 
 appointed, however, in finding Lionel a frank 
 manly character, one who felt his advantages 
 without presuming upon them — very different to 
 the raw youth Lord Norbury had hoped to see. 
 He found him a person on whom flattery was 
 quite thrown away, and who had seen too much 
 of the world to care for the unmeaning phrases 
 of a statesman, even though he were an Earl. 
 Lord Norbury saw in a clin-d'ail, that the new 
 aspirant would, from choice, prefer the straight
 
 150 almack's. 
 
 road of honour to the crooked paths of pohcy. 
 Such a character did not suit his Lordship's 
 taste ; their views of life must always be oppo- 
 site. The first five minutes convinced him that 
 he and Lionel would never be any thing more 
 to each other than they were at that moment — 
 but what then ? The young soldier was hand- 
 some and accomplished, and engaging ; such a 
 man would always have followers and admirers, 
 and would therefore be useful to appear at least 
 among Lord Norbury's partizans; it would 
 have its effect upon the world. 
 
 Lady Norbury received our hero graciously, 
 because he was a Montague, and his family had 
 fallen from their high estate ; high blood could 
 ennoble any situation, and her ladyship was 
 never more happy than when she could thus 
 publicly avow her respect for pure descent. 
 
 The Lady Anne was beginning to be heartily 
 tired of all her country flirts, and to sigh for a 
 wider field of conquest in London ; but, en at-
 
 ALMACKS. 151 
 
 tendatit, she had a few weeks to dispose of; 
 and how could they be better employed than in 
 turning the head of a handsome Colonel of the 
 Guards ? He had completely the air of a man of 
 the world — just what she wanted : he would not 
 do de Jait, being only a younger brother, with 
 nothing but his commission ; though, after all, 
 many a right honourable had done worse. True, 
 thought Lady Anne, but love in a cottage, 
 nay even in aferme oruee, will never do for me. 
 I must have rank and wealth to support it; 
 that is decided. But there is no haste at present. 
 I have plenty of strings to my bow already, so, 
 pour passer le temps, I may just as well try to 
 touch this man's heart : it keeps one in practice 
 too, which is always a great point. 
 
 Lady Anne had yet another reason : she 
 thought, it was impossible but that her very 
 particular friend and protegee, Louisa Mildmay, 
 must already have captivated Colonel Montague; 
 and her ladyship felt somehow as if she should
 
 152 almack's. 
 
 like just to try if she could not supplant her 
 friend. Not that she would have breathed such 
 a thing to the winds ; — no ; — but there could 
 be no possible harm in coquetting a little with 
 him, just for the pleasure of making Louisa 
 somewhat jealous. Besides, in winter, any thing 
 is fun in the country ; and what young lady of 
 rank and fashion would wish for better amuse- 
 ment than to make a man in love with her be- 
 fore Easter, in order to have the pleasure of 
 cutting him afterwards? — Portman Square and 
 Norbury were so different ! and what man could 
 be so ignorant as not to feel that ? 
 
 Besides, Lady Anne had always thought 
 Louisa very pretty; nay more, even elegant; 
 quite a girl of the world, who knew perfectly 
 what she was about with men, and had always 
 a great deal to say to them: — but then she 
 considered herself to be so much more beau- 
 tiful, that there could be no real danger from 
 such a rival. True ! a man might flirt with
 
 almack's. 153 
 
 Louisa ; but should her ladyship wish to fasci- 
 nate and draw him off, she must succeed. A 
 young man too, who probably had not seen a 
 great deal of the world, would inevitably be 
 iperdument in love with her, if she chose it. 
 
 This, then, would be a happy moment to 
 exercise her powers. 
 
 Such were the various motives which prompt- 
 ed her to exert all her arts of pleasing on the 
 devoted Lionel Montague. He was very much 
 struck at first sight with her beauty, and he 
 thought her very pleasing ; — no, that is too faint 
 a term — very captivating — a most charming 
 woman — most uncommonly clever and agree- 
 able ! — and could Lady Anne have heard his 
 report of her to the two young ladies at 
 Bishop's-Court, she would have been more than 
 satisfied with her coup d'essai. 
 
 Lord Mordaunt was out, coursing with his 
 cousin Lord George Fitzallan ; and all the rest 
 of the party in the house were engaged in their 
 H 5
 
 154 almack's. 
 
 morning amusements, except those we have 
 named. 
 
 Lord Norbury was outrageous at the idea of 
 such a fellow as a low-bred attorney at Mer- 
 ton polluting the House of Commons ; he was 
 astonished that his good friend Lady Birming- 
 ham could have taken such a measure with- 
 out consulting him: — very extraordinary! — 
 certainly a most ill-advised step : however, he 
 hoped he might congratulate Colonel Montague 
 upon every prospect of success, — Mr. Mildmay's 
 interest was so much the best of any in the 
 county — (this speech was attended with a side- 
 bow to the old gentleman) — and Mr. Godfrey 
 Mildmay would, he was sure, prove himself so 
 active a friend, one who understood canvassing 
 so thoroughly. His lordship felt conscious of 
 how little use his poor endeavours could be ; or 
 otherwise, any service he or Mordaunt could be 
 of.-— He hoped Mr. Mildmay would remember to 
 point oiit any thing they could do to promote
 
 almack's. 155 
 
 Colonel Montague''s success. The Earl piqued 
 himself upon the generality of information which 
 he possessed, and of the tact with which he un- 
 derstood how to adapt himself to men of differ- 
 ent professions and pursuits. As soon as he 
 was weary of holding forth upon military affairs 
 with Lionel, he discoursed agriculturally with 
 Mr. Mildraay ; and then turning to Godfrey, he 
 talked over the late sessions at Weldon, in 
 order to display his considerable familiarity 
 with law terms. 
 
 His lordship regretted the absence of Lord 
 Mordaunt and Lord George Fitzallan ; he be- 
 lieved they were both coursing. The pleasures 
 derived from field sports, so exciting to most 
 men, he never had felt. From early youth his 
 mind had been devoted to politics : he had had 
 no time but for business : long habit had made 
 business pleasure to him. He sometimes felt 
 disposed to regret that his son's pursuits were 
 so different to his own, but he had one conspla-
 
 156 almack's. 
 
 tion — though Mordaunt would not perhaps be 
 a great man, that love of sporting would pro- 
 bably render him a happy one. 
 
 What could his auditors say ? they could 
 only hope it would. But Lord Norbury was 
 one of those whose conversation consists chiefly 
 in truisms : he was a prodigious egotist, and 
 never could suppose any subject so interesting 
 as what related to himself. 
 
 Before they took leave, the Earl insisted on 
 LionePs fixing a time when he could give them 
 more of his company ; and after some discus- 
 sion it was agreed that after the election was 
 over, and all his business concluded, he should 
 come over to Norbury for a few days. The in- 
 vitation was extended to Godfrey; and the Coun- 
 tess sent a most gracious message to the Miss 
 Mildmays, requiring their presence also. Mr. 
 Mildmay, she knew, never slept out of his own 
 house ; but, if he would for once venture, her 
 ladyship would promise him a very warm room.
 
 almack's. 157 
 
 He, however excused himself, as well as his 
 daughter Julia, who would by that time be gone 
 to town : but he promised to use all his influ- 
 ence with Louisa to induce her to accept the 
 invitation ; and, by way of temptation, the 
 Countess sent word that it would be a very se- 
 lect party, as she expected the Lord Lieutenant, 
 the Duke of Derwent, and his Duchess, and 
 Lady Mary Derwent ; her brother Lord Tresi- 
 lian, and his Lady ; Lord Glenmore and his 
 beautiful bride; Sir Edward Barrington, one 
 of the county members, besides other person- 
 ages of less importance. 
 
 '* This young gentleman,"" said Lord Nor- 
 bury, turning towards Colonel Montague, with 
 a smile, " has, perhaps, to learn, that the Der- 
 wents and Glenmores are our Montagues and 
 Capulets ; and I am not a Httle pleased at the 
 idea of their all meeting for once in peace and 
 tranquillity under the roof of so insignificant 
 a person as your humble servant."
 
 158 almack's. 
 
 This was the parting speech, as the three 
 gentlemen mounted their horses for Bishop's- 
 Court. 
 
 " What did Lord Norbury mean by the 
 Montagues and Capulets ?"" said Lionel, as they 
 rode along. 
 
 " A classical allusion, I presume," said God- 
 frey, " to the feuds which have divided the two 
 great famihes of this country for above half a 
 century. Many a contested election have they 
 fought against each other with the utmost fury, 
 till both were nearly ruined."" 
 
 " But now, Lionel, what do you think of 
 Lady Anne ? She is handsome, is not she ?" 
 
 " Oh, beautiful ! I never saw a finer head ; 
 and then so much esprit C 
 
 "• Yes, she has plenty of that,''' said Godfrey, 
 " if she had it but a little more in command. 
 She has been much talked of for a Lord Dor- 
 ville, a gay young man with a large fortune, 
 who is always dangling after her ; but I cannot
 
 almack's. 159 
 
 help thinking Lady Norbury intends her for 
 her nephew, the celebrated Earl of Killarney, 
 the son of the old Marquis of Allandale." 
 
 " What ! the Grecian traveller ?" 
 
 " The same : his younger brother, Lord 
 George Fitzallan, you will find at Norbury 
 next week.'"' 
 
 Mr. Mildmay now rode up to the two young 
 men. " What a nice estate this is of Lord 
 Norbury's V said he ; " and all in a ring fence : 
 and such excellent land too ! Why, Lionel, 
 see ! it goes as far as yonder fir plantation to 
 the west." 
 
 " If I remember right," said Montague, 
 " Lord Norbury's estate is not a very extensive 
 one ; not to be compared either with the Duke's, 
 or Lord Glenmore's." 
 
 "' Oh dear no !" said Mr. Mildmay. " He 
 is quite a man of yesterday ; but the others 
 are the two great features of this part of 
 the world, the grand aristocracy of this
 
 160 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 county, who had been balanced against each 
 other since the Revolution. The Norburys, 
 however, have a kind of official importance ; 
 he is a great man with his party, one whom 
 they can depend upon, and whose services are 
 rewarded with a good place. Sooner than that 
 he should go without, one would be made 
 for him. He has got every tiding he has dared 
 to ask for. Lady Norbury has always been a 
 favourite at court, which gives tclat for the 
 time being : so that, though in fact very second- 
 rate personages, yet on the theatre of the great 
 world they perform a more prominent part, 
 and are much oftener named, than either of the 
 great guns of this county." 
 
 " Thank you, Sir," said Lionel, " I feel 
 now quite at home in the carte du pays.^ and 
 trust I shall know how to keep up with all 
 parties."
 
 AI,MACK*S. 161 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 FRENCH FASHIONS. 
 
 " Nay, oft in dreams invention we besto\r. 
 To change a flouncej or add a furbelow." 
 
 Pope. 
 
 The nomination went off with great eclat, 
 and the show of hands being almost entirely in 
 favour of Colonel Montague, he was declared 
 duly elected, to the no small mortification of 
 Lady Birmingham ; on whom fell all the dis- 
 grace of having proposed the unpopular candi- 
 date, Hollins. Most of the principal residents 
 in the vicinity having attended, it was agreed 
 at the dinner which followed, that a ball should
 
 162 almack's. 
 
 succeed, in celebration of the event : a proposal 
 which could hardly fail to prove particularly 
 gratifying to the ladies. 
 
 " Well," said Mr. Mildmay the next morning, 
 while seated at breakfast, " we must drive over 
 to the Abbey some day this week before Bar- 
 bara leaves us, to prove to Lady Birmingham 
 that we none of us bear malice. And then, my 
 dear Julia, you can finally settle every thing 
 about accompanying her ladyship to London ; I 
 think it will be an excellent scheme for you."" 
 
 " If I could feel certain, my dear father, that 
 you would not want me, I should like it much : 
 but, if Louisa should go to stay with the Ba- 
 roness, can you spare me also .''" 
 
 " To be sure I can ; don't make such an old 
 man of me. Sister Pen will be always here, you 
 know ; and then Godfrey going backwards and 
 forwards, and your letters, will tell me all the 
 news. I shall be so happy if I think you are 
 both amusing youselves — so much better for
 
 almack's. 163 
 
 you than moping here all the winter ; — oh, I 
 would have yon go by all means, my love.'' 
 
 Julia took her father's hand affectionately : 
 " You are only too good to us all, my dear 
 Sir.-' 
 
 " Here comes Barbara," said the kind-hearted 
 old gentleman ; " now make breakfast, for I am 
 very hungry. Lionel and Godfrey are certain 
 not to be in time, after their toasts last night. 
 Louisa, as usual, must be behindhand ; and 
 sister Pen is vastly busy in the dairy." 
 
 As soon as Barbara appeared, the family 
 schemes were all unfolded to her without re- 
 serve; she was much delighted to find that 
 Julia had made up her mind to accompany 
 them to town. 
 
 After some little discussion, it was at last 
 finally settled, that as Lady Birmingham must 
 pass Bishop's-Court on her road south, the best 
 plan would be for her to stop and take up Julia: 
 then it would save any farther trouble. The
 
 164 almack's. 
 
 next arrangement was not so soon made ; for it 
 required much consideration to understand that 
 most intricate of all subjects, the toilette ; and 
 to determine that very important point, what 
 dresses they should wear at the election ball. 
 Of course they must be all three alike, and there 
 was not much time for preparation. Besides 
 which, as mistress of the house, Julia had a 
 thousand orders to give, and regulations to 
 make, before her intended journey and long 
 absence from home ; for she was a most exact 
 and orderly person, and had generally arranged 
 all the household concerns long before Louisa 
 had left her bed. 
 
 The ball-dresses were the first object, and 
 those high priestesses of Fashion, usually deno- 
 minated ladies^maids, were summoned. First 
 came the important Mrs. Tiffany, a sage matron 
 of considerable experience, on whom the care of 
 adorning the gentle Barbara had long devolved. 
 Lajeime et gentille Eloise, a Parisian damsel of
 
 almack's. 165 
 
 acknowledged taste and address, Louisa's at- 
 tendant, next showed off her airy graces ; follow- 
 ed by the staid Mrs. Dinah, the venerable hand- 
 maiden of Mrs. Penelope Mildmay. These la- 
 dies were succeeded by a pretty rosy-faced girl, 
 named Lucy Brown ; whom Julia had taken in- 
 to her service when Louisa went abroad and took 
 with her a highly fashionable, thorough-bred 
 EngUsh abigail, who, when at Paris, bestowed 
 her fair hand on an elegant dujour, M. Adolphe, 
 coiffeur, who had une boutique bien assortie 
 an Titus moderne, coin dt la rue Taitbout. 
 This important procession was closed by Betty, 
 the house-maid, carrying in a pile of band- 
 boxes. The ladies were all assembled in the 
 drawing-room previous to the arrival of the 
 abigails, so that, when the whole party of 
 females was collected, the confusion of tongues 
 which issued may be conceived, as well as the 
 spirited discussion which took place, from the 
 variety of opinions entertained on the subject of
 
 166 almack's. 
 
 taste. Silks, satins, and laces, were fairly dis- 
 cussed. Tulle was placed in battle array against 
 gaze, — not gauze, gentle reader ; names, not 
 things, are altered, Les ruches were opposed aux 
 volans, les pits aux rouleaux ; et les plis contraries 
 were preferred aux houillons. Then came a point 
 of great importance to be decided, whether bou- 
 quets detaches or guirlandes were to be chosen. 
 
 The gentlemen would have been surprised 
 could they have heard that one gown was to be 
 bordee d''un ruban a cheval, while another trim- 
 ming was to be arrangee en riviere. Les coques 
 and les tirebouchons had each their partizans. 
 Les creves et les coquilles were both condemned. 
 
 The most learned painter would have been 
 puzzled with the new names given to colours. 
 There was the eau de Nil ; the oreille d'Ours ; 
 the Jlamme de Ponche ; the Raisin de Corinthe ; 
 the dos d'Araignee, and the 7'eveil de V Elephant : 
 besides many othejrs, eqvially distinguishedand 
 extraordinary.
 
 almack's. 167 
 
 Next came the important point of the fa^on. 
 Louisa recommended Mrs. Penelope to have 
 her rich brocaded grey gros de Naples made 
 a la vierge ; which not a Uttle scandalized Mrs. 
 Dinah, and she determined that her own should 
 be a la demi vierge, and Julia's a Penfant ; 
 while she advised Barbara to have her's en caur, 
 (which astonished Mrs. Tiffany), unless she pre- 
 ferred the forme a la Grecque, a term which 
 quite confounded simple liucy Brown. 
 
 All went on harmoniously, till Mademoiselle 
 Eloise, fresh from Paris, rich in mythological 
 ideas, and happily gifted with words at will, 
 displayed the full force of her eloquence in 
 praise of certain Corsage a la Venus qui faisait 
 les dtlices de tout Paris, and which had been 
 first worn by Madame la Baronne de Wallestein, 
 qui Cavait commande chez la fumeuse Made- 
 moiselle Virginie. 
 
 Notwithstanding this tirade, Mrs. Tiffany 
 ventured not to approve of this GaUican pro-
 
 168 ALMACK^'S. 
 
 duction, inasmuch as she decided that it looked 
 just for all the world like the bare naked stays, 
 and would be a scandal for any decent young 
 lady to wear. Mademoiselle Eloise fired up 
 at this, and said something very smart upon 
 les prejuges insulaires. Mrs. Tiffany, not quite 
 understanding, replied in a higher key, inveigh- 
 ing loudly against French frippery and imper- 
 tinence, in which she was joined in chorus by all 
 the other abigails. Mademoiselle Eloise shrug- 
 ging up her shoulders quite a la Fran^aise, ex- 
 claimed with an air of sovereign contempt, " Mon 
 Dieu ! que les Anglaises sont betes •' elles ne savetit 
 pas ce que c'est que la mode ! Le del n'a pas voulu 
 l£ur accorder de la iournure, et elles ne veuleut 
 pas prqfiter du savoir des autres. Mais moi qui 
 suis Parisienne nee a Paris tlevee a Paris, car 
 le bon Dieu suit que de ma vie je navais ja- 
 mais passe le pout de Neuilly avant de venir 
 dans ce vilain pays des brouillards ; moi qui ai 
 ete pendant deux ans premiere demoiselle chez
 
 almack's. 169 
 
 Madame Carson la mere, et puis pendant six 
 mots chez sa jille, Madame Maradon Carson, 
 personne aussi celebre pour sa coupe que pour la 
 fraicheur et le ban gout de ses garnitures contra- 
 rises de qui tout Paris ruffola, qui fait des envois 
 chez tons les et rangers, meme dans les pays les 
 plus barbares, par exemple chez les Russes et 
 jusqu'en JEcosse : — moi, quoique Je ne veuille pas 
 me vanter de mon savoir-faire, car Dieu suit qiCil 
 est deja assez connu, cependant fose me Jiatter 
 queje sals ce que cest que le bon gout.'''' 
 
 This harangue was hurried through with all 
 the volubility of a Frenchwoman touched in the 
 tenderest part. Having finished her speech, 
 and before her audience could recover from 
 their surprise, she seized the unfortunate 
 corsage a la Veiius, the cause of the dispute, 
 and flounced out of the room, clapping the 
 door most violently after her, and declaring 
 that her rivals, at least, should not have the 
 advantage of her patterns. Louisa burst into 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 170 almack's. 
 
 a loud laugh at this furious tirade, and flew 
 after the offended maiden to find some means 
 of pacifying her incensed tongue. 
 
 Barbara and Julia exchanged looks, but 
 thought best not to take any notice, and 
 therefore busied themselves in looking over 
 their finery. Lucy BroMii took her handker- 
 chief, in order to conceal an inclination to smile : 
 tlie dignified Mrs. Tiffany held her head higher 
 than ever, but propriety forbade a visitor's 
 interference : unutterable were the looks of 
 indignation visible on the countenance of the 
 sage Dinah ; she wanted nothing but an oppor- 
 tunity to give vent to her wrath. Mrs. Pene- 
 lope at length afforded her an opening, exclaim- 
 ing, in a still more solemn tone than usual, 
 while in the act of taking snuff, — " So much, 
 niece, for a French tongue." 
 
 Louisa now re-entered, bringing an apology 
 from Madame Eloise, that her anger arose from
 
 almack's. 171 
 
 misunderstanding the force of an English word. 
 Thus was tranquillity restored. 
 
 A debate then ensued whether plain red, or 
 variegated roses, would look best; but Mrs. 
 TifFany was quite of opinion that plain red 
 roses would be all the go among the Merton 
 ladies, and, to be sure, the party from Bishop's- 
 Court would wish to be distinguished by the 
 superior elegance of their dresses. 
 
 " Well, really," said Julia, " I think it a 
 very good idea. What say you, Barbara ?"" 
 
 " Oh, do not ask me," said Miss Birmingham 
 with her usual modesty ; " ask Louisa, who has 
 certainly the best taste in dress of any body I 
 know." 
 
 " So Barbara leaves it to me to decide,'"' said 
 Louisa : " and I think Mrs. Tiffany's trimming 
 will be very pretty ; but let us have white 
 corsages, liserts with red, to correspond.'" 
 
 " Mercy on us !"" said old Dinah : " lizard 
 corsets ! what may they be ?''"' 
 I 2
 
 172 AL mack's. 
 
 " Dinah,"" said Mrs. Penelope, " my niece 
 means bound with satin : these are newfangled 
 terms, which puzzle those, who, like you and 
 me, do not mix much in the world."" 
 
 " Well," said Mrs. Tiffany, " I think these 
 same white satin bodices will be very pretty, 
 and quite consistent-like, provided there be no 
 points."" 
 
 " Be comforted, Mrs. Tiffany,"" said Louisa; 
 " there shall be no points, I have determined, 
 though I know it will break poor Eloise's heart 
 to be so unfashionable ; but, for the good 
 people at Merton, it will do very well, I dare 
 say. 
 
 The next few days were passed at BishopV 
 Court in perfect tranquillity. Barbara was al- 
 ways happy in the society of her two friends, 
 but her present visit to them was particularly 
 agreeable. However occupied the two young 
 men were during the mornings, they always 
 dined and spent their evenings with the family
 
 almack''s. 173 
 
 party. Both were, of course, highly elated with 
 the agreeable and unexpected incident of the elec- 
 tion. Lionel was greatly flattered by the daily 
 marks he received of affectionate attachment 
 from his father''s old tenants, as well as of general 
 regard from the whole neighbourhood, which, 
 together with the kind friendship shown him by 
 good old Mr. Mildmay and all his famil}, in- 
 spired him with a degree of gaiety he had not 
 known for many years. Might there not also 
 be another cause still more powerful than any 
 we have described ? — We will not deny it. Miss 
 Birmingham's character was one peculiarly cal- 
 culated to please him ; she was so truly femi- 
 nine, so formed for tenderness and love, so all 
 that a man could wish for in a partner of wed- 
 ded life — all that in his dreams he had ever 
 fancied as the greatest comfort of existence. 
 
 In short, before the week was over he was 
 desperately in love ; and Barbara ! — why, she 
 thought him the most agreeable, the most amia-
 
 174 almack's. 
 
 ble, and by far the most handsome man she had 
 ever seen. 
 
 " Amor, potente Amorr 
 
 Louisa had ascertained that Lord George 
 Fitzallan was really at Norbury — was really to 
 attend the election ball, so she too was perfectly 
 happy. — And Julia ! was also happy in her own 
 way. She rejoiced in the happiness of those 
 around her.
 
 almack's. 175 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A VISIT. 
 
 ^' At Timon's villa let us pass a day. 
 Where aU cry out, ' What sums are thrown away !' " 
 
 Pope. 
 
 NoTHiNtt more of consequence occurred at 
 Bishop's-Court till the Sunday, when the whole 
 party attended divine service at the Minster ; 
 after which, Mr. Mildmay proposed that they 
 should drive to the Abbey, to call on Lady Bir- 
 mingham, — a peace-ofFering visit. Barbara's 
 countenance fell immediately, and Julia saw 
 that she would rather not be of the party. She 
 guessed from her knowledge of her friend's sen-
 
 176 almack's. 
 
 sitive disposition, how much it would annoy 
 her to be present at the first meeting between 
 her mother and Colonel Montague. Julia's 
 quick perception saw and felt all this in its 
 proper light, and she determined to spare Bar- 
 bara this pain. As she was to return to Ather- 
 ford Abbey after the ball on the Monday, there 
 could be no necessity for her being of the party 
 then ; Julia therefore proposed, that instead of 
 going to see Lady Birmingham, they two should 
 walk back to BishopVCourt through the fields. 
 Barbara caught at the proposal ^vdth delight ; 
 and Godfrey immediately offered to accompany 
 them, as there was nothing, he said, he abomi- 
 nated like morning visits. 
 
 The day was so fine, that even old Mr. Mild- 
 may proposed opening the landau. As Louisa 
 shook hands with Barbara at parting, she 
 brought the colour into her cheeks, by saying, 
 *' Foolisli girl! to leave me for so many hours 
 to make the agrtable to this same militaire,
 
 almack's. 177 
 
 this popular representative. Oh ! Barbara, you 
 will never know the world." She would have 
 said more, but Lionel seized her hand to help 
 her in: Mr. Mildmay followed, and Lionel 
 jumped in last. The old blacks set off at a 
 brisk pace, along the well-filled streets of the 
 borough of Merton. 
 
 '* liionel," said Louisa, " you had better go 
 without your hat at once, for, if you are to 
 bow to all these people, you will never have 
 done. But now yoi» must prepare for your 
 most obsequious ceremonious politeness, for we 
 shall have to pass Lord Mordaunt himself: — 
 there his Lordship stands in full dignity, sur- 
 rounded by his officiers superieurs : he looks just 
 as if he were holdino; a court martial."" 
 
 The carriage stopped, and Lord Mordaunt 
 advanced. " Good morning, Miss Louisa,"" bow- 
 ing low ; then lower still, to Mr. Mildmay, " My 
 dear Sir, your most obedient;" then with a hand 
 held out to Lionel, " Colonel Montague, how
 
 178 almack's. 
 
 are you this morning? not the worse, I hope, 
 for all our festivities the other night. You stood 
 your fatiguing honours well, my good friend ; 
 for popularity is a most boring thing, and I 
 give you my word, you will find politics un chien 
 de metier.'''' 
 
 " We are going to call on Lady Birming- 
 ham," said Mr. Mildmay ; " I fear her con- 
 science somewhat reproaches her, and Lionel 
 wishes every thing to be forgotten. Would 
 your Lordship do us the Jionour to accompany 
 us.?" 
 
 *' The pleasure of such society would half 
 tempt me, I own,"" said Lord Mordaunt ; " but 
 unfortunately we had Lady Birmingham at 
 Norbury last week, and I am afraid I have 
 heard all her ladyship's last intelligence, from 
 her body-coachman to her second head coach- 
 man, through all the gradations of grooms, till 
 at last, through the third helper, it penetrated 
 to so insignificant a personage as your humble
 
 almack's, 179 
 
 servant. Really one is not always en train for 
 that sort of thing ; the acting listener is some- 
 times rather an ennuyeuse business, unless one 
 has all one's notes of admiration ready. I 
 have seen all the new varieties of Deccan Ericas, 
 some hundreds, I was told ; I have admired all 
 the contributions from the Cape and West 
 Indies ; I have visited the aquarium or aqua- 
 ticum, and looked at the water lilies, and seen 
 the museum full of such nameless wonders, not 
 of specimens of the beau ideal, but certainly of 
 the ideal beau. Unless you have done all this, 
 you really hardly know what you are going to 
 undertake," said his lordship, with a sort of faint, 
 faded smile. " I have undergone it all. How- 
 ever, you will be fortified with the luncheon ; 
 she will feed you well ; that French cook of 
 her's knows what he is about : and she has some 
 capital wine too. The Baronet is returned 
 home, but that, of course, you know ; however, 
 one never thinks of him in any way, poor man !
 
 180 almack's. 
 
 Yet really now, after all I have said, I must 
 finish by allowing that Lady Birmingham is a 
 most chatty, agreeable person, full of know- 
 ledge and conversation. You will say every 
 thing that is proper and kind from me, — au 
 revoir. — You mean to honour the ball to-mor- 
 row. Miss Louisa, I hope. Montague, of 
 course, is the hero of the day. It will be a 
 confounded bore ; but one must submit to such 
 duties sometimes, to please the mob- By the 
 by, too, we have an old Paris friend of your's 
 staying with us, who is very anxious to have 
 the honour of seeing you again." 
 
 Fortunately, old Mr. Mildmay was a little 
 deaf, and Lord Mordaunt always spoke in a 
 melancholy, minor tone, half sotto voce ; but the 
 young lady felt her cheeks tingle, for she was 
 aware that her ris-d-vis both heard and under- 
 stood; she dropped her eyes to avoid seeing his 
 significant and most provoking smile. 
 
 " But I beg pardon for detaining you," said
 
 ALMACK'S. 181 
 
 Lord Mordaunt, as he shook hands again with 
 Lionel, and walked back to his military circle. 
 
 The carriage drove on a second time. 
 
 " How I hate that man''s supercilious cold- 
 ness !" said Louisa : " his hatred of all the world 
 almost reconciles one to Lady Birmingham's 
 love of herself and her belongings." 
 
 " Take care, my dear," said Mr. Mildmay, 
 archly, " lest your dislike of Lord Mordaunt 
 should make you too partial to our neighbour 
 at the Abbey." 
 
 " Well, my dear Sir, I should never have 
 expected any thing so satirical from you. 
 There is certainly not much to choose between 
 them. Why, Lionel, how silent you are grown ! 
 Are you making a sonnet to your mistress' eye- 
 brows .'' Oh ! but I guess it all now ; we are 
 approaching the paternal wood. 
 
 ' I mouriij O ye woodlands, I mourn but for you !' " 
 " Fie, Louisa," said Mr. Mildmay, " it
 
 182 almack's. 
 
 is really a pity, my love, that you should have 
 so little sentiment.'" 
 
 The carriage now turned from a shady lane 
 upon a picturesque part of the common, where 
 small clumps of natural beech gave a very 
 forest-like appearance to the scene. 
 
 " This is that eternal Horsely Common," said 
 Louisa ; " the enclosure of which occupies 
 every body but me." 
 
 " But you would not enclose this part, 
 surely,"" said Lionel : " it would be high trea- 
 son against taste. I always thought this one 
 of the sweetest spots I know." 
 
 " Is it ?" said the young lady, letting her 
 lively eyes wander round the lovely landscape. 
 " I don't pretend to understand any thing about 
 the picturesque, not I ; animated nature for 
 me, if you please.'"" 
 
 The grand entrance to Atherford Park now 
 appeared in sight. There was a highly orna-
 
 almack's. 183 
 
 mented stone archway, with a Gothic lodge on 
 either side. The road descended very abruptly 
 through a wood of most superb trees, the shade 
 of which, in summer, was so thick as to be 
 almost gloomy. The noise of the carriage 
 roused the deer from their hiding-places, and 
 troops of them were seen crossing the glade at 
 the bottom of the hill. The road there turned 
 abruptly, and, emerging from the wood, pre- 
 sented a magnificent view of the river Ather. 
 The park rose in a gentle ascent on the other 
 side, at the top of which, and amid a grove of 
 noble oaks, the ivy-covered Abbey raised its 
 venerable front. 
 
 " It is, indeed, a beautiful spot," said Lionel, 
 with one of those deep sighs which a view 
 of this beloved scene always drew from him: 
 " what noble trees !" 
 
 "And such variety of them," said Mr. Mild- 
 may ; " nothing can have a finer effect than
 
 184« almack's. 
 
 those tall firs behind the old building ; their 
 sombre hue contrasts so well with the oaks, 
 when these last are in full leaf." 
 
 " There is my favourite old elm," said Lionel. 
 " I have often sat under it, to admire the view 
 you catch through the branches, of the arch of 
 the bridge." 
 
 " The turn your father made in the road 
 here," said Mr. Mildmay, " was a great im- 
 provement ; the ascent used to be so very steep 
 — such a pull for one's coach-horses. I remem- 
 ber his determining to do it; it was just when 
 the yeomanry were called out, during the French 
 revolution, when first he raised his regiment.""' 
 
 This train of thought struck a melancholy 
 chord, which reverberated its tone on Lionel. 
 Both continued silent till they found themselves 
 sweeping up to the great door ; another mo- 
 ment, and they stopped. The bell was rung, 
 and a tribe of well-powdered lacqueys appeared 
 to answer its call ; and as Louisa darted gaily
 
 almack's. 185 
 
 out of the carriage, she said, " Now for the 
 living figures, to animate the landscape." 
 
 After crossing the Gothic hall, and passing by 
 the carved old oak staircase, they were shown 
 into a very fine dining-room, of noble dimen- 
 sions, wainscotted with oak, and richly carved 
 round the pannels. At a large table covered 
 with every kind of delicacy, served in the rich- 
 est china, sat Sir Benjamin and Lady Birming- 
 ham : he was a little insignificant-looking old 
 man, with a very red face, and a tremendous 
 pair of whiskers. Two footmen of very extra- 
 ordinary height, in magnificent liveries, were 
 waiting upon them ; and a very important-look- 
 ing butler was also in attendance. They both 
 rose as the party entered ; and Lady Birming- 
 ham advanced to meet her friends, in her most 
 gracious manner. 
 
 " Then my eyes do not deceive me, and it is 
 indeed my good old friend Mr. Mildmay, and 
 Colonel Montague too, both come to pronounce
 
 186 
 
 ALMACKS , 
 
 pardon for all my offences! — well, this is too ge- 
 nerous : — and Miss Louisa blooming as usual. 
 Colonel Montague, allow me to express how 
 much I am flattered by this visit; in your 
 own dear old Abbey you must be merciful, and 
 promise to forgive all that is past,'"* and the 
 lady affected to hide her face with her hand. 
 "■ Sir Benjamin," continued she, " let me present 
 you to Colonel Montague, our landlord, I may 
 say, and our new member for Merton."" 
 
 Sir Benjamin bowed sundry times, and stam- 
 mered out something, but did not seem quite 
 certain of his own meaning. 
 
 " Mr. Mildmay," said Lady Birmingham, 
 " do take the seat on this side the fire, that you 
 may not feel any draught ; you are j ust come in 
 time for some excellent real Scotch hotchpodge, 
 made by my own French cook, Rissole. The 
 Duke of Clanalpin thought it so good that he 
 sent for the receipt last year. — Colonel Monta-
 
 almack's. 187 
 
 gue, let me give you some Smss cabbage to the 
 hotchpodge, it is an excellent mixture." 
 
 " And so you patronize sour crout ?" said ]Mr. 
 Mildmay. 
 
 " A sort of refinement upon it : I got the 
 receipt from the Prince de Hougoument's cook 
 at Spa, but it must be made of Chou de Mi- 
 lan to be really good. — Miss Louisa, do you 
 eat nothing .-' I fear you are still very delicate. 
 Or are you for fruit ? — allow me to recommend 
 a Long-town pippin to you, or some of this 
 Guava. My friend Admiral Buckeridge insist- 
 ed on sending me something from abroad ; he 
 was going to America ; — ' Oh, my good friend,' 
 said I, ' send me some of those famous Long- 
 town pippins :' so behold, at Christmas arrived 
 a cask of these very magnificent apples, directed 
 to Lady Birmingham, Birmingham Abbey: and 
 this Guava was sent me by the Admiral's son, 
 who was stationed off the West Indies. Oh .' 
 and here is another rather uncommon fruit, a
 
 188 almack's. 
 
 Shadock, — let me cut you a slice, Colonel 
 Montague, — sent me by a very particular 
 friend, Governor O'Shawnassie, an old crony 
 of Sir Benjamin's : he arrived from Barbadoes 
 the other day, and sent me, by way of remem- 
 brance, some Shadocks and Cocoa-nuts. Would 
 you like any Cocoa-nut? — Silvertop," addressing 
 the butler, " why is not there some Cocoa-nut 
 here ?" 
 
 " I did not know your ladyship meant to 
 have all the foreign fruit at luncheon,^' said Sil- 
 vertop. 
 
 " My dear good lady," said Mr. Mildmay, 
 " surely we have things enough : — all the rari- 
 ties of the four quarters of the globe collected 
 at luncheon is too much." 
 
 " Oh ! we cannot have too many good things 
 to give Colonel Montague a favourable idea of 
 our proceedings at his Abbey." 
 
 Lionel bowed ; he was much amused. 
 
 " But we must lionize Colonel Montague
 
 AL mack's. 189 
 
 about the grounds, so let us prepare for our 
 walk. Silvertop, tell Sir Benjamin's own man 
 to bring in his masters gaiters."" 
 
 Silvertop obeyed, and re-entered presently, 
 with a tall spruce elegant young gentleman, in 
 silk stockings, who buttoned on Sir Benjamin's 
 gaiters, and then gracefully withdrew. 
 
 " I think, my dear," said Lady Birmingham 
 to her spouse, " you had better go in the don- 
 key curricle, as you feel a little gouty this 
 morning. Sir Benjamin has got two famous 
 Spanish mules, which he enjoys vastly,"" said 
 the lady, addressing Mr. Mildmay : — " and now, 
 my good friend, will you mount Barbara''s little 
 Shetland pony, which I will answer for carry- 
 ing you nicely ? — or shall I drive you in my 
 garden chair with my new grey ponies .'' I am 
 so proud of my skill as a charioteer. Or sup- 
 pose we were all to walk down to the bridge, 
 the barouche landau with four horses could 
 meet us there.'*
 
 190 almack's. 
 
 The last plan was thought the best, so the 
 barouche and four was ordered. 
 
 '•' Silvertop, tell the baihfF and the head-gar- 
 dener to bring me each their master-keys ; and 
 to be in attendance, in case I should want them. 
 Tell Mr. Premium I shall audit some of the 
 accounts this evening ; and he may direct some 
 of the people who want to speak to me, to be 
 here to-morrow morning at seven o'clock." 
 
 " I see you are as active as ever, my good 
 lady," said Mr. Mildmay. 
 
 " Yes, my old friend ; activity is the soul of 
 business. But it feels cold ; I think I had 
 better put on my Greenland overall boots, my 
 maid will be waiting with them up-stairs. Miss 
 Louisa, will you show Colonel Montague the 
 rooms ? I shall be down immediately.''' 
 
 " Oh, what a relief !" said Louisa ; " but it 
 is too ridiculous for me to pretend to show you 
 the house : however, I must obey orders : — 
 where shall we go ?"
 
 almack's. 191 
 
 " Oh, I want to see my mother's picture."" 
 " And to peep at the copy too, I dare say," 
 said she. 
 
 Lionel followed her through the drawing- 
 room in silence, and stood for some minutes 
 gazing at the much-loved features of his la- 
 mented parent. Louisa would not interrupt 
 his melancholy musings. The piano was open, 
 and she sat down to it, and almost mechanically 
 sang those beautiful words of Moore"'s, in so 
 plaintive a tone, that it quite touched Lionel's 
 feelings : — 
 
 " The harp that once through Tara's halls 
 
 The soul of music shed. 
 Now hangs as mute on Tara's walls, 
 
 As if that soul were fled. 
 So sleeps the pride of former days, 
 
 So glory's thrill is o'er ; 
 And hearts that once beat high for praise, 
 
 Now feel that thrill no more." 
 
 " Alas ! too true !" said Lionel half aloud, 
 walking back to the drawing-room, that he 
 
 "*N.
 
 192 almack's. 
 
 might look once again at all the old family por- 
 traits, — he seemed almost to be apostrophizing 
 his ancestors. 
 
 " Quite sentimental, I protest !" said Lady 
 Birmingham, entering at this moment, wrapped 
 up something like a Russian bear. " Ah ! Co- 
 lonel Montague, I see what occupies you, — a 
 sweet picture really, and vastly like, I am told ; 
 but you have not been in the library yet, and 
 I want you to see my new bookcases. Your 
 brother's collection of books, I am told, is cer- 
 tainly very fine ; quite choice in point of value, 
 and learning, and all that sort of thing ; but 
 sadly deficient in books of light reading : those 
 musty folios, you know, are really now quite out 
 of vogue, so I have got a pretty collection of 
 novels and light things from Colburns', and 
 some rose-wood cases for them, that do vastly 
 well, and really are very ornamental." 
 
 As no one could possibly admire such an 
 addition to a fine, old, classical library, the
 
 almack's. 193 
 
 whole party were silent as they followed Lady 
 Birmingham, who ciceroned the books, as she 
 had before done the luncheon. 
 
 Louisa found an opportunity to whisper to 
 
 Lionel — 
 
 " In books, not authors, learned is my lady.'' 
 
 And on another occasion, when Lady Birming- 
 ham exhibited a new edition of the Almanack 
 des Gourmandsy superbly bound, she said in a 
 low voice to Lionel, " How the shades of 
 Aldus and Elzevir must blush to be degraded 
 by such company !" 
 
 At length they were fairly through the house 
 and in the pleasure-ground, where they found 
 Mr. Mildmay and Sir Benjamin waiting for 
 them in a superb little carriage, drawn by two 
 splendid mules, who seemed too full of Spanish 
 blood for the Baronet's powers as a charioteer. 
 
 Then came the exhibition of all the wonders 
 of the horticultural art : the succession- houses, 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 194 almack's. 
 
 Calcuttas, vineries, peacheries, and mushroom 
 beds were shown off to admiration ; but Lady 
 Birmingham's chief powers were reserved for 
 her new conservatory. Here her learning knew 
 no bounds. The number of botanical names 
 she remembered was certainly surprising; and 
 if she apphed some of them to wrong plants 
 it did not much signify, for to the greater part 
 of her listeners it mattered little whether the 
 plant were an orientalis or an occidentalis ; a 
 japonica or a vulgaris : a major or a minor ; 
 a prostrata or a spirens ; or whether the word 
 were pronounced erica or erica. They were 
 equally pleased in any way. 
 
 The flower-garden in front of the conserva- 
 tory had been laid out by Lady Montague ; 
 and the various recollections which the sight of 
 it brought back to Lionel's mind, prevented 
 him from thoroughly enjoying all Lady Bir- 
 mingham's absurdities. Not so, Louisa : she 
 was delighted with the ridiculous in any .shape, 
 but in that of ignorant, purse»proud pomposity,
 
 almack's. 195 
 
 it was truly delicious — fair game, as she always 
 said that Lady Birmingham was formed for the 
 amusement of the rest of the world, and that 
 the best part of her was, that she might be 
 quizzed in the most open manner without ever 
 finding it out. 
 
 The conservatory opened into a museum, 
 containing fossils, shells, birds, insects, and all 
 sorts of nameless curiosities — or, as Lord Mor- 
 daunt said, of the " ideal beau.'''' Lionel took 
 up an odd-looking stone. " Oh, my dear Sir !" 
 said Lady Birmingham, " have a care;" lay- 
 ing her hand upon his arm : " a most valuable 
 relic, brought from the ruins of Troy by Pro- 
 fessor Zink, supposed to come from Priam's 
 palace, the only specimen in England." 
 
 " Lady Birmingham," said Louisa, " what, 
 in the name of wonder, can there be curious in 
 that fine glass-case .?" 
 
 ** Where, where ?" said her ladyship. " Oh ! 
 that dried nosegay ; it is indeed, in my opinion, 
 a most valuable curiosity. That dried bouquet
 
 196 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 once adorned the bosom of the celebrated Ma- 
 dame Bertrand, who was so long at St. Helena 
 with the great Napoleon. When he was off 
 Plymouth, after he surrendered himself to 
 Captain Maitland, my friends the Salvadors, of 
 Mendoza Mount, in Devonshire, took a boat 
 to have a view of the hera. They saw Ma- 
 dame Bertrand quite plainly, at the window of 
 the cabin, and, with a telescope, they could even 
 make out that she wore a coloured English 
 muslin ! Well, she was just finishing her 
 toilette, and in a pique, as they supposed, she 
 drew this bouquet from her bosom, and threw 
 it into the sea ; young Sampson Salvador had 
 the good fortune to seize it, and sent it to me 
 as a curiosity worthy of my museum." 
 
 This story almost overset Lionel's gravity. 
 " One sprig of myrtle," continued her lady- 
 ship, "unfortunately fell out, and was seized 
 upon by one of the lieutenants, a young Ara- 
 bin, but he happens to be very intimate with
 
 almack's. 197 
 
 my friends the Pettingalls, and Paulina Pet- 
 tingall thinks she can procure it for me." 
 
 " A valuable relic, indeed," observed Lionel ; 
 obliged to say something in his own defence. 
 " But pray what is there curious in this old 
 walking-stick ?" 
 
 " That stick," replied the lady, " belonged 
 to the great Napoleon himself. He held it in 
 his hand when he disembarked at St. Helena ; 
 but in a fit of abstraction — not much to be 
 wondered at, poor man!— he let it fall, just as 
 he landed, and it was picked up by a young 
 captain in the navy, a godson of mine, one 
 of the Staffordshire Whitemarshes : he was fol- 
 lowing in the imperial train, and he most kindly 
 presented it to me on his return to England. I 
 mean to have it topped with gold, and an in- 
 scription upon it, with a large bee extending its 
 wings above." 
 
 " Well, I declare," said Louisa, " here is an 
 old tooth."
 
 198 almack's. 
 
 " It is, indeed, my dear, neither more nor 
 less than an old tooth, which my friend Profes- 
 sor Zink picked up at the tomb of Scipio, many 
 years ago." 
 
 *' Oh, my dear Lady Birmingham, do tell 
 Colonel Montague the history of these queer 
 portraits." 
 
 '* They were given to me," said her ladyship, 
 " by my favourite Mirza Hassan Khan, the fa- 
 mous Persian Ambassador. They are undoubt- 
 ed portraits of the present royal family of Per- 
 sia, and were intended to be given to the British 
 Museum ; but I entreated to have them, and his 
 excellency would not refuse me.'' 
 
 " I think," said Lionel, " the Persian artists 
 rather fail in perspective and proportion.'' 
 
 " To say nothing of colouring," said Louisa. 
 
 " Oh, you unmerciful critics ; but, in the in- 
 fancy of the arts, one must make some allowance." 
 
 " Oh, certainly/' said Lionel, " as well as in 
 the infancy of taste." This speech procured 
 him a smile from Louisa.
 
 almack's. 199 
 
 The curricle with the two mules now drove 
 up. Mr. Mildmay took leave of Sir Benjamin j 
 and called out to the young people that they 
 must be thinking of home, if they meant to 
 have any dinner. 
 
 Lady Birmingham was much disappointed : 
 she had not shown them half she intended. She 
 accompanied her friends to the bridge, where 
 Mr. Mildmay had ordered his carriage to meet 
 him, and where the splendid barouche and 
 four was also in attendance — the body coach- 
 man on the box, two fashionable-looking foot-r 
 men in the dicky behind. " How cruel," cried 
 Lady Birmingham, " to leave me to take my 
 solitary drive round the grounds ! However, I 
 shall go and see my plantations, and take my 
 head gardener and my steward in the carriage 
 with me. It will save time. Is Sir Benjamin's 
 groom coming to drive the mules ?''"' 
 
 " He will be here directly, my lady." 
 
 " I shall be glad to have him, my dear," said
 
 SOO almack's. 
 
 Sir Benjamin ; " for dish me if these confound- 
 ed mules are not very restive !" 
 
 Mr. Mild may and his party got into their 
 carriage. " I leave Barbara entirely to your 
 care, my dear Sir, for to-morrow night," said 
 her ladyship. " The carriage shall be sent to 
 bring her home. — Good b'ye, Miss Louisa, 
 hope you will have plenty of dancing. Pray 
 tell your sister how delighted I am that Mr. 
 Mildmay has given his consent to her accom- 
 panying us to town. I suppose Barbara got 
 all her things the other day. TijfFany was here 
 a long time. Good morning to you all ; you 
 will have a sweet drive home." 
 
 " Lionel," said Louisa, as they drove off, 
 " surely you ought to give this show-lady 
 something for the sight of all her fine things !" 
 
 The carriage drove swiftly down the Park. 
 When they were approaching the lodge, Mr. 
 Mildmay turned to Colonel Montague, '* Well,*' 
 said he, "now tell me what you think of Sir 
 Benjamin and Lady Birmingham.'"
 
 almack's. 201 
 
 *' Sad representations, indeed, of my poor 
 father and mother, Sir," said Lionel. 
 
 " They certainly do not remind one of them ; 
 but perhaps you think the daughter makes 
 some amends for the folly of her parents." 
 
 " Poor Miss Birmino-ham !" returned Colonel 
 
 o 
 
 Montague, " she is, indeed, of a very diffei*ent 
 <H*der of beino-s." 
 
 *' Their purse-proud folly," said Mr. Mild- 
 may, " is quite laughable. I have often thought 
 it a proof how little store Providence sets 
 by wealth, that it should be so frequently 
 bestowed on those who make a very contempti- 
 ble use of it : but the poet has justly observed, 
 on this sort of lavish expenditure — 
 
 'Yet hence the poor are clothed, the hungry fed; 
 Health to himself, and to his infants bread, 
 The labourer bears : what his hard heart denies. 
 His charitable vanity supplies.' 
 
 " I think Lady Birmingham will never suc- 
 ceed in spoiling her daughter's amiable dis- 
 X 5
 
 202 almack's. 
 
 position. Poor girl! she will have hard cards 
 to play." 
 
 " Hard cards, my dear Sir .'" said Louisa : 
 "Do you caU being heiress to 20,000/. a-year 
 hard cards ? I only wish I had such a hand 
 dealt me." 
 
 " She will be exposed to innumerable dan- 
 gers," replied Mr. Mildmay, "and who will 
 advise her ?" 
 
 " Oh ! but she will find plenty of counsellors, 
 I doubt not." 
 
 " Yes, my dear, and I have great hopes in 
 the natural steadiness of Barbara's disposition. 
 Were it you, Louisa, I should not feel half so 
 secure." 
 
 " Oh, fie ! Papa ; but you are so severe upon 
 your poor Louisa." 
 
 " I have a much better opinion of Sir Ben- 
 jamin," continued the old gentleman, " than 
 most people have : he is weak and ridiculous, 
 and suffers her ladyship to treat him like a per-
 
 almack's. 203 
 
 feet baby, but he is a kind-intentioned man at 
 the bottom ; his heart is in the right place, and 
 if he had not been cursed with such immense 
 wealth, he would have passed unnoticed through 
 the world, and his follies would never have 
 been brought into play.. Not so, my lady : she 
 might have been less palpably absurd, but her 
 heart would have been still the same. I shall 
 always say, ' Good Lord ! deliver me from 
 Lady Birmingham V "
 
 204) almack's. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE BALL. 
 
 ■• 
 
 Avaunt ! I shake thee from me. Care ; 
 
 The gay, the youthful, and the fair. 
 
 From " Lodge," and Court," and " House,'' 
 
 and « Hall," 
 Are hurrying to th' election ball. 
 
 Etonian. 
 
 The important night at length arrived when 
 all the beau monde of the borough of Merton 
 and its vicinity, were to be assembled to cele- 
 brate Colonel Montague's election. 
 
 The abigails at BishopVCourt succeeded to 
 admiration in their labours : Miss Parry had 
 provided all that was necessary ; Mademoiselle 
 Eloise exerted all her Parisian taste, and even
 
 almack's. 205 
 
 Mrs. Dinah allowed that the ball-dresses were 
 remarkably pretty. 
 
 The party made their entree into the ball- 
 room just in proper time, though Louisa said 
 they were so dreadfully early that there was not 
 a creature to speak to, and yet the room was al- 
 ready half full ; but as Lady Norbury had con- 
 descended to be the patroness of the ball, in 
 compliment to Colonel Montague, of course the 
 dancing could not commence till her ladyship 
 was present. " We shall not be able to escape 
 a single civility,"" said she. " Do look at the 
 chandelier ! what an apology of a thing ! why 
 the room is darkness visible." 
 
 The distingues of the neighbourhood, of 
 course, were not yet arrived, since Fashion has 
 oddly enough decreed that unpunctuality is a 
 sign of good breeding; and that to be early 
 any where, is a proof you must be nobody. 
 
 The ball, of course, could not commence 
 till the arrival of the Norbury party, but they
 
 206 almack's. 
 
 were always " the latest of the late." However 
 the fashionables were beginning to drop slowly 
 in. " Now, ladies ! you must tell me who all 
 the people are," said Lionel ; " for you know I 
 am such a stranger here I shall hardly recol- 
 lect any one. Who are these just coming in ? 
 A fine looking woman the mother, and the 
 daughters are smart at least, if not handsome." 
 
 " How angry they would be," said Louisa, 
 " if they heard you ; for Lady Margaret Carl- 
 ton thinks her daughters beauties of the first 
 class. She is the wife of our archdeacon." 
 
 " Oh ! Dr. Carlton, — I remember he used 
 oftep to be at the Abbey, but I did not recol- 
 lect he was married." 
 
 " A proof you have not seen much of him, 
 for he is always saying ' when the Duke of 
 Clanalpin did me the honour to give me his 
 eldest daughter in marriage."* One day Captain 
 O'Brian answered, ' Ay, my dear Sir, and he 
 would have given her to you had she been
 
 almack's. 207 
 
 tAvice as old.' And the best of it was, that the 
 Duke did not give her to Dr. Carlton ; he ran 
 off with her. He is a cadet of a good family ; 
 
 ' Not over-weighty in the purse. 
 But many ladies have done worse.' 
 
 However, as her ladyship is related to every 
 right honourable north of the Tweed, she treats 
 Dr. Carlton and his connexions with infinite 
 scorn." 
 
 " What very beautiful gowns the Miss Carl- 
 tons have got on," said Barbara. 
 
 " Oh, they are always tirtes a quatre epingies; 
 her ladyship is a capital manager, and intends 
 them to make smart wives to men of small for- 
 tune. I dare say she wiU tell Lionel so the mo- 
 ment he is introduced ; and then, if we admire 
 the dresses, we shall be told of the great effect 
 they produced at the last Almack's." 
 
 " I think, Barbara," said Julia, " that we 
 ought to go up to Lady Margaret, to enquire 
 after Dr. Carlton."
 
 208 ALMACK'S. 
 
 " Now that is so like Julia," said Louisa, 
 " because, surely, as this ball is given on pur- 
 pose to celebrate Colonel Montague''s election, 
 we ought to sit still, and let the people come to 
 us. Depend upon it, the moment Lady Mar- 
 garet's glass enables her to perceive us, she 
 will come immediately to make pretty speeches, 
 and to pounce upon our men for partners for 
 her two misses. Now mark if she does not." 
 
 " You may stay here then with Lionel," 
 said Julia ; " but I dare say Barbara will go 
 with me." 
 
 " Oh, that I will, with pleasure," said Miss 
 Birmingham, " it is what I was wishing to do, 
 only I had not courage to cross the room alone.'*' 
 ■ *' Oh ! by all means go then and do all the' 
 proprieties," said Louisa, " while I tell Lionel 
 who is who, and every thing about every body. 
 We shall have the Lady Margaret here pre- 
 sently ; and now, I^ionel, look, that is her charm-
 
 almack's. 209 
 
 ing son, the great dandy, Adolphus Frederic 
 Carlton ; no, you don't look right. See ! that 
 creature with all those under-waistcoats : he is 
 godson to one of the royal Dukes, and is just 
 gone into the Guards. Now he will be presented 
 to Barbara ; that is what Lady Margaret will 
 call a good hit ; but I hope he won't ask her 
 to dance the first set. But I suppose, of course, 
 Lionel, you have engaged her." 
 
 " For the second I have," said Colonel Mon- 
 tague, " but I am told I must open the ball 
 with Lady Anne Norbury ; that it will be ex- 
 pected : so I hold myself in readiness for that 
 honour." 
 
 " Oh ! and then if Lord Mordaunt can exert 
 himself so far as to dance, I suppose he will 
 take out one of the Lady Beaulieu's ; for I hear 
 they are coming. Then who will Barbara 
 dance with the first set ? — let 's see ! Oh ! I 
 have it now ; she shall dance with Lord George
 
 210 almack's. 
 
 Fitzallan. I used often to make him dance 
 with whomever I pleased formerly, so I think 
 I shall be able to manage that." 
 
 " And are you sure you will wish it, Louisa?" 
 said Lionel, looking steadfastly at her. " There 
 was a time when I think you would have been 
 very angry if Lord George had danced with 
 any one but yourself the first dance, I remem- 
 ber." 
 
 " Oh, those times are past," interrupted 
 Louisa, with an endeavour to appear uncon- 
 cerned. " Lord George Fitzallan at Merton, 
 among the high set from Norbury, and making 
 his debut under my wing at Paris, are quite two 
 different people." 
 
 " 1 cannot make you out," said Lionel, 
 thoughtfully. " I wonder what Caroline would 
 say were she here .?" 
 
 *' Oh, she would say that an election-ball in 
 England is not half so gay a thing as a. fete de 
 village in dear France ; and she would say true."
 
 almack's. 211 
 
 " Ah !" said Lionel, shaking his head re- 
 proachfully at her. " Paris has spoilt you both : 
 she has married a foreigner, so it does not sig- 
 nify ; but you, Louisa ! who are to live in this 
 country, you would have been much happier 
 had you never gone abroad." 
 
 " Mais changeons de sitjet : leave my btau 
 for yoiu" belle. — Pray observe Barbara shaking 
 hands with all those vulgar-looking people : 
 with what joy she greets that gawky red-faced 
 girl in that odious jardiniere! — how can she 
 have such disgraceful cronies ! Oh ! I see ; 
 it is that stupid Miss Barlow, the daughter of 
 the curate at Atherford." 
 
 " How strange it is,"" said Lionel, -' that I 
 admire her for the very thing wliich excites 
 your displeasure : it is that genuine good-heart- 
 edness, that real simplicity of character, which 
 makes her so interesting a person, much more 
 than her beauty." 
 
 "Very true, my good philosopher; but it
 
 212 almack's. 
 
 was her good looks, her soft complexion, and 
 loving eyes, which made you first take the 
 trouble to hunt out all these excellencies of 
 heart and charms of mind. Trust you all for 
 that; you moral men always select angel forms. 
 Now do you think mental perfection, with a red 
 nose or a humped back, would ever catch you ? 
 So your tirades about intellect and virtue always 
 go with me for nothing — mere humbug; and 
 that is what rules all the world." 
 
 Lionel could not help laughing. 
 
 " See !" continued this lively rattle, " I was 
 quite right in my prediction. Here comes the 
 stately Lady Margaret Carlton herself, on God- 
 frey's arm, under pretence of enquiring after 
 a cold and sore throat which I sported as a 
 good excuse to escape a dull dinner at Dean's 
 Mount last week, but really to be introduced 
 to you. The daughters are following, arm-in- 
 arm, which looks affectionate and picturesque. 
 ApoUonia, the eldest, is pulling up her swan-
 
 almack's. 213 
 
 like neck, that you may admire it; and Char- 
 lotte Augusta, the old Queen's god-daughter, 
 is smiling from ear to ear, to show off her most 
 beautiful white teeth. Now for it ! — here they 
 come !" 
 
 The party advanced just as Louisa described. 
 Lady Margaret expressed the greatest pleasure 
 that her young friend was able to come to the 
 ball. They had all regretted her absence the 
 other day so much. Then came the most feeling 
 enquiries after the species of sore throat she had 
 been suffering from, followed by a recommen- 
 dation of certain pectoral lozenges, which were 
 quite infallible. All the time her ladyship was 
 speaking to Louisa, she was casting side-glances 
 at Colonel Montague. The Miss Carltons 
 shook hands most cordially with their " dear 
 friend," and then echoed all their mamma's 
 hopes and fears. 
 
 Louisa was suddenly seized with a violent 
 fit of couffhinsr; then she seemed to feel a
 
 214 almack's. 
 
 draught of air, and so must cross her shawl, 
 but yet contrived to show off all the border ; 
 then again the room was " quite insufferably 
 hot, those odious lamps !" and so she fanned 
 away at a great rate, in order to exhibit a new 
 French fan. 
 
 Lady Margaret was grieved to see her so 
 indifferently, — really quite distressed ; — coughs 
 and sore throats were sometimes dangerous ; — 
 and then she paused a moment, in doubt how 
 to proceed. 
 
 Godfrey had left the party, notwithstanding 
 the Miss Carltons** inviting looks for him to re- 
 main. Louisa was repressing an inclination to 
 laugh ; Lionel waited in immoveable gravity. 
 Lady Margaret at length, with decided cou- 
 rage, faced to the right-about, and gave one 
 momentary sharp glance. She was satisfied. 
 " Colonel Montague, I believe ?"" 
 Lionel bowed assent. 
 She extended her hand most graciously. " My
 
 almackV. 215 
 
 dear Sir, you must allow me to consider myself 
 one of your oldest friends, for I knew you well 
 in petticoats : charmed, I assure you, we all are, 
 to see you once again in this neighbourhood. 
 Such an unexpected happiness to have a Mon- 
 tague for our new member ! Give me leave to 
 present you to my girls, who have heard so 
 much of you all their lives. Apollonia, Char- 
 lotte Augusta, — Colonel Montague. I must 
 enquire after your sister too ; I remember her 
 such a sweet pretty creature. Whom was it 
 she married .'' Some foreigner, I was told."" 
 
 " The Baron de Wallestein." 
 
 " What ! the new Austrian ambassador .''" 
 
 " The same." 
 
 *' You don''t say so! — well this is delight- 
 ful ! Only think, my dears," said her ladyship, 
 turning to her daughters : our favourite 
 Baron is Colonel Montague's brother-in-law. 
 When he was in England, some years ago, we 
 were so intimate with him ! He was always at
 
 2l6i almack's. 
 
 my brother's, the Duke of Clanalpin's ; went 
 into Scotland to shoot grouse with him at Mac 
 Ivor Tower, where we met him ; — not Charlotte 
 Augusta, however ; it was long before she came 
 out, — but Apollonia knew him vastly well." 
 
 " Oh, it was years before my time, mamma,"" 
 said Miss Charlotte Augusta, rather indig- 
 nantly ; " but 3'^ou always do make me out so 
 old." 
 
 " True, my poor girl ; but Apollonia, my 
 love, you must remember the Baron de Walle- 
 stein well, he was so good as always to admire 
 your singing." 
 
 ** Yes, mamma, and I used always to waltz 
 with him, after the French play at the Argyle- 
 rooms ; and then he often rode with pa and 
 me, in Hyde Park. 
 
 " Pray remember us all to the dear Baron 
 when you next write to him, for he was such a 
 favourite with us formerly," said Lady Mar- 
 garet. " And I hope we shall see you at 
 
 i^
 
 almack's. 217 
 
 Dean's Mount, during your stay in this neigh- 
 bourhood, Colonel Montague. The Archdea- 
 con is laid up with the gout, or, I assure you, he 
 would have made a point of coming to-night 
 to pay his respects to you. He charged me 
 with his excuses, and begs you will fix a time 
 when we may hope to see you." Then turning 
 suddenly to Louisa, " How late the Norburys 
 are ! though, to be sure, that is nothing new : 
 only to-night, as Lady Norbury is patroness, 
 they might have condescended to be punctual, 
 one would think. Lady Birmingham, of course, 
 will not be here ; but I met her daughter 
 just now, with Miss Mildmay. Never saw 
 Miss Birmingham look so well ; really she is 
 grown a fine girl. Considering all things, one 
 cannot but wonder where she got her manner. 
 I hear, she dances shockingly ; has no ear what- 
 ever : never could be made to go in time, 
 thouffh she has had both Monsieur and Madame 
 Guillet two winters." 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 218 almack's. 
 
 " Mamma, mamma !" exclaimed Miss Carl- 
 ton, " liOrd Beaulieu is bowing to you; and all 
 the three Lady Beaulieu s are come, I protest !"" 
 
 " Well, I declat-e, if it is not too provoking !" 
 said Miss Charlotte Augusta ; " Lady Agnes 
 told me only yesterday, that they should cer- 
 tainly wear blue barege gowns, and now they 
 have put on pink ; see how they cut us out : 
 how tiresome !" 
 
 " Are you acquainted with the Lady Beau- 
 lieus ?" said Lady Margaret Carlton to Louisa. 
 
 " Not in the least, I never saw them before ; 
 I did not know they ever came to Etheringhani 
 Castle to stay.'^ 
 
 " Oh, this is the first time since that sad 
 affair of the mother's, that they have really set- 
 tled themselves there. Poor Lord Beaulieu 
 could not bear the house for a long time. But 
 I suppose, now these three girls are come out, 
 he has got tired of watering-places. What do 
 you think of them ? pray speak your mind ho-
 
 almack"'s. 219 
 
 nestly ; for though we are cousins, and such 
 near neighbours, there is no love lost between 
 us." 
 
 " Surely,"" said Louisa, " they are all three 
 very striking, fine-looking girls ; and one, the 
 tallest, very beautiful !" 
 
 " Oh, that is Lady Madelina, the youngest. 
 But wait till you see them by daylight; their 
 complexions won't stand that test. Now there 
 is such a diflPerence in skins," continued Lady 
 Margaret : " my Apollonia, who looks so pale 
 to-night, you know what a sweet colour she has 
 in a morning. That sharp little one with the 
 light hair, that is Lady Olivia ; she sets up for 
 accomplishments, and all that sort of thing, 
 which never takes, you know,"" said her Lady- 
 ship, with a sentimental tone. " The next to 
 her, with that high colour and those plump 
 cheeks, is Lady Agnes : handsome I can never 
 call her ; she looks like a chubby milkmaid ; she 
 fancies herself a wit, because she says every 
 l2
 
 220 almack's. 
 
 1 
 
 thing that comes into her head. Then the 
 dashing Lady Madelina — she can talk of 
 nothing but Almack's. Poor Lord Beaulieu ! 
 he is certainly much to be pitied : I think he 
 looks very melancholy ; I wonder whether he 
 will marry again ?" 
 
 " INIamma,"" said Miss Carlton, " don't speak 
 so loud ; Lord Beaulieu is close to you ; he is 
 coming up to speak to you." 
 
 Lady Margaret turned round, and paid her 
 compliments to his lordship. He was a fine- 
 looking man, about fifty, with something grave, 
 perhaps austere, in his countenance, but his 
 manner was particularly good. 
 
 " Louisa," whispered Lionel, " who is this 
 Lord Beaulieu .'' I have taken a great fancy to 
 his look." 
 
 . " He is a Roman Catholic peer," answered 
 she, " with a large property in this neighbour- 
 hood. He was divorced some years ago from hi» 
 wife : it was a sad business ; and he never could
 
 almack's. 221 
 
 bear Etheringham Castle from that time. Till 
 very lately, it has always been let. The Eger- 
 tons used to live there when you were at Ather- 
 ford ; but last year Lord Beaulieu returned 
 with his family : however, he went no where — 
 this is his first public appearance in the county. 
 The Archdeacon''s place, Dean''s Mount, is close 
 to Etheringham ; but report says the two fa- 
 milies do not agree well, though they are re- 
 lated . Well, I wonder Avhen Julia and Barbara 
 will return. I think they must have shaken 
 hands with every old woman in the room, and, 
 upon my word, there is a plentiful collection. 
 Dear ! what a tiresome ball this is ! not a man 
 appears, and such a tribe of ugly, awkward, 
 ill-dressed women keep pouring in. When will 
 the Norburys come ?"" 
 
 " When will the Norburys come ?^'' was the 
 exclamation of many an anxious young lady 
 that night. 
 
 Lord Beaulieu and his daughters now came
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 up, with Miss Birmingham and Miss Mildmay; 
 Godfrey had presented them, and Julia had in- 
 troduced '* her sister Louisa." The peer said 
 something very civil, and then walked away to 
 converse with Mr. Mildmay, who was a very 
 old acquaintance. 
 
 The young ladies remained in a knot to- 
 gether. 
 
 " You live near here, don't you ?" said Lady 
 Agnes, speaking very fast to Louisa. 
 
 " Yes ; only three miles off." 
 
 " Oh, at a sweet old house !" said Lady 
 Madelina, " covered with ivy : quite a romantic 
 spot : and Bishop's-Court too, such a Gothic- 
 sounding name ! I should doat on it." 
 
 " We have never," said Lady Agnes, inter- 
 rupting her sister, " been at Etheringham be- 
 fore last year, since we were children ; and then 
 it was Christmas time, and it was so cold and 
 comfortless I did not like the country at all ; —
 
 almack's. 22S 
 
 nobody came to see us but the Carltons. Are 
 they friends of yours r" 
 
 " I am very well acquainted with them," said 
 Louisa. 
 
 " Oh ! of course ; but you are not bosom- 
 friends, I see, and I hope they are not especial 
 favourites ; for, between ourselves, I cannot bear 
 them. Lady Margaret is so grand and conse- 
 quential, because she is a Duke's daughter, and 
 treats us all du haut en has ; as if I would not 
 have been a Duke's daughter too, if I could. 
 And then the girls, they are so stiff and stupid ! 
 Now, why do you laugh ? Oh ! I dare say you 
 think me a prodigious rattle, — that is quite my 
 character; I always say every thing I think to 
 every body. Don't you .''" 
 
 *' Not always," replied Louisa. 
 
 ** Dear ! you looked so merry and good- 
 natured, I fancied you were a chatterbox too. 
 That is your sister talking to Olivia ; and who is 
 that tall young lady, dressed the same as you
 
 224 almack's. 
 
 are ? Papa introduced me, but I did not catch 
 her name."" 
 
 " Miss Birmingham, of Atherford Abbey." 
 
 " She is a great heiress, is not she ? And her 
 mother is a huge, fat, vulgar woman, whom 
 every body laughs at."" 
 
 Louisa could not deny it. 
 
 " But I have been told," continued her lady- 
 ship, " that Lady Birmingham means to give 
 very fine balls ; so I hope to goodness I shall 
 get to be acquainted with her. I shall not mind 
 her vulgarity, if she will but invite me to her 
 grand fetes ; for I am so fond of balls. Madelina 
 and I are only just come out ; Oh via was pre- 
 sented last year. Do you know, I was so afraid 
 this ball would have been on a Friday ; because 
 we are Cathohcs, you know, and papa would not 
 have let us come of course, which would have 
 been a bore. You are not a Catholic, I hope .?" 
 
 Louisa satisfied her on that head. 
 
 " Oh, I was afraid, if you were, that you
 
 almack's. 225 
 
 miglit think what I said was odd. Do you 
 know, Ave have got an Italian governess, — sucli 
 a beautiful creature !" 
 
 " Have you indeed !" 
 
 " Yes, and her name is the Countess Roselli. 
 When we were at the Castle lastyear, the countess 
 was not with us, but papa's aunt. Lady Theresa, 
 came to take care of us. Do you know her ?"" 
 
 " No, I have not that honour.'" 
 
 " Oh, I believe you would not think it any 
 honour at all ; she is a stiff, starched old maid ; 
 so cross and particular ! Oh ! I hope to heaven 
 I shall not be an old maid." 
 
 " I should think your ladyship was not in 
 any danger," said Louisa, laughing. 
 
 Meanwhile the two other Lady Beaulieus 
 were talking equally fast to Miss Mildmay and 
 Miss Birmingham. 
 
 " What a handsome man Colonel Montague 
 is !" said Lady Olivia ; " I thought all members 
 of Parliament were sure to be ugly." 
 L 5
 
 226 almaok's. 
 
 ** That is rather too sweeping a clause,'" said 
 Julia. 
 
 " Well, I am sure all those I have seen before 
 were. As he is staying in the house with you, 
 I suppose he is your beau ?" 
 
 '* No, indeed, I cannot lay claim to him." 
 
 *' Oh, then he must be your sister^s, I am 
 sure." 
 
 " Your ladyship is quite mistaken again." 
 
 " Oh, now I have it, then he must be Miss 
 Birmingham's ;" and she went up to Barbara, 
 and, tapping her with her fan, she said : " Well, 
 Miss Birmingham, so this handsome Colonel 
 Montague is your beau; I have just discovered 
 it after three guesses, and, this time, Miss Mild- 
 may does not deny my being right ; I admire 
 your choice very much." 
 
 Poor Barbara looked sadly disconcerted, and 
 hardly knew what to say, till Julia came to her 
 aid. 
 
 " But, Lady Olivia," said she, " you have
 
 almack's. S27 
 
 taken for granted that you guessed right, be. 
 cause I said nothing. But now I must beg you 
 will guess again, for you are quite out, I can 
 tell you." 
 
 " Dear, how provoking ! well, I don't care 
 whose beau he is, so that he don't fancy either 
 of the Miss Carltons. I don't want them to be 
 married before me. Oh ! I dare say he admires 
 Lady Anne Norbury. Do you ?'^ 
 
 " I think her very handsome, certainly." 
 " ' Fashionable, with a fine air,' as papa says." 
 Lady Madelina's voice was now heard cate- 
 chising Barbara. '* What loves of dresses you 
 have all got on. Miss Birmingham! I hope you 
 do not like the Miss Carltons' dingy pink ?'■ 
 Agnes settled to put on these, on pur]x>se to 
 annoy them, because tliey always think every 
 thing they have superior to other people's. You 
 are just coming out, I think ? Are you seven- 
 teen ?" 
 
 " Yes, last month,'' said Barbara.
 
 ALMACKS. 
 
 " Oh ! then you have just the start of me ; 
 my birthday is next week. Shall you like going 
 to Almack"'s, do you think ?" 
 
 " I cannot tell, till I have been there."" 
 
 " Pray, are you on any Lady Patroness's 
 book, Miss Birmingham V 
 
 " Indeed, I don't know." 
 
 "Dear! how very odd, not to know; why, 
 you will be sure to be thrown out, I can tell 
 you, if you don't make haste to apply : and that 
 would be so very shocking, the first year you 
 come out ; you would never be the fashion 
 afterwards ! You must try and be introduced 
 directly to Lady Hauton." 
 
 " Madelina," said Lady Olivia, " don't talk 
 so loud : here is papa." 
 
 *' Oh, then I must be mum," said Lady Ma- 
 delina, " for, I can tell you, he is so very par- 
 ticular and strict, that we are all like mutes 
 before him." 
 
 Lord Beaulieu advanced, in a grave, solemn
 
 almack's. 229 
 
 manner ; the young ladies drew up their heads, 
 while his lordship expressed his thanks to the 
 Miss Mild mays, for the kind, notice they were 
 so good as to take of his thi-ee little mad- 
 caps, as he was pleased to call his daughters. 
 
 " Thank God ! here are the Norbury party j** 
 said several voices at once. " I hear a carriage; 
 don't you ?" 
 
 " No ! it is only the wind, or the mail 
 coming in, I am afraid. Yet see ! I believe 
 you are right ; Mr. Mayor has left his seat, and 
 is going to the door." 
 
 In hke manner as on the stage a flourish of 
 trumpets proclaims the approach of royalty, so 
 in a few minutes did the general buz of satis- 
 faction, which went round the assembly, an- 
 nounce to every one that the illustrious party 
 were indeed arrived. Great was the general 
 anxiety for their cnlrte. The dancers were all 
 longing to be in motion, they had waited so 
 long. The chaperons were equally desirous to
 
 230 
 
 ALMACKS. 
 
 be rid of their charges, tliat they might relieve 
 their minds at cards — they were all so cold ! 
 The carpet and fire in the card-room would be 
 so comfortable ! 
 
 The folding doors were at length thrown 
 open. The Mayor advanced with all proper 
 solemnity, to receive the distinguished visitors. 
 Every head was turned towards the door; every 
 eye was strained to catch the first glimpse. 
 
 Lady Norbury, as erect as usual, and most 
 magnificently attired, entered first, leaning on 
 the arm of her son. Lord Mordaunt. He looked 
 bilious to a degree, but no ways interesting • 
 his black hair combed straight over his fore- 
 head ; his coat closely buttoned up to the very 
 top, and finishing with a black cravat; his tall, 
 perpendicular figure drawn up to its full length; 
 his very look an antidote to mirth. 
 
 Next followed the Lady Anne, radiant in 
 beauty, and conscious that she was so: her 
 costume was fanciful in the extreme, but dis-
 
 almack's. 231 
 
 played her charms to full perfection, and her 
 dress was set off to advantage by her command- 
 ing figure. She was on her father's arm, who 
 never looked so happy as when attended by his 
 beautiful daughter. The Earl was yet a fine- 
 looking man ; he wore the uniform of the Mer- 
 ton Hunt, and over it the blue ribbon was ex- 
 tended at full breadth. His lordship carried 
 himself with a certain stateliness of demeanour, 
 as if conscious 
 
 " That every eye was fix'd on him alone." 
 
 There was a gracious smile, which he bestowed 
 first to the right and then to the left ; for his 
 earnest endeavour was never to offend any one. 
 Next in the train of nobility followed Miss 
 Molyneux, to whom no sight was ever so pleas- 
 ing as the snowy shoulders of Lady Anne Nor- 
 bury : she leant on the arm of Captain Cole, of 
 the Fourth Dragoons, a very smart dandy little 
 man, and a prodigious favourite at Norbury.
 
 232 almack's. 
 
 Miss Maria Molyneux was perfectly happy, 
 too, for she was attended by Sir Edward Bar- 
 rington : he was rather gouty, to be sure, but 
 he managed wonderfully with a walking-stick, 
 and the fair Maria only wished she could have 
 him thus for ever. 
 
 Lord George Fitzallan, all life and spirit, as 
 usual, escorted the portly Mrs. Metcalf, She was 
 arrayed in a bright pea-green satin, and was 
 shaking her fat sides with laughter at some of 
 his good jokes. As he led her up the room, 
 he shook hands with many of his election 
 friends : he was dehghted to see them all again. 
 
 Last of all appeared the Abbe Le Blanc, and 
 Miss Bevil : she Avas all t'ouge, feathers, and 
 flowers, a most fantastic-looking old maid, who 
 believed herself to be the very pink of Parisian 
 taste. She was talking French very loud, to 
 make the natives stare, and the Abbe bowing 
 very low at all the good things she said, and
 
 almack's. 233 
 
 carrying her shawl over his arm with much 
 gallantry. 
 
 Beaux now poured in from all quarters. First 
 came a party of Dragoons, whose splendid uni- 
 forms had a prodigious effect. Next arrived 
 the jolly Captain O'Brian, of the Navy, with a 
 party of gentlemen belonging to the INIerton 
 Hunt, who had dined together at the Welling- 
 ton arms, and who had only waited for tiie 
 arrival of the Norburys to make their appear- 
 ance. The joy of all the young ladies was now 
 at its height. So many men ! and plenty of 
 officers ! Such a certainty of good partners ! 
 Quite delightful ! 
 
 Lady Norbury and Lady Anne were all gra- 
 ciousness to the Miss Mildmays. The Earl was 
 much struck with Miss Birmingham's beauty. 
 He paid her so many compliments, that Louisa 
 thought he must mean to ask her to dance : — she 
 longed for such an exhibition. It would be
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 excellent to see Lord Norbury's rectangular 
 steps. 
 
 " Must I, then?" said Lady Anne, with most 
 becoming modesty, when Lionel requested the 
 honour of her hand ; " are we to lead the way ?'' 
 
 " I believe it will be expected."" 
 
 They stood up for an English country-dance. 
 Lady Anne called the Merton Hunt, which 
 Mr. Bel!, the organist, had composed for 
 the occasion, and dedicated to her lady- 
 ship. It was expected that Lord Mordaunt 
 •would have followed with Miss Birming- 
 ham; but his Lordship was in a bad humour, 
 on account of the non-appearance of the 
 Sydenham family. " What the devil can have 
 happened at Elsinore Lodge ?" said he to Lady 
 Olivia Beaulieu. She began a long history of 
 a cold Mrs. Sydenham had caught in an open 
 carriage ; and, in the middle of it, Lord Mor- 
 daunt took her by the hand, and led her to the 
 line of dancers. Lord Norbury was much dis-
 
 almack's. 235 
 
 pleased with his son's choice : he had hoped it 
 would have been Miss Birmingham. 
 
 Godfrey Mildmay took out Lady Madelina 
 Mr. Sutton, the Recorder, Miss INIildmav 
 Captain Cole stood up with Miss Molyneux 
 the Miss Carltons were accommodated with a 
 brace of dragoons. Lady Margaret tried in 
 vain to persuade Adolphus Frederic to ask 
 Miss Birmingham ; the youth was restive — he 
 would play a Vecarte^ — " he would be hanged 
 rather than dance, that he would !" A tribe of 
 Merton INIisses followed in line, the music began, 
 and all was animation. 
 
 Lord George Fitzallan, having got rid of 
 Mrs. Metcalf, and anxious to escape Miss Ma- 
 ria Molyneux, came sauntering up towards a 
 bench, on which were seated Louisa, Barbara, 
 and Lady Agnes Beaulieu. He started in good 
 earnest at the sight of Louisa. " Heavens !" 
 exclaimed he, " Miss Mddmay ! is it possible .? 
 Mv old Paris friend .?"
 
 236 almack's. 
 
 " The very same," replied Louisa, gaily : " I 
 can assure you, I am equally surprised ; but 
 you have changed your regiment since wo last 
 met, so I little expected to find an old acquaint- 
 ance in the Major of the Fourth Dragoons." 
 
 " I hope that is the only thing you will find 
 me changed in," said he, laughing; " and I 
 think I shall find you the same lively saucy 
 creature you used to be : — as handsome, I see 
 you are," added he in a whisper, to be heard by 
 her alone. 
 
 Louisa smiled most graciously. 
 ** And can you be thus sitting still, while all 
 the world are moving .? You, who dance so 
 divinely ? How shocking ! but this must not 
 be any longer. Will you do me the honour to 
 dance with me ? and then we can talk over old 
 Paris stories, and your dear friend the little 
 Baroness." 
 
 " What, I ?" said Louisa, with an affected 
 shrug of horror : " I join in a vulgar kitchen-
 
 almack's. 237 
 
 hop ? No ! never, never ! while I have a hope 
 of a waltz or quadrille." 
 
 ** Ah, I see,^ said Lord George, " you are 
 indeed the same : yes ; the same whimsical 
 creature you were, when you made me believe 
 you were a French girl, at one of the Duke of 
 Wellington's balls at Paris. Do you remember 
 that .?'' 
 
 " To be sure I do : but don't suppose, my 
 lord, I shall let you stay talking over old sto- 
 ries to me, when gentlemen are in such requisi- 
 tion. I have a friend here, who prefers English 
 country-dances to French ones, — don't you, Bar- 
 bara.'' — so allow me to present Lord George 
 Fitzallan to you — he is dying to dance, and so 
 are you ; pray make him turn every couple." 
 
 " Cruel gill !" whispered Lord George; " but 
 I will have my revenge for this piece of trea- 
 chery. Will you dance the first quadrille with 
 me." 
 
 " Yes, I promise you faithfully, I will."
 
 S38 almack's. 
 
 " Then shall we join the set now?" said Lord 
 George to Barbara. 
 
 " In one moment," replied she ; " but I must 
 first get my sash arranged.*" 
 
 Lady Agne& Beaulieu offered her services to 
 assist her, and, while they retired to the tea- 
 room. Lord* George took the seat next Miss 
 Louisa Mildmay. " I am in no hurry for them 
 to come back," said he ; "I am better pleased 
 as I am, next you, than dancing with any one 
 here. But pray, fair lady, may I ask the name 
 of my pretty, modest, retiring partner ? You 
 turned me off cleverly enough upon her. She 
 is vastly well-dressed ; but looks new, methinks, 
 to this wicked dancing world of ours." 
 
 " What! is it possible," said Louisa, " that 
 your lordship should not be acquainted with 
 Miss Birmingham, of Atherford Abbey ? You 
 do surprise me, I own !" 
 
 '* Birmingham.? Birmingham.? what the great, 
 heiress ?"
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 " The same, and a very charming girl too, I 
 assure you ; and a very particular friend of 
 mine into the bargain.'' 
 
 " Well ! this is too good luck ; why, I vow I 
 have heard of nothing but her thousands and 
 tens of thousands since I have been at Nor- 
 bury. The old peer, I beheve, intends her for 
 my precious cousin, Mordaunt ; and then my 
 good aunt looks grand, and is seized with cer- 
 tain aristocratic qualms about blood and pedi- 
 gree. Why, I have half a mind to fall down 
 on my knees before you, Miss Mildmay, and 
 declare myself yours until death, for this good 
 turn." 
 
 " How ridiculous you are, Lord George ? 
 and the best of the matter too is, that Miss 
 Birmingham was at Norbury last week, and, 
 as you were there, you must have seen her." 
 
 " Oh ! but there is always such a tribe of 
 people at Norbury. I remember now hearing 
 her name at dinner ; but in the evening I had
 
 240 almack''s. 
 
 to make up Lord Norbury's whist-table, and 
 all the ladies had retired before we broke up." 
 
 " Well, and the next morning at breakfast ; — 
 surely you saw her then ?" 
 
 " No ! indeed I did not ; for we all went out 
 fox-hunting, long before any of the women 
 were up, and, when we returned, my lady and 
 her daughter had flown. I remember the 
 mother perfectly : a sort of fat, portly woman, 
 whose very looks proclaim how rich she is, and 
 all the female coterie at Norbury were laughing 
 at her, even to her face. But hush ! here 
 comes the young lady ; now assist me all ye 
 powers, to make myself agreeable ; and you 
 my kind Lady Patroness, pray make vows for 
 my success." 
 
 " Why, you will frighten Miss Birming- 
 ham, if you are so strange. She is not used to 
 8uch persiflage. I hope, Barbara, you will 
 keep Lord George in order; he much wants 
 it, I assure you."
 
 ALMACK'S. 241 
 
 Barbara laughed, and was handed to the 
 dancers by his lordship. 
 
 " What a dehghtful merry person Lord 
 George Fitzallan seems !" said Lady Agnes 
 Beaulieu to Louisa : "' he is one of the dragoons, 
 is not he ?" 
 
 '* Yes, and nephew to Lady Norbury." 
 
 " There is quite a crowd of officers there 
 by the door, doing nothing but quizzing the. 
 company. Oh, how I wish some one of them 
 would ask me to dance ! " said Lady Agnes, 
 sighing : " Do, dear Miss Mildmay, let us take 
 a walk that way : I know Captain Buller, he 
 dined at Etheringham the other day ; perhaps 
 he would ask me, or introduce somebody.*" 
 
 " My dear Lady Agnes," said Louisa, " walk 
 after the men ? oh, impossible ! I could not do 
 such a thing — no ! indeed, they must come after 
 us. But if you wish to move, we can take a 
 turn in the card-room, or stand where we can 
 see the dancers." 
 
 VOL I. M
 
 242 almack's. 
 
 " Oh ! any thing is better than remaining in 
 this stupid corner ; and I would rather look at 
 the dancers than at all the old dowagers." 
 
 The door of the ball-room was now thrown 
 open with a certain air, and a beau of the first 
 order lounged in with the most easy noncha- 
 lance. Dandy is too vulgar a term to apply to 
 this hero ; no ! he was certainly an exquisite du 
 supreme ban ion. His dress, his air, his man- 
 ner, were all equally eccentric. He advanced, 
 by measured steps, towards the whist-table ; 
 and, after oflPering his hand with infinite grace 
 to Lady Norbury, he began very deliberately 
 to scrutinize Louisa and Lady Agnes through 
 his glass. 
 
 The Countess seemed to hail his approach 
 with much delight. " How very late you are, 
 my lord !"" said she : " we began to give you up." 
 
 " And pray, Avhat have you done with Slo- 
 per ?" said Lord Norbury. 
 
 " Oh ! the Doctor? confound him, he is the
 
 AL mack's. 24S 
 
 cause of my being so deuced late : he fell asleep, 
 and snored so comfortably I could not find in 
 my heart to wake him ; but, hoping every grunt 
 would be the last, I kept the carriage waiting 
 a full hour, and then, when he did awake, he 
 was cold and cross, thought his dinner had not 
 digested right, and so would not come. 1 won- 
 der what business he has to eat so much ; and 
 now I find Lady Anne has been dancing half 
 the evening ; monstrous provoking it is." 
 
 The beau turned his eyes again towards the 
 sofa, and again examined the two young 
 ladies- 
 
 " By Jove !" said he, " there are lots of 
 pretty women here. Handsome girls now, those 
 two on that sofa there : who may they be ?^ 
 
 Lady Norbury looked mysterious, and whis- 
 pered something in the gentleman's ear ; then 
 introduced him, in due form, to Lord Beau- 
 lieu : bows, long and low, followed ; and then 
 the Countess, at the end of the deal, rose from 
 M 2
 
 244 almack's. 
 
 her seat, and taking the stranger's arm, walked 
 up to the sofa with him, and presented Lord 
 Dorville to Lady Agnes Beaulieu. 
 
 The young lady roused her almost dormant 
 faculties, and recalled her smiles. The beau 
 said something about courting popularity, and 
 joining for once in a kitchen hop, but in so very 
 low a tone that it was by no means easy to catch 
 the meaning of what he said, particularly as he 
 was all the time busily employed in stroking his 
 very superb whiskers, and in caressing a little 
 favourite tuft which graced the tip of a very 
 well-turned chin : however, at length his lord- 
 ship offered his arm to Lady Agnes, and the 
 distinguished couple walked off to join the 
 dancers in the other room. 
 
 Louisa remained on the sofa, but not long 
 alone ; she was soon joined by Sir Edward Bar- 
 rington, who continued hobbling about. 
 
 " What an elegant girl that Miss Mildmay
 
 almack's. 245 
 
 is!" said LordBeaulieu to Lady Margaret Carl- 
 ton, when they had finished the rubber ; " I am 
 much struck with her, and feel particularly 
 obliged for her kindness to my daughter." 
 
 " You admire her, do you ?" said Lady 
 Margaret, turning her malicious eyes towards 
 the sofa : " very foreign in her look and air ; 
 voila tout, I should say." Then in a whisper to 
 Lady Norbury, " How animated Sir Edward 
 seems ! how lucky that his tender Maria does 
 not see him ! But surely, my lord, when Lady 
 Agnes was on the sofa, few people would look 
 at that Miss Mildmay, and her foreign tour- 
 nure; or as my brother, the Duke of Clanalpin, 
 terms it, French humbug ; he always says, 
 ' Well ! thank God, Moggy, your girls are 
 quite English, and natural ;' and I am sure I 
 hope they are." 
 
 " Miss Birmingham is one of the finest girls 
 in the room, I think," said Lord Norbury.
 
 246 almack's. 
 
 " She is really prodigiously improved, and I 
 prophecy that she will produce a wonderful 
 effect in the world." 
 
 *' In a certain set, perhaps, she may," said 
 Lady Norbury, with her most disdainful toss of 
 the head ; " but it will not be in what I should 
 term the world par excellence^" 
 
 *' Oh, hang your distinctions, my Lady Nor- 
 bury," said the Earl. " I take it we shall all 
 see that an heiress of 20,000/. per annum may 
 buy an introduction to the very first world.'' 
 
 " So you may please to imagine, my Lord, 
 but pardon me if I differ from you ; wealth is 
 one thing, and very good as far as it goes, but 
 it never can be considered as a sine qua non in 
 good company," 
 
 " What delightful good looks dear Lady 
 Anne is in to-night !" said Lady Margaret. 
 ' " The Archdeacon will so regret not being here 
 to see her. She is his belle, you know." 
 
 " I am so sorry Lady Glenmore is not here,'*
 
 almack's. 247 
 
 said Lady Norbury ; " and Lord Glenmore 
 writes to my lord that she is so very indifferent. 
 She is such a delicate little creature, one trem- 
 bles for her ; and he, poor man ! is so anxious, 
 and so much alarmed," 
 
 " Oh, then there are really hopes of an heir," 
 said Lady Margaret: " I thought it must be 
 so, from all I heard. Well, if I see Lord Glen- 
 more, I shall certainly advise his sending off 
 for Lady Danvers. Those young things of six- 
 teen are always so imprudent." 
 
 " Pray," said Mrs. Metcalf, who had been 
 a long time half aleep, "are the Sydenhams 
 come ?" 
 
 " Oh dear no !" said I^ady Margaret. " They 
 never come to these sort of things ; Mr. Syden- 
 ham is much too fine for country balls. They 
 will not even dine out now, I assure you, and in 
 our dining-out neighbourhood too : so absurd !'' 
 
 " Hark !" said Lord Beaulieu : " there is a 
 French country-dance beginning; shall we go
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 and see them ? I am told that one of the Miss 
 Mildmays dances in a very superior style." 
 
 Nor was he disappointed : nothing could be 
 more graceful than Louisa's air in a quadrille ; 
 she had acquired the true Parisian style of 
 dancing, and with Lord George for her part- 
 ner, and Barbara and Colonel Montague for 
 vis-a-vis, she really outdid herself. She was the 
 admiration of the whole room, with one excep- 
 tion, and that one was Lady Margaret Carlton. 
 " Upon the whole, her ladyship must say, she 
 did not quite admire it ; she believed it was 
 bad taste, but so it was, — she could not like 
 such very French steps." 
 
 Her own two stiff daughters did i^ot appear 
 to advantage, though they had learned of both 
 M. and Madame Guillet : but Miss Carlton 
 was dancing with Lord Mordaunt, — Lady Mar- 
 garet saw that, and was satisfied. The Ladies 
 Beaulieu displayed all the light agility of youth, 
 and Sir Edward Barrington was quite delighted
 
 almack's. 249 
 
 with the sight of so many happy-looking young 
 damsels, as he always termed young ladies. 
 Quadrilles not having been long introduced 
 at the Merton monthly assemblies, great was 
 the anxiety and curiosity among the majority 
 of the town's-people to see these dances, 
 and it may be supposed how much admi- 
 ration Louisa's battemens and hrises excited. 
 Later in the evening, Lady Anne succeeded in 
 persuading Lord Dorville to stand up with her 
 in a waltz, and her own particular set kept her 
 in countenance. Louisa, who, as her ladyship 
 expressed it, was quite " one of us," surpassed 
 all the others in that enchanting dance, whose 
 charm can never be appreciated by any cold- 
 blooded spectator. But vain were all their 
 efforts to make Barbara join the magic circle ; 
 she could not be persuaded. Her friend Julia 
 had gone with Mrs. Penelope into the card- 
 room; so poor Miss Birmingham was reduced 
 to sit in a corner, and obliged of course, quite
 
 250 almack's. 
 
 a contre cceur, to flirt with Colonel Montague, 
 who, out of pure compassion, had taken a va- 
 cant seat next her. 
 
 At supper there was much eating, and some 
 flirting ; all the company seemed happily 
 placed; grandees opposite grandees, and dash- 
 ing dragoons divided by delighted young la- 
 dies. The ball did not break up till a late 
 hour : the last dances were far the merriest, 
 when all form and ceremony was at an end ; so 
 that the more elderly people joined in them 
 with as much spirit as the young ones. 
 
 At length the weary fiddlers were comforted 
 with the sight of numbers departing : there was 
 a hope it would soon be over. Miss Birming- 
 ham's carriage was announced. Colonel Monta- 
 gue was observed to shawl her with the utmost 
 care : she held his arm, while she took an affec- 
 tionate leave of her friends the Mildmays. He 
 led her through the room, and every eye was 
 turned upon them.
 
 almack"'s. 251 
 
 " May I hope," said Lionel to her in a low 
 voice as they went down stairs, '* that you will 
 not forget me, when we meet in town ?" 
 
 " Oh ! how could you ever fancy such a 
 thing !" was her answer in a still lower tone. 
 " I trust you will introduce me to your sister, 
 and that we shall be very intimate. How 
 often I shall think over my delightful visit to 
 BishopV Court ! Good night ! good night !" 
 
 He handed her in, and waited at the door till 
 the /carriage had driven out of sight, and then 
 returned to the ball-room. As he walked by, 
 Lord George whispered to Louisa, " Poor 
 Lionel ! he is dead smit : never saw a man so 
 fairly done ; and your friend too, oh ! son petit 
 caur a parle; her eyes danced with pleasure 
 while he was flirting with her." 
 
 " Well, Lord George," said Godfrey Mild- 
 may, " I do think you are a bold man, to talk 
 of any body's flirting after your own." 
 
 Lord George laughed off" this attack with a
 
 253 almack's. 
 
 very good grace, casting every now and then 
 a side glance at Louisa, who blushed most be- 
 comingly ; but Godfrey rallied his sister all 
 the way home on her decided partiality for this 
 dashing dragoon. At length, fairly driven to 
 extremities, Louisa exclaimed, '' Well, I always 
 told you he was a great favourite of mine. He 
 went on to-night just as he used always to do 
 at Paris." 
 
 " Better and better," said Godfrey drily. 
 " He seems a very nice dandy sort of 3'^oung 
 gentleman," said old Mr. Mildmay. 
 
 " A dandy Lord, if you please, brother,'' 
 said Mrs. Penelope with dignity. 
 
 Thus ended this famous election-ball, which 
 is yet recollected at Merton with pride and 
 satisfaction. Among the beau monde of that 
 distinguished borough, nothing was so much 
 talked of on the morrow as Colonel Monta- 
 gue's kind attention to every body, and his 
 evident admiration of the heiress. She also
 
 almack's. 253 
 
 came in for no small share of praise ; every one 
 could relate some act of kindness, some proof 
 of good-nature, shown by Miss Birmingham. 
 Louisa's fine steps and Paris graces had not 
 produced half the effect of one of Julia's smiles. 
 Barbara's kind shake of the hand to several of 
 her old play-fellows had endeared her to them 
 for life : so easy is it to acquire regard, though 
 such little acts of kindness are despised by those 
 who aim only to shine, and who prefer admi- 
 ration to esteem.
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 A GALLERY OF PORTRAITS. 
 
 " Ten thousand fools unsung are still in view.'' 
 
 Young's Satires. 
 
 The Birminghams, according to their agree- 
 ment, called for Julia, as they passed by 
 Bishop's-Court on their way to town : it was 
 something quite new to her to leave home, and 
 she made Mr. Mildmay promise, that, if any of 
 his rheumatic pains came on in the spring, he 
 would send for her immediately. Soon after her 
 departure, Louisa, attended by Mademoiselle 
 Eloise, set off for Norbury ; Colonel Montague 
 rode with Godfrey Mildmay.
 
 almaok's. 255 
 
 The distance from Bishop's-Court to Norbury 
 was about five miles of very good road. The 
 park was a handsome piece of ground: — by 
 handsome, I mean, that Nature had done but 
 httle for it, but that it had received all the 
 improvement and cultivation which layers out 
 of ground can give : belts, clumps, screens, and 
 curious park-paling; handsome single trees, 
 fenced off, so as to demand attention, should 
 the eye of the spectator fail to discover their 
 merits unassisted. The pleasure-ground was 
 distinguished by its elegant wire fence ; and in 
 summer nothins: could be more beautiful than 
 its curious flower-beds, and baskets covered 
 with creepers : the utmost neatness prevailed 
 everywhere. 
 
 The house was a plain handsome building ; 
 it contained some very spacious apartments, 
 furnished with much magnificence, but little 
 taste; it was all upholstery work, and there 
 was so much of it, that the lively Lady Glen-
 
 256 almack's. 
 
 more once remarked, that she thought Lady 
 Norbury must have been bit by a mad cabinet- 
 maker. There were no pictures, vertu, statues, 
 or any sort of classic taste, but every thing 
 looked new, gaudy, and solid ; I may also add, 
 dull, for Norbury was proverbially dull, and 
 a visit there could seldom be a pleasant thing. 
 No endeavours were ever made on the part of 
 either Lord or Lady Norbury to make it so ; 
 they seemed to think that the honour of visiting 
 them must be sufficient gratification in itself ; 
 nothing more could be necessary. 
 
 Lady Anne generally amused herself in ri- 
 diculing all the country visitors; and Lord 
 Mordaunt seldom took any notice of them. 
 There was now a large party staying at 
 Norbury, but all were what Lady Anne de- 
 nominated humdrums, or natives. The gran- 
 dees were not expected for a day or two. — 
 Perhaps the reader may not dislike to have
 
 almack's. 257 
 
 a slight sketch of the various characters who 
 composed the party. 
 
 As married ladies have always precedence, I 
 will begin with Mrs. Metcalf, who had at this 
 time been above five weeks at Norbury. She 
 was a portly widow of sixty, and had been a 
 great beauty, who had figured away at Bath, 
 Scarborough, and all the other places of public 
 amusement, which were resorted to forty years 
 ago. She afterwards became a noted belle at 
 Ranelagh and VauxhaU ; in their days of cele- 
 brity had been talked of for many lords and men 
 of account ; but, somehow or other, she had 
 sealed her fate, by accepting the addresses of 
 a simple country gentleman ; simple enough, 
 in truth, he was, and ugly enough ; but les 
 beaux yeux de sa cassette smit the fair Lucretia 
 Barrat, and she consented to become Mrs. Met- 
 calf. For a few years she ruled with undis- 
 puted sway, until at last she fairly worried the
 
 258 almack's. 
 
 poor man out of the world ; but he left his 
 estate behind him, and she took good care to 
 have it all settled upon herself. She was at 
 that time considerably turned of forty, and she 
 wisely determined not to sacrifice her liberty 
 a second time : matrimony had procured her 
 what she wanted, and she was satisfied ; so she 
 commenced independent dasher. 
 
 She rouged high, and played high, and talk- 
 ed loud, and laughed louder, gave good din- 
 ners, and told good stories. She wanted nei- 
 ther wit nor impudence ; any body may be 
 witty who dares to say any thing to every 
 body. She loved to put prudish ladies out of 
 countenance by a bold bon mot. Then she de- 
 lighted in bringing young people together, to 
 have a hand in a catch-match : to help on a 
 marriage was a great pleasure, but to assist in 
 marring one was a greater still, to Mrs. Metcalf. 
 
 Such had been the pursuits of this gay 
 widow for twenty long years, and though now
 
 ALMACK'S. 259 
 
 a little the worse for wear, she yet lorded it 
 over the great world with considerable success. 
 Time, it was true, began rather to tame her wit, 
 but it could not quiet her tongue ; she now be- 
 came a noted teller of stories : not lies, gentle 
 reader, only embellished truths. Mrs. Metcalf 
 had a capital memory, knew every thing about 
 every body, recollected all the scandal of the 
 great world, since the American war, and re- 
 tailed it for the tenth, twentieth, thirtieth time, 
 with the utmost point and esprit. Then she 
 was learned in pedigrees, genealogies, and anec- 
 dotes of families, and she was never tired of 
 hearing herself talk. By such talents old Anno 
 Domini, as she Mas often called, became a wel- 
 come visitor in many a house where the master 
 and mistress distrusted their own powers of 
 conversation. Neither barking dogs, nor chirp- 
 ing birds, could force her to silence ; and she has 
 been known to begin a story to a large circle, 
 who in the course of it had all dropped oflF
 
 260 almack's. 
 
 under some pretence or other, and, faute de 
 mieux, she has finished it to the footman, who 
 happened fortunately to come in with coals. 
 Mrs. Metcalf's house, in Lower Grosvenor 
 Street, was the resort of all the idle old men of a 
 certain set, who delighted in talking over times 
 long past, and refreshing their memories with 
 obsolete scandal ; all the news of the present 
 day was also sure of being retailed there. 
 
 Lord Norbury was one of the constant at- 
 tendants at Mrs. Metcalf's morning coteries ; 
 and in return she fastened herself upon them at 
 Norbury, for as long a time as she found it 
 convenient. The Countess sometimes tired cf 
 her badinage ; but, on the whole, she saved her 
 ladyship the trouble of exerting herself, besides 
 talking her to sleep at least once in every day. 
 Lady Anne delighted in the old lady, and the 
 young men greatly enjoyed her rich stories. 
 So much for this independent widow. 
 
 The next in order and in merit was an
 
 almack's. 261 
 
 independent old maid, Miss Belinda Bevil, 
 who had become acquainted with Lady Anne 
 Norbury at Mrs. MetcalFs parties in town ; 
 had invited herself to Norbury, and moreover 
 had cleverly manoeuvred to make Mrs. Metcalf 
 frank her down in her roomy old-fashioned 
 chariot. Miss Bevil was a person of no birth, 
 but she had somehow or other, when a girl, 
 rendered herself useful to a rich old lady, 
 and with her she went abroad in the capa- 
 city of a humble companion. Their residence 
 on the Continent turned out rather longer 
 than they could have wished ; for they were 
 among the unfortunate detenus in France, after 
 the peace of Amiens. Miss Bevil lost her pro- 
 tectress abroad ; but she left the poor girl a 
 legacy of 20,000/. in the funds, as a small return 
 for the patience and flattery she had exerted 
 for so many years. 
 
 During her residence in France, she had 
 acquired a strong taste for French manners.
 
 ALMACK'S. 
 
 French cookery, French dress, and French gal- 
 lantry; she danced, and she coquetted, but 
 she retained her freedom and her fortune : these 
 were only to be bartered for rank in England. 
 
 In process of time. Miss Bevil was allowed 
 to return to her own country. She took a 
 house in London, was very foreign, very lite- 
 rary, and very diplomatic ; indeed, she aspired 
 to be a bel esprit ^ un peu philosophe. 
 
 Many gentlemen better stored with wit than 
 money, found it very convenient to be at her 
 house ; but in a few years Miss Bevil dis- 
 covered that it would be necessary for her 
 to reduce her style of living, her expenses 
 having somewhat exceeded her means. She had 
 had various proneiirs and causeurs among 
 those who had declared that the old maid gave 
 good feeds : some might even have aspired a 
 little further, but none had yet been bold 
 enough to offer for her hand ; and during so
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 long a wear and tear in England, and out of 
 it, our fair spinster's reputation had become 
 a little tarnished; it had received various in- 
 juries, yet it still contrived to keep together. 
 Miss Bevil was now turned forty, and all hopes 
 of success in matrimony having nearly vanished, 
 she thought only of improving the present mo- 
 ment, and catching folly as it flies. 
 
 Foreigners, were, however, still her favourites, 
 and she went great lengths with various Mar- 
 quesses and Barons. She gave diplomatic soirees, 
 where she collected a specimen of every nation 
 in Europe, to stare at each other ; she said odd 
 things to make these odd people wonder, af- 
 fected great freedom with men of notoriety, set 
 up as a crack billiard-player, made chess ap- 
 pointments, in short, tried all ways to gain 
 celebrity. She kept no carriage, and was, there- 
 fore, a perpetual torment to those who did. 
 
 There was no manccuvre she would not
 
 264 almack's. 
 
 practise, no art to which she would not stoop, 
 in order to get carried from place to place; and 
 these arrangements occasioned so many notes 
 and messages pour et contre, that by the liveried 
 clan in London this lady was usually denomi- 
 nated " The footman's devil." Another of her 
 plans was, to cause herself to be invited to some 
 pleasant country-house ; and when there, if she 
 found the quarters good, it was by no means 
 easy to dislodge her. On the present occasion, 
 she had fastened herself on Mrs. Metcalf, and 
 had thus got taken to Norbury free of expense, 
 and finding it a house of very general resort, 
 she promised herself a frequent repetition of her 
 visits there. 
 
 The Misses Molyneux, the daughters of Ralph 
 Molyneux, Esq. the High Sheriff for the coun- 
 ty, were very common-place sort of young la- 
 dies, such as are to be met with in every neigh- 
 bourhood. They were now on a visit to Nor- 
 bury during the absence of their father, who
 
 almack's. 265 
 
 had been ordered to Brighton for a rheumatic 
 complaint in his limbs ; and the two girls were 
 both of them favourite protegees of Lady Nor- 
 bury's. Like many other great ladies, she was 
 never thoroughly comfortable in the country 
 \vithout one or two Misses, who were to be al- 
 ways at her ladyship's call, a sort of souffre-dou- 
 leiirs usually denominated toad-eaters. The 
 eldest of the sisters had long been a sort of 
 half beauty, and still gave herself beauty airs, 
 though she was now thoroughly passee : she 
 was very foolish, sentimental, and affected, al-. 
 ways fancying herself in love with some hand- 
 some young man or other, who was probably 
 not in the least thinking of her. INIiss Moly- 
 neux made herself acceptable at the different 
 houses at which she visited, by various agreeable 
 accomplishments : she could play quadrilles and 
 waltzes for the dancers ; she could sing a second 
 in a duet not very much out of time, and take 
 a view not very much out of perspective. She 
 vol,. I. N
 
 266 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 understood Japan work, crape work, and che- 
 nille work : she excelled in the manufactory of 
 card racks, hand-screens, a^d chimney-piece 
 ornaments; and to crown all, she could talk a 
 little French and Italian, if she happened to 
 stumble on any foreigners. Thus accomplished, 
 Dora (for so she had refined the elderly name 
 of Dorothy) became a valuable acquisition, 
 wherever a lady of all work was wanted in a 
 great house, or at a large party. 
 
 Miss Maria Molyneux, the younger sister, 
 was in the useful, not the ornamental way ; 
 she wrote all Lady Norbury's notes for her, and 
 deciphered the letters of all her ladyship's cor- 
 respondents who wrote crabbed hands ; she 
 arranged her canvass work, wound her various 
 worsteds, drew her patterns, took up the stiches 
 of her fleecy hosiery knitting, or cut off the de- 
 fective rows of her netting ; she looked after the 
 birds, caressed the dogs, trimmed and watered 
 the plants ; tuned the harp for Lady Anne,
 
 almack's. 267 
 
 copied music for her, cut the leaves of the new 
 novels, and mended all the pens for all the 
 inkstands. So clever, so useful, so busy, it 
 was quite impossible that the IMisses Molyneux 
 and their talents should not be welcome visi- 
 tants, and particularly at Norbury, where a 
 large party of the idle of both sexes were always 
 collected. The small services of the Molyneux 
 girls (so the}- were generally designatejd in the 
 Merton neighbourhood) were sure to save the 
 mistress of a mansion an infinitude of trouble ; 
 and for that reason the fair sisters were certain 
 of being found wherever there might happen 
 to be a crowd of people assembled together. 
 Miss Molyneux made the tea at breakfast every 
 where, and jNIiss Maria as constantly presided 
 over the coffee. Lord Mordaunt used to say 
 that you were about as sure of finding them as 
 your knife and fork ; and Lady Anne termed 
 them the Appendix and Addenda to the general 
 visiting calendar. 
 
 ' K 2
 
 2G8 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 Miss Maria was just now making a dead set 
 at Sir Edward Barrington, a rich old baronet, 
 something the worse for govit and port wine. 
 Though he was one of the members for the 
 county, he was too fat and red-faced for Miss 
 Molyneux's more refined taste : but Miss Maria 
 thought she should be of great use to him as a 
 nurse, of which every one decided he was in 
 want. She had great hopes of success, founded 
 on three reasons : — 
 
 First, he had taken to wearing flannel waist- 
 coats on her particular recommendation. 
 
 Secondly, she had been requested by him to 
 write out for his own use, her infallible cure for 
 the heart-burn. 
 
 Thirdly, she had tied up his thumb with her 
 own fair hands, after he had cut it in helping 
 her to pine-apple. 
 
 After such demonstrations of esteem, was it 
 not fair to conclude that lo\e was on the way ? 
 '• Alas, poor Cupid ! tliou'rt a treacherous imp."
 
 almack's. 269 
 
 Lord Dorville stands next in our gallery of 
 portraits, (which I declare to be all originals). 
 This young Viscount was lately come of age. 
 after a very irksome minority. He had a high 
 pedigree and a large fortune, a head but in- 
 differently filled with sense, either natural or 
 acquired, and I think even Locke himself would 
 have been puzzled to find out his innate ideas. 
 . He was chiefly distinguished for very white 
 teeth and very white hands, both of which he 
 cherished to a degree which made Lady Anne 
 Norbury call him " fairly fair." This was 
 when he had excited her ladyship^s displeasure, 
 for at other moments she laid the closest siege 
 to his heart, which she often felt inclined to 
 pronounce impregnable. If sometimes it thawed 
 at night, invariably it froze again before morn- 
 ing. Biit though a violent assault had as vet 
 done nothing, Lady Anne had the greatest hopes 
 from the effect of a persevering blockade : — he 
 might be tired out of cruelty, or teased into
 
 270 almack's. 
 
 love — there was no telling — at all events it was 
 worth trying ; and so to work she went with all 
 possible perseverance, and Lord Dorville stay- 
 ed so long at Norbury that she certainly had 
 no small hopes. Her ladyship discovered, that 
 though flattery could not touch him, he could 
 be piqued by indifference, his vanity was soon 
 mortified ; and so she treated him with the easiest 
 nonchalance, and played off every kind of stra- 
 tagem in order to win that prize, his Httle lily 
 hand. We will, for the present, leave Lord 
 Dorville to file his teeth and pare his nails, ac- 
 cording to Lord Chesterfield's most elaborate 
 instructions, while we proceed to describe Dr. 
 Samuel Sloper. This reverend divine was a 
 constant inmate at Norbury. He had been tutor 
 to Lord Mordaunt after he had left Eton, and 
 during his residence at Cambridge, and since 
 that time he had become domestic chaplain to 
 the Earl of Norbury ; he had besides obtained 
 tAvo good rich livings, and was at this moment
 
 ALMACK'S. 271 
 
 looking anxiousl}? forward to a stall in H 
 
 Cathedral. 
 
 The doctor was a very portly, comfortable- 
 looking person, much like many other gentle- 
 men of his cloth. The first sermon he preached 
 after being presented to his second living, was on 
 this text : — " I have learned, in whatsoever state 
 I am, therewith to be content.'"' He was noted 
 for saying grace in a most dignified manner; 
 few men had a better appetite, or could carve a 
 haunch of venison with more dexterity ; for he 
 was a bon vtvarit of the most refined description 
 — his love of eating being only balanced by his 
 love of talking, and the stentorian power of his 
 lungs. His knowledge in the good things of the 
 table rendered him a particular friend and fa- 
 vourite of the Archdeacon's. 
 
 The Abbe le Blanc, whose portrait must come 
 next, was a gay, complaisant Frenchman, who 
 had travelled with Lord jNIordaunt on the Con- 
 tinent ; the very best creature in the world ; had
 
 272 almack's. 
 
 flattery for all tastes, told a lie with superlative 
 grace, and excelled in that pleasing talk, so 
 often nicknamed " small," in which manner 
 makes up for matter: by the ladies he was 
 generally pronounced to be a most agreeable 
 creature ; he was indeed of that species so well 
 desciibed by the Poet : — 
 
 " All sciences a fasting Monseur knows. 
 And bid hini go to heU! — to hell he goes/' 
 
 In my gallery of the distitigues at Nor bury, 
 I find I have been guilty of an error, in not 
 giving precedence due to " the dear Carltons." 
 I am really shocked to death at such a trans- 
 gression, for which I fear they will not easily 
 forgive me ; however, I will endeavour to make 
 amends by describing them very fully. 
 
 The Lady Margaret Carlton^ the wife of 
 
 the very venerable the Archdeacon of H , 
 
 must be too well known as sister to the pre- 
 sent, and daughter to the late, Duke of Clanal- 
 pin, foi me to venture to say much about her ;
 
 almack's. 5^73 
 
 yet it may be necessary to state that, early in 
 life, she took fright at the warning presented to 
 her by a host of maiden aunts and cousins, and 
 therefore determined to marry as soon as she 
 conveniently could. As no eligible offer present- 
 ed itself, at least none that her family sanction- 
 ed, the Lady Margaret made up, without loss of 
 time, to a young man who was domestic chaplain 
 to the Duke her father, and in the space of a few 
 months she succeeded in persuading the Rev. 
 Mr. Carlton to elope wath her. They were at 
 first very poor ; but he was of a good family in 
 the north of England, and, through the inter- 
 cession of some of his friends, the Duke of 
 Clanalpin condescended to forgive such a mis- 
 alliance, and to receive the Lady Margaret 
 and her husband into favour. 
 
 In the course of twenty years, the smart dan- 
 dy young clergyman was metamorphosed into 
 a fat, pompous, gormandizing divine. Through 
 the interest of some of his noble relations, he 
 N 5
 
 274 almack's. 
 
 obtained two very valuable livings, he was a 
 D.D. and Prebendary to boot, and had lately 
 
 become Archdeacon of H , a promotion 
 
 which afforded much satisfaction to Lady Mar- 
 garet, as it gave him a decided designation. 
 Mr. Archdeacon sounded well; now Dr. Carl- 
 ton was always liable to be taken for a phy- 
 sician. They had a large family of beauties, 
 and prodigies ; and Lady Margaret turned out 
 a most admirable manager, for she certainly 
 kept a better table than either the Dean or the 
 Bishop of H , and yet was far from extra- 
 vagant ; and her children were brought up with 
 infinite care, economy, and pride. The grand- 
 daughters of u duke could not be expected to 
 vegetate in the country ; so they paid an annual 
 visit to the metropolis, to empty the worthy 
 Archdeacon's purse, and to refresh the memo- 
 ries of all their 'right honourable cousins. 
 
 The two Miss Carltons were as well known 
 as any other fashionable young ladies, in Hyde
 
 AL mack's. 275 
 
 Park, or Kensington Gardens, or an^ other 
 public resort, 
 
 " WTiere white-robed Misses amble two by two. 
 Nodding to booted beaux. How do ! How do !" 
 
 They paraded one day in FooPs Fair, and 
 the next they galloped up Rotton Row, or down 
 Constitution Hill; and they danced at charity 
 balls at Willis's Rooms, and then talked of what 
 they did at Almack's — not but that they always 
 did get one subscription before Easter; they 
 were generally at the Ancient Music, and very 
 often at the French Play. Strange that sucli 
 pains should not answer I but, alas ! year after 
 year passed on without one offer, one hope 
 even of a proposal on the way ; the young ladies 
 were quite in despair, while their mamma de- 
 clared that men in these days were quite different 
 beings to what they used to be formerly, when 
 dear delightful Ranelagh was in fashion. She 
 believed, it, was owing to quadrilles that there 
 were so few flirtations ; all those French fashions
 
 276 almack's. 
 
 that came in wijth the peace, did no good, as she 
 had always said, and so the Duke of Clanalpin 
 said, and his grace's words were always law with 
 the Lady Margaret. 
 
 When her ladyship was tired of inveighing 
 against those abominable creatures " men," she 
 generally directed the whole artillery of her 
 wit at her neighbours, the Sydenhams. They 
 were a family who resided in the vicinity of the 
 
 city of H , at a very beautiful place called 
 
 Elsinore Lodge, (which Mr. Sydenham had 
 taken for a tei^m of years.) His fine grounds 
 joined the Archdeacon's small demesnes, and 
 ferme ornee. These were people Lady Mar- 
 garet could not endure, for they were really 
 nobodies, complete 'parvenus^ yet rich, fashion- 
 able, nay even ton^ and in the highest set 
 too. 
 
 Of Mr. Sydenham"'s birth little was known, 
 but by the death of a distant relation he had 
 succeeded, some years before, to a considerable
 
 almack's. 277 
 
 West Indian property. In his youth he had 
 been in the Guards, and had lived much in the 
 very first circles, particularly on the Continent, 
 where he had passed several years, and had 
 formed his manners upon the best models of the 
 old French court ; the striking beauty of his 
 person, and the irresistible grace of his ad- 
 dress, having attracted the notice even of the 
 unfortunate Marie Antoinette herself. He had 
 afterwards been attached to one or two foreign 
 missions in the north of Europe. It was at the 
 court of Stuttgard that, twenty years before, 
 the beautiful Adelaide Butler had made a con- 
 quest of the high-bred diplomat. She was the 
 daughter of an English clergyman, of good 
 private fortune, who had contrived to ruin him- 
 self by a love of fine company, fine pictures, and 
 other fine follies. He had been obliged to re- 
 tire abroad, with his only daughter, whose 
 beauty and accomplishments soon attracted the 
 notice even of the court. The idle moments
 
 278 almack's. 
 
 of the insinuating Mr. Sydenham were entirely 
 devoted to Miss Butler. His attentions were 
 so pointed, that at last the world began to talk. 
 The artful father saw, yet took no notice, till at 
 length the fair fame of the young lady seemed 
 in a likely way to be lost for ever; when the 
 Reverend Mr. Butler, with something of Hiber- 
 nian spirit, hinted to his friend Sydenham, that 
 unless he made the only reparation then in his 
 power to his unfortunate daughter, he should 
 not consider his cloth as any obstacle in the 
 way of chastising a scoundrel, but should in- 
 sist on a meeting immediately. The diplomat 
 would willingly have entered into negotiations, 
 but Mr. Butler would hear of no delay. Death 
 or marriage was his offer, and Mr. Sydenham 
 chose the latter, as the least unpleasant of the 
 two. That very evening, the chaplain to the 
 embassy united the dashing, fashionable, dan- 
 gerous Sydenham, to the young and beautiful 
 Adelaide Butler. All the world, — I mean the
 
 almack's. 279 
 
 Stuttgard world, — rejoiced that this gay deceiver 
 was at last caught. ISIany had been the victims 
 of his arts ; and there was no doubt that he 
 meant to have added Miss Butler to the num- 
 ber, not supposing that a clergyman had any 
 redress in his power. " Mais,'''' as a distin- 
 guished French writer observes, " on pent tire 
 plus Jin qu'un autre, mais pas plus Jin que tous 
 les autres ;" and old Butler knew what he was 
 about full as well as Mr. Sydenham, or better, 
 as the sequel has shown, if we allow that the 
 test of merit be success. It happened too, for- 
 tunately enough, that Mr. Butler had some 
 interest with t!ie then ministry at home ; and, 
 being a regular intriguant, he got his son-in-law 
 removed to Dresden. This was both conve- 
 nient and agreeable, as some of the Stutttjard 
 people still looked a little shy upon the lovely 
 bride ; and our minister had had certain liaisons 
 from which he was glad enough now to break. 
 To Dresden, therefore, they went, and there
 
 280 almack's. 
 
 Mrs. Sydenham presented him with a daughter, 
 and none of the Saxon ladies were at all the 
 wiser, or thought it odd that so fine a babe 
 should make its appearance rather before the 
 proper time. In fact, they knew nothing at 
 all about the matter ; — and if they had, — why, 
 these things happen every day— c^est possible 
 peut-elre. In England, we suppose, it would 
 have been different. Well, ii'importe, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Sydenham turned out a very happy couple : 
 they suited exactly, and very few people in- 
 deed knew any thing about the Stuttgard gos- 
 sip. Besides, it was now twenty years ago. 
 Mr. Sydenham returned to England a few years 
 after his marriage, on succeeding to a large for- 
 tune, left him unexpectedly by a distant relation, 
 and he soon after settled at Elsinore Lodge, 
 
 in the county of H ; and he and his wife 
 
 being thought very elegant, fashionable people, 
 were soon visited by most of the covmty ; and, 
 before the Miss Carltons were brought out.
 
 almack's. 281 
 
 they had been the dearest and most intimate 
 friends of Mr. Archdeacon and Lady Marga- 
 ret Carlton. But the times change, and we 
 change with the times, malheitreuscmetit ; for 
 Mr. Sydenham was now a perfect time past, 
 a ci-devant young man, made up a httle, to 
 be sure, but that no one could wonder at : 
 for he had shone a beau so long as since the 
 reign of red heels and solitaires, when bows 
 and fine manners carried the day, before dis- 
 titigites, exquisites, elegants, or dandies, were 
 thought of; he had then been the accom- 
 plished macaroni. 
 
 A thousand little falsities were said to com- 
 pose his toilette ; teeth, eyebrows, whiskers, 
 calves to his legs, were all supposed to be arti- 
 ficial ; there was no end of the stories related of 
 this singular man's dress, and which, it was said, 
 he much liked to hear talked about, as giving a 
 great idea of his eccentric appearance. 
 
 His manners were equally uncommon : he
 
 282 almack's. 
 
 affected the most ceremonious high breeding to 
 every body, the most assiduous gallantry marked 
 his conversation with ladies. He had passed all 
 his life in the plus grand monde, had certainly 
 seen much that was extraordinary, and had 
 lived in intimacy with many celebrated person- 
 ages. He possessed the art de narrer in per- 
 fection, but usually embellished his stories in 
 so amusing a manner, that he was known every 
 where by the name of Lying Sydenham. 
 
 Mrs. Sydenham was just what one might ex- 
 pect the wife of such a man to be — a compound 
 of affectation and address, a mixture of folly 
 and talent. She was at once both the fine lady 
 and the fine woman, for she had still great re- 
 mains of beauty, though her daughter Laura cer- 
 tainly outshone her, and was taller by the head. 
 
 Mrs. Sydenham could not boast of any noble 
 relations; there JLiady Margaret Carlton had 
 all the advantage : but fashion, high-breeding, 
 and belonging to a certain set, the exclusive bon
 
 almack''s. 283 
 
 touy reconciled her to her fate. Mr. Sydenham's 
 house m Seymour Place was not large, but it 
 was fitted up in the best taste ; his small col- 
 lection of cabinet pictures was most choice, his 
 equipages, his cook, his wines, were all perfect 
 of their kind. The finest men in London were 
 certain to be found at Mrs. Sydenham's pe/iVs 
 soupers ; her things were always so select, the 
 very cream of good company. She perfectly 
 understood that sort of society ; she could work 
 her way up-hill with such inimitable art, such 
 graceful effrontery, that even Mr. Sydenham, 
 with all his knowledge of men and manners, 
 was often struck with wonder at his wife's abili- 
 ties. She had now an additional motive for ex- 
 erting all her talents ; for her daughter, the all- 
 accomplished Laura, had just made her debut, 
 and from her cradle it had been decreed that 
 she was to outdo all that ever yet had been seen 
 in the female world. For the last three years, 
 Mrs. Sydenham and her friends had prone
 
 284 almack's. 
 
 Laura's grace and beauLj from one circle to 
 another ; and now she appeared to receive the 
 incense which an admiring world was to offer at 
 her shrine. Had nothing been said about her, 
 she would have been termed handsome ; but, as 
 it was, she only obtained the praise of being a 
 well-grown girl. With respect to her accom- 
 plishments, she had been taught every thing, 
 and had therefore attained nothing. She set 
 up, however, for a highly educated young wo- 
 man, of a refined and most cultivated mind ; 
 but, alas ! the poverty of the soil prevented any 
 of the fruits from reaching perfection, and Miss 
 Sydenham's affectation of mental superiority 
 was much more tiresome than common folly 
 would have been : however, she shone among 
 the blues, was seen everywhere every night, 
 was always better dressed than any body, and 
 certainly looked very well when she did not 
 stand too near her mother. 
 
 This family, with their various advantages,
 
 almack's. 285 
 
 could not but provoke Lady Margaret Carlton. 
 Such people to become ton ! what right could 
 they have to it ? while she, a Clanalpin, de- 
 scended from the Scottish monarchs of old, to 
 have to make way for a Mrs. Sydenham ! No ! 
 it was not to be borne. Had she known the 
 Stuttgard story, she would certainly have gone 
 mad, for Lady Margaret was chaste as the 
 icicle on Dian's temple.
 
 286 almack's. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 FASHIONABLE CONVERSATION. 
 
 " Next you have news by sea and land, all 
 Season'dj if possible, with scandal. 
 Broad hint, and inference censorious. 
 Making things doubtful quite notorious." 
 
 ADVICE TO JULIA. 
 
 We left Miss Louisa Mildmay, at the begin- 
 ning of the last chapter, driving up the grand 
 approach to Norbury house : she was met at the 
 second gate by Lady Anne, who stopped the 
 carriage. 
 
 " Ah ! my dearest Louisa, by all that 's lucky 
 I have just caught you in time : will you walk
 
 almack's. 287 
 
 with me round the pleasure-ground ? we can 
 have a nice stroll before dinner." Louisa de- 
 sired nothing better, and was out of the carriage 
 in an instant. Lady Anne continued. " Is not 
 that my friend the adorable Eloise, with her 
 ribands couleur de rose? Ah! bun jour, Made- 
 moiseile^ Je suis charmee de votis voir en si bontie 
 sante; vans tronverez voire amie Mademoiselle 
 Chiton, a la maison, elle sera ravie de vous 
 voir." 
 
 Eloise dropped her most graceful curtsey, 
 and re-entering the carriage, drove off. . 
 
 " I thought,"" said Lady Anne, " that that 
 respectable-looking brown chaise must be Mr. 
 Mildmay's: I might have remembered your 
 long-tailed blacks and old grey-headed Peter. 
 But you look cold, Louisa : cross your shawl." 
 
 " Oh ! I shall be warm in a moment if we 
 walk quick ; you know I have been an hour in 
 the carriage. But, my dear Lady Anne, had I
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 not better pay ray respects to Lady Norbury 
 before I walk ?"'' 
 
 " Bless me, how ceremonious you are grown 
 all of a sudden, but I believe you may be right; 
 as Captain O'Briau says, 'keep on the windward 
 side as long as you can f and we all know my 
 good mamma loves attention. And I have a 
 note to write to Mrs. Sydenham ; so you '11 find 
 me in the boudoir when you have done all the 
 proprieties in the saloon. But stay ! first I must 
 tell you whom you will find of the privy council 
 there. The two Miss Carltons are deafening 
 the company with a grand duett, ' The men of 
 Prometheus,' I believe : I thought my ears would 
 have been stunned ; so I escaped. My Lady 
 Margaret is pouring into Mamma's secret ear 
 sundry anecdotes of all the leading characters 
 in her neighbourhood, particularly respecting 
 Mrs. and Miss Sydenham ; they are coming here 
 to-morrow: but the odious Carltons will be gone, 
 I hope. Mamma is listening with her eyes
 
 almack's. 289 
 
 shut, and is half asleep, but my useful friend 
 Maria Molyneux does not let a word escape her. 
 You know Sir Edward Barrington delights so 
 in INIrs. Sydenham, le sage entend a demi mot; 
 you see I let you behind the curtain. Well, 
 then, for the side-scene, old " Anno Domini," 
 Mrs. Metcalf, is talk, talk, talk, at another ta- 
 ble, to that sentimental prude Dora Molyneux ; 
 you know her white mealy face, — or take her 
 own reading, pale and interesting, — she would 
 not for the world look healthy, 'tis so vulgar. 
 Then old Miss Bevil is reading some decent 
 story, out of the last number de la chronique 
 scandafeuse, in order to charm the Abbe Le Blanc 
 this evening. She has been studying the Baron 
 Grimm with him ; you know she says, tout est 
 sain aux sains. How you laugh, Louisa ! Now, 
 in your turn, you must tell me what you have 
 been about with your handsome Colonel, a 
 knight sans peur et sans reproche, come amongst 
 VOL. I. o
 
 290 almack's. 
 
 us to turn all our heads. Ah ! she blushes ; 
 guilty upon my honour. Well ! my love ! here is 
 the glass door, go through the conservatory to the 
 saloon ; as you know all the Dramatis Personae, 
 pray make yourself agreeable, and then come 
 to nie : wiien I have exerted all my eloquence du 
 billet, I shall be a vous ordres.''^ 
 
 Louisa never could stand Lady Anne''s wit ; 
 she was obliged to wait a moment, that she 
 might compose her countenance, and make her 
 entree with the true Parisian grace. She was 
 received by the Countess with her usual digni- 
 fied stateliness, which always succeeded in keep- 
 ing people at as great a distance as possible; 
 indeed, it was Avhat she seemed ever labouring 
 to attain. Lady Margaret Carlton, who had al- 
 ways an eye to effect, rightly judged that good- 
 humoured ease would never appear to greater 
 advantage, than when opposed to Lady Nor- 
 bury's chilUng manner. Nothing, therefore.
 
 almack''s. 291 
 
 could be so gracious as her reception of Miss 
 Louisa Mildmay ; or so kind as her inquiries 
 after all at Bishop's-Court ; — I might add, or 
 more minute, for she even recollected that the 
 old house-dog. Keeper, had a cough the last 
 time she was there, poor fellow ! Miss Maria 
 Molyneux thought it right to extend her hand 
 in her usual stiff way. She was secretly wonder- 
 ing at Louisa's perfect composure, for she herself 
 always felt disconcerted when Lady Norbury look- 
 ed grand ; and she longed to ask, if Ijouisa's hat 
 and pelisse were just come from Paris. The 
 other ladies took no notice of the new arrival. 
 The Miss Carltons had finished their overture, 
 but thev were louder than ever in a grand march; 
 Lady Norbury smelt at her Jiacon, and put her 
 hand to her temples as if the noise overpowered 
 her, but slie was too polite to say so, and Lady 
 Margaret could never fancy fier daughters' mu- 
 sic could be any thing but " delightful.'^ 
 o 2
 
 292 almack's. 
 
 Louisa answered all the questions put to her. 
 Lady Margaret enquired if Miss Mildmay was 
 gone up to town with the Birminghams ? Did 
 Mr. Mildmay think of London in the spring ? 
 Was Colonel Montague to stay long in the 
 neighbourhood ? Had she heard from the Wal- 
 lesteins lately ? 
 
 Louisa informed her ladyship that she had 
 just received an invitation from the Baroness to 
 spend the spring with her in town. 
 
 Lady Margaret was now quite astonished, 
 and her looks showed it, though it was not ex- 
 pressed. 
 
 " Who, then, would stay with dear Mr. Mild- 
 may } it would be so dull for him if both his 
 daughters were away ; she quite felt for her 
 good old friend." 
 
 Louisa observed that her Aunt Penelope 
 would be always there. 
 
 " Oh ! Mrs. Pen. ; true, I had forgotten her ;
 
 almack's. 293 
 
 and, as my brother the Duke of Clanalpin al- 
 ways says, ' Nothing so useful or so little ap- 
 preciated as a maiden sister T then he always 
 adds, * There, Maggy, there's consolation for 
 your daughters.' I told his grace he migiit 
 keep his comfort to himself; I had no fear of 
 wanting it ; — though, to be sure, in this neigh- 
 bourhood, where there are so few young men, 
 one hardly knows how girls are to marry. My 
 dear Lady Norbury, you should exert yourself, 
 and get some beaux down from London." 
 
 " I am not fond of young men," said Lady 
 Norbury, yawning ; " they make such a noise 
 in the house with their boots, and they clap the 
 doors so after them ; and my poor head cannot 
 endure billiards, and battledoor and shuttle- 
 cock, on a wet day ;" and her ladyship shut hej- 
 eyes again. 
 
 Miss Maria Molyneux and I^ady Margaret 
 looked significantly at each other : a knock at the
 
 294 almack's. 
 
 window from Lady Anne served as a summons 
 to Louisa, who gladly withdrew. 
 
 She Avas hardly out of hearing before Lady 
 Margaret exclaimed, " Well ! certainly, some 
 people have luck. Now to think of those two 
 Mildmay girls. You see, the eldest, who is 
 decidedly plain, has wormed herself into the 
 Birmingham house, — a fine thing for her to be 
 in London with them ! To be sure, it is not 
 what I should have liked for either of my girls, 
 but then, with their connexions, it is so differ- 
 ent. Ten to one, now, if Miss Mildmay does 
 not contrive to console some cast-off beau of 
 the heiress's. Then, you see, this hoity-toity 
 Baroness swears eternal friendship to this pert 
 Miss Louisa, whom some people call pretty, 
 but not I for one : she probably means her 
 to catch this popular idol, this handsome Co- 
 lonel." 
 
 " And if she does," said Lady Norbury, 
 rousing herself, " I see no harm. The Mild-
 
 at-mack's. 295 
 
 mays are of a most respectable old family, and 
 I am sure the Montagues owe them enough." 
 
 " And dees your ladyship feel so little pity 
 for poor Miss Birmingham ? Eyes ^vill speak 
 out, and, unfortunately, her's told her secret 
 too plainly, poor girl ! the other night." 
 
 *' I know nothing about it," said the Coun- 
 tess, somewhat haughtily : " I hate gossip, and 
 I hear so much about these Binninghams, that 
 I am quite sick of their vulgar name." 
 
 " Poor Lady Birmingham !" said Lady Mar- 
 garet, laughing affectedly : " how hurt she 
 would be, could she hear your ladyship ; I am 
 afraid she would think it a bad omen for Al- 
 mack's. If writing her name in fjold would do, 
 she might certainly accomplish it ; but how will 
 she ever make a lady patroness swallow such a 
 trading sound ? 
 
 ' 'Twoiild be death to ears polite.' 
 Poor Mrs. Sydenham too ! To the natives in 
 the country it is easy to talk about what Laura
 
 296 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 did at Almack's ; whom she danced with, and 
 how this man flirted with her, and that man 
 admired her dress ; but upon my honour. Miss 
 Molyneux, I constantly observed how seldom 
 Laura Sydenham ever danced at Almack's ; no 
 girl of my acquaintance seemed less noticed : 
 as my brother the Duke of Clanalpin used to 
 say to me every Wednesday, ' A perfect wall- 
 flower, Maggy, that tall girl with that mouth- 
 ful of teeth; " 
 
 " And beautiful teeth Miss Sydenham has," 
 said Lady Norbury. 
 
 " Oh yes ! certainly, beautiful teeth ; only she 
 does grin so to show them off, that one really 
 gets sick even of such very fine teeth. And as 
 I was saying, decidedly Laura Sydenham does 
 not take with the men ; so learned, and bookish, 
 and over-accomplished. I declare I trembled 
 lest Adolphus Frederick should think of such a 
 wise wife ; for at one time Mrs. Sydenham was 
 always sending him opera tickets, and getting
 
 almack's. 297 
 
 him invitations to balls. But I own I should 
 have been sorry to have a daughter-in-law so 
 much too deep for all of us ; her geology, and 
 mineralogy, and craniology, and conchology, 
 would not have done us any good. Oh ! her 
 eternal ologies would have worn me out. Then 
 all those Italian men one meets at their house 
 in Seymour Place, — such a set of Signors, whose 
 names all end in uni : oh, defend me from 
 them !" 
 
 " Was not Miss Sydenham once talked of for 
 Lord Glenmore ?" enquired Miss Bevil. 
 
 " No, indeed," returned Lady Margaret, " her 
 mother was the only person who ever talked of 
 it, or I believe thought of it ; but she tried hard 
 to catch him, one must do her the justice to say. 
 But now that he is married, she has found out 
 that Glenmore Place is the dullest house in the 
 country. She does so pity that poor young 
 thing, amongst all those old pictures, and still 
 older tapestry." 
 
 o 5
 
 298 ALMACKS- 
 
 ** And is Lady Glenmore to be pitied then ?" 
 
 " Dear, no ! envied much rather. I do won- 
 der, however, at this long visit of Lord Hazle- 
 mere : he did not use to be so fond of visiting his 
 uncle, and now one would think the hopes of an 
 heir would produce a still greater coolness ; yet 
 I am told he is all attention to his new aunt." 
 ■ ** Perhaps he is in love with her, as she is so 
 beautiful ?" 
 
 " Nonsense ! the fastidious Hazlemere in love 
 with her, or any body else ! it would be an utter 
 impossibility." 
 
 *' Le vmi rCest pas toujours vraisemhlahle^ 
 said Miss Bevil. " But is nobody talked of 
 for Miss Birmingham ?'' 
 
 "Oh, she is not come out yet, you know ; 
 but wait just a few months, and then see. I 
 dare say all London Avill be at her feet," said 
 Mrs. Metcalf. 
 
 " For London, read the nabobs and planter*
 
 ALMACKS. 299 
 
 in and about Portland Place," said Lady Nor- 
 bury, in her coldest tone. 
 
 " I foresee," said Miss Molyneux, looking' 
 wise, " that the Birminghams and Sydenharas 
 will be rivals in the fashionable world." 
 
 *' Oh, to be sure,'' rejoined Lady Margaret, 
 *' the dash of ton and beauty, against the dash 
 of wealth and vulgarity.'' 
 
 " But surely, dear Lady Margaret, Miss Bir- 
 mingham is a fine girl, and not at all vulgar. 
 Do not you think she will take .'*" 
 
 " Oh no ! trust me, she will produce no effect 
 in the great world, et je ray connois. She is 
 not bad-looking, that I allow ; but there is no 
 fashion about her, no style; nothing that will 
 strike. So insipidly unpretending, such a sen- 
 f-itive plant ; not fit to rough it through this 
 busy world of ours, where all are pushing for 
 the best places. She does not even seem to feel 
 her own good fortune, but looks as if she
 
 300 almack's. 
 
 thought herself unworthy of her situation. To 
 be sure, her mother has brass enough, but then 
 it is such impudent, bare-faced vulgarity, and 
 no knowledge of the world ; her purse-proud 
 airs will never get her into a certain set ; she 
 will not know in the least how to produce this 
 girl ; even all her money will not be able to 
 bring her forward, you will see. Now there's 
 the difference: Mrs. Sydenham, to do her jus- 
 tice, does know the world; but then there is 
 such finessing, such manoeuvring, and she does 
 think so much of herself and the all-accom- 
 plished Laura, that one would rejoice that pride 
 should get a fall. I really wish with all my 
 heart, though I own I do not altogether expect 
 it, that Miss Birmingham may marry well, it 
 would vex ]Mrs. Sydenham so. Let us see, 
 20,000/. a-year, even without management, may 
 buy a coronet." 
 
 This last innuendo was quite too much for
 
 almack's. 301 
 
 Lady Norbury's aristocratic feelings ; she se- 
 cretly wondered that a Duke's daughter should 
 so outrage nobility. " I am really too tired," 
 said her ladyship, feeling for her aromatic vine- 
 gar ; " I must have a little quiet before dinner- 
 time."" 
 
 " I wonder what ails Lady Norbury?" said 
 Lady IMargaret to Miss Maria Molyneux, after 
 the Countess had left the room ; " she seems 
 always so sleepy : a fulness of blood in the 
 head, I should fear.'' 
 
 Miss Maria was silent. 
 
 " Ails her I exclaimed Mrs, Metcalf, " why, 
 vou have talked her to death, Lady Margaret. 
 What with your daughters" charming duettf, 
 and your entertaining stories, her nerves are 
 evidently quite ajar." 
 
 " Well, 'faith ! now this is good," said Miss 
 Bevil. " Mrs. Metcalf accusing any one of 
 long talking ! why, my good friend, within
 
 302 almack's. 
 
 the last hour, I '11 declare you have gone through 
 the whole American war and French revolution 
 to Miss Molyneux.'' 
 
 " We have, indeed, had a most intellectual 
 discussion of times long since past," returned 
 the young lady ; " it has been quite the feast 
 of reason with me." 
 
 " And, I am sure," retorted Miss Bevil, " the 
 flow of wit on one side was most rapid." 
 
 " My dear Lady Margaret," said Lady Anne 
 Norbury, entering the room, " does your lady- 
 ship know that the dressing-bell has rung some 
 minutes ago ?^' 
 
 " Bless me ! no ; I had not an idea of it : 
 how time does fly in pleasant society ! But I 
 will hurry my Abigail to the utmost. Come, 
 girls, we must be quick." 
 
 *' Oh, you need not hurry yourselves, my 
 good friends,"" said Lady Anne, as soon as the 
 Carltons were gone, to the other ladies ; " but 
 those Misses take more time to arrange than
 
 almack's. ' SOS 
 
 any other people I know, and I had no wish to 
 be sent after them again to-day, as I was yes- 
 terday, to say dinner was upon the table :-r-but 
 they must be so terribly smart, so overcomingly 
 elegant, wherever they go, that one can but 
 wonder that the operation of the toilette is ever 
 completed." 
 
 When the society re-assembled before dinner. 
 Colonel Montague and Mr. Godfrey Mildmay 
 were introduced to the ladies. With most of 
 them they were, however, previously acquainted; 
 but it was a rule at Norbury to present every 
 one as they entered the saloon, so that all might 
 feel known to each other. Indeed, the Earl, 
 beine: a man who devoted much attention 
 to little matters, was extremely particular in 
 the observance of certain regulations, which, 
 he conceived, added comfort or agrement to 
 society, or, in other words, to himself. One of 
 his rules was, that at dinner the Lady Anne 
 should always be placed on his right hand, and
 
 304 almack's. 
 
 the cooler with the charapaigne close to her : 
 there were several reasons for this. Her lady- 
 ship was distinguished for the beauty of her 
 hand and arm, and therefore, as she always of- 
 fered to help, whenever her father asked any 
 one to drink champaigne with him, it was 
 impossible but that the attention of the men 
 near her must be caught, either by the arm or 
 the bracelets ; then it also prevented his lord- 
 ship from being annoyed by the immediate 
 vicinity of any of the hum-drum misses, whom 
 he was sometimes obliged to invite, so that 
 he could always have his joke a part with his 
 daughter; and last, though not perhaps least 
 among his reasons, it enabled him to keep a 
 sort of eye upon this volatile young lady. She, 
 for her part, did not in the least object to 
 this arrangement ; because it prevented her 
 from being placed by any seccatoie, whose rank 
 or age entitled him to a seat near the Countess ; 
 and she could always signify to any^ lively
 
 almack's. 305 
 
 younger brother, her ^v^shes to have him next 
 her. 
 
 Lady Anne understood a fond all the petit 
 jeu of society : she loved to form a plan, and 
 then bring her pieces into action, with full 
 knowledge of the game. She could always be 
 agreeable when she chose, and her present in- 
 tention was to captivate Lionel Montague. 
 He would be a very creditable-looking flirt in 
 the country ; and if she once had him at her 
 feet, it might, perhaps, give Lord Dorville a 
 pang of jealousy, and quicken his motions a 
 little; at least there would be no harm to let 
 his lordship see that she could admire hand- 
 some commoners. 
 
 Lord Norbury had taken a fancy to patron- 
 ize the new member. Who could tell but that 
 he might at last become master of Atherford 
 Abbey, and a man of leading weight in the 
 county ? It would, therefore, be good policy 
 to patronize him now, on his first appearance.
 
 S06 almack's. 
 
 He also wished to be the first to present our hero 
 to the Duke of Derwent and Lord Glenmore. 
 Besides, he should like to bring him out, to 
 ascertain what side he would be likely to take 
 in politics, if possible to shake his ideas of 
 independence, and make a party man of him. 
 Full of these projects, his lordship followed 
 his daughter down stairs ; and calling after her, 
 " Anne !" said he, " my love ! take my arm, 
 let me be your cavalier for the moment. How 
 well your hair is arranged ! upon my word, you 
 look armed for conquest." 
 
 The coriscious beauty smiled assent. 
 
 ** Mind,"" continued Lord Norbury, in his most 
 decided manner, " that Colonel Montague sits 
 next you at dinner to-day, I have particular 
 reasons for wishing this." 
 
 *' And so have I, papa ; how fortunate that 
 we should agree !" And she gave another arch 
 look.
 
 almack's. 307 
 
 " You are a silly girl/' said the admiring 
 father, as lie tapped her on the back. 
 
 In consequence of this intimation, Lady 
 Anne immediately commenced her plan of ope- 
 rations on entering the saloon. She found Co- 
 lonel Montague sitting a little way from the 
 rest of the company, at a table covered with 
 novels; he had taken up a volume of the 
 last new tale of fiction ; Lady Anne placed 
 herself in a recess by the chimney corner, close 
 to this table, so that she had him all to her- 
 self : he had his back turned to the company, 
 and she sat opposite to him. 
 
 Lionel put down his book : Lady Anne beg- 
 ged he would not mind her, but began imme- 
 diately talking so agreeably that it was quite 
 impossible he could mind any thing else. They 
 criticised together most of the books on the 
 table, and were surprised to find how exactly 
 they agreed in opinion. Colonel Montague was 
 delighted with one of the characters in the
 
 308 ALMACK'S. 
 
 book he had taken up, and felt certain that 
 it must be taken from the life. Lady Anne 
 feared so too ; it was a very ridiculous represen- 
 tation of an old maid, but she believed many as 
 absurd might be found every day : and her eye 
 glanced at Miss Bevil, whose portly person and 
 well-rouged countenance did great honour to a 
 hergere hat and pink coupe de bal dress. 
 
 Lionel was quite overset, and he and Lady 
 Anne both appeared to be all at once much de- 
 lighted with a ridiculous caricature, which lay 
 on the table, and served as an excuse for their 
 laughter. At that moment Lord Dorville made 
 his entree ; his eye turned immediately to the re- 
 cess, and he was a good deal surprised to see 
 the sudden intimacy which had commenced 
 there. Lady Anne and the young Colonel 
 seemed to want no one. Somewhat piqued, he 
 advanced at once towards the upper end of the 
 room, where Lady Norbury sat in state, quite 
 in the middle of the largest sofa ; yet he
 
 almack's. 309 
 
 could not help listening, involuntarily, to every 
 fresh burst of laughter from Lady Anne. So 
 gay without him ! was it possible ? What a sud- 
 den change ! To what fair one, then, should he 
 devote himself for the moment ? who was there 
 disengaged ? Miss Louisa Mildmay was a mon- 
 strous fine girl, with a foreign air and all 
 that sort of thing ; but then, hang it ! she was 
 on one of the chaises tongues near the window, 
 with Lord George beside her ; he seemed to be 
 whispering " soft nonsense" in her ear, and she 
 was listening and blushing in a heavenly sort of 
 way. How provoking ! The rest of the women 
 were all flats ! To be sure, there were the two 
 Miss Carl tons, as gay as artificial roses could 
 make them, with their crane-like necks, stifl* 
 stays, and rosy cheeks : the eldest was the best- 
 looking; but just as his lordship had made up 
 his mind to say something to her, he remember- 
 ed that Lady Anne had once said, she never 
 saw her parrot beak and vermilion lips, without
 
 310 almack's. 
 
 thinking of a bird with a cherry in its mouth ; 
 and that her perpendicular figure always re- 
 minded her of a barber's block with a head at 
 the top of it. This unpleasant recollection 
 caused Lord Dorville to pass her unnoticed, 
 and to address some of his gentle nothings to 
 the plainer Miss Charlotte Augusta. 
 
 Lady Margaret was apparently in deep con- 
 sultation with Lady Norbury, about some new 
 geraniums which stood on a flower-stand near 
 her, but really deeply interested in Lord Dor- 
 villa's motions. She gave one maternal glance, 
 and was satisfied. ' Ce que pent Jaire iin uez 
 retrousse^ thought Lady Margaret to herself, 
 as she recalled Marmontel's witty tale to her 
 mind. Well, I should not have guessed it ; but 
 so Charlotte is to have the luck : he certainly 
 looked at them both, and most people think 
 Apollonia so much the handsomest. Happy it 
 is that tastes differ !"
 
 almack's. 311 
 
 Before dinner was announced, though when 
 all were anxiously expecting it, Lord Mordaunt, 
 tr^s mal d-propos, asked Lady Anne if she could 
 find him the plates to Humboldt's Travels; he 
 wanted to show them to Mr, Godfrey JNlildmay: 
 Lady Anne had had them before luncheon ; 
 where had she put them ? 
 
 How provoking ! her ladyship was obliged 
 to move ; and, immediately after, Lionel left his 
 hiding-place, — he had something to say to Lord 
 George Fitzallan : and after Lady Anne had 
 found the book, she had, of course, no induce- 
 ment to tempt her to return to the recess, so she 
 joined the circle. Lord Dorville instantly left 
 Miss Charlotte Augusta, and placed himself be- 
 hind Lady Anne''s chair. She turned her head, 
 he whispered to her something most flattering 
 about her dress; she smiled, and Hstened as 
 though she heard him not. Lord Norbury cait 
 his scrutinizing eye upon his daughter, and
 
 312 almack's. 
 
 wondered how she would extricate herself from 
 this unexpected dilemma. Perfectly unembar- 
 rassed, Lady Anne called out, " Colonel Mon- 
 tague, will you bring me my shawl ? it is on 
 the marble table close to you." 
 He obeyed, and was retreating. 
 " Oh, stop, stop !" said the lady, playfully, 
 " you must assist to shawl me or you will 
 only have half done your duty." 
 
 Lionel tried, but did not succeed to please 
 her ladyship : he must begin again — yes ! again, 
 and again. Every eye was turned upon the 
 shawl. 
 
 The men laughed aloud, all but Lord Dor- 
 ville ; he bit his lips : the women could not make 
 it out. Lord Norbury enjoyed his daughter's 
 stratagem extremely. Dinner was announced 
 ere the folds of the cachemire were decided. 
 Lord Norbury offered his arm to Lady Mar- 
 garet Carlton : as he passed I^ady Anne, he
 
 almack's. 313 
 
 smiled his approbation. Lady Norbury desired 
 Lord Mordaunt would take care of Miss Carl- 
 ton. " What are you about, Lord Dorville ?" 
 said Lady Anne ; " Miss Charlotte Augusta is 
 really waiting for you." He could not help 
 • himself, but the arm was taken, not offered. 
 " Poor Dorville V whispered Lord George to 
 Louisa, as they followed next. " Say rather,"' 
 said she, " Poor Lionel ! to be so tormented 
 about a shawl — c'est trop !"" 
 
 " Oh, spare your pity, fair lady ! he will know 
 how to extricate himself. He will not sing 
 ' Tell me how to woo thee, love !' to Lady 
 Anne.y Louisa blushed, though she hardly 
 knew why. 
 
 Dr. Sloper and Mrs. Metcalf, the Abbe Le 
 Blanc and Miss Bevil, Godfrey Mildmay be- 
 tween the two Misses Molyneux's the hobbling 
 Archdeacon with Lady Norbury : such was the 
 order of precedence. 
 
 VOL. I. P
 
 814 ALMACK*S. 
 
 Lady Anne gave one fresh turn — a final 
 grace — to the beautiful shawl ; and then with an 
 exulting smile, took Colonel Montague's arm, 
 and followed in the procession. She had gain- 
 ed her point; and the triumph of success sat 
 proudly on her brow, as she took her seat next 
 the Earl, with Lionel on her other side.
 
 almack's. 315 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE DINNER. 
 
 " The tender morsels on the palate melt, 
 And all the force of Cookery is felt." 
 
 " Look," said her ladyship to Louisa, who 
 sat opposite to her, " I have made Colonel 
 Montague understand, at last, how to fold it so as 
 to show the ' true inimitable Turkish border.' " 
 
 " Un schall a palmes, I protest," replied 
 Louisa ; " quite invaluable, ray dear Lady 
 Anne." 
 
 " How fortunate," said Lord George, laugh- 
 ing, *' that it is not un schall peau de lapin. Do 
 you remember that ridiculous story in the " Her- 
 p2
 
 316 almack'^. 
 
 mite de la Chaussee d'Antin,^'' of the lady who 
 lost her lover by wearing a rabbit-skin instead 
 of a camePs hair ?*" 
 
 The conversation, of course, now turned on 
 schalls, and as long as the fish and soup lasted, 
 nay, even after the " coup d'a'prh^'' as the " Alma- 
 nack des Gourmands" calls it, — cachemires conti- 
 nued to be the subject of discussion, and one that 
 was taken in all its bearings. Thibet, Russian, 
 Turkish, Persian, Spanish, Cachemires de Paris, 
 London imitations, Edinburgh ditto, nay, even 
 the NorAvich manufacture was honoured with 
 a place in this distinguished list : — when the 
 Archdeacon, presumptuous man ! ventured to 
 change the subject of conversation, by bursting 
 forth in praise of the lobster parties — they were 
 delicious: " Is Monglas still your chefde cuisine?" 
 said he, addressing himself to Lady Norbury. 
 " Oh dear, yes ! I hope he will never leave us?" 
 " Is Monglas a descendant of Henri Quatre's 
 famous cook ?" enquired the erudite Miss Bevil. 
 
 "#■
 
 ALMACKS. 317 
 
 No one could tell, but Dr. Sloper pronounced 
 a Monglas to be an invaluable rechauffe of a 
 chicken. 
 
 Miss Bevil immediately quoted Boileau's 
 famous line : — 
 
 " Un diner r^chauff^ ne valut jamais rien.' 
 
 The Abbe Le Blanc wished that Boileau 
 could have heard this happy a-propos, " // ne 
 aurait He char me."" 
 
 Lord George thought that a cook"'s pedigree 
 should be made out like that of a race-horse, 
 and that the invention of a good dish should 
 entitle him to an escutcheon. 
 
 Louisa hoped, however, that in the cook's 
 pedigree, no escutcheon of pretence would bi- 
 admitted. 
 
 This sa\]y Jit fortune, and was long and loudly 
 applauded. Lord Norbury's dehcious httle 
 Welsh mutton was next much admired at tlie 
 bottom, while a turkey, stuffed with truffles, 
 greatly excited the Archdeacon's appetite at the
 
 318 almack's. 
 
 top. The reverend gentleman was most busily 
 employed in digesting, dissecting, and dis- 
 cussing. A dish of most exquisite coxcombs 
 charmed Lady Margaret Carlton ; she remem* 
 bered with pleasure, what a favourite ragout 
 this was of her brother"'s the Duke of Clan- 
 alpin. 
 
 An eel reposing in pale pomona-green sorrel 
 sauce, was much to Mrs. Metcalf 's taste ; she 
 recommended it to every body. The Abbe 
 observed that it was the same shade as la robe 
 de Madame^ une belle verdure; which made 
 Lord Mordaunt remark, " that Mrs. Metcalf 
 would always be an evergreen." 
 
 Cotelettes a la Maintenon, or, as she pro- 
 nounced it, a la Maintenant, were patronized 
 by Miss Molyneux, — " They must be quite a 
 classic dish, from the Augustan age of Louis 
 XIV." — who happened to have read that morn- 
 ing, for the first time in her life, the history of 
 
 %
 
 ALMACKS. 319 
 
 the famous Veuve de Scarron, in Madame cle 
 Genlis^ novel which bears her name. 
 
 A vol au vent of poulet was quickly disap- 
 pearing under the protection of the Abbe ; he 
 had long balanced between that and a salmi de 
 becasses. Dr. Sloper took up with a saute de 
 veau, which he declared was merely a new name 
 to an old English dish, commonly called Scotch 
 collops. The worthy doctor had a long debate 
 with the Archdeacon, upon the derivation of a 
 dish near him, pigeons a la crapaudine ; nor 
 could they settle the point at all, though Miss 
 Bevil lent her weighty aid. Much information 
 was also displayed upon the different sorts of 
 wines which were produced. C6te Rotie^ vin de 
 Grave, Tinti di pontic Barsac, old Hc^k, and 
 imperial Tokay, red and white Burgundy, 
 English Claret compared with French Bor- 
 deaux, genuine Xeres, East and West India 
 Madeira, Champagne, mousseux or still, vieux
 
 320 almack's. 
 
 vin de St. George, — a few of these were produced, 
 which led to discussions upon the rest. Thus 
 busily and happily were the company occupied, 
 eating and drinking, talking and laughing. 
 
 Between the courses, Mr. Godfrey Mildmay 
 remarked how many literary characters had 
 been distinguished for their love of good eat- 
 ing ; and he mentioned among others, the cele- 
 brated Dr. Paley, and the noted Cyril Jackson, 
 formerly Dean of Christ Church. 
 
 The Archdeacon named some Bishop with 
 whom he was intimate, who was really a mon- 
 strous bon vivunt. 
 
 The Abbe Le Blanc whispered to Miss Bevil, 
 " Le vrai Amphitryon est celui oil Pon dine.''' 
 
 " Talking of bishops," said Lord Norbury, 
 " pray Mr. Archdeacon, how came it that we 
 had not the pleasure of your company when 
 
 last the Bishop of H confirmed at Merton ? 
 
 I assure you we were all surprised that you did 
 
 riW*
 
 almack's. Sm 
 
 not appear among the rest of the clergy of the 
 diocese." 
 
 " His lordship never summoned me," answer- 
 ed the Archdeacon, very sulkily ; " I was as^ 
 much surprised as you could be, my lord." 
 
 " Lord Norbury has got on the wrong scent 
 now," said Dr. Sloper to Lady Anne, in a 
 whisper behind Colonel Montague. "It is 
 suspected among the cloth, that the Bishop 
 purposely omitted summoning Mr. Archdeacon 
 Carlton : you know his lordship is very high 
 church, so strict and decorous, and our friend 
 the doctor is something of a latitudinarian, at 
 least in practice. It is a very sore subject, I 
 assure you." 
 
 " Is it, indeed ?" said Lady Anne, " then 
 I '11 plague him with it a little longer." Tiien 
 raising her voice, she said, " Charming man our 
 new bishop is, Mr. Archdeacon ; he won all the 
 ladies' hearts when he was here; — so young 
 p 5
 
 322 ALMACK'S. 
 
 and good-looking, and with so little of a wig, 
 too." 
 
 " He is too happy in your ladyship's appro- 
 bation," said the Archdeacon sarcastically: " and 
 Mrs. and the Miss Skinners, I hope you like 
 them equally ?"" 
 
 " Oh, I have not seen them, but I hear they 
 are very agreeable people, so musical and hos- 
 pitable, that they are quite the life of H , 
 
 when they are at the palace, with their concerts 
 and parties." 
 
 At the name of Skinner, Lady Margaret 
 Carlton evidently felt disgusted, and the Miss 
 Carltons exchanged looks. 
 
 " Was not Dr. Skinner head master of Wel- 
 don Regis School.?" enquired Lionel. 
 
 "Yes, to be sure he was," said Dr. Sloper, 
 " for many years ; Dr. Warburton, whom you 
 must remember, Colonel Montague, succeeded 
 him." 
 
 " Dr. Skinner was an excellent master," said 
 
 'm^
 
 ALMACK'S. 323 
 
 Lord George ; " I was a long time under him, 
 and I am delighted to hear he has risen so high. 
 Mrs. Skinner, too, is a good httle soul ; she was 
 very kind to all us boys, and used to take such 
 good care of us, and wash our faces so clean, — 
 only I remember she would scrub upwards, 
 and turn our noses the wrong way.'"* 
 
 Lord Dorville laughed most heartily at this 
 idea. 
 
 ** She is a rosy little woman, is not she .''''' 
 said Lord George, addressing Lady Margaret. 
 
 " For rosy, read scarlet," returned her Lady- 
 ship; "with a mouth stretching from ear to 
 ear, and such manners, so antediluvian; and 
 her daughters — " 
 
 " Are such prodigious quizzes !"" said Miss 
 Carlton; " I believe they talk Latin and Greek !" 
 
 " And tune their own piano-fortes !" rejoined 
 Miss Charlotte Augusta. 
 
 " Lord Tresilian married the eldest daugh- 
 ter, did not he .''" said Lord George.
 
 324 almack's. 
 
 " Yes !" said Godfrey Mildmay, " and a most 
 beautiful woman she is, and very highly accom- 
 plished." 
 
 " Good heavens ! do you admire her ?" said 
 Miss Carlton : " the whole family do give them- 
 selves such airs since her marriage .'" 
 
 " Well !"" said Lady Anne maliciously, " I am 
 so sorry they do not suit you ; for I assure you, 
 upon my honour, I hear so much of their per- 
 fections from various quarters — such capital 
 people they seem to be, from accounts my 
 friends have given of them." 
 
 " Dr. Skinner is a rising bishop, depend upon 
 it, Mr. Archdeacon," said Lord Norbury, pom- 
 pously ; " I have reason to know that the 
 present premier thinks — "" 
 
 What these thoughts, were, however, was 
 lost in air. Lord Norbury 's attention being 
 suddenly so much ingrossed in dissecting 
 a very fine leveret, that he never finished his 
 speech ; and the Archdeacon, placable man .'
 
 ALMACK'S. 325 
 
 sank his dislike to the Bishop of H at 
 
 the sight of a brace of wild ducks. The 
 table now again groaned under a load of good 
 things, disguised in the most becoming man- 
 ner. In the centre rose the Temple of Pajstum, 
 formed of macaroons ; the Greater Pyramids of 
 Egypt graced either side, in spun sugar; while 
 Chartreuses, Macedoines, and other composi- 
 tions of equal merit, filled up the other spaces. 
 Lord Norbury now resumed. " The Bishoj) 
 
 of H was, I think, at one time private 
 
 tutor to Lord Tresilian." 
 
 " He was, my Lord," replied the doctor. 
 " The Duke of Derwent's patronage — that was, 
 of course, his road to promotion : nothing like a 
 patron in these degenerate days,^ endeavouring 
 to catch Lord Norbury 's eye. 
 
 The corners of the Earl's mouth relaxed into 
 a smile, a smile of contempt, — he took no 
 further notice of the speech, " The Bishop 
 would have drudged long enough at Weldon
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 school," continued Dr. Sloper, " unnoticed and 
 unknown, had not his patron luckily been a 
 staunch supporter of the then ministry." 
 
 " But you forget," said Godfrey Mildmay, 
 indignantly, " how much he was distinguished, 
 both for his abihties and conduct as head master, 
 
 of College, Cambridge. He is one of the 
 
 first theologians of the present day. His talents 
 as a writer would have brought him into notice 
 without any patron ; but the penetration to 
 discover such a man, reflects credit on the 
 Duke of Derwenfs discernment. The Bishop 
 of H does him honour." 
 
 " Bravo ! Mr. Mildmay," whispered Lady 
 Anne to Lionel ; " Do observe how crest-fallen 
 the Carltons look ; it is quite a treat to watch 
 their countenances ; the Archdeacon's digestion 
 will suffer, I fear." 
 
 " Does your Ladyship, then," said he, " take 
 such pleasure in mortifying your friends ?" 
 
 " Friends ! for Heaven's sake don't call them
 
 ALMACK^S. SS17 
 
 friends ! — people one is obliged to receive par 
 forme, and whom I should rejoice never to see 
 again."' 
 
 " But then, par forme, should not you treat 
 them with courtesy ?"" 
 
 " Oh ! I hate these common courtesies, they 
 spoil all the acuter pleasures of life. Love me 
 or hate me, but pray don't be indifferently civil. 
 I wish always to live with those from whom I 
 may learn something, or whom I could teach : 
 I must either worship, or be worshipped by my 
 friends; but in a mere acquaintance I dearly 
 love a butt." 
 
 Her Ladyship fixed her sparkling eyes on 
 Lionel : she was all fire and animation ; but her 
 beauty had ceased to charm him, he was con- 
 trasting in his mind the difference between her 
 and the gentle Barbara. As if his thoughts had 
 been guessed at, he was roused from his reverie 
 by hearing Lord George whisper something 
 about the Birminghams to his neighbour
 
 528 ALMACK'S. 
 
 Louisa. He was asking if they were all gone 
 to town : then, affecting to sigh, " I wonder," 
 said he, " if your fair friend has ever cast one 
 thought upon me since the ball.*" 
 
 " What vanity !" replied Louisa, " to sup- 
 pose such a thing possible ; but I imagine you 
 mean to be in attendance upon her after 
 Easter.'' 
 
 " 'Faith ! I shall think about it ; no bad spec, 
 I am told. My lady, the mamma, will have a 
 famous house ; and getting oneself invited to her 
 balls, will be no bad thing: half my acquaintance 
 will, I have no doubt, be there. And then she 
 has always opera tickets at a younger brother's 
 service : oh, she's a famous patroness to have ! 
 And really, your friend the daughter is a mon- 
 strous fine girl ; many good points about her ; 
 wants a little fashion and dash, and a new dress- 
 maker, and then she '11 be perfect. The plaits 
 of her gown behind are always too much spread, 
 they never sit so well as yours do by half;" and
 
 almack's. 329 
 
 he added, in a lower tone, " Some French 
 corsets would improve her figure ; don't you 
 think so ?" 
 
 This unexpected confidence set Louisa off' 
 laughing. Lionel was uneasy, trying to catch 
 what they were saying, but in vain ; just as he 
 had caught the name of Birmingham, he was 
 disturbed by a footman with a plate. 
 
 " Some of the cream in the inside of the 
 Temple for my lady, if you please, Sir ?" 
 
 Then he heard Lord George say, '* Why, she 
 has devilish good eyes, if siie knew how to use 
 them — le doux langage des yeux, which a fair 
 friend of mine understands so well." Then 
 another whisper, and another laugh, a saucy 
 look, and a pleased blush, followed. 
 
 " Colonel Montague," said Lord Dorville, 
 " will you send me some of the spun sugar from 
 the base of the Pyramid ?" 
 
 " Is not your lordship afraid of disturbing 
 the mummies ?"" enquired Miss Bevil.
 
 3S0 almack's. 
 
 Lord Dorville seemed hardly to comprehend 
 what she meant; perhaps he had never heard 
 of mummies : and, as Louisa would have said, 
 *' ri'importe.''' 
 
 Lady Anne had been silent for some minutes; 
 she had been observing Lionel; she had detected 
 him watching Lord George and Louisa, trying 
 to catch their conversation. 
 
 " Jealous, by all that's good !" thought she ; 
 " then I was right, and this girl has touched 
 his heart ; an old Paris flirtation, I dare say. 
 Now wiU I encourage my saucy cousin ; and 
 Louisa is just a sort of girl to be delighted with 
 the idea of having a marquis's younger son at 
 her feet, particularly when her prudent sister is 
 not in the way, to keep her in order. George 
 means nothing, a mere passo tempo flirtation ; 
 and then, mon cher colonel, it will be hard if I 
 cannot touch you a little." 
 
 So thought the enterprising Lady Anne ; and 
 in this spirit she addressed her neighbour, with
 
 ALMACK^S. S8i 
 
 " I see, Colonel Montague, that the name of 
 Birmingham has struck your ear as well as 
 mine. Some of my Irish cousin's nonsense.'' 
 
 Lionel absolutely started with surprise. 
 
 " Yes," continued her ladyship, " it is not 
 difficult to suppose what your feelings must be ;'' 
 and she softened her voice. Lionel, more and 
 more astonished, fixed his eyes full upon her. 
 
 " Pray don't look such unutterable things, 
 lest all the world should guess your thoughts, 
 as I have done. For, really, it does not require 
 the penetration of a conjuror to imagine what 
 you must suffer, at seeing such a noble place as 
 Atherford Abbey inhabited by such people." 
 
 Colonel Montague breathed more freely than 
 he had done for some minutes. " G(K)d hea- 
 vens ! how it must hurt you ! I really have 
 some sentiment in my composition, though 
 you, perhaps, like the rest of the world, have 
 pronounced me incorrigibly flighty ; but I am 
 not quite so thoughtless as I appear."
 
 332 almack's. 
 
 Lionel again looked surprised. 
 
 The second course was now removing, aiid 
 the cheese bustle began. Who would have 
 Parmesan? and who would venture on Gru- 
 yere, Wiltshire, or Chedder ? Norman-cress, 
 water-cress, salad, German salad, pronounced 
 to be most excellent. Ale, Norbury home- 
 brewed, justly celebrated ; but, of course, few 
 were found so old-fashioned as not to pre- 
 fer Port wine after cheese. At length all 
 was over. The gay dessert was placed upon 
 the table-cloth ; for Lady Norbury's nerves 
 could not bear the clatter of the knives and 
 forks upon the bare mahogany — it was so vul- 
 gar, so thoroughly John Bullish. The ice had 
 been carried round, and the last, lingering foot- 
 man had left the room. Nothing remained to be 
 done of all the grand ceremonial, but " Which 
 wine do you take ? the claret is coming." At 
 length the claret came ; at length all the com-
 
 almack's. 333 
 
 pany were helped, and every one was again at 
 liberty to address his neighbour, and resume 
 the interrupted tete-d-tete. 
 
 Lady Anne had not forgotten the object of 
 her conversation, though there had been so long 
 a pause : she was anxious to resume it ; so, turn- 
 ing to her neighbour, she said, " Of course, when 
 you were at Bishop's-Court, you were intro- 
 duced to Lady Clarke Birmingham." 
 
 " I saw her several times when I was there," 
 said Lionel. 
 
 '* Oh, then, of course you would hear how she 
 meant to go to pay a visit at Norbury, to tell 
 my lord how her head director of the gardens 
 had told her second inspector of the flowers to 
 explain to the principal under-kitchen-gardener 
 something of no manner of consequence, whicii 
 was to go through ten or a dozen deputies ; and 
 all this trouble taken merely to inform you 
 that she keeps nearly twenty gardeners, of all
 
 3M almack's. 
 
 degrees and qualities, at Atherford Abbey. 
 Her vanity is so ingenious that it is sometimes 
 quite entertaining.'" 
 
 Colonel Montague could not but allow that 
 Lady Birmingham was ridiculous in the ex- 
 treme. 
 
 " We are infinitely obliged to her," conti- 
 nued the young lady, " for supplying us all 
 with constant amusement. She is the general 
 subject of conversation for all the neighbour- 
 hood ; fair game for laughter; a lawful prize, 
 such as one meets in some shape or other in 
 every county. We should all go to sleep with- 
 out the dear Birminghams to talk over." 
 
 " But the daughter," said Colonel Montague 
 in a low voice ; " surely nothing can be said 
 against her ?" 
 
 " Oh, no! poor dear! no haiaa in her at all; 
 she is really a fine-looking girl ; has been edu- 
 cated at a country parson's, and so is very good 
 and domestic, and all that sort of thing, now ;
 
 almacf's. 835 
 
 but wait till next year, and then we shall see 
 what this famous heiress will turn out. With 
 a certain set she will be every thing, and every 
 needy fortune-hunter will be at her feet ; she 
 will probably be one of the greatest heiresses, if 
 not the greatest in the kingdom ; and who do 
 you think will care whether her money came by 
 a shoeblack or a Jew ? Depend upon it, we shall 
 all live to see this very demure, gentle-looking 
 Barbara Birmingham at the head of ton. She 
 looks novv^ like milk and water in the act of 
 freezing; insipid innocence: but gold to a 
 young lady is in these days the true, the only 
 touchstone of merit, much more than love. 
 Wlio ever hears of love now ?"" 
 
 Colonel Montague felt inexpressible pain as 
 her ladyship rattled on, anxious to captivate 
 him with her wit, and quite unconscious of the 
 feeUngs which made him continue to peel wal- 
 nuts with such wonderful assiduity. 
 
 •• Sir Benjamin Birmingham," said Lady
 
 336 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 Anne, " is quite of another species from his 
 lady." 
 
 " What is that you are saying of the Bir- 
 minghams, Anne ?" enquired Lord Norbury ; 
 then turning to Lionel, and taking a good deal 
 of snufF, he added, " Miss Birmingham is grown 
 a monstrous fine girl ; she is wonderfully filled 
 out since last year. A little liondon fashion, I 
 predict, will do every thing for her, and I should 
 not wonder if she were to make her way to the 
 very first circles, and be an ornament to them 
 
 of the very first water,"" said his lordship, 
 
 fixing his eyes upon a superb diamond ring, 
 which shone upon his little finger. 
 
 " My dear uncle," said liOrd George, " I 
 protest Miss Birmingham is quite your belle; 
 you talk about her so often, and with such 
 rapture too. Lady Norbury, I must alarm 
 your jealousy afresh ; my Lord is again at the 
 old topic, the charms of Miss Birmingham." 
 
 " Oh, for Heaven's sake spare me !" said Lady
 
 ALMACK^S. 337 
 
 Norbury, with affected horror ; " Am I to be 
 for ever bored with that odious name of Bir- 
 mingham ?" 
 
 " Oh dear, no !" said Lord George, laughing. 
 " Not if Lord Norbury can help it ; he wishes 
 the fair heiress to lose it as soon as possible. 
 What think you, should she change it for 
 Mordaunt ?" 
 
 *' Or Fitzallan ?" said Lord Norbury, laugh- 
 ing- "I'll be even with you, George, for once." 
 Then filling his glass with claret, he raised his 
 voice : " Lady Norbury, you must join us in 
 drinking Miss Birmingham's health, and a good 
 husband to her, and soon." 
 
 " Pray don't speak quite so loud," said the 
 Ck)untess, putting her hand to her forehead. 
 " Your voices really go through my poor head ; 
 I am' quite stunned with them." 
 
 " That poor head !" whispered Lord George 
 to Louisa ; " how conveniently it always aches !" 
 
 Soon after the ladies withdrew, and then, and 
 
 VOL. I. d
 
 838 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 not till then, did Lord Norbury condescend 
 to become agreeable. But he had an object 
 in view ; he wished to draw Lionel out, and 
 for this purpose h,e adroitly turned the con- 
 versation on military aflPairs. Nor was he dis- 
 appointed in the result. Colonel Montague was 
 soon animated with the subject, and related 
 various affairs, in which he had been particu- 
 larly engaged, with much spirit, yet with per- 
 fect modesty. Some of his descriptions were 
 so interesting, that in a little time all were lis- 
 tening to him ; even Lord Mordaunt forgot to 
 sneer, and Lord Dorvllle to gaze at his well- 
 shaped nails. Dr. Sloper was obliged to remind 
 the Archdeacon to pass the bottle ; and'^e 
 Abbe was so astonished at what he heard of 
 the want of disciphne shown by the French 
 troops in a retreat, that he dropped his snuft- 
 box as he muttered half aloud, " incroyable r 
 various times. Godfrey Mildmay listened to 
 his friend with pleased attention, while Lord 
 George''s eyes glistened with rapture ; and when-
 
 almack's, 339 
 
 ever Lionel was inclined to pass over some 
 detail which would have reflected credit upon 
 himself individually, his generous-hearted friend 
 was sure to explain the thing as it had really 
 happened. Nor did Colonel Montague's infor- 
 mation appear to be confined to one subject. 
 In the course of the conversation he displayed 
 considerable insight into the characters of the 
 inhabitants of the different countries he had 
 visited : he had studied their languages, and 
 was well acquainted with their literature. 
 
 Lord Norbury was really pleased with the 
 young man. Such a protege would do credit to 
 his discernment; and his lordship's patronage 
 would infallibly be of such advantage to him ! 
 
 When the gentlemen joined the ladies in the 
 saloon, Lord Norbury produced ii large handsome 
 work — the "Campaigns of the Duke of Wel- 
 lington," illustrated wdth very magnificent plates- 
 Lionel had never seen this book, and he ex- 
 amined the engravings with much interest, 
 a 2
 
 340 almack's. 
 
 The ladies, especially the young ladies, were 
 anxious to hear his remarks ; the observations 
 of a Waterloo hero must be so full of interest. 
 He criticised the views. " I see plainly," said 
 Lady Anne, " that Colonel Montague is an 
 artist." 
 
 " An artist !" said Lord George, " yes, to 
 be sure, he was the best draughtsman in our 
 regiment, by far. Lionel, I say, where is the 
 old scrap-book, my good fellow .?" 
 
 " What, with the dirty brown back ? I be- 
 lieve it is in my room, but really it is not fit 
 to be produced." 
 
 " Say you so ? Well, I think differently, and 
 we shall soon see whether the company do not 
 agree with me." 
 
 The old scrap-book, with its soiled cover, was 
 sent for : and the Miss Carltons, had they dar- 
 ed, would have looked with disdain at its shab- 
 by appearance ; but Lord George seized it with 
 deUght : " See," said he, " look at this old
 
 almack's. 341 
 
 Spanish beggar; I remember drawing that a 
 few hours before the Battle of the Pyrenees, and 
 Lionel scolded me for having spoilt a fine out- 
 line he had made from the heights just above our 
 position. Here is a plan of the battle he drew 
 the day after, when that fool of an engineer — do 
 you remember, Montague ? — was emptying our 
 last bottle of bi*andy. Here below is the direc- 
 tion to our lodgings when we were at Toulouse, 
 the Sieur Tarantes, Rue Verte. And next leaf 
 there is a caricature of some of the members of 
 the Cortes, en habits de ctrtmonie : what quizzes ! 
 are not they ? and written underneath, Vivan Us- 
 tedes mil anos! I recollect our Colonel, old Ball, 
 calling out, ' Take 'em down on paper, Fitzallan: 
 fine subjects, 'faith !, for a caricature.' Oh, Lionel, 
 the sight of this book quite rejoices my heart !" 
 It was a thick quarto volume, filled with 
 brown paper leaves, on which all kinds of draw- 
 ings were stuck ; some finished in water-colours, 
 others slightly tinted : here was a neat pencil
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 isketch, and next to it a rough outline in chalk ; 
 costumes of the different provinces in Spain 
 filled one page, the following one presented a 
 view near Brussels, while a third contained a 
 bold sketch of some old building in Paris. 
 
 The drawings were in themselves interesting, 
 but Lionel's observations, and the different anec- 
 dotes to which they gave rise, rendered them 
 doubly so. As for Lord George, everj stroke 
 reminded him of some peril or danger they had 
 run, which he would then relate in his best 
 Irish manner. Louisa listened anxiously to his 
 wonders : she had often heard Lionel relate 
 these same adventures, but then he told a thing 
 So simply that it lost half its effect. As Lord 
 George was describing one of his most marvel- 
 lous escapes *•' in th' imminent deadly breach,'' 
 he caught her eye fixed upon him with the most 
 intense interest : he looked at her stedfastly, 
 and then burst into a fit of laughter. " 'Faith," 
 whispered he softly in her ear, " I can't go on
 
 almack's. 343 
 
 at this rate either, hang me if I can; but you'll 
 perhaps just take in these two lines, like a kind 
 soul as you are — 
 
 ' She loved him for the dangers he had pass'd. 
 And he loved her that she did pity them.' " 
 
 Was Louisa surprised? — certainly. — Was she 
 displeased ? — perhaps not ; — but she blushed. 
 
 Lady Anne was fortunately, at that moment, 
 so interested in a sketch of Ciudad Rodrigo, 
 which Lionel was explaining, that she neither 
 saw nor heard any thing ; — besides, he was 
 trying to make her pronounce the letter C 
 a rEspagnole." 
 
 " Miss Louisa ^lildmay can pronounce it 
 perfectly," said he. Lady Anne felt a twinge 
 of jealousy. 
 
 " Louisa, have you forgot your Spanish ?"" 
 said he. 
 
 The question came quite d-propos to relieve 
 the young lady from the embarrassment she was 
 beginning to feel in her tete-d-tete with Lord
 
 544 almack's. 
 
 George. The folding-doors into the Music- 
 room were open, and, suddenly running to the 
 piano-forte, and striking a few chords in a care- 
 less manner, she began that beautiful Spanish 
 air — 
 
 " A la guerra^ a la guerra, Espanoles !'' 
 
 Colonel Montague forgot Ciudad Rodrigo, 
 and the drawings, and the Spanish C, and more 
 than all, the beautiful Lady Anne ; he was in 
 the Music-room, and close to the instrument, in 
 a moment. 
 
 Lord George clapped, encored, and beat 
 time. 
 
 " Well !" thought Lady Anne, " the girl 
 must have love-powder about her; for both 
 these men seem at her feet." 
 
 When Louisa had finished the Spanish air. 
 Lord George entreated that she would fetch her 
 guitar ; but, as Lad}'^ Anne did not second the 
 proposition, Louisa judged it most prudent to 
 entreat her ladyship to favour them with an air.
 
 AL mack's. 345 
 
 But Lady Anne knew better than to venture to 
 show off her voice after Louisa's ; so she struck 
 up a lively waltz. " Oh, my dear Coz," said 
 Lord George, " now do be good-natured, and 
 play one of those mazouretas I gave you : it 
 was Lionel brought them over from Dresden ; 
 he and Miss Mildmay shall show the step, for 
 they both learnt it of a certain Count Czartoriski 
 at Paris. Don't you remember, Miss Louisa, 
 one night at Madame de Wallestein's .'''' 
 
 " To be sure I do," said Louisa, and she and 
 Lionel exhibited the true Polish waltz step to 
 admiration. Lady Anne felt more and more vex- 
 ed, as she was obliged to play on. Lord George 
 kept applauding the dancers, and then wanted 
 to try the step himself. Lady Margaret Carl- 
 ton, hearing the sound of the piano, came from 
 the saloon to see what the young people were all 
 about, and to enquire if her daughters had not 
 some more music with them, which might be 
 new to Lady Anne — something of Beethoven's 
 Q 5
 
 346 almack's. 
 
 or Kalkbrenner's, one of their last duetts. Lady 
 Anne, however, took a sudden fright at the word 
 duett ; so, starting from the instrument, she 
 vowed there should be no more music that even- 
 ing — they must have a round game. Would any 
 body play at Robert h diable ? Lord George 
 would teach them all this new and fashionable 
 French game. Robert le diable succeeded a mer- 
 veille ; this famous round game was so noisy, 
 that the party at the whist-table in the saloon 
 Were quite disturbed by the continued bursts of 
 laughter. The Abbe and Miss Bevil could 
 hardly get through their game of chess. After 
 Robert le diable, they ventured on la Peur, a 
 most intricate game ; and then the party were 
 almost tired. A pause ensued ; Lady Anne had 
 got back to Spain again. She was criticizing 
 Southey's Don Roderic with Colonel Monta- 
 gue ; from thence they had just got to the Pe- 
 ninsular war, when that eternal marplot Lord 
 Qeorge called out, " Oh, let's leave Spain now,
 
 almack's. S47 
 
 Lady Anne, and take a lesson in ecarti from 
 Lionel : he and Miss Mildmay used to play 
 constantly together at Paris: — here arc the 
 cards : will you play, Louisa ?" 
 
 " Ohfje ne demande pas mieux .'" said she. 
 
 " I dare say not," thought Lady Anne. " One 
 would think that Irish cousin of mine was born 
 to plague me. Some of the counters fell under 
 the table ; Lord George stooped for them. 
 Louisa held the candle to light him, and ho 
 whispered to her, " And so Lionel will say, ' Je 
 propose^" to you." She answered by a blush. 
 Lady Anne supposed that it was stooping which 
 had heightened her colour so. At length Colo- 
 nel Montague and Miss Mildmay began their 
 game. " I shall bet on you, Miss Louisa,"" said 
 Lord George. " Now, combieti proposez vous? 
 — I love ecarte,'" continued he : " it reminds me 
 of our little sociable soirtes in the Rue Royale. 
 Do you remember the dandy Frenchman who 
 used to stand behind your chair, when you
 
 348 almack's. 
 
 played? and who always would have it that 
 Monsieur le Colonel Montaigue was aux piech 
 de Mademoiselle Louise?'''' 
 
 *' Nonsense !" said Louisa, angrily. 
 
 " And then, for fun, the Baron de Walle- 
 stein told Monsieur le Chevalier that Lionel was 
 the galant de Madame ia Baronne ; and then, 
 when he discovered the truth, he made a low 
 bow, assumed a look of despair, and said, with 
 his hand on his heart, * Qu il ne nuiroit pas aux 
 intertts de Mademoiselle.'' Now, do you remem- 
 ber that ?'' 
 
 " How very ridiculous you are 1" said Louisa. 
 
 Lady Anne listened to it all as she took her 
 lesson in ecarit. Miss Bevil kindly looked in to 
 see if they played the game quite right ; and 
 when she returned to the saloon, she said, 
 " Really, this Colonel Montague is a very de- 
 lightful young man ; so full of agreeable talents ! 
 I think I shall produce him at one of my diplo- 
 matic soirees ; he would take with my set : my 
 people are just of a sort to appreciate his pet its
 
 almack's. 349 
 
 riens. I dare say he would be clever at bouts 
 rimes ; or be would do at ecarte with old Baron 
 Gloyau, which would keep his excellency 
 awake." 
 
 " 'Faith ! a good bit enough, that idea of 
 your's,"" said Lord Dorville; " wish to goodness 
 you would find something to keep me awake.'' 
 
 " FoM," said Miss Bevil, looking at him from 
 head to foot: "Oh, you're much past my 
 power, my lord.'' 
 
 " Lord Dorville awake, I protest !" said Lady 
 Anne, putting her head into the saloon : " we 
 all wondered what had become of him !" 
 
 " Oh, you have not wanted me. Lady Anne," 
 said his lordship, with a look of reproach at her. 
 " You have been playing ecarte, and L have 
 been karted; so there is only a D— a cruel D 
 —between us." 
 
 '• Well, that 's not bad," said Mrs. Metcalf ; 
 " remove that cruel D, my lord, and Lady Anne 
 will be D -lighted." 
 
 " Lord Dorville D— tectcd in two bon-mols
 
 350 almack's. 
 
 in one sentence !"" said Lady Anne, with perfect 
 sang-froid ; " your lordship must have had plea- 
 sant dreams, I think." 
 
 " I wish, then, that I were dreaming still, or 
 that you would not all go away and leave me 
 alone on this soft sofa. Do stay, Lady Anne, 
 there's room for you;" and his lordship ac- 
 tually moved to the other end, and finished a 
 yawn as quickly as he conveniently could.
 
 ALMACK'S. 351 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A FLIKTATION. 
 
 " But like our heroes, much more brave than wise. 
 She conquers for the triumph — not the prize." 
 
 Young's Satires. 
 
 " Well !" thought Lady Anne to herself 
 that night, when she retired to her room, " I 
 should like to know what this said Colonel 
 Montague means. Is he in love with Louisa 
 Mildmay ? or has he a heart quite at hberty 
 for any body.? or' rather, I would say, for me, 
 should I think it worth while to set at him f 
 And then, again, what do I mean myself? Sup-
 
 352 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 pose he is in love with her, what is it to me ? 
 Nothing, to be sure ! only I should like better 
 that he should be at ray feet." And her lady- 
 ship immediately determined to try all her 
 powers upon the (^evoted Lionel. " It will be 
 good practice," thought she; "and it will be 
 sure, at least, to make Lord Dorville jealous, if 
 he really has any love for me."" The fair co- 
 quette fell asleep, dreaming of triumphs yet to 
 come. Poor Louisa little thought of the pro- 
 jects which were forming against her; and could 
 Lady Anne have seen into her heart, she would 
 have been surprised to find the real state of 
 her friend's feelings. Lord George"'s decided 
 attentions had made the gay Louisa the hap- 
 piest of human beings. " All those speeches 
 must mean something," said she to herself. 
 " Why, once it was really a complete declara- 
 tion ; but then he is such a rattle ! Oh ! how 
 I wish I knew what he really meant I" Should 
 she write and tell Julia ? No ! it would perhaps
 
 almack's. 353 
 
 be wiser to wait till he said something more de- 
 cisive. " But, at least, he likes me," thought 
 she with infinite delight ; " and after all, viola 
 tessentiel, le reste viendra avec le temps. Oh ! 
 how happy it will make Carohne to hear of hit 
 preference ! Such a delightful creature as he is ; 
 so handsome, so agreeable, so amiable, so much 
 attached to Lionel !"" There was no end of 
 Lord George's perfections, and she dreamt of 
 him all night, and woke in the morning in the 
 same happy frame of mind. She was indeed in 
 that enviable state when every thing appeared 
 couleur de rose. 
 
 The next morning, before the breakfast-bell 
 rang, Lionel and Godfrey were taking a stroll 
 round the pleasure-ground. 
 
 " I think,"" said the former, " that my friend 
 Lord George does not dislike your sister Louisa, 
 Godfrey, if I may judge by what passed yester- 
 day evening. Qii'en dites vousV 
 
 " Oh, I think there were evident marks of
 
 354 almack's. 
 
 a decided flirtation; perhaps only a renewal 
 of one. He is an old friend of Louisa's ; I be- 
 lieve she used to meet him often at Madame 
 de Wallestein's." 
 
 ''• Oh, constantly,'' said Lionel ; " and I can 
 answer how much he always admired her. — 
 Whether his finances will admit of his marry- 
 ing is another point ; for his father, the old 
 Marquis of Allandale, is far from rich." 
 
 " And then that strange Lord Killarney, his 
 brother, has been very extravagant, has he not.?" 
 
 " Oh, to a degree ; he is a man of whom I 
 have the very worst opinion; for I always 
 think that some of my poor brother Edmund's 
 foibles may be attributed to him: he lived 
 much with him at Vienna, when first he went 
 abroad ; and I understand that, at Naples, they 
 have been always together. Lord Killarney is, 
 I believe, not on terms with his father ; and I 
 have also understood that the old Lord doats 
 on Lord George ; but the estate is strictly en-
 
 almack's. 355 
 
 tailed, so that he will not be able to settle any 
 thing on him. And then poor George is not the 
 most prudent of human beings. Do you think 
 it would be well to advise Louisa of this, — to 
 tell her the state of the case, for fear she should 
 get entangled." 
 
 " No, no !" said Godfrey, " leave her to 
 herself ; he may not mean any thing, and inter- 
 ference with a girl of Louisa's turn does more 
 harm than good." 
 
 " But she will be sure to meet him constantly 
 at Caroline's; for Wallestein is very fond of 
 him." 
 
 " Well, tlien, let her take care of herself; I 
 am not afraid. Louisa knows what she is about, 
 as well as most people. But, now that we have 
 got on les affaires du caur, pray, Mr. Lionel, 
 what did you do with the fair Barbara the other 
 night .?" 
 
 " What could I do, but fall desperately in 
 love with her ?'* said Lionel.
 
 356 almack's. 
 
 " Oh ! that is no news, thank you : I never 
 saw two people more thoroughly smitten, as 
 they call it, than both of you ; and let me tell 
 you, whoever wins that girl will get a treasure. 
 Only my heart is made of such tough mate- 
 rials, or I should have been in love with her 
 myself long ago. If Barbara could dispose of 
 herself, you would not have to ask twice ; but 
 you will have something to do with the father 
 and mother before you can carry off the prize. 
 Keep your own secret by all means, my good 
 fellow, for you are among the Philistines here ; 
 and, if the Duke of Clanalpin were to hear of 
 it, there is no telling what might happen," said 
 Godfrey, laughing ; " besides, the Earl here 
 will cut your throat for poaching on what he 
 intends for his own manor." 
 
 " What ! does Lord Mordaunt admire Bar- 
 bara, then ?" 
 
 " Oh no ! he has no eyes but for the hand- 
 some Mrs. Sydenham, who comes here to-day
 
 almack's. 357 
 
 or to-morrow ; but perhaps he may mean to 
 marry the heiress. Now do you take ? With 
 your grandees, marriage and love are different 
 things." 
 
 " Scoundrel !" said Montague, indignantly. 
 
 " Oh, come ! none of your heroics, my Che- 
 valier sans pear et sans reproche, as Lady Anne 
 calls you : we must take the world as we find 
 it. By the by, her ladyship"'s eyes often wan- 
 der your way, Lionel. You must take care of 
 yourself and your heart ; for I have heard 
 Lady Anne say that any woman may win any 
 man, if she will take the trouble ; but, you 
 know, fore-warned is fore-armed. Besides, the 
 young lady is rather too general in her tastes ; 
 her's is regard paid to the sex. Ah ! there is 
 the gong, the summons to breakfast ; we must 
 be going." 
 
 When they entered the room, all were assem- 
 bled : Lionel was going to place himself next 
 Lord Norbury, but Lady Anne called out,
 
 358 ALMACK S. 
 
 " Oh, Colonel Montague, I select you for my 
 knight : come and help me to do the honours of 
 the brown loaf. George, move lower down ; I 
 hate a cousin next me, it is almost as bad as a 
 brother." 
 
 " Not quite, I hope," said Lord George ; 
 " however, I am satisfied : I shall be next 
 Miss Louisa, and I dare say she remembers a 
 little French song with a refrain, Ce tt'est 
 gii'un cousin, which tells a different story." 
 
 " Well, I declare," said Lady Margaret, " I 
 think the change a good one. If Colonel Mon- 
 tague had been next to Lord Norbury, it would 
 have been dreadful : that is a thing the Duke of 
 Clanalpin is so particular about, the people 
 being rightly placed. His grace, I know, once 
 thought of having the names put upon the 
 chairs. Charlotte Augusta, I am sure you are 
 a gainer ; so much better to have Mr. Godfrev 
 Mildmay next you than your sister ApoUonia."
 
 ALMACR-S. 359 
 
 " Oh dear, yes ! mamma," H:iped out Miss 
 Charlotte Augusta. 
 
 Godfrey little thought that the young lady had 
 received a lecture that morning from her mam- 
 ma, for not treating him with more attention. 
 " True, Mr. Godfrey Mildmay was not a smart 
 man, but Bishop*" s-Court was a pretty place, 
 besides a very respectable old family, and good 
 sort of people : then the young man was in the 
 law, and, as the Duke of Clanalpin always said, 
 no telling hov those fellows get on." And so 
 Lady Margaret Carlton brought herself to 
 think without horror of settling one of the 
 nine Miss Carltons at Bishop' s-Court ; fante 
 de mieua:, it really might answer. 
 
 Godfrey, in happy ignorance of this plot 
 against his heart, chattered away to his fair 
 neighbour, too humble to think himself a 
 mark for her ladyship's machinations. 
 
 Lady Norbury was quite in low spirits ; the
 
 S60 ALMACK^S. 
 
 weather did not suit her, just because every 
 body else was raving about the beauty of the 
 day. Some people might admire that sort of 
 grey morning, but she could not say she did ; 
 without sun she always felt it damp. No one 
 contradicted her, so she was forced to find some 
 fresh subject of complaint. The tea was not 
 good. Miss Molyneux was immediately so 
 properly sorry, it was all her fault ; she had 
 not let it stand long enough. No ! it was the 
 water. Lady Norbury was so sure the water 
 had not boiled properly. " Indeed, Fudge," 
 said her ladyship, addressing the groom of the 
 chambers, " you should take care to make the 
 water boil !" 
 
 " Do bring me my shawl,'' said Lady Nor- 
 bury, shivering, " and see whether the conserva- 
 tory door is shut, for I feel such a draught of 
 air come to my back. Why don't the other 
 things come.'* there's nothing to eat on the 
 table, that I can see."
 
 almack's. 3()1 
 
 " No, indeed," said Lord George, lautrliiiu', 
 " nothing at all ; only long-rolls, and short-ioUs, 
 and round-rolls, and tmsts, and French bread, 
 and Yorkshire bread, and Waterloo cakes, and 
 sudden deaths, and Sally Lunns. Why, God 
 bless you, my dear aunt ! you must think us all 
 in a bread fever, if what is on the table goes for 
 nothing."" 
 
 " They certainly must have a regular baker," 
 thought Lady Margaret ; " the Duke of Clan- 
 alpin always said it was the only way to have 
 good bread at all times.*" 
 
 " Is this what you call a fine hunting-morn- 
 ing, Mr. Archdeacon ?"" said Lady Norbury, 
 crossing her shawl. 
 
 " Oh, a capital day for scent, my lady ! I wish 
 we may be as fortunate to-morrow," said the 
 doctor, with his mouth quite fidl of perigord 
 pie. 
 
 " True, true," said Lord Norbury, " I quite 
 forgot to-morrow. Why it is to be the last day 
 
 VOL. I. R
 
 S62 almack's. 
 
 this season : Mordaunt, reach me the hunting- 
 card from the chimney-piece. ' The Merton 
 fox-hounds will throw off to-morrow morn- 
 ing, Wednesday, March 24, at Embley-rings, 
 at 10 o*'clock precisely."* Well, I dare say 
 it will be a very full field ! Gentlemen, I hope 
 you all mean to go. Mr. Godfrey, Colonel 
 Montague, I shall be happy to mount you ; I 
 suppose, Mordaunt, you will ride Dumbiedikes : 
 Black Jack and Truepenny will be at the gen- 
 tlemen's service. And you, Lord George, how 
 shall you manage ?''' 
 
 " Oh ! the gray, my lord, is quite sound 
 again. And I suppose Dr. Sloper will take 
 Lightfoot? Et pour vous, Monsieur I'Abbe, 
 votre jolie jument gris pommele.^'' 
 
 " Ah ! oui^ milor, cette chere petite bete ! je 
 Vai Jiommee la Duchesse de Berriy 
 
 " 'Faith ! now that is good. Well, I hope the 
 Duchesse will carry you safe, and that she '11 
 prove sound. Think of Monsieur I'Abbe set-
 
 ALMACK S. 363 
 
 ting up for a judge of horse-flesh, and dealing 
 with that Yorkshire jockey, Barney Brown !" 
 said Lord George to Lionel. 
 
 " I hope the ladies will all drive over to 
 cover," said Lord Norbury ; " it is such a gay 
 rendezvous. I dare say we shall have all the 
 neighbourhood to-morrow." 
 
 " Mrs. Sydenham and her daughter, of 
 course," said liady Margaret, with a sneer ; " so 
 many beaux must attract." 
 
 "Oh, fie!" said Lord Norbury, "it is the 
 ladies attract us men." 
 
 " And then there will be the Lady Beaulieus, 
 the Derwents and Glenmores, I should think," 
 said Lady Anne ; " Lady Glenraore told me she 
 liked it better than any thing, so much fun and 
 gossip ! all the news is always heard at cover." 
 
 " Unluckily," said Lady Margaret, " I made 
 an appointment for three of my girls at the 
 
 dentist's at H ; and then the Archdeacon 
 
 must send his horses for my second son Ferdi- 
 B 2
 
 64 
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 nand, who is coming home from a private tutor's ; 
 so we cannot go. Large families, as the Duke 
 of Clanalpin says, are a never faihng trouble." 
 Who could contradict such an assertion ? So 
 presently Lady Margaret added, "But I wonder 
 your ladyship never drives over to cover," ad- 
 dressing Lady Noi'bury ; " I can assure you it 
 is often very gay." 
 
 *' I am not so fond of a cold March wind," 
 said the Countess ; "" I would not drive over to 
 Embley-rings to see all the dogs in Europe, in 
 such weather as this ; why, it would be the 
 death of me." 
 
 " But you forget, my dear Mamma," said 
 Lady Anne, " that there would be other things 
 besides dogs— those things called gentlemen ; 
 and sometimes ladies like to see them, and hear 
 them too." 
 
 All the young ladies laughed. 
 
 " I really do not see why we girls should not
 
 almack"'s. 3G.5 
 
 make a party in the barouche;" Mrs. Metcalf 
 would chaperon us, I dare say." 
 
 " Oh, that I will, with the greatest pleasure : 
 I have been a great huntress in ray time," said 
 the gay old lady. " When I was quite young, 
 I remember a famous song, which made a great 
 noise in this country. The chorus was, 
 ' The hounds of old Merton for me !' " 
 
 Miss Bevil all this time was talking and 
 thinking of the St. Hubert in France ; and all 
 the gay rendezvous dc chusse she had attended 
 in the neighbourhood of Paris. She huninietl 
 the air dn premier pas, greatly to the delight of 
 her neighbour, the complaisant Abbe. 
 
 " But what shall we do all this morning ?"' said 
 Lady Anne. " Colonel Montague, you were 
 saying yesterday you iiad forgotten all about 
 Embley-rings. It is a favourite ride of mine. 
 Shall we go and explore about the old Roman 
 fortifications ? What say you, Louisa ?"
 
 S66 almack's. 
 
 The young lady was ready for any thing. 
 
 " Suppose, then, we order the horses. The 
 black charger will carry Colonel Montague, if 
 he will honour us with his company : and then, 
 Louisa, will you condescend to ride mamma's 
 little Welsh pony, TaJfFey r 
 
 " Oh, with all my heart !^ said Louisa, " and 
 Lionel will be delighted to attend us." 
 
 " And so should I," said Lord George, " but 
 I must go and look after my sergeant at Mer- 
 ton ; however, some day, Miss Louisa, I hope 
 you will mount my pretty long-tail, it would 
 carry you nicely.'* 
 
 " Well, then," said Lady Anne, *' I believe 
 we are all agreed. Mr. Godfrey Mildmay says 
 he ha^ some law business at Monks Weldon, and 
 Mordaunt has letters to write. Lady Margaret 
 and the Miss Carltons, I am sorry to say, leave 
 us this morning ; and the Misses Molyneux 
 never ride. What shall you do, mamma ?" 
 
 Lady Norbury could not exactly determine :
 
 almack's. 367 
 
 perhaps she might think it too cold to leave the 
 fire-side ; perhaps she might take a drive in the 
 barouche, if the sun got out. She wanted to 
 call on old Mrs. RadcMe, at Abbev Lees: or 
 she did not know if she should not ask one of 
 the Misses Molyneux to drive her out in a new 
 pony-carriage she had just got. Perhaps Miss 
 Molyneux would finish the hand-screens she was 
 painting for her ladyship ; and Miss Maria, she 
 should trouble to read her a letter she had just 
 received from her niece, Lady Hauton. " Pray, 
 Anne," continued her ladyship, after all these 
 perhapses, and in the same drawling, sleepy 
 tone : " when you write to Georgiana, do tell her 
 not to cross her letters.*" 
 
 " Yes, mamma. I was just thinking, that in 
 all our arrangements we had forgotten Lord 
 Dorville : very extraordinary ! where is he ? 
 Oh, I see him reading the newspaper in the 
 next room. Pray, my lord, what are you going 
 to do this morning ?""
 
 368 almack's. 
 
 " 'Poll my soul ! I neither know nor care ; — 
 looks devilish like rain — monstrous heavy clouds, 
 and a due south-west. Probably I shall play 
 at chess with the Abbe, or have a game at 
 billiards with Dr. Sloper, or take a good gallop 
 on Horsely-common. Why does your ladyship 
 
 en 
 
 quire 
 
 " Oh ! I thought, as it is so fine, that you 
 might like to ride with Miss Louisa Mildmay 
 and me ; but, as you are so particularly en- 
 gaged, my lord — " 
 
 " No, I am not engaged at all : I am free as 
 air," and he looked in an odd way at Lady 
 Anne, so as to catch her eye. " Thank God, I 
 am free to do any thing. Is any body else to 
 be of the party .'*" 
 
 " Only Colonel Montague." 
 
 " Oh, then I am sure you do not want me at 
 all. I hope your ladyship will have a very 
 agreeable ride ;" and he made her a low bow. 
 
 " On his high horse, I protest ; turned sulky,"
 
 almack's. 369 
 
 thought Lady Anne ; " but it does not signify, 
 I shall soon win him back, when I please."" 
 Her ladyship was in high spirits. " How shall 
 I manage with my other beau, I wonder.? — I 
 should like to have had him all to myself. 
 Well, we shall see."" 
 
 Just then a note was brought to Lady Anne ; 
 it was from Mrs. Sydenham, — an answer to 
 herd's of the day before ; it was as follows : — 
 
 " A thousand thanks to dear Lady Anne for 
 her most obliging note and agreeable proposal, 
 which it is quite impossible to refuse. Inde- 
 pendent of the pleasure we shall enjoy in such 
 agreeable society as that of our friends at Nor- 
 bury, it is always infinitely more to my taste to 
 stay all night ; and I can answer that dear Laura 
 and Mr. Sydenham agree with me, for, to be 
 sure, returning ten long miles — 
 
 ' With the coachman in liquor, and moon in a fofr, 
 And no thouglit in one's head but a ditch or a bog," 
 
 r5
 
 370 almack's. 
 
 is a bad business. Mr. Sydenham is looking 
 forward most anxiously for a fine day to-mor- 
 row; he expects a very full field. We dine and 
 gtay all night at Glenmore Place, and he goes 
 from thence to Embley-rings ; and we hope to 
 persuade dear little Lady Glenmore to go with 
 us to cover : but her situation, I believe, is now 
 no secret, and the old lord is so anxious, and 
 so happy, that we must be careful what we pro- 
 pose. She is a sweet creature, quite kindly 
 partial to dear Laura already. How I am run- 
 ning on, and I have a favour to request. Sir 
 Harcourt Beresford is staying with us, a young 
 protege, of mine : we became very intimate 
 with him at Naples. May I bring him to Nor- 
 bury ? Will you, my dear young friend, apolo- 
 gize to Lady Norbury for my taking this liber- 
 ty ? Sir Harcourt sings sweetly ; he and Laura 
 are practising some enchanting duetts together. 
 Pray thank Lord Mordaunt for his so kindly 
 remembering about the peacocks. His Japan
 
 almack's. 371 
 
 is a beauty, and goes by the donor's name. You 
 may suppose he is a favourite. 
 
 " Say a thousand kind things from us all to 
 dear Lady Norbury and your charming circle. 
 
 " Ever dear Lady Anne's obh'ged and faithful 
 " Adelaide Sydenham. 
 " Elsiiiore Lodge, Tuesday. "" 
 
 " Postscript. We depend on my old friend 
 and favourite, Mrs. Metcalf, returning with us 
 to-morrow. So, a certain rich lady has left 
 the Abbey for London ! Birmingham wares 
 do require fresh gilding. How my Barbara 
 will be proned in her set. Laura, with one of 
 her saucy looks over my shoulder, asks what 
 set is that .'' Once more, adieu, dearest Lady 
 Anne." 
 
 " There," said Lady Anne, tossing the note 
 to Louisa, " there is eau sucrte for you ! pray 
 read it through."
 
 3 72 almack's. 
 
 " The acid is all at the bottom, in the post- 
 script," replied Louisa, when she returned it. 
 
 " Mamma ! won't you read Mrs. Sydenham's 
 note ?" 
 
 " Oh no ! can't you tell me what it 's about .'' 
 She always writes with such pale ink, and her 
 paper smells so of musk. I suppose they come 
 to-morrow ?" 
 
 " Yes, and she begs to bring a Sir Harcourt 
 Beresford, an interesting, musical young man 
 Am I to say you will be glad to see him .''" 
 
 " Oh, of course ; but pray who may Sir Har- 
 court Beresford be? Do you know, Mrs. 
 Metcalf.?" 
 
 " Oh, he is one of the Beresfords of King's- 
 County,'"' said the old lady; "grandson to my 
 old friend Sir Marcus, who succeeded his bro- 
 ther Sir Lucius, who was shot in a duel with 
 Governor Blake, some thirty years ago: his 
 mother was one of the handsome Miss Girdle- 
 stones, of Berkshire. Fine property near New-
 
 almack's. 378 
 
 bury came into the family through that mar- 
 riage. Another Miss Girdlestone married one 
 of the Thistlethwaitcs of Yorkshire." 
 
 " Oh ! spare me the rest of the pedigree, my 
 dear Mrs. Metcalf ; I know quite enough now." 
 
 " I wonder your ladyship never heard of Sir 
 Harcourt Beresford," said Lady Margaret : 
 " we, who live close to Mrs. Sydenham, hear of 
 nothing else : he either is, or she wishes him to 
 be, an admirer of Miss Sydenham's." 
 
 " I think," said Miss Charlotte Augusta, 
 " he used to ride with her in Hyde Park last 
 year." 
 
 " And was not he the man," said Miss Carl- 
 ton, " who picked up Miss Sydenham when 
 she fell close to the Serpentine River, — a tall, 
 black, handsome man upon a little white horse ?" 
 
 " No,. my dear Apollonia," replied the mother; 
 " if you remember, the Duke of Clanalpin said 
 he was a little wliitc man uptm a tall black 
 horse."
 
 374 almack's. 
 
 Most of the party smiled at this mistake. 
 Lady Margaret was provoked at the smile, and 
 vexed that she could not stay at Norbury to 
 make her remarks and discoveries upon Sir 
 Harcourt Beresford and Miss Sydenham. She 
 soon added, " So, Lady Glenmore is in high 
 favour just now at Elsinore Lodge. Well, so 
 much the better ; for at first, just after the wed- 
 ding, Mrs. Sydenham could not conceal her 
 vexation ; she always meant to place Laura at 
 the Castle. And now, as Mrs. Metcalf has left 
 the room, for I know what friends they are, I 
 suppose one may say that the manner in which 
 she courts Lord Beaulieu, is really too bare- 
 faced." 
 
 " But he has a wife," said Lady Anne. 
 
 *' Ah, poor thing ! but she is dying abroad ; 
 the last accounts were very bad. Then one 
 knows all the suspicions about his having a 
 mistress in town. He does neglect those poor
 
 almack's. 376 
 
 girls sadly. However, they cannot bear either 
 Mr. or Miss Sydenham, that I know." 
 
 " How ill-natured the world is !" said Lady 
 Norbury, angrily ; " Lord Beaulieu have a mis- 
 tress indeed ! the most unlikely thing in the 
 world. Poor man ! he is too much to be 
 pitied."" And her ladyship seemed quite af- 
 fected. 
 
 Lady Margaret for once was silenced ; and 
 soon after the Archdeacon's carriage was an- 
 nounced. All the trunks, seats, hat-boxes, and 
 cap-boxes were properly placed, and in due time 
 the three ladies made their appearance, ready 
 equipped for their journey. The whole Nor- 
 bury party attended them to the front door, 
 with the politest attention ; nay, even Lady Nor- 
 bury herself remained under the portico, ex- 
 posed to the cold March wind, till they had 
 driven through the first gate ; till the old family 
 coach could only just be discerned creeping
 
 376 almack's. 
 
 slowly up the steep ascent which led to the 
 grand entrance lodge. 
 
 The spell was then broken, and every body 
 gave tongue in an instant. " Joy go with them 
 all !" said Lady Anne, " and long may it be ere 
 we see them here again I""' 
 
 " Oh ! that voice of Lady Margaret Carlton's," 
 said Lady Norbury, " runs through my poor 
 head ; she does talk so : all the Clanalpins are 
 great talkers, and have horrid voices." 
 
 "She is a surprising looking woman,"" said 
 Miss Molyneux, in her sentimental tone ; " such 
 fine teeth and eyes !" 
 
 " You may have as fine if you choose, my 
 dear," said Miss Bevil : " such things may be 
 bought, you know."" 
 
 '' La ! now you don't say so ? Poor innocent 
 me ! never thought of such a thing !" 
 
 " So ill-natured her ladyship was," said Mrs. 
 Metcalf, *' about the Sydenhams ; I was in the 
 next room, and heard all she said about Lord
 
 ALMACKS. 3T7 
 
 Glenmore: — fancy the grapes were sour, and 
 that Ladj Margaret meant him for one of her 
 daughters all the time." 
 
 The ladies now separated to their different 
 morning's employments. Lady Anne went to 
 answer Mrs. Sydenham's note, and then to put 
 on her habit. As she passed through the hall, 
 she saw Colonel Montague and Louisa stand- 
 ing together, admiring the fine view from the 
 portico. 
 
 " As usual," thought Lady Anne, " he must 
 be by her side, he must like her. I Avish I could 
 prevent her riding with us ; let me see, a plan 
 has just struck me; I think it will do." So after 
 changing her dress, her ladyship flew to the 
 stable-yard, to have some talk with the head- 
 groom. She settled it all, and returned to the 
 house. The sound of Louisa's guitar met her 
 ear; she and Lionel were alone in the music- 
 room. He seemed to be looking over her music ; 
 his head was bent down, but she heard him say,
 
 378 almack's. 
 
 '• Well, I hope you will find it pleasant in 
 Portland-place ; I am sure Caroline is so much 
 obliged to you for going to her.*" 
 
 " Ah, pardonnez moi!" said Louisa, with one 
 of her gayest smiles, and with one of those arch 
 looks which Lady Anne thought made her ir- 
 resistible. " 'Tis I that am obliged ; I shall be 
 so happy ; it will bring dear Paris back to my 
 mind in full force." 
 
 " Ah, Louisa !" said Lionel, shaking his 
 "head; why this constant hankering after 
 Paris ? Surely you might make yourself happy 
 in your own country: you have not, like 
 Caroline, foreign ties."" 
 
 " Oh, oh !"" thought Lady Anne : he is jea- 
 lous of some Parisian admirer : ' the course of 
 true love, then, does not run clear.' Well, I am 
 glad I know that, however; I think I need hear 
 no more." So she entered the room, making as 
 much noise as she could with her whip. " Lady 
 Anne ready, I protest!" exclaimed Louisa;
 
 almack's. 379 
 
 " and here have I been all this time flirting 
 with you, Mr. Lionel T 
 
 " That speech," thought Lady Anne, " may 
 be meant as a blind to me ; she is quite deep 
 enougVi for that " 
 
 '' I '11 be ready in a moment,'"' cried Louisa, 
 as she locked up the guitar ; then looking slyly 
 at him, she said, in a whisper, " I wish Barbara 
 Birmingham was here to take you off my hands, 
 Lionel ; I should not then waste my time so 
 much." 
 
 The horses appeared at the door, as Louisa 
 entered en Amazone. 
 
 " But where is the pony ?^ said Louisa ; " my 
 old friend Taffey ? I do not see him, Lady 
 Anne."" 
 
 " Oh, my dear ! I forgot to tell you. Papa 
 had made such a mistake, or rather the coach- 
 man ! — that is. Papa forgot to say it would be 
 wanted, and so the coachman let the boy, who 
 is gone with a letter, take it. Monstrous stupid !
 
 380 almack's. 
 
 — but Mamma hardly ever uses it, and so they 
 are glad to give poor old Taffey a little exercise 
 sometimes. This is Mordaunt's chesnut mare, 
 which I ride sometimes : it will carry you very 
 safely. Is not she a beauty .'"' 
 
 " Yes, very handsome, my dear lady Anne ; 
 but far beyond my powers, I fear. I am such 
 a coward, you know." 
 
 The party were soon mounted, but, before 
 they were through the first gate, Louisa's fears 
 were justified. The beautiful chesnut mare 
 kicked and plunged, and showed evident signs 
 of being not a little frisky. The fair equestrian 
 was too happy to be dismounted ; and Lady 
 Anne, reading in her countenance how fright- 
 tened she was, urged her in vain to remount. 
 She made a sort of faint ofier to change horses 
 with her ; but Louisa was quite as much afraid 
 of Lady Anne's tall, spirited black horse, as of 
 the thorough-blood chesnut mare, and, though 
 the groom assured her they were both as quiet 
 as two lambs, and only a little frolicksome,
 
 almackV 381 
 
 may-be, at first starting, Louisa declared herself 
 perfectly satisfied that she was too decided a 
 coward to mount cither. " I will go and prac- 
 tise the mazouretas on the piano-forte for this 
 evening," said she ; " and then I can drive out, 
 or walk with Lady Norhury. So do not let nie 
 detain you, dear Lady Anne ; you will have a 
 charming ride ; — Lionel, you will find her such 
 a spirited horsewoman !" 
 
 " Well ! then, if we must part," said Lady 
 Anne, with affected regret, " good-b^ye, my 
 love ; I am quite sorry you should lose your 
 ride this sweet morning;"" and her ladyship set 
 off at a brisk pace, triumphant at the success of 
 her stratagem (for it was her ladyship's own 
 private order to send Taffey out of the way on 
 some errand), and enlivened by the idea of a 
 tete-d-ttte ride with a man whom she wanted to 
 captivate, merely because she beHeved him to 
 be attached to another. 
 
 Notwithstanding all that Lady Norbury had 
 said of the cold March wind, the day was hca-
 
 382 almack's. 
 
 venly ; one of those spring days which are now 
 and then felt, even in our climate. There was 
 no sun, but the air was so mild, and the western 
 breeze so soft, that his presence, all-cheering as 
 it always must be, was hardly wanted. The 
 pretty rural lanes round Norbury were particu- 
 larly pleasant, and Lady Anne exerted all her 
 powers for the advantage of her companion. 
 She so far saw into his character, that she felt 
 convinced that brilliancy and wit were not what 
 charmed him. She therefore tried literature 
 and taste, and not without effect, for Lionel 
 found her conversation very agreeable : it was 
 not talent, but heart and genuine feeling, that 
 she wanted, and these deficiencies could not 
 possibly be discovered on so short an acquaint- 
 ance. Lady Anne possessed an eye for the 
 picturesque, and " she did the honours to art 
 and nature," with infinite eloquence. " Let me 
 but find out what he likes," thought she, " and 
 I will seem that very thing."
 
 almack's. 88d 
 
 She turned the conversation on the Walle- 
 steins. Was the Baroness handsome? Lionel 
 described her ; liady Anne was enchanted with 
 the portrait, dying to know her, hoped she 
 should soon be intimate, did not wonder at 
 Louisa's strong partiahty for so delightful a 
 person: — a sweet girl Louisa was; Colonel Mon- 
 tague must think so. He did in very truth, 
 and he said it ; but so calmly that Lady Anne 
 was hardly satisfied ; " Very cautious,''^ thought 
 she; "afraid of committing himself; probably 
 some difficulties in the way." He spoke most 
 handsomely of Miss Mildmay ; she was a very 
 superior character, an excellent creature. 
 
 " Quite at ease here," thought Lady Anne ; 
 " no danger in saying all he thinks of her." 
 
 They were now crossing over a pretty wild 
 bit of common, whose natural beauties had in- 
 terceded in their favour against some inclosure 
 bill. They came to a retired narrow lane, leading 
 through a sort of dingle. Lady Anne proposed
 
 384 almack's. 
 
 exploring it ; it was a path with which even she 
 was unacquainted. They had not proceeded 
 far, amid brush-wood and hazel-bushes, before 
 they came to a gate, which they found tied ; but 
 from a hovel adjoining to it issued forth a 
 tribe of little ragged children, who eagerly dis- 
 puted which should have the honour of opening 
 the gate. The pallid looks of the one who suc- 
 ceeded, struck Lady Anne as she passed 
 through ; and she asked, in her sweetest tone, 
 if he were ill. The child said he was only just 
 recovered from a fever, of which his poor father 
 was then dying, and that mammy was quite 
 heart-broken ; and at this part of his tale he 
 burst into tears. Lady Anne's humanity was 
 instantly moved ; and she proposed to Lionel 
 to dismount, that they might see these unfortu- 
 nate people. On entering the cottage, they be- 
 held a wretched being extended on a miserable 
 pallet : his sufferings, fortunately for himself, 
 appeared to be drawing to a close. The unhappy
 
 almack's. 385 
 
 Mrife was endeavouring, with one hand, to hold 
 some liquid to the lips of the dying man, and 
 with the other, to support a miserable-lot)king 
 infant ; who was trying in vain to find some 
 nourishment at its mother's breast. 
 
 On being questioned as to the nature of her 
 husband's illness, the tale the poor woman told 
 was an every-day story of poverty and disease. 
 The sick man was a labourer, who had caught 
 a violent cold during the winter, which had 
 settled on his lungs : he had exerted himself 
 beyond his strength, to keep up while his wife 
 lay in of her ninth child. During her confine- 
 ment, the eldest was taken ill of a low fever : 
 he had recovered, but his poor father had 
 caught the disorder from him, and that was 
 his present complaint. 
 
 " Had they had no advice .'*'" 
 
 " Yes, the parish doctor, who had attended the 
 poor woman during her lying-in, had prescribed 
 for the husband ; but he had left off coming 
 
 VOL. I. 8
 
 386 almack's. 
 
 because he said it was of no use, nothing could 
 be done.'' Lady Anne feared that it was, alas ! 
 but too true ; but she emptied the contents of 
 her purse into the poor woman's hand, and 
 Lionel liberally contributed his share : they 
 also promised to ride to the apothecary who 
 attended the family at Norbury, and send him 
 to the cottage immediately. 
 
 The poor woman was quite overcome with 
 surprise and gratitude ; she repeatedly prayed 
 that God above might bless them ! sure it 
 was He who had sent them to her relief, just 
 when she thought that herself and all her babes 
 must have perished for want ; for as to what 
 the parish gave, it hardly could keep them 
 alive. " Indeed,*" added the poor creature, " it 
 was but yesternight that I was wishing I had 
 been near that angel Miss Birmingham, who 
 relieves all that are in distress : I am sure she 
 would help me. But it is a sad weary way to 
 Atherford Abbey, and I durst not have sent
 
 at.mack's. 387 
 
 any of the children, for fear they might miss 
 the road." 
 
 " Do you know Miss Birmingham tlien ?" 
 enquired Colonel Montague. 
 
 "Ah, sir! all that are sick and afflicted in 
 1 liese parts know that good young lady ; I mean 
 if they are of her parish, or in any ways be- 
 longing to her. Before last winter we lived 
 ill the village of Atherford, and many a time 
 has she brought us both clothes and food, 
 and given my husband work when labour was 
 scarce ; and none knows of her charities but 
 those Avho receive them. But the Lord will 
 reward her, as he Avill you too, my good young 
 lady and gentleman."" 
 
 Lady Anne and her companion departed, 
 her ladyship reflecting with much complacency 
 on the benevolent feelings she had shown, and 
 the pleasing light in which she must have ap- 
 peared to Colonel Montague ; he not in the 
 least thinking about her, but iiif mind full of
 
 ALMACK S. 
 
 what he had heard of Miss Birmingham — ^just 
 what he should have expected of her, from the 
 amiable idea he had formed of her character. 
 She was one of those " who do good by stealth, 
 and blush to find it fame." 
 
 Once fairly on the great road again, they 
 proceeded at a brisk pace towards Embley- 
 rings, a hill rising just above the famous fox- 
 cover, which was to be the rendezvous the next 
 day for the Merton hounds. 
 
 They halted their horses a little before they 
 reached the very summit, to give them breath- 
 ing ; and to gaze at the magnificent view which 
 opened to the eye on every side. It was, in- 
 deed, a perfect panorama; and Lady Anne 
 was happy in having to explain to Colonel 
 Montague the different beauties which claimed 
 their attention. An immense range of distant 
 gray hills could be faintly perceived in the 
 horizon, and a spot was pointed out as the site 
 of the distant cathedral of H : with a sflass
 
 almack's. 389 
 
 tlic town could be distinctly seen. The town 
 of Merton lay just below them in the hollow ; 
 and the splendid pile of buildings at Norbury 
 looked quite insignificant, lost amid a multi- 
 tude of more iniportant objects. The spire of 
 Weldon Regis church could be distinctly seen, 
 and a large plantation of firs just above Ather- 
 ford Abbey. The river Ather was beautifully 
 meandering through the plain; the woods to 
 the right, as far as the eye could see, were near 
 Glenmore Place ; and a tower on the other side, 
 Lady Anne said, was an ornamental building 
 in the grounds of Derwent Vale:— this led to 
 anecdotes of the two noble owners of those fine 
 seats. They then proceeded to the top of the 
 hill, where the remains of a Roman camp pre- 
 sented an object of great curiosity. This sj)ot 
 was properly Embley-rings, though, in the 
 lapse of time, it had become the designation of 
 all that line of hilly country. 
 
 The grand circle, or ring of the fortifications,
 
 390 A L mack's, 
 
 could still be distinctly traced. Lionel was 
 much interested with these curious remains of 
 that wonderful people, whose greatness may be 
 in some measure appreciated by the extraordi- 
 nary magnificence of those works which have 
 survived to our days. He dismounted, that he 
 might examine every part, and Lady Anne was 
 much amused with his antiquarian enthusiasm. 
 She rallied him all the way home upon his pas- 
 sion for the Romans. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 LONDOK : 
 PRINTED BY S. AHD R. BENTLEY, DORSET STREET
 
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