'Pray, let me call my maid,' cried the taller of the young ladies.

'Pray, let me put this water to her lips,' said the shorter, who had not

spoken yet. Each doing what she suggested, there was no want of assistance. Indeed,

when the two maids came in (escorted by the courier, lest any one should

strike them dumb by addressing a foreign language to them on the road),

there was a prospect of too much assistance. Seeing this, and saying as

much in a few words to the slighter and younger of the two ladies,

the gentleman put his wife's arm over his shoulder, lifted her up, and

carried her away. His friend, being left alone with the other visitors, walked slowly up

and down the room without coming to the fire again, pulling his black

moustache in a contemplative manner, as if he felt himself committed

to the late retort. While the subject of it was breathing injury in a

corner, the Chief loftily addressed this gentleman.

'Your friend, sir,' said he, 'is--ha--is a little impatient; and, in

his impatience, is not perhaps fully sensible of what he owes

to--hum--to--but we will waive that, we will waive that. Your friend is

a little impatient, sir.' 'It may be so, sir,' returned the other. 'But having had the honour of

making that gentleman's acquaintance at the hotel at Geneva, where we

and much good company met some time ago, and having had the honour

of exchanging company and conversation with that gentleman on several

subsequent excursions, I can hear nothing--no, not even from one of your

appearance and station, sir--detrimental to that gentleman.'

'You are in no danger, sir, of hearing any such thing from me. In

remarking that your friend has shown impatience, I say no such thing. I

make that remark, because it is not to be doubted that my son, being by

birth and by--ha--by education a--hum--a gentleman, would have readily

adapted himself to any obligingly expressed wish on the subject of the

fire being equally accessible to the whole of the present circle. Which,

in principle, I--ha--for all are--hum--equal on these occasions--I

consider right.' 'Good,' was the reply. 'And there it ends! I am your son's obedient

servant. I beg your son to receive the assurance of my profound

consideration. And now, sir, I may admit, freely admit, that my friend

is sometimes of a sarcastic temper.' 'The lady is your friend's wife, sir?' 'The lady is my friend's wife, sir.' 'She is very handsome.' 'Sir, she is peerless. They are still in the first year of their

marriage. They are still partly on a marriage, and partly on an

artistic, tour.' 'Your friend is an artist, sir?'




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