The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-04 00:00:00

Corregio light of the aforesaid elegantly Lilt French

lamp.
At last the insufferable fop begins, and after one
glance at the yellow ceiling, and one desultory smil-
ing peep at some curious white crystals, probably

filbert-salt, in a secret drawer of his inlaid writin,g-

desk, he pens the following sublime bit of euphuism,
worthy indeed of the age of Keepsakes :
"This completed the charm. We immersed a
well-seasoned prime pen into our silver inkstand
three times, shaking off the loose ink again linger-
ingly, while, holding the print fast in our left hand,
we perused it with half-shut eyes, dallying awhile

with our delight. Fast and faster came the ting-
ling impetus, and this running like quicksilver from
our sensoritun to our pen, we gave the latter one
conclusive dip, after which we rapidly dashed off
the foliowing description couleur de rose.'"
A little later this I.right butte rfly of fashion in-
forins his enraptured world in the " London Maga-

zinc" that he has bought a new horse, and secured a

new book :

" I have nothing more, in the way cf new 4, ex-
ceptthat I have picked up a fine copy of Bochius's
En-;gems ' (you know the charming things, by
BonasGne), first edition ; Bologna, 1555. Capital
condition, in blue French morocco, by De Rome,
for whom I still retain some small inkling of affec-
tion, in spite of the anathemas of the Rev. T. F.
Dibdin. Also, a new horse (Barbary sire and Ara-
bian dam), with whose education I occupy nearly
all my mornings, though I have considerable doubts
whether I shall push it beyond the military
rtianege."
This exult ing egotism, this delight in bindings, ie
characteristic of the man, as also is the graceful
allusion in the last line to the writer's military
achievements (disgracefully ignored by Napier).
Later in hig career Wainewright fell foul of tha
wise thinker and profound critic, William Hazlitt,

rho also wrote for the " London," laughing to
scorn, " spitefully entreating," and hugely condemn-
ing his dramatic criticisms. Hazlitt, the most
inflammable of old bachelors, praised the Miss

Dennetts' dancing ; Janus derided them as little

unformel creatures, great favourites with " the
hitechapel orders :" cried " Faugh !" when Ilazlitt
visited the Coburg and Surrey Theatres ; and
sneered when his great rival praised Miss Valancy,
" the bouncing Columbine at Astley's, and them

there places—as his barber informs him." All this

shows the vanity and shallow temerity, the vulgar
and impertinent supQrciliousness, of the pseudo
critic. He got a bludgeon blow on the head for it,
however, from Hazlitt, who then left him to flutter
his hour and to pass away in his fully.
When Hazlitt left the "London Magazine" about
1825, Janus Weathercock ceased to delight the
world also, but ho still rattled at parties, still drove
in the Park, and flashed along the Row on his Arab
horse " Contributor ;" he still bought well-bound
books, pictures, and hothouse plants, and still ex-
pended his affections on his cat. Honest Charles
Lamb, guileless as a child, lamented " kind, light-
hearted Janus," the tasteful dandy, the gay senti-
mentalist of the boudoir. Fine, generous natures
like Othello are prone to trust lago. One of those
gentlemen who are mean enough to get their bread
by professional literature, and yet affect to despise
their business, Wainewright must have felt the loss
of his liberal monthly salary, for he had expensive
tastes, and a knack of getting through money.
Say some eight or ten years after the delightful
dinner in Waterloo-place, this fine nature (true
Sevres of the rarest clay) was living in his own
luxurious cosy way (books, wine, horses, pictures,
statues, hothouse plants, Damascus sabre, tortoise-
shell cat, elegantly gilt French lamp and all) at
Linden House, Turitharn-green, remarkable for its
lime-trees, on the pretty heart-shaped leaves of
which the gay artist probably lavished a thousand
fancies. Only once had those rose-leaves fallen since
the house and pleasant grounds had belonged to
Wainewright's uncle, a Dr. Griffiths, a comfortable,
well-to-do man, who for many years edited a
monthly publication. His death occurred after a
very short illness, and during a visit paid him by
Wainewright and his wife, who was there confined
of her first, and, as it proved, her only child. It was
not exactly apoplexy, nor was it heart disease ; but
then even doctors are sometimes puzzled by organic
complications. One thing is certain, it was mortal,
and Dr. Griffiths died tmder proper medical care,
and watched by the most affectionate of relatives.
Wainewright gained some property by his uncle's
death, lamented him tearfully, and spent the money
smilingly. Bills soon began, however, to be left
unpaid, sen'ante wages were delayed, credit was
occasionally refused, Turnhain-green bakers and
butchers dared to talk about Linden House, and
people who " made much of theirselves, but did not
do the right th:ng, not what yer may call the right
thing."
Things were not going altogether comfortable
with a man who must have his wine, his cigar, his
eau de vie de Dantzig, all the new books and prints,
and must dress " in the style, you know."
The fact must come out ; Wainewright was a
monster egotist, and not accustomed to starve either
his tastes or his appetites. lie must have money
for champagne and bread ; Marc Antonio's prints
and meat. As well be starved as have his cutlet
without truffles. Poverty's iron walls were cawing
in upon him closer and closer, but he shrugged his
shoulders, buttoned tighter his bsfrogged coat,
pawned his rings, and gut on well enough.
Linden House must have been a peculiarly un-
healthy place, for about this time Mrs.Abercrombie,
Wainewright's wife's mother, died there also, after a
very short illness ; something in the brain or heart,
probably. Mrs. Abercrombie had married a second
time a meritorious officer, and left two daughters,
Helen Frances Phoebe and Madeleine, beautiful
girls, just reaching womanhood. The poor orphans,
having only ten pounds a year granted them by
the Board of Ordnance for their father's services,
(these must have been small indeed not to deserve
more), were invited to his pleasant, lUxurious, but
decidedly unhealthy house, by Mr. Wainewright,
their step-sister's husband, in the most kind and
generous manner, dear creature!
Helen Frances Plicel)e Abercrombie, the eldest
of the girls, attained the age of twenty-one on the
12th March, 1830, a very short time after coining
to Turnham-green, and within a few days of this
event the oddest caprice entered into Mr. Waine-
wright's mind. He proposed to insure her life to a
very large amount for the short period of two or

three years. Such an arrangement is, however, the
commonest thing iu the world with poeons either
permanently or temporarily embxirassed. Such
insurances are often used as securities for bills of
exchange or for loans, where the lender is espe-
cially cautious. There was nothing singular about
it. It did not not the least matter that Miss Aber-
crombie was almost penniless, and without expec-
tations of any kind, except a trifling possibility
under a settlement.
One pleasant morning in March a trip to the
City was suggested as quite a divertissement, an
agreeable opportunity of observing the habits and
customs of " those strange City people." Mr.
Wainewright was jauntier and more degage than
ever, in his tight fashionable befrogged coat, as he
guided his wife and the beautiful girl—his tempo-
rary ward—their ribbons fluttering brightly in the
March wind, through the defiles and labyrinths of
the busy City. his whims and fancies about in-
surance offices were delightful in their careless
gaiety. It was quite an adventure for the ladies.
It was singular, though, that Mr. Wainewright,
embarrassed as he was, should venture on a specu-
L.lti.)n that involved a large annual payment for
interest, and yet skmtned to promise no pecuniary
return. It might be a chivali ous riz-,k of sonic
kind or other, the innocent and playful girl tro-
balily thought, and she would nut care to
inquire further into a business she did not profess
to understand. It cost her nothing ; she was
only too glad to gratify the whim of her kind kins-
man, and to lend herself to his mysterious, but no
doubt well planned and well intended business ar-
rangement. So on the 28th, sixteen days after
coming of age, Miss Abercrombie went to the Palla-
dium Insurance Office with Mr. and Mrs. Waine-
right, and insured her life for three thousand pounds
for three years. The object of the insurance was
stated to be (whether correctly or not) to enable the
young lady's friends to recover some property to