The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-05-25
A MATRIMONIAL. ADVENTURE.


A MATRIMONIAL. ADVENTURE.
Shall own to the feeling that instead Of
being damped by failures in all my former
love adventures-and l am conceited
enough to deny that they were failures
nv ardor was rather whetted. Such
disappointments were the result of hostile
accidents; my own honest e1ertions had
never had fair trial as yet. My friend
Kinahan, indeed often repeated the adage:
ssFaint heart never yet won fair lady" by
way of comfort, the honest fellow scarcely
seeing that his ancient saw hardly applied
to my case. had no special views with
regard to fair" ladies, and, therefore,
:faintness did not enter into the matter.
l was all right in that respect. The thing
was, would boldness carry the day with
rich lady; and, on this point, his informa-
ton was meager to Il degree. His lights
were not very remarkable, though he had
native bluntness that stood him i'll good
stead.
Some of the officers in my regiment used
often to affect discrimination in the invita-
lions they accepted, "turning up their
noses - at any worthy people who were in
elined to be hospitable. l never took this
view. First, it seemed to me to be an
ungracous return; and, secondly, to one
engaged in the pursuit that L was, it was
only prudent not to neglect any opportunity
that offered When, therefore, local
solicitor of good standing, a man who
was highly and deservedly considered in
the place, asked me to set - dinner, L
at once agreed to go. There was no know
ing how it might turn out. Such people
are often the sort of ground that Belgium
has been to contending Powers, where the
greatest hosts often meet in battle; or, per-
haps, like some obscure little town which
has been chosen as the scene for the dis
cussion of vast treaty. was wise in my
generation, as will be seen.
The solicitor was grateful to me (he had
asked no less than four Of tours" The
cynosure of the party was an M. Pa tall,
| portly Sir Robert Peel sort of. legislator
| whose solicitor the host was. Mr.. Tum-
brill was the name: a starched white waist
coat, starched white tie-starched white
trousers, if such had been the regulation
| costume. He was an exceeding gentle
manly, elocutionary sort of man; so much
SO, that as he spoke from the rug before
dinner, he seemed to stand in sort of
spectral pulpit that reached up his lower
limbs to the Peel woistcoat. This then
was Mr.. Tumbrill, NJ. P; with him was
his daughter, Mabel, a stately Roman
peasant sort of girl, with fine dark eyes,
and poetical bearing. was introduced
to both, and received cordially. ltook her
in-I mean to dinner. All through the
meal the member gave various sermons,
chiefly on one Observation-Disclosures
birth "blood in your veins "a perpet-
ual fire, with shell every two minutes or
so of "The Duke ''-"The Duke" The
influence of high caste could alone save
the country; and if the rich streams OF
'tblue blood'' could only be more gener-
ally diffused through the country-he SEEM
ed to be speaking as though "mains :"
could be laid on from some great central
reservoir-there would be a new future for
England He did not care for wealth
what was it? for estates what were they ?
Give him rank or blood. The young lady,
too, spoke in the same strain. She, too,
adored rank and blood, and the society of
"well- born persons" lad not remarked
how much ''nicer" these were in every
way-to talk to- to be with. l cordially
agreed with both, and introduced my
august relative, Lord Sillopes. Both start
ed, and almost gave q cry. Why, they
knew him well, and they had been at Sill
lopes. And l was his relation! How
strange, how mysterious was this meeting.
Why, if there was man who could be
pointed to as an illustration of the few
theories he had been laying down as a true
neutrality-suspicious., generous, ennobling
to all those with whom he came in contact
that man was Lord Baron Sillopes. l
could scarcely concur in these eulogies,
consistently, at least, with nice and accu-
rate sense of truth; but a dinner table is
not witness box. So, for courtesy sake,
| Joined in these praises. l seemed to rise
to vast height in their estimation, and
when told them that his Lordship had
taken such an interest in our family as to
take care of all my prospects, finding me a
commission in the army, &C., both declared
that must come and stay at Tumbrill
81 like you exceedingly Mr.. Quenton,' -
he said, "and SO does Mabel. In the gen.
eral reign of plebeianism it is refreshing to
meet with gentleman. Talk of your viz
tuous and heroic people. A gentleman is
to me the finest human creature going"
Miss Mabel held really the same language.
"You will sympathize with us l can see.
We shall read Tennyson and Frederick
Locker-my favorites. Everything there
is refined and elegant. Do yeu not leathe
and detest all that is saving, scraping,
mean, especially shabby aping gentiity.-
There are some who have done me the
honor to pay me great attention, and who
we're what is called desirable, and who
seemed very nice and such rs ] could like
For suppose you know that people arc
good enough to style me an helress and OF
that account make me the object of theil
kind attentions" (This set at rest some
little doubts l had had; though, indeed, al
only child of an NJ. P. might have been
above suspicion.) "Wellyo may call me
sensitive, or romantic, or what You will,
but, somehow, when one of these mer
spoke of a bargain he had made, or no"