Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-09-10
Copyright, 1901, by Sir Walter Besant.
CHAPTER XII.
THE "soCIETY" AGAIN

making money out o
ERt~ the company or join
@ ing in the amusement
or looking on. The coffee house at
tracted some Of the members, the tav
ern others, the gardens or the Ions
room others. 1t must be confessed tha
the Irregularities of attendance and th'
absences and the many new topics o.
discourse caused the evenings to b'
much more animated than Of old. wheI
there would be long periods of silence
broken only by some reference to thu
arrival or departure Of ship. the de
cease Of a townsman or the change II
the weather.
This evening the meeting consisted
at first of the vicar and the master OF
the school only.
I'VE are the faithful remnant" sale
the vicar. taking his chair. 1.-THE may
or. no doubt. is at the coffee house
the aldermen at the tavern and the
doctor in the long room. The captain
l take 1t. Is at the elbow Of his noble
friend"
The master of the school hung up bis
hat and took his usual place. Then be
put his hand into his pocket.
Il have this day received"-
At the same moment the vicar put
his hand into his pocket and began In
the same words:
II have this day received"-
Both stopped. Il interrupt you, Mr.
Pentecrosse." said the vicar.
NAY, sir: after you"
"Iet us not stand on ceremony. Mr..
Pentecrosse. What have you receiv'
ed?"
II have received a letter from Lon.
DON"
mine Is from Cambridge. lou were
about to speak Of your letter"
1T concerns Sam Semple, once my
pupil. now secretary to the Lord Fy-
lingdale. who has his quarters over
head"
What does your correspondent tell
you about Sam? That he Is the equal
Of Mr.. Pope and the superior Of Mr..
Addison. or that his verses are echoes,
sound without sense. trash and pre-
tense? Cost me guinea"
1.-THE letter is a reply addressed to
my cousin, Zachary Pentecrosse, q
bookseller In Little Britain. asked
him to tell me II he could learn some
thing Of the present position and repu-
tation Of Sam Semple. who gives him.
self. understand. great airs at the
coffee house as wit Of the first stand
ing and an authority In matters OF
taste. With your permission. | will
proceed to read aloud the portion which
concerns our poet. Here Is the pas
sage:
"'You ask me to tell you what know
of the poet Sam Semple. I do not
know. 1t Is true. all the wits and poets,
but know some. and they know all
those who frequent Dolly's and the
Chapter House and the other coffee
houses frequented by the poets. None
of them at first knew or had heard of
the name. At last one was found who
had seen q volume bearing this name
and published by subscription. "Sir. !"
he said. "'tis the veriest trash. A
schoolboy should be turned for writing
such bad verses" "But" asked him.
'he Is said to be received and wei.
coined by the wits" ''They must be- -
he replied. "the wits Of Mapping or the
poets Of Turnagain lane The man Is
not known anywhere" So with this
had to be contented for time. Then
l came across one who knew this would
be poet. 81 was once myself" he said,
''at my last guinea when l met Mr..
Samuel Semple. He was in rags. and
he was well nigh starving. | gave him
a siXpenny dinner In cellar. where |
myself was dining at the time. He
told me that be had spent the money
subscribed for his book instead Of pay
ing the printer: that he was dunned
and threatened for the debt; that II be
was arrested be must 60 to the Fleet
or to one Of the Comptors; that he
must then 60 to the common side and
would then starve-in a word. that he
was on his last legs. These things be
told me with tears. for indeed cold and
hunger-he had no lodging-had brought
him low. After be had eaten his din
ner and borrowed a shilling he went
away. and | saw him no more for six
months. when I met him in Covent
Garden. He was now dressed in broad.
cloth. fat and In good ease. At first he
refused to recognize his former com.
panion in misery. but persisted. He
then told me that be had been so for.
tunatc rs to be Of service to my Lord
Fvlingdale, into whose household be
had entered. He therefore defied his
creditors and stood at bed and board al
the house of his noble patron. Now,
sir. it is very well known that any
service rendered to this nobleman must
be Of q base and dishonorable nature
Such Is the character Of this most prof,
ligatp of lords. A professed rake and q
most notorious gambler. he Is no Ion
ger admitted into the society Of those
OF his own rank. He frequents halls
where the play Is high, but the players
are doubtful. He is said to entertain
decoys. one Of whom Is an old ruined
campster named Sir Harry Malyns and
another a half pay captain. bully and
a sharper, who calls himself colonel