'
The Dukes of Burlington and St. James advanced.
'We are attracted by observing two nymphs wandering in this desert,'
said his Grace of Burlington. This was the Burgundy.
'And we wish to know whether there be any dragon to destroy, any ogre to
devour, any magician to massacre, or how, when, and where we can testify
our devotion to the ladies of our love,' added his Grace of St. James.
This was the champagne.
'The age of chivalry is past,' said Miss Dacre. 'Bores have succeeded
to dragons, and I have shivered too many lances in vain ever to hope for
their extirpation; and as for enchantments----'
'They depend only upon yourself,' gallantly interrupted the Duke of
Burgundy. Psha!--Burlington.
'Our spells are dissolved, our wands are sunk five fathom deep; we had
retired to this solitude, and we were moralising,' said Mrs. Dallington
Vere.
'Then you were doing an extremely useless and not very magnanimous
thing,' said the Duke of St. James; 'for to moralise in a desert is no
great exertion of philosophy. You should moralise in a drawing-room; and
so let me propose our return to that world which must long have missed
us.
Pages:
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129