Miss Dacre, whose soul was sympathy, felt in silence for this excellent,
this injured, this unhappy, this agreeable man. Ill could even her
practised manner check the current of her mind, or conceal from Lady
Aphrodite that she possessed her dislike. As for the young Duke, he
fell into the lowest abyss of her opinions, and was looked upon as alike
frivolous, heartless, and irreclaimable.
But how are the friends with whom we dined yesterday? Frequent were the
meetings, deep the consultations, infinite the suggestions, innumerable
the expedients. In the morning they met and breakfasted with Annesley;
in the afternoon they met and lunched with Lord Squib; in the evening
they met and dined with Lord Darrell; and at night they met and supped
at the Alhambra. Each council only the more convinced them that the
scheme was feasible, and must be glorious. At last their ideas were
matured, and Annesley took steps to break a great event to the world,
who were on the eve of being astonished.
He repaired to Lady Bloomerly. The world sometimes talked of her
Ladyship and Mr. Annesley; the world were quite wrong, as they often are
on this subject.
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