‘Is he a Knave in the pack of cards?’
inquired the cherub, with a twinkle in his eyes.
‘Yes!’ cried Bella, in high glee, choking
him again. ’He’s the Knave of Wilfers!
Dear Pa, the lovely woman means to look forward to
this fortune that has been told for her, so delightfully,
and to cause it to make her a much better lovely woman
than she ever has been yet. What the little fair
man is expected to do, sir, is to look forward to it
also, by saying to himself when he is in danger of
being over-worried, “I see land at last!”
‘I see land at last!’ repeated her father.
‘There’s a dear Knave of Wilfers!’
exclaimed Bella; then putting out her small white
bare foot, ’That’s the mark, sir.
Come to the mark. Put your boot against it.
We keep to it together, mind! Now, sir, you may
kiss the lovely woman before she runs away, so thankful
and so happy. O yes, fair little man, so thankful
and so happy!’
A SOCIAL CHORUS
Amazement sits enthroned upon the countenances of
Mr and Mrs Alfred Lammle’s circle of acquaintance,
when the disposal of their first-class furniture and
effects (including a Billiard Table in capital letters),
‘by auction, under a bill of sale,’ is
publicly announced on a waving hearthrug in Sackville
Street. But, nobody is half so much amazed as
Hamilton Veneering, Esquire, M.P. for Pocket-Breaches,
who instantly begins to find out that the Lammles
are the only people ever entered on his soul’s
register, who are not the oldest and dearest friends
he has in the world. Mrs Veneering, W.M.P. for
Pocket-Breaches, like a faithful wife shares her husband’s
discovery and inexpressible astonishment. Perhaps
the Veneerings twain may deem the last unutterable
feeling particularly due to their reputation, by reason
that once upon a time some of the longer heads in
the City are whispered to have shaken themselves,
when Veneering’s extensive dealings and great
wealth were mentioned. But, it is certain that
neither Mr nor Mrs Veneering can find words to wonder
in, and it becomes necessary that they give to the
oldest and dearest friends they have in the world,
a wondering dinner.
For, it is by this time noticeable that, whatever
befals, the Veneerings must give a dinner upon it.
Lady Tippins lives in a chronic state of invitation
to dine with the Veneerings, and in a chronic state
of inflammation arising from the dinners. Boots
and Brewer go about in cabs, with no other intelligible
business on earth than to beat up people to come and
dine with the Veneerings. Veneering pervades the
legislative lobbies, intent upon entrapping his fellow-legislators
to dinner. Mrs Veneering dined with five-and-twenty
bran-new faces over night; calls upon them all to
day; sends them every one a dinner-card to-morrow,
for the week after next; before that dinner is digested,
calls upon their brothers and sisters, their sons and
daughters, their nephews and nieces, their aunts and
uncles and cousins, and invites them all to dinner.
And still, as at first, howsoever, the dining circle
widens, it is to be observed that all the diners are
consistent in appearing to go to the Veneerings, not
to dine with Mr and Mrs Veneering (which would seem
to be the last thing in their minds), but to dine with
one another.
