He was the mirror of elegance, with none of the exaggerations of a
fop. He brought with him to the Queen Street house the atmosphere of
Bond Street and Pall Mall, the perfume of Almack's and the assembly
rooms, the air of White's and the clubs, the odour of the chocolate
houses and the fashionable taverns. 'Twas all that he represented, I
fancy, rather than what the man himself was, and conquering as he was,
that caught Margaret's eye. He typified the world before which she had
hoped to shine, and from which she had been debarred--cruelly
debarred, it may have seemed to her. I did not see this then; 'twas
another, one of a broader way of viewing things, one of a less partial
imagination--'twas Philip Winwood--that found this excuse for her.
Captain Falconer had the perception soon to gauge correctly us who
were of American rearing, and the tact to cast aside the lofty manner
by which so many of his stupid comrades estranged us. He treated Tom
and me with an easy but always courteous familiarity that surprised,
flattered, and won us. He would play cards with us, in his
sitting-room, as if rather for the sake of our company than for the
pleasure of the game. Indeed, as he often frankly confessed, gambling
was no passion with him; and this was remarkable at a time when 'twas
the only passion most fine young gentlemen would acknowledge as
genuine in them, and when those who did not feel that passion affected
it.
Pages:
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175