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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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• \ . ? J ? mg 5 s . -w ^< i >© s 3 ^ & 8 . sr < B ¦ ' a ^^ L ^ sasa © . - From Joseph Andrews Wilson , Esq ., toG . Andrews Wilson , Esq ., Woodspring Somersetshire . . - ¦ -Weymouth-street , November 19 , 1857 . Mi dkab Geobge , —I write to you individually , because what I have to tell you this time cannot "be communicated to the rest , except to Aunt Eugenia , and . I leave it to your discretion when to tell her . You -will judge for yourself .
Imagine my surprise this morning , when , just as I was setting out to Lawford's to know if he had heard anything about the papers , or the shares , or the bank , —a natural question you will allow in these trying times , even after what he had said , —a young man was brought into my room with a packet- I recognized him as one of the young men in Lawford's counting-house . He said he had been told to deliver it immediately into my own hands . " By Mr . Lawfbrd ?; ' I asked . . "By Mr . Edward-Somerset , " he said . " And who the devil is he ?" "I mean , sir , Mr . Edward Somerset Lawford ,- —Mr . John Somerset Lawford ' s brother . There is , I believe , no answer . " And the messenger backed rather hurriedly out of the room , as if he did not wish an answer .
The bank 1 I thought I tore open the envelope , and there were Aunt Eugenia ' s papers as she signed them , hut none to represent shares . Of course I was completely mystified . It was evident that something was wrong , and I thought of poor Aunt Eugenia ' s 11 , 000 / . with anxiety . It is true that the dear old girl will never want a home and all it offers so long as a Wilson has a roof over his head ; but I could at least sympathize with those ^ . indignantly denounce the reckless speculation of these days , which indiscriminately sacrifices the widow and the orphan . However , indignation would , neither solve the mystery nor settle the business , so I persevered in what I was going to do , and went straight to Lawford's , without even calling at J ? olwhele ' s , who is still very ill .
I was admitted to the half cabinet , half counting-house which the great man inhabits , and he received me with more than his usual frank cordiality . I am afraid I said in my last letter somethings which will mislead you about the man . He is no petit mattre , but a real gentleman , as you will see by his conduct . He looked , I cannot call it embarrassed , at seeing me , for John Somerset Lawford is one of those men who never can be embarrassed . He falls back upon his birtb , his wealth , his knowledge of the world , and , above all , upon his want of pretension . Tor if he has a pretension about him it is that he wants to make you understand that he meets you as nian to nun , and bis heart , sir , is in the cordial grasp of the hand which speaks so much more than the tongue . That is his expression ; but , if it is true , I can only say that he must chatter -very fast with his hands . Nor did he chatter less
than usual this morning . My own health ; Polwhele ' s—he knows him by repute and by meeting him at some great houses in the West ; my letters from home—he is becoming quite a Somersetshire man ; and it was pretty well twenty minutes before I could edge a word in . How he can disengage his mind for such small talk I cannot conceive ; for he was incessantly interrupted by men coming in for instructions , signatures , and messages . At last I managed to mention the packet , and then he looked , I thought , in spite of his self-possession , slightly annoyed . However , he altered his free and easy tone and came sei'iously to business when I spoke of the bank ; but when I mentioned having had a packet he looked surprised and puzzled . " A packet ! what packet ?" " It was brought me just now . " " Not from me ?"
" . No ; the young man who brought it said that it was sent by Mr . Edward Somerset Lawford , your brother , 1 think . " "My brother ! 1 ) - my brother ! I beg your pardon Mr . Andrews Wilson , my brother is no man of business , and does not understand the usual course on these occasions . However , no harm is done . I will explain . " And he did explain . I can give the substance of it in a tenth part of his words , though not of the time . It all amounted to this , that on reflection he thought that , with a -view to the long run , Aunt Eugenia ' s ' little sum ' would be bettor bestowed in some other investment ; for , excellent as property in the London and Empire Bank may be , still a woman cannot attend the meetings . And he snid a great deal besides , of which L did not see the force ; I learned more before 1 came away . Not at the moment though ; for while he was talking with all his energy to convince me how undesirable an investment it was , the porter announced Mr . John Leicester . "
" Show . him in , " cried Lawford , with an air of satisfaction ; and at the word in camci Mr . Leicester himself , with hand outstretched in the most affectionate manner to ' dear Lawford . ' I don ^ t remember what passed between them at first . Indeed I did not understand it ; for it related to Leicester ' s movements over night , his difficulty in meeting Lawford at some friend ' s , and his scheme for going to his box , ' or one of his boxes , somewhere near town . But they spoko of things so incompletely , aud so spoke together , that I had no ditlieulty in repaying the new visitor ' s blindness to
my existence , by a moral deafness to their welfare in its discussion by themselves . And 1 find , on coming back to town life , that if half of bienseance consists in regard for others , the other half consists in a total disregard for them—a complete indifJerence to their existence , welfare , or adventures . At last , when plans were all over , and Leicester was turning to some other subject , Lawford remembered me , and introduced me . 1 had the honour of a inost graceful bow . I do not say it ' with sneers / for reully Mr . John Leicester is one of the most graceful men X ever saw . I never met a more
perfect gentlemen at all his ' points . ' You could see ' birth' in all his oiit and manner . I wish I could describe him to you , for I am immensely taken with him . Figure to yourself a young gentleman , about the middl e hei « hJ rather tall than otherwise , with a light figure , though the shoulders Vo rather squaro and firmly set , but tapering down to hips singularly slender with limbs tliat would look long and loosely hung , but for the extreme e-is ' and grace in their movement . On those same l officer-like * shoulders tea finely formed head , with regularl y shaped features , eyes as large and lustrous as romance could desire , hair falling in easy curls , that mingle with whiskers soft and curly as the hair of a young girl . I can't remember the colour but I should say it is black , or it must be a -very dark brown . There is something about the fellow that looks slightly rakish , yet his quiet dress his bright complexion , with roses on his cheek , such as a woman might envy ' and a manner as frank , simple , and good-natured as I over saw , all seem to proclaim an unspoilt nature . V " A very rising man , " said Lawford , after he had gone .
" The richest man of his age , in the City , " whispered one of the -clerks to me—the man who brought me the parcel , after asking me if I had noticed him . Shall I have up Folly to set her cap at him ? But before he went , another person broke in upon us . This was a man like Lawford , only taller andyounger , less carefully dressed , and altogether less of the * finished gentleman' than either . In answer to an impatient , I might almost say an angry , look from this new-comer , Leicester held out his hand to Lawford to say good-by , but a ' Don ' t go , ' detained him and while thnian
e I guessed to be Edward Lawford ' s brother plunged int o business with the head of the firm , Leicester turned to me . Somehow , our conversation , through a mention of Lawford ' s property I think , got iipoii Somersetshire , arid even into the dear old house . He is a Nor / olk man but his family did not originally belong to that county : His 'box' is a newly built place at Itoehampton , and he invited rne to join Lawford on Saturday . 1 shall certainly go to see how a young merchant lives . Finding that Lawford was detained by his brother , Leicester interrupted them for an instant , by crying to the great man , Well , you'll join us on Saturday , ' ' and disappeared .
One instajvt of dead silence , then Lawford said to me , " My brother has been explaining—Mr . Joseph Andrews Wilson , Mr . Edward Somerset Lawford—my brother has beeiv explaining to me , Mr . Andrews Wilson , how the packet was sent to you , and I am very much obliged to him for the trouble lie has taken . The fact is , that on reflection we think Miss Andrews Wilson had better wait . " He said a good deal more , but nothing material . ' I told hi ; n how awkward I felt with the papers in my own possession , for fear I should lose them ; and I asked him if he would take care of them . I am sure he would have agreed , if Mr . Edward had not interrupted us rather rudely by saying , " No , we have nothing to < lo with the papers . " It is impossible to describe the tone with which this was said , it betrayed
both pride and temper . Lawford evidently felt for .. my position , but the presence of his brother hampered him . I was half inclined to show how 1 resented this interference , for , after 1 f ! l , it was no business of Eilward Lawford ' s . However it was at last agreed that 1 could not do better . than buy Consols with Aunt Eugenia ' s little money . Consols are low , you can always waif , or take out your " money if it is worth while , and it is perfectly safe . I dare say you understand the details of this better than I do . I asked if Mr . Monson could assist me , but again tlie younger Lawford interfered , and said Mon son was not a stockbroker ; and when John L : iwford named one stockbroker Edward namiid another , whose address his more good-humoured brother gave me , with clear instructions how to act .
I wa 3 , of course , very obliged to both of them , for , after all , even the brother seemed anxious to get the thing done ; so I went to the stockbroker , Mr . Coluian , and put the affair into his hands , aud then hastened to Polwhele ' s . The last mail has done him no good . Altogether 1 am beginning to feel what an anxious thing London life is , and ! have discovered a reason that is not , I think , suflicic . iitly noticed . It is the coining together of so many anxieties and objects of interest all within a narrow time and space . In the country such things only come in succession— -you
are at least free from outer anxieties except once a day at post tune ; but here the whole business of life is anxiety . If you . have money you iluii ' t know ^ where to place it safely ; if you have none , your anxiety is 'infinitely worse ; and , wherever you go , you come across other people ' s troubles . Doctors say that it is want of light and ventilation which makes most Londoners so livid and so worn , but I think it is this atmosphere of mural anxiety which docs it ; for society itself fails to aflbrd the relief—the moral light and ventilation—that you get from it anywhere else . Yours alTectionatelv . * J . A . W .
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w . . We should do our utmost to encourage the Beautiful , for the -Useful encourages itself . —Gobxhe . ¦ ¦ ¦• ¦ ' : —? — ¦ ' ' ' ' ¦ ¦ '
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JLlgj THE LEADER . [ No . 400 , November 21 / 1857
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THE DRAMA KUN MAD . Two pieces unfolding stories of a very wild Mnd lurve been produced during the present week at the Ai > ia , iMii and the I ' hinckss'h , respective ^' . That at the former is called The , Legend of the lfemlkss Ainu , and is an oil ' spriu tf ot'ti Fivncli drama with the same title , by MM . Kuouaiid IJiiiskuahuk ami Kikjknk Ni'n ? which achieved a doubtful succcbs when produced lust August at the Amljijju-Coinique . The hero of the story is one Carl Jilitzin , a Heidelberg student and a robber uliicf , who has such a fulness of life in his robust constitution , lhat lie
seems to have as many holds ou existence as a cut . lie also possesses such singular mesmeric powers that lio makes a certain Christine , the butrotliud of n L ' fiiit , his very slave . In due courae , Carl is arrested , tried , condemned to death , • nul beheaded : but ho hus nlrcudy made a compact witli a necromantic doctor , ami ho very shortly reappears on the scene witli his lipad on liis shoulder * , ' anJ everything handsome about him , ' as old JJuyhcrry says . He interrupts the iniirriage of the Count , runs him through the body , and carries off Christine , Hut he is now incontinently haunted , by the ghost of the defrauded find murdered bridegroom , and , in a frantic attempt to stab the spectre ; ho passes his sword through Christina instead . Despair and madness succeed , and finally Curl dtea
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Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 21, 1857, page 1124, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2218/page/20/
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