Page images
PDF
EPUB

William Hamilton

MY LIFE.

BY THE AUTHOR OF

تیم

"STORIES OF WATERLOO," "WILD SPORTS OF THE WEST,"

&c. &c. &c.

Sir Anthony.-Come here, sirrah! who the devil are you?
Capt. Absolute.-Faith! sir, I'm not quite clear myself: but I'll en
deavour to recollect.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. II.

The Rivals.

NEW-YORK:

PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS,
No. 82, CLIFF-street,

AND SOLD BY THE PRINCIPAL BOOKSELLERS THROUGHOUT THE

UNITED STATES.

W YORK

PUBEN LIFEARY

583941B

AT, LAX AND
THSEN FOUNDATIVIR

B 1951 L

MY LIFE.

CHAPTER I.

A VISIT-EMILY CLIFDEN-AND A DISCOVERY.

Your love must live a maid at home,
And therefore has he closely mew'd her up,
Because she shall not be annoy'd with suitors.

Taming of the Shrew.
I never saw an elderly gentleman more astonished.

The Rivals.

Two days more and no intelligence-my life monotonous as that of a mill-horse-I ate, drank, slept, walked in the garden, listened to the guitar, and wondered what had spirited Annette away, whose good offices to me were now discharged by deputy, in the person of a fair Fleming.

I had imagined that when once able to move about, I should find small difficulty in satisfying my curiosity with a full discovery of my unknown protectors; but never was man more astray. My host was a phlegmatic Belgian, who adored his pipe and delighted in monosyllables-his wife deaf as a postand the attendant willing enough to communicate information, of which, however, her stock was rather scanty. All I could learn was, that my benefactors were English travellers, who had been interrupted in their tour by the unexpected advance of Napoleon; and that the old gentleman was laid up by a severe attack of gout, and the young lady a close prisoner in the drawing-room. Their names were Tomkins, or Thompson, or Thornton; and they were very wealthy, as they employed the best physician, and paid an exorbitant rent for their apartments. Moreover, it appeared that to the importunities of Mademoiselle I was indebted for my introduction to the mansion; and I could farther collect, that I should gratify the master and his man by shortening my visit, although the mistress and her

Gala APR 16 1951

« PreviousContinue »