152 HORATIO SPARKINS. 



sure in the beautifully. made coat he wore the other night he looked 

 like like " 



" Like Prince Leopold,, ma, so noble, so full of sentiment !" sug- 

 gested Miss Marianne, in a tone of enthusiastic admiration. 



" You should recollect, my dear," resumed Mrs. Malderton, " that 

 Teresa is now eight-and-twenty ; and that it really is very important 

 that something should be done." 



Miss Teresa Malderton was a little girl, rather fat, with vermilion 

 cheeks : but good humoured, still disengaged, although, to do her 

 justice, the misfortune arose from no lack of perseverance on her 

 part. In vain had she flirted for ten years ; in vain had Mr. and Mrs. 

 Malderton assiduously kept up an extensive acquaintance among the 

 young eligible bachelors of Camberwell, and even of Newington 

 Butts ; on Sunday, likewise, many " dropped in" from town. Miss 

 Malderton was as well known as the lion on the top of Northumber- 

 land House, and had about as much chance of " going off." 



" I am quite sure you'd like him," continued Mrs. Malderton ; " he 

 is so gentlemanly!" 



" So clever !" said Miss Marianne. 



" And has such a flow of language !" added Miss Teresa. 



" He has a great respect for you, my dear," said Mrs, Malderton 

 to her husband, in a confident tone. Mr. Malderton coughed, and 

 looked at the fire. 



" Yes, I'm sure he's very much attached to pa's society," said Miss 

 Marianne. 



" No doubt of it," echoed Miss Teresa. 



" Indeed, he said as much to me in confidence," observed Mrs. 

 Malderton. 



" Well, well," returned Mr. Malderton, somewhat flattered ; " if I 

 see him at the assembly to-morrow, perhaps I'll ask him down here. 

 I hope he knows we live at Oak Lodge, Camberwell, my dear ?" 



" Of course and that you keep a one-horse carriage." 



" I'll see about it," said Mr. Malderton, composing himself for a 

 nap ; " I'll see about it." 



Mr. Malderton was a man whose whole scope of ideas was limited 

 to Lloyd's, the Exchange, Broad-street, and the Bank. A few suc- 

 cessful speculations had raised him from a situation of obscurity and 

 comparative poverty, to a state of affluence. As it frequently hap- 

 pens in such cases the ideas of himself and his family became ele- 

 vated to an extraordinary pitch as their means increased ; they 

 affected fashion, taste, and many other fooleries, in imitation of their 

 superiors, and had a very becoming and decided horror of any thing 

 which could by possibility be considered low. He was hospitable 

 from ostentation, illiberal from ignorance, and prejudiced from con- 

 ceit. Egotism and the love of display induced him to keep an excel- 

 lent table : convenience, and a love of the good things of this life, 

 ensured him plenty of guests. He liked to have clever men, or what 

 he considered such, at his table, because it was a great thing to talk 

 about ; but he never could endure what he called tf sharp fellows." 

 Probably he cherished this feeling out of compliment to his two sons, 

 who gave their respected parent no uneasiness in that particular. 



