The Merry Past 



favourite resort for the nobility and the fashionable 

 world of the metropolis, for she had so diversified 

 and so well contrived her amusements that no public 

 place could pretend to rival their attractions. Her 

 prosperity now seemed to distance the most sanguine 

 expectations ; but she was not contented, like the 

 fool in the fable, with her golden ^^g every day, and 

 killed her goose to seize at once upon immensity. 



In addition to her many other attractions, she 

 introduced Harmonic Meetings, and at once became 

 a competitor against the managers of the Opera, 

 who took alarm, and strove by every means in their 

 power to counteract the successes of so formidable 

 a rival. 



A part of her friends presently withdrew them- 

 selves ; and those attached to the interests of the 

 opera managers, on the ruins of the old Savoir Vivre 

 club in Pall Mall, raised the new coterie ; subscrip- 

 tions came in from elevated quarters to support this 

 new temple of fashion and pleasure ; and in less than 

 three weeks their fund amounted to four thousand 

 pounds. Chin Hughes was made the croupier, and 

 a well-known man about town placed at the head 

 of the treasury. This was the first shock, and Mrs. 

 Cornelis felt it ; but, like a skilful general forced for 

 a moment to retreat, she soon rallied her forces, 

 and attacking the enemy in the most vulnerable part, 

 gained a complete victory. Her exultation was of 

 short duration ; for the opera manager, enraged 

 at the defeat, lodged an information against her for 

 unlawful proceedings before the Bow Street magis- 



230 



