116 A BALL ROOM, AND A BELLE. 



for, although I well knew that my Hyperborean blood 

 could endure the prospect of the blaze of beauty to 

 which it will be exposed to-night, I feared lest the 

 southern temperament of this ardent son of Virginia 

 would be inflamed beyond all hope of his ' witching 

 the world with noble horsemanship.' " 



" Which he certainly has done, or ought to have 

 done to-day," said the Duke, with a smile and a half 

 apologetical bow to Fairfax, and then added, " you 

 must pardon me for seeming to flatter you to your 

 face, but frankly you have gone to-day as no provin- 

 cial, much more no foreigner has ever gone before 

 you ; all our best and oldest sportsmen admit that ; 

 and Jardinier, sweet youth, is well prepared to cut his 

 own throat at thought of your victory." 



" How fatal a victory, if it should deprive England 

 of so bright an ornament to the peerage." 



"And Bellamy would undoubtedly have been as 

 well prepared to cut yours, if he and his good-natured 

 horse had not got themselves pounded so early in the 

 run, that it was not you, but Bellamy, who beat Bel- 

 lamy," said Matuschevitz, for all the world were in 

 the habit of talking openly about these worthies. 



" Pleasant fellows, very !" said Fairfax, drily. 



"Very pleasant, colonel," said the Duke, "but 

 pardon me for saying to you as a stranger, that we 

 make it a point to take no notice whatever of their 

 rudeness — which never becomes impertinence at least 

 with their equals or superiors, but is limited to brusque 

 coarseness, or dogged ill-temper — except by silent con- 

 tempt, a sharp epigram, or a quick jest at their ex- 

 pense. This puts them so utterly wrong that they 

 dare not quarrel, turns the laugh against them, and 

 increases their mulish sullenness. For let me say to 

 you, and do not think I am presuming to lecture you, 

 that what is considered the worst thing against a nian 

 in England, except refusing to fight, is fighting a duel. 



