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    our places in one of the plainest , neatest , and most perfect pieces of "bijou- ' terie in carriage-building you could meet with , even in the Rue de Rivoli , or the -whole course of the Champs-Elysees . Lawford took it all as a matter of course , and so did . I ; but I began to realize the completeness of the youug merchant ' s hospitality , even at the railway station . An easy and almost noiseless roll over the common and up a few lanes brought us to Leicester ' s—more truly a 'box ' than anything I have seen called so . Outside you see northing ; but as we drew up , some one opened a door in the hi gh ivy-clad walls , and we entered a garden which seemed to extend beyond the immediate view , but which was shut out by some rare specimens of pines and firs , with a foreground of evergreens . It was too dark for me to tell exactly what I did see , but I know there were laurels , young American ^ oaks , yews , and plenty of bright holly covered with berries . I could distinguish no flowers in bloom but chrysantheinumSj which were groYvingin magnificent profusion , bufc ^ the glimpse I had- ' was' sufficient to tell ine that the garden , of wh atever size it might prove , was . perfectly , kept . 1 The house itselfj of darklbriek , with dark door of mahogany and coloured glass , looked at first as if it could be nothing more than rather a big square eateJodge , it is so small and low . An assiduous man-servant ushered us through the small hall into a room larger than I could have expected , and Leicester advanced to meet us with his cordial , graceful , and gay greetin g " Lawford has made a slow guide , Wilson , " he said ; " we were beMnnfn" '

    ¦ : beyond the verge- , of a poor traveller who has never been beyond Killarnev Naples ,-or . the Rhine . Sometimes I could not help thinking that he was enlightening Lawford through me ; but not a glance did he cast at our statesman . His taste in thus tutoring me was eVen more exquisite than if he had affected to avoid noticing my ignorance as a discredit . It was like an elder brother teaching a younger , though I doubt bis being older , or even so old as 1 am . Baddeley was the only one who tarnished the feast by excess ; for although I saw lawford ' s sleek little white hand pretty often on the bottle , he seldom cared to fill , and never lost his coolness . Baddeley fell to anecdotes , stories , "boasting , and wonder-inaking . He ' voted' lingering over the table ' slow , ' and wanted to have aturnat billiards—iu that little box ;—and though I arri not squeamish , you know , became rather disagreeable in his anecdotes . Once L could see our host ' s eye rest severely on his ill-mannered guest , and the mode he took to cool him was a masterstroke . He bad pooh-poohed billiards , and had cut off some of t he worst anecdotes by adroit interruptions ; but it was when Baddeley challenged him to throw the jareed that he laughed and said , "YouwiU make me cool you ! " Our host drew from his breast a little silver whistle I had not noticed before , the speechless Black Appeared , and retired on a few words from his master . " You are not afraid of the cold , " said Leicester to Lawford and me , as he rose from table and we lied brising and following himHe led — ¦— —*¦ —¦ % ¦ f kjj joiuu cii&il iuii

    to debate a storm on the dinner . " You notice he called me by my name only ; a certain audacious familiarity is among his ways , and it does not sit badly on a man who is so agreeable and so rich ! Lawford made some bantering retaliation to which I did not attend , and I Lad time to survey the place and party . We wexe in a room fitted up for comfort rather than . show ; the prevailing colour of the walls , the floor , and the furniture being very dark green , relieved by Ted almost as dark . Books modestly signified their presence from cases buried in the wall , and almost concealed by hangings . Solid easy-chturs , small couches , ottomans covered -with velvet , anoreen , or leather , courted the lounger . One thing impressed me by its efi ' , though I could not tell what it was ; it occurred to me afterwards it was the total absence of any sort of ornament . The company was the most

    ; rep y . us »— -- « , * w * w j »•« v « . »» v-a vmaa v ^« - « . x ^ r v / iiiji ii i in if XJLU X"ll US through lighted passages out of tlie cottage into a shrubbery scarcely lighted by the moon , through a few winding paths ; and , as we came . out on to- an open space , that I felt to be a closely-shaven lawn , as if by magic the whole garden was lighted up by a bright blue light , and two of our Eastern attendants appeared , leading on to the lawn a beautiful white , and a still more beautiful black horse . Before Baddeley mounted , Leicester was on the back of the white steed . Ajareed is placed in the hand of each . Leicester is whirling round his antagonist , who wheels and twists in the eftbrt to take aim . At last Baddeley ' sjareed is thrown—it is held aloft in Leicester ' s hand—it flies right across the back of the black liorse , now riderless , for in throwing himself aside to a , void the shaft , the grey-haired youth has fallen .

    various part of the picture , presenting all degrees of propriety . I take myself as the standard , fort went in an ordinary dress for dinner , and you know what a ' perfect gentleman' any one of our clan looks in that comme ilfaut'costume . Leicester wasa cut above me , though not so proper , with ¦ & sort of light black surtout , o » r doublet—1 don ' t know what to call iteasily fitting his figure , loose trousers of Some soft stufly all dark , and nothing round bis throat but a strip of white linen , which just peeped above the edge of his collarless garment , like a figure out of one of Stothard ' s pictures , only vvith more fire and manliness . The only other stranger was Lord Baddeley , a tall , ci-deyant jeune homme , or a veritable youth grown grey and grisly , in _ a loose , free-and-easy coat and trousers of light grey , rather ' cut away in style , ¦ turned-down -collar , ' and pxotrusiTely negligent necktie , as if he had aped but had only succeeded in caricaturing Ben ¦ Jonson's ' sweet neglect / His complexion -was fair and rather florid ; his hair , once .- * golden , ' but now clouded with grey , though still luxuriantly <; lustering . round his forehead and dropping about his lace hi the shape of eyebrows , whiskers , rnoustacle , imperial , and stray hairs that asserted

    them" You do it better when you are cool , " said Leicester , consolingly , and he makes a signal to the Arab , ivIio mounts the black horse , and becomes in turn the . assailant . The jareed is thro wri with unerring aim—it passes clean over the whit e horse's back , the rider disappearing as it passes , sitting in his place again as the whistling shaft has gone . A wild , circling flight round the lawn ends abruptly < it my feet , tba horse like a beast of marble . ei It is only knack , " cries Leicester ; but you must be cold standing still Let us come in . "

    The horses are led away ; the meteor behind the shrubs—a blue light in the hands of the Spanish , contrabandiero—is , eclipsed as we re-enter the cottage , and we . again thread the passages but not into the same room . Without perceiving that we hacl turned aside , I found inyself following the others up n narrow iliglit of steps , thickly inuflled with carpeting , winding and dimly lighted , and we emerged into the strangest room I ever entereS It was of some size , but it would defy you to measure it . The open middle of the room was entirely surrounded by arches , pierced in a dark-gi * een wall ; in some of these arches were divans , others -were dark like the one

    • selves everywhere , on his cheeks , his nose , and round his neck , a , roughlooking , ' aristocratic , smiling , sneering , gay , indignant , fast , travelled , English gentleman , that was the idea he gave me . Lawford , with his eternal black suit and tail-coat a la First Violin , and his inflexibly strungup ease of manner , looked strange beside the other two . We had scarcely become aware of each other , before , at some quiet summons , Leicester tacitly presented himself as our guide into the room opposite—a new scene—a burst of warmth , the light of a splendid fire glowing on walls , hangings , floor , and seats of rich crimsou , tastefully and solidly , but not lavishly , picked out with gold ; a few wax candles in branches on the table or on the walls kept u £ the play of light , whicli was sparkling without glaring ; and the very fruits and confections on the table , with , flowers crowning the foreground , the glass , the silver , the wines , all threw in sparkling colours , which almost made the picture sing with an inviting piquancy . When we had taken our seats at the round table , I noticed that a , young man , clothed in some foreign costume , was at the back of each chair ; a tall , beardless Black in a light blue robe , who never spoke , stood behind Leicester j a black-eyed , bearded Oriental with red jacket , tux-ban , pistol , and dagger , threatened Baddeley with , all the dainties of the season ; . Lawford selected his refreshments with studious indifference , as i £ it were a matter of course to receive one ' s dinner at the hands of a gay Greek pirate ;

    through which we entered . The open space was partly covered , over the dark-green flooring of cloth , by aricli , soft , amber-coloured carpet of some thick silk , which retlected the lamplight through a Iroad , ground-glass skylight above ; and on the amber-coloured carpet wore spread couches , chairs , and low sofa-like seats , of liglit-blue , rose-coloured , and violet-coloured silk . I saw no fireplace , but a summer warmth reigned throughout the room , though occasionally from the grotto-shaped arches ^ aiue alight , springlike breeze .

    You will say , my dear George , that I had drunlc more wine than I will confess , and that the cold had made it get into , my head ; but you arc mistaken . I am telling only what I saw four nights ago , within omnibus ride of this great commercial city , in the very sound and crash of this great commercial crisis . 4 ( It is comfortable after the cool , " cried Leicester , as if we liad gone back to an ordinnry drawing-room . Lawford imitated the host , in throwing himself into a couch . Baddeley had already done so , and us 1 . took my seat , Leicester clapped his hands . At the signal—imagine my surprise ! —three beautiful girls—yes really lovely— . with rounded forms , blooming cheeks , pencilled eyebrows , and all that sort of thing , came in , one bearing collec , the other two pipes—hookahs , chibouques , or whatever they arcand we had co ( F < je a la Galand ; I fclfc like Hindbad the Porter , and should

    but to you , ixiv own brother , I may frankly confess that I scarcely knew the name of any one thing at table except the fruite and the wines , and that it was several minutes before I could feel at home on the borders of Cockney lliclimond Park in taking what I wanted , and a great deal more 4 hat beggared fancy , from the hands of a Spanish contrabandist . But it * I t « U you everything of this strange lesson in the way British anerchants ought to live , I shall never have done . I can only tell you that the _ grcat young LeiceBter , who , whisper his enemies , has part of his capital in some Spanish or African trade , or both , must have a real genius for his -cook ; for everything seemed in its way perfect , nothing t too rich , ' overseasoned , or spoiled of its- purity . As the dinner gradually sank into the dessertJLSaclUeley ! iromhis laborious

    have asked Leicester if he was Sinbad the . Sailor , only 1 did not fool quite sure how he would have , taken , it . . The girls retired , and as the spirit of thecofioc ascended to tlie throne of intellect , as the pungent yet gentle a . i » d aromatic smoke circled in dreamy clouds about the saloon , there came * flouting on the breezes , at first so sort , it was like a fancy , the sound of femnle voices in harmony , some soft strains that I did not recognize , though they would have roused a furore of applause even in Gyo ' s house . Kven Lawford looked surprised m well as delighted , and Baddolcy ' s face assumed a pleased expression . " BiBinillah I" he cried , with an air of mock entliusiam , " your slaves , my

    , emerge * . industry , Lawford relaxed from the responsibilities of selecting his food and tailing the latest intelligence , and the conversation grew general . But how could it be general between four strangers ? Leicester would have made it so if Baddeley would have left ofT referring everything talked about to something that ho had heard qp Been , at Venice , at Constantinople , Lahore , or Siain , or some other distant scene ; or if Lawford could have forgotten his own position , political and social , or if I could have quite left oif ruminating . Leicester left us very much to ourselves ; if he paid special attention tc any one it was to me ^ and 1 can assure you nothing could exceed the good taste with which occasionally he directed my choice amid the poetry of hit cuisine ; , or explained allusions made by Baddeley or Lawford to incident !

    lord , are the most valuable in . the world , and the diilercnt countries of the earth supply you with their best . " u only doubt , " said I , <( whether it is possible to enjoy many perfections at once . The perfume of the hookah and the uroma of tho collbo heighten oii q another , but these sounds have taken away my taste . " " Leicester lms exhausted his trcuuures and ahown us his best , " said ¦ Lawford , intending to draw our host out . " If I show you my best it muab be in a mirror , " answered Leicester , smiling ; " nay , I don't moan ia it gros . s material mirror , but in a moral I one ; for my best is in / success if X try to please those who honour my poor i efforts with their favour . " " Ah , aaluanil" cried B&ddeloy , "if you grow poetic ami Oriental i' »

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    1 : L ^ 6 TEE XEADER ,. [ No . 40 L , November 28 , 1857

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 28, 1857, page 1146, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2219/page/18/