The things we do!

He had known a little of Florac the year before
at Baden: he had been mixed up with Kew in that confounded row in which
Kew was hit; he was an adventurer, a pauper, a blackleg, a regular Greek;
he had heard Florac was of old family, that was true; but what of that?
He was only one of those d----- French counts; everybody was a count in
France confound 'em! The claret was beastly--not fit for a gentleman to
drink!--He swigged off a great bumper as he was making the remark: for
Barnes Newcome abuses the men and things which he uses, and perhaps is
better served than more grateful persons.
"Count!" cries Warrington, "what do you mean by talking about beggarly
counts? Florac's family is one of the noblest and most ancient in Europe.
It is more ancient than your illustrious friend, the barber-surgeon; it
was illustrious before the house, ay, or the pagoda of Kew was in
existence." And he went on to describe how Florac by the demise of his
kinsman, was now actually Prince de Moncontour, though he did not choose
to assume that title.


Pages:
877 878 879 880 881 882 883 884 885 886 887 888 889 890 891 892 893 894 895 896 897 898 899 900 901