Vanity Fair - Page 110/573

"What a complexion, my dear! What a sweet voice!" Miss Crawley said, as

they drove away westward after the little interview. "My dear Sharp,

your young friend is charming. Send for her to Park Lane, do you

hear?" Miss Crawley had a good taste. She liked natural manners--a

little timidity only set them off. She liked pretty faces near her; as

she liked pretty pictures and nice china. She talked of Amelia with

rapture half a dozen times that day. She mentioned her to Rawdon

Crawley, who came dutifully to partake of his aunt's chicken.

Of course, on this Rebecca instantly stated that Amelia was engaged to

be married--to a Lieutenant Osborne--a very old flame.

"Is he a man in a line-regiment?" Captain Crawley asked, remembering

after an effort, as became a guardsman, the number of the regiment,

the --th.

Rebecca thought that was the regiment. "The Captain's name," she said,

"was Captain Dobbin."

"A lanky gawky fellow," said Crawley, "tumbles over everybody. I know

him; and Osborne's a goodish-looking fellow, with large black whiskers?"

"Enormous," Miss Rebecca Sharp said, "and enormously proud of them, I

assure you."

Captain Rawdon Crawley burst into a horse-laugh by way of reply; and

being pressed by the ladies to explain, did so when the explosion of

hilarity was over. "He fancies he can play at billiards," said he. "I

won two hundred of him at the Cocoa-Tree. HE play, the young flat!

He'd have played for anything that day, but his friend Captain Dobbin

carried him off, hang him!"

"Rawdon, Rawdon, don't be so wicked," Miss Crawley remarked, highly

pleased.

"Why, ma'am, of all the young fellows I've seen out of the line, I

think this fellow's the greenest. Tarquin and Deuceace get what money

they like out of him. He'd go to the deuce to be seen with a lord. He

pays their dinners at Greenwich, and they invite the company."

"And very pretty company too, I dare say."

"Quite right, Miss Sharp. Right, as usual, Miss Sharp. Uncommon pretty

company--haw, haw!" and the Captain laughed more and more, thinking he

had made a good joke.

"Rawdon, don't be naughty!" his aunt exclaimed.

"Well, his father's a City man--immensely rich, they say. Hang those

City fellows, they must bleed; and I've not done with him yet, I can

tell you. Haw, haw!"

"Fie, Captain Crawley; I shall warn Amelia. A gambling husband!"

"Horrid, ain't he, hey?" the Captain said with great solemnity; and

then added, a sudden thought having struck him: "Gad, I say, ma'am,

we'll have him here."

"Is he a presentable sort of a person?" the aunt inquired.

"Presentable?--oh, very well. You wouldn't see any difference,"

Captain Crawley answered. "Do let's have him, when you begin to see a

few people; and his whatdyecallem--his inamorato--eh, Miss Sharp;

that's what you call it--comes. Gad, I'll write him a note, and have

him; and I'll try if he can play piquet as well as billiards. Where

does he live, Miss Sharp?"