Vanity Fair - Page 111/573

Miss Sharp told Crawley the Lieutenant's town address; and a few days

after this conversation, Lieutenant Osborne received a letter, in

Captain Rawdon's schoolboy hand, and enclosing a note of invitation

from Miss Crawley.

Rebecca despatched also an invitation to her darling Amelia, who, you

may be sure, was ready enough to accept it when she heard that George

was to be of the party. It was arranged that Amelia was to spend the

morning with the ladies of Park Lane, where all were very kind to her.

Rebecca patronised her with calm superiority: she was so much the

cleverer of the two, and her friend so gentle and unassuming, that she

always yielded when anybody chose to command, and so took Rebecca's

orders with perfect meekness and good humour. Miss Crawley's

graciousness was also remarkable. She continued her raptures about

little Amelia, talked about her before her face as if she were a doll,

or a servant, or a picture, and admired her with the most benevolent

wonder possible. I admire that admiration which the genteel world

sometimes extends to the commonalty. There is no more agreeable object

in life than to see Mayfair folks condescending. Miss Crawley's

prodigious benevolence rather fatigued poor little Amelia, and I am not

sure that of the three ladies in Park Lane she did not find honest Miss

Briggs the most agreeable. She sympathised with Briggs as with all

neglected or gentle people: she wasn't what you call a woman of spirit.

George came to dinner--a repast en garcon with Captain Crawley.

The great family coach of the Osbornes transported him to Park Lane

from Russell Square; where the young ladies, who were not themselves

invited, and professed the greatest indifference at that slight,

nevertheless looked at Sir Pitt Crawley's name in the baronetage; and

learned everything which that work had to teach about the Crawley

family and their pedigree, and the Binkies, their relatives, &c., &c.

Rawdon Crawley received George Osborne with great frankness and

graciousness: praised his play at billiards: asked him when he would

have his revenge: was interested about Osborne's regiment: and would

have proposed piquet to him that very evening, but Miss Crawley

absolutely forbade any gambling in her house; so that the young

Lieutenant's purse was not lightened by his gallant patron, for that

day at least. However, they made an engagement for the next,

somewhere: to look at a horse that Crawley had to sell, and to try him

in the Park; and to dine together, and to pass the evening with some

jolly fellows. "That is, if you're not on duty to that pretty Miss

Sedley," Crawley said, with a knowing wink. "Monstrous nice girl, 'pon

my honour, though, Osborne," he was good enough to add. "Lots of tin,

I suppose, eh?"

Osborne wasn't on duty; he would join Crawley with pleasure: and the

latter, when they met the next day, praised his new friend's

horsemanship--as he might with perfect honesty--and introduced him to

three or four young men of the first fashion, whose acquaintance

immensely elated the simple young officer.