on the following Wednesday.
It was not long after dinner was concluded,
and the company re-assembled in the drawing-
room, when Mr. Benson made his appearance,
and was immediately introduced by Mrs. Law-
lie to some of the company with whom he was
previously unacquainted, and was quickly en-
gaged, or seemingly engaged, in conversation
with them. Still ever and anon his eyes, if
not his attention, wandered to the sofa on
which were Herbert and Mrs. Lawlie seated,
and eagerly talking to each other.
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 235
Mrs. Lawlie was about thirty years of age ;
rather small in person ; of a clea^ dark com-
plexion ; piercing black eyes, and sharp fea-
tures. Her countenance was rather distin-
guished by the variety and intelligence of its
expression than by any softer feelings: and
though there was generally an affectation of
placidity and of philosophical indifference in
her manner, that but ill accorded with the
passions too often betrayed in her looks; yet
•he sometimes astonished by her shew of learn-
ing, and sometimes captivated by her powers
of flattery.
Whether Mr. Benson was a victim to these
attractions, or to the simple mortifiqation of
thinking that the pupil was esteemed greater
than the master, we do not pretend to de-
termine ; but certain it v.as, that in pro-
portion to the length of time that Herbert
236 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
remained in conversation with Mrs. Lawlie,
his brow knit closer — his eye looked keener
— and his whole countenance more austere
than usual.
At last, perceiving that Mrs. Rachel Love-
child had drawn her chair towards the sofa in
order to speak to Herbert, he approached
Mrs. Lawlie, and in a tone of pique congra-
tulated her upon her unusually high spirits,
and the apparent conquest she had made of
the young Aristocrat.
** He is a most intellectual young man ; and
I assure you, my dear Mr. Benson, that Mr.
M'Bean thought most highly of his abilities.
We all give you great credit for having res-
cued him from the frivolous pursuits, in which
he owns himself to have been engaged till he
knew you."
Had Mr. Benson been in that most dange-
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 237
rous of all fictitious buildings, the " Palais de
la Verite," there is no knowing but what he
might have answered this tirade in praise of
his own handy-work by a hearty wish that his
protege was still driving tandems, hunting
foxes, shooting birds, dancing jigs, or gone to
the devil, sooner than be where he was, and
had been all the evening; but luckily his con-
sistency and truth were put to no such trial,
and he only replied with an almost superci-
lious curl of the lip, " he is not wanting in
capacity ; but will never be a first»rate man ;
he has certainly very fair abilities — nothing
more."
Mrs. Lawlie shortly perceived, by these and
similar phrases, that the praises of Herbert
were by no means music to the ears of Mr.
Benson, and as truth compels us to own, was
23S THE SCHOOL OF FASHIOK.
more disposed to argue the point " en coquette
qu'en philosophe'' No wonder, therefore, that
she soon succeeded in smoothing the ruffled
brow of her soi-disant imperturbable friend;
and when she reproached him for having
lately neglected her education, and told him
she should be ready to receive him at twelve
o'clock the following day, if he would come
and read to, and discuss with her certain
books that they had begun together a short
time before, he was convinced in his own mind
that she was decidedly superior to the rest of
her sex— and would not, perhaps, have been
quite so ready to deny the truth of Mr. Clay-
pole's intended essay, as he had been on a
former occasion to Herbert,
'Tis thus that woman, like music, hath
power and charms " to soothe the savage
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 239
breast, to soften rocks, and smooth the knotted
oak."
Herbert and Mr. Benson left the house
together, both equally satisfied with them-
selves and its inmates.
240 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
CHAPTER XIII.
" What became of you yesterday evening,
Herbert?" inquired Mr. Lovaine the follow-
ing morning. " I sent to your lodgings for
you, as I was quite alone from the time I saw
you in th-e morning, but they knew nothing
about you there."
" I dined in Russell Square, and did not
return till very late."
" RusseU Square ! Whom on earth do you
know in Russell Square ?"
" Nobody, Sir, with whose name you are
acquainted."
" What, something mysterious ! Oh, oh !
Master Herbert — the murder is out, of why
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 241
you appear to lead this sober quiet life ! I
always thought there was something under
the rose ! May I be allowed to learn the
name, with which I am not at present ac-
quainted ?"
It was generally a severe trial to Herbert's
temper when his uncle began to jeer him ; for
although he often did so with the utmost
good-nature, yet there was at the same time
something rather humiliating to his self-love,
both in the manner and the matter of such
jests — consequently the more jocular was Mr.
Lovaine, the more grave was his nephew.
^ " You are quite mistaken in your suppo-
sition, I can assure you. Sir ; but there is no
use in the mere knowledge of a name to which
one can associate no idea*"
" Come, come, boy ! why cannot you give
me a plain answer to a plain question ; if you
VOL. I. M
242 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
are asliamed of your friends, say so ; if not, say
\vho tliey are." >/ { ,..
*^ If the sound of a name is any satisfaction
to you, Sir, you are perfectly welcome to know,
that I dined yesterday at ]\Ir. and Mrs. Law-
lie's." ^.^V AJ /,,.
'*' And who the deuce are they ?"
" Mr. Lawlie is, I believe, in the mercan-
tile line ; and Mrs, Lawlie is one of the most
enlightened women of the age."
" Humph ! I've no great fancy for what
is called an enlightened woman ! My grand-
mother, and her contemporaries, were worth a
thousand enlightened women of the present
day. No novels and accomplishments in those
times to prevent their being good wives and
mothers ! I wish to heaven the war had lasted
through my life, at least, to shut out all com-
munication with the Continent ; or that there
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 248
could be some law to prevent people going
abroad ; for half the mischief proceeds from
foreign countries ! England would then be
something like a nation again, and the good
old times would return, when young men
shewed respect to their elders, and women a
proper obedience to man."
" Our ideas upon education in general, and
upon female education in particular, do not, I
believe agree,'* was, after a short silence, Her-
bert's reply to Mr. Lovaine's often repeated
lament over the degeneracy of the times; a
lament, which the mention of an enlightened
woman seldom failed to produce.
" No ! because, as I told you a few months
ago at Beechwood, you have been made a fool
of by some pedantic girl. Miss Lawson, or
Lawtop, I suppose — is not that the name of
your Russell Square friends ?"
M2
244 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
" Lawlie is the name which I mentioned, at
your request, just now Sir !"
" Well then, Miss Lawlie" (continued Mr.
Lovaine, the equanimity of whose temper w^as
now somewhat disturbed by this discussion)
" is, I suppose, the young lady for whose sake
you disdain your former pursuits, and renounce
the world — though pretty well clothed too in
its pomps and vanities."
*' Really this attack is as unprovoked and
as unmerited, Sir, as was the last you made
upon the same subject — nor have my feelings
and wishes undergone any change since I in-
formed you at Beech wood Park, how little
congenial was matrimony to my pursuits and
views in life.''
'• Very grand indeed ! I like to hear a
uoy of your age talk of his tastes, and feelings,
and pursuits, and views in life ! Oh Lord !
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 24-5
what shall we come to next ? But though I
should certainly refuse my consent to your
marrying her, or any other blue-stocking
devil, they may perhaps entrap you into a
disagreeable scrape, which would be creditable
to neither party."
" I should hope. Sir, I am not likely to dis-
grace myself in any way ; nor do I know
whom you designate by the appellation of blue-
stocking devil."
" No ! because you don't like to have the
little vixen called by her true name."
" What vixen, Sir ?" -
" Why the chit you are in love with, to be
sure ! Your school-mistress."
" And who may that be. Sir ?"
" Hang it, Herbert ! don't provoke me any
further by these impertinent equivocations. I
suppose you don't pretend to deny that you are
246 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
in love ivith the girl, even if you don't mean to
marry her !"
" What girl, Sir ?"
" Come boy ! I will not be trifled with any
longer," replied Mr. Lovaine, with increased
anger ; " do you, or do you not, pretend to
deny your attachment to Miss Lawlie ?'*
" I am wholly at a loss to understand you,
Sir."
" In other words, Herbert, you do not choose
to own the truth ? Can you give me any proof
that I am wrong in my surmise ?"
" Certainly, if my word is a sufficient pledge
for the truth of what I may assert."
" No ! that alone is insufficient in the pre-
sent case," rejoined Mr. Lovaine, who, pro-
voked at the tone of independence assumed by
his nephew, had lost both his temper and his
judgment, as indeed he usually did, whenever
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 247
he conceived that the extent and weight of his
authority was in danger of being disputed.
" I have a right to demand of you to be more
explicit upon such a subject."
" Perhaps then, when I inform you that
there is no such person as Miss Lawlie, and
that Mr. and Mrs. Lawlie have no unmarried
female relation belonging to them, to my know-
ledge, you will be better satisfied."
Angry and unreasonable as was Mr. Lovaine,
he was dumb-founded at so complete a refuta-
tion of his suspicions, for in spite of his decla-
ration that his nephew's word was insufficient
testimony in the present case, he could not, and
diS not doubt the strict veracity of his state-
ment as to the non-existence of the imaginary
culprit, Miss Lawlie.
For some few minutes both parties were
silent. Herbert felt his triumph, and was satis-
248 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
iied. Mr. Lovaine, conscious of defeat, was
equally unwilling to own himself wrong, or to
commit himself further. The conference soon
broke up, and they parted mutually dissatis-
fied, the one at the narrow-minded prejudices
ofjadis, and the other at the aspiring, rebel-
lious spirit of aujourcChui,
Mr. Lovaine was, how^ever, as we have before
mentioned, a kind-hearted man, notwithstand-
ing the irritability of his temper, and his perti-
nacious adherence to his own opinions; and as it
occurred to him, after the lapse of a few hours,
that he had been more precipitate than just in
accusing Herbert of an actual and active flirta-
tion, or intended marriage, with an ideal being,
who neither did or ever had existed, he deter-
mined to be as cordial with him, or even more
so than usual, when next they met : nor was
he, we suspect, as anxious to postpone the
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 249
next meeting as might have been supposed by
a by-stander to the morning's interview. Cer-
tain it is, that he was no sooner equipped for
the ahernoon^s pro77ienad€, than he sallied forth
exactly in that direction in which it was most
likely for him to meet his nephew.
He had not proceeded far before he met a
gentleman whom he instantly recognized to be
Mr. Benson. After the usual salutations, Mr
Lovaine inquired if he had seen Herbert
coming that way.
" No !" replied Mr. Benson, " I have not
seen him since we walked home together last
night from Russell Square."
The mention of that quarter of the metro-
polis instantly reminded him of the unfortunate
dispute respecting the imaginary being, and
Mdshing to make Herbert some amends for
what had passed, it occurred to him to invite
M 5
2o0 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
Mr. Benson to dinner for the following day.
For tlrat he was engaged — the day after
was therefore fixed ; and immediately on his
return home a note was despatched by Mr.
Lovaine to Herbert, to desire he would also
dine with him, to meet his particular friend.
Nothing could be more disagreeable to Her-
bert, by way of being agi'eeable, than the in-
telligence contained in this note. He had
never intended profiting by the permission
given by his uncle to feed Mr. Benson, for
certain reasons before mentioned, and these
reasons had naturally acquired strength from
the conversation of the morning.
To prevent this meeting was now no longer
possible ; he dared not leave them alone, lest
his guardian should too decidedly undertake
the education of his friend; and yet he dread-
ed the idea of being himself shewn up, ifi by
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 2^J
his presence, he averted the evil consequences
of a tete-a-tete. Then again, he suspected that
this dinner was a sort of olive-branch, which
it was difficult for him to decline ; in short,
dreading the responsibility of excusing himself
unnecessarily, he determined to accept, or, as
Mr. Lovaine would have said, to obey the sum-
mons.
The day arrived, and, like most other days
for whose arrival we are not anxious, unusu-
ally quick. Herbert tortured himself during
the two intervening days with his ow^n imagi-
nation, quite as much as if he had not asserted
over and over again, that man was to be go-
verned by his reason, not by his fancy ; and
by the time he had set out for his uncle's hotel,
he had pictured to himself a dozen scenes, as
likely to occur, each more unpleasant than
the other — and when he reached the hotel, he
252 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION".
almost expected to find Mr. Lovaine and his
guest either in liigh dispute, or already not
on speaking terms.
His alarms were, however, as unnecessary
and romantic, as were those of the young lady
at Northanger Abbey, when she opened the
cabinet ; and perhaps the bathos of her disco-
very was scarcely greater than his, when, on
being ushered into the drawing-room, he found
the supposed antagonists quietly, and with
the utmost urbanity, discussincr ^yith Lord
X and the Hon. Mr. D the state
— not of the nation, but of the weather ! In-
deed, it must be confessed that, with one or
two trifling exceptions, the resemblance be-
tween this meeting and the mouse-producing
mountain was strikino^.
If our readers are less well acquainted with
Mr. Benson than ourselves, they may perhaps
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 253
be surprised at the forbearance he exercised ;
but then we must remind them, that though
he most thoroughly despised the aristocracy in
theory, he was far too liberal a man not to
make exceptions in favour of some indivi-
duals, who had the discrimination both to per-
ceive his own merits, and to treat him accord-
ingly. Amongst this select number he was
inclined to place his present host — not cer-
tainly from the nature of any opinions that he
had elicited at their only previous interview,
but from the circumstance of his having thus
speedily invited him (Mr. Benson) to make
farther and more intimate acquaintance
through the medium of the dinner-table.
It could not be said that Mr. Benson for-
swore his own principles upon this, or upon any
other similar occasion ; but he did not con-
sider himself called upon at every instant to
254 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
broach those subjects, on which it was more
than probable a decided difference of opinion
would exist. In other words, Mr. Benson
could, when he chose, conduct himself with
tact and discretion; and he generally did
ohoose so to conduct himself in company with
one of the unenlightened few, who in any de-
gree flattered his vanity.
It is singular that Herbert, who alone anti-
cipated evil from the meeting of people so in-
congruous in their habits, manners, and prin-
ciples, should alone be the person to endanger
the harmony which subsisted between them ; —
but so it was : — he was, in fact, a warmer, if
we may not say a more sincere advocate of
Mr. Benson's creed, than was Mr. Benson
himself. There was a bitterness of feeling
towards that which he disapproved in the lat-
ter, which borrowed, at times, the appearance
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 255
of enthusiasm — an appearance with which, un-
knowingly, Herbert had at first been capti-
vated; he was, however, in truth, no en-
thusiast.
Had Mr. Benson been rich, he would have
been ostentatious — had he been noble, he
would have been arrogant — had he been a
king, he would have been a despot : but fate
had allotted him none of those parts to play
in the theatre of life. He was ambitious, ra-
ther because he hated inferiority, than because
he wished to extend his sphere of benevolence ;
and he decried the power he courted, because
he did not possess it.
The bane of his existence was the consci-
ousness of poverty and low birth. In vain did
he seek the antidote — for alas ! he could not
acquire a fortune in a minute, and still less was
it possible for him to alter his parentage. He
256 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
did, however, certainly possess abilities so de-
cidedly above par, that had they been well and
steadily applied to his profession, he would pro-
bably have secured to himself distinction full
as great, and far more honourable, than those
arising from such adventitious circumstances
as wealth and birth ; but envy rankled in his
bosom, and rendered useless the power with
which nature had endowed him to rise above
his fellows.
Discontented, he sought the society of mal-
contents, and in a short time, by his superior
intelligence and dictatorial manner, he ac-
quired, in a small set, a degree of influence
and authority which was gratifying to him,
but yet insufficient to satisfy his vanity; and al-
though he at once hated and despised, or, to
speak more correctly, envied all those whom
he felt to be his superiors, either in point of
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 25T
talent or situation, he was seldom happier than
when they seemed willing to forget the diffe-
rence by cultivating his acquaintance. Pleased
and won by flattery, keenly sensitive to every
imaginary slight, he pretended to despise the
applause of the world, and to be above the feel-
ings common to our nature. Desiring power,
he preached equality, and while continually
suffering from a morbid sensibility, he affected
a philosophical indifference, amounting to sto-
icism. His real character often betrayed him
into situations inconsistent with the principles
or professions of that which he assumed; and
he was not unfrequently under the necessity of
sacrificing his sincerity, not to say his truth, to
maintain an appearance of consistency.
But we must return to the dinner-table,
where, as our readers will remember, Herbert
had endangered the peace and harmony of the
258 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
company, by maintaining with even more than
usual warmth, an argument with Lord K
upon the rights of man ; confident that it would
be pleasing to Mr. Benson to hear him ably
support the opinions he had learned from him
and his friends ; and trusting that, as his uncle
was ensraged in conversation with Mr. D ,
there would be but little risk of his hearing or
reprimanding him as an ignorant boy. When
ever he had, or fancied he had the advantage of
his opponent, or whenever he felt that he re-
quired assistance, he looked round to Mr.
Benson either for applause or support; but
by some extraordinary accident, his attention
seemed so much engaged at those moments, that
Herbert's endeavours to attract his notice were
all in vain. At first he thought this silence pro-
ceeded from his not having listened to the dis-
cussion, or observed that it was wished he should
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION/ 259
join therein; but when, upon his being address-
ed more than once by name, and appealed to
upon some particular point, on which Herbert
had often heard him hold forth by the hour, he
still shewed the same indisposition to commit
himself, he could no longer consider it acciden-
tal, though he was puzzled beyond measure
to account for the cause of this apparent indif-
ference to a subject, on which he was ge-
nerally addicted to display his eloquence and
ingenuity.
In due time the company departed, and
Herbert and his uncle were left to do what most
other people, we believe, do by their departed
guests, viz, talk them over, that is to say,
canvas tlieir various merits and demerits : a
practice which, though very agreeable to the
party that remains, is often far less so to the
obj ects of discussion . ;M
260 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
Many a time have we seen a modest retiring
man prolong his visit, though conscious that
his company is no longer desired, because he
has not the courage to furnish the society he
quits with "himself," as the next subject of
conversation; till, after waiting for a favour-
able opportunity to slip away unobserved, or
hoping, equally in vain, that some one would
accompany him, and, by sharing, diminish his
portion of criticism, he is finally forced, by the
announcement of the ladies' carriage — the in-
quiries of the children of, " Why Mamma
don't come, as they will all be too late" — the
question of, how soon dinner may be ordered —
the yawns of the company — or the entrance (if
in the evening) of a tray full of hand-candle-
sticks — to take his leave, under the full con-
viction, that, if he does not make haste to close
the door, his own ears will be assailed by the
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 261
pious, grateful, but grating exclamations of,
" Thank God ! he is gone at last."
No such exclamation, howev^er, proceeded
from the mouth of Mr. Lovaine, as the three
gentlemen retired. Some few remarks passed
upon the looks of poor Lord K , to whom,
in spite of hard hunting, and still harder drink-
ing, the gout was no unfrequent visitor. Much
pity was bestowed upon Mr. D — , who was to
be drao^ged abroad bv his wife and family.
And then came Mr. Benson on the tapis.
'• Sharp fellow, that friend of your's, Her-
bert !"
" Sharp fellow!" was not just the epithet that
Herbert was accustomed to hear bestowed on
this said friend; and he replied, as if not much
flattered by the compliment,
" He is very much looked up to, Sir, by all
tliose who can appreciate him."
262 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
" There, now ! you go too far, I should
think. The first time I saw him, I thought he
was full of that d — d nonsense that you are so
fond of talking sometimes ; but I dare say that
little set-down I gave him at your lodging did
him good. I should have no objection to see
you take a leaf or two out of his book* now
and then, Master Herbert,*'
That was the unkindest cut of all; for as
Herbert had been diligently cutting leaves out
of his, and of no other person's book, ever
since their first acquaintance, he certainly
neither deserved such a reproof, or needed
such advice.
" Our opinions generally agree particularly
well, my dear uncle, upon all subjects."
" Well, well ! I am glad to hear it," con-
tinued Mr. Lovaine ; " I dare say he will be of
great use to you ; and it is always an advan-
THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. 263
tage to a young man to have a friend a little
older and wiser than himself," and so saying,
he bade him good night, with a degree of good-
humour, that shewed he had never listened to
Herbert's arguments with Lord K .
Our hero returned leisurely home, ponder-
ing over the events of the preceding and many
other days. The idea that Mr. Benson should
have pleased his uncle, perplexed him : the in-
attention and indifference displayed by the
former, during dinner, to those topics on
which he had always thought him most enthu-
siastic, and various other trifling circumstances
which had occurred at Mrs. Lawlie's, and which
were at the time unheeded, now pressed upon
his memory ; and, for the first time, a doubt
arose in his mind, whether there was, or was
not, some little inconsistency in the character,
or at least in the conduct, of Mr. Benson.
264 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION.
m
CHAPTER XIV.
We must now quit that emporium of idle-
ness and industry — worthlessness and merit —
profligacy and morality — learning and igno-
rance — poverty and riches — dirt, smoke, noise,
grandeur, gloom and gaiety — London ! and
remove ourselves to that health-acquiring —
gossip-dealing — love-begetting — water-drink-
ing place. Spa ! in order that we may not