A Social Triumph
LORD FITZ-POMPEY was a little consoled for the change which he had observed in the character of the Duke by the remembrance of the embrace with which his Grace had greeted Lady Caroline. Never indeed did a process which has, through the lapse1 of so many ages, occasioned so much delight, produce more lively satisfaction than the kiss in question. Lord Fitz-pompey had given up his plan of managing the Duke after the family dinner which his nephew had the pleasure to join the first day of his first visit. The Duke and he were alone, and his Lordship availed himself of the rare opportunity with that adroitness2 for which he was celebrated3. Nothing could be more polite, more affable, more kind, than his Grace’s manner! but the uncle cared little for politeness, or affability, or kindness. The crafty4 courtier wanted candour, and that was absent. That ingenuous5 openness of disposition6, that frank and affectionate demeanour, for which the Duke of St. James had been so remarkable7 in his early youth, and with the aid of which Lord Fitz-pompey had built so many Spanish castles, had quite disappeared.
Nothing could be more artificial, more conventional, more studied, than his whole deportment. In vain Lord Fitz-pompey pumped; the empty bucket invariably reminded him of his lost labour. In vain his Lordship laid his little diplomatic traps to catch a hint of the purposes or an intimation of the inclinations8 of his nephew; the bait was never seized. In vain the Earl affected10 unusual conviviality11 and boundless12 affection; the Duke sipped13 his claret and admired his pictures. Nothing would do. An air of habitual14 calm, a look of kind condescension15, and an inclination9 to a smile, which never burst into a beam, announced that the Duke of St. James was perfectly16 satisfied with existence, and conscious that he was himself, of that existence, the most distinguished17 ornament18. In fact, he was a sublime19 coxcomb20; one of those rare characters whose finished manner and shrewd sense combined prevent their conceit21 from being contemptible22. After many consultations23 it was determined24 between the aunt and uncle that it would be most prudent25 to affect a total non-interference with their nephew’s affairs, and in the meantime to trust to the goodness of Providence26 and the charms of Caroline.
Lady Fitz-pompey determined that the young Duke should make his debut27 at once, and at her house. Although it was yet January, she did not despair of collecting a select band of guests, Brahmins of the highest caste. Some choice spirits were in office, like her lord, and therefore in town; others were only passing through; but no one caught a flying-fish with more dexterity28 than the Countess. The notice was short, the whole was unstudied. It was a felicitous29 impromptu30, and twenty guests were assembled, who were the Corinthian capitals of the temple of fashion.
There was the Premier31, who was invited, not because he was a minister, but because he was a hero. There was another Duke not less celebrated, whose palace was a breathing shrine32 which sent forth33 the oracles34 of mode. True, he had ceased to be a young Duke; but he might be consoled for the vanished lustre35 of youth by the recollection that he had enjoyed it, and by the present inspiration of an accomplished36 manhood. There were the Prince and the Princess Protocoli: his Highness a first-rate diplomatist, unrivalled for his management of an opera; and his consort37, with a countenance38 like Cleopatra and a tiara like a constellation39, famed alike for her shawls and her snuff. There were Lord and Lady Bloomerly, who were the best friends on earth: my Lord a sportsman, but soft withal, his talk the Jockey Club, filtered through White’s; my Lady a little blue, and very beautiful. Their daughter, Lady Charlotte, rose by her mother’s side like a tall bud by a full-blown flower. There were the Viscountess Blaze, a peeress in her own right, and her daughter, Miss Blaze Dash-away, who, besides the glory of the future coronet, moved in all the confidence of independent thousands. There was the Marquess of Macaroni, who was at the same time a general, an ambassador, and a dandy; and who, if he had liked, could have worn twelve orders; but this day, being modest, only wore six. There, too, was the Marchioness, with a stomacher stiff with brilliants extracted from the snuff-boxes presented to her husband at a Congress.
There were Lord Sunium, who was not only a peer but a poet; and his lady, a Greek, who looked just finished by Phidias. There, too, was Pococurante, the epicurean and triple millionaire, who in a political country dared to despise politics, in the most aristocratic of kingdoms had refused nobility, and in a land which showers all its honours upon its cultivators invested his whole fortune in the funds. He lived in a retreat like the villa40 of Hadrian, and maintained himself in an elevated position chiefly by his wit and a little by his wealth. There, too, were his noble wife, thoroughbred to her fingers’ tips, and beaming like the evening star; and his son, who was an M.P., and thought his father a fool. In short, our party was no common party, but a band who formed the very core of civilisation41; a high court of last appeal, whose word was a fiat42, whose sign was a hint, whose stare was death, and sneer43 —— damnation!
The Graces befriend us! We have forgotten the most important personage. It is the first time in his life that Charles Annesley has been neglected. It will do him good.
Dandy has been voted vulgar, and beau is now the word. It may be doubted whether the revival44 will stand; and as for the exploded title, though it had its faults at first, the muse45 of Byron has made it not only English, but classical. Charles Annesley could hardly be called a dandy or a beau. There was nothing in his dress — though some mysterious arrangement in his costume, some rare simplicity46, some curious happiness, always made it distinguished — there was nothing, however, in his dress, which could account for the influence which he exercised over the manners of his contemporaries. Charles Annesley was about thirty. He had inherited from his father, a younger brother, a small estate; and, though heir to a wealthy earldom, he had never abused what the world called ‘his prospects47.’ Yet his establishment, his little house in Mayfair, his horses, his moderate stud at Melton, were all unique, and everything connected with him was unparalleled for its elegance48, its invention, and its refinement49. But his manner was his magic. His natural and subdued50 nonchalance51, so different from the assumed non-emotion of a mere52 dandy; his coldness of heart, which was hereditary53, not acquired; his cautious courage, and his unadulterated self-love, had permitted him to mingle54 much with mankind without being too deeply involved in the play of their passions; while his exquisite55 sense of the ridiculous quickly revealed those weaknesses to him which his delicate satire56 did not spare, even while it refrained from wounding. All feared, marry admired, and none hated him. He was too powerful not to dread57, too dexterous58 not to admire, too superior to hate. Perhaps the great secret of his manner was his exquisite superciliousness59, a quality which, of all, is the most difficult to manage. Even with his intimates he was never confidential60, and perpetually assumed his public character with the private coterie61 which he loved to rule. On the whole, he was unlike any of the leading men of modern days, and rather reminded one of the fine gentlemen of our old brilliant comedy, the Dorimants, the Bellairs, and the Mirabels.
Charles Annesley was a member of the distinguished party who were this day to decide the fate of the young Duke. Let him come forward!
His Grace moved towards them, tall and elegant in figure, and with that air of affable dignity which becomes a noble, and which adorns62 a court; none of that affected indifference63 which seems to imply that nothing can compensate64 for the exertion65 of moving, and ‘which makes the dandy, while it mars the man.’ His large and somewhat sleepy grey eye, his clear complexion66, his small mouth, his aquiline67 nose, his transparent68 forehead, his rich brown hair, and the delicacy69 of his extremities70, presented, when combined, a very excellent specimen71 of that style of beauty for which the nobility of England are remarkable. Gentle, for he felt the importance of the tribunal, never loud, ready, yet a little reserved, he neither courted nor shunned72 examination. His finished manner, his experience of society, his pretensions73 to taste, the gaiety of his temper, and the liveliness of his imagination, gradually developed themselves with the developing hours.
The banquet was over: the Duke of St. James passed his examination with unqualified approval; and having been stamped at the mint of fashion as a sovereign of the brightest die, he was flung forth, like the rest of his golden brethren, to corrupt74 the society of which he was the brightest ornament.
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1 lapse | |
n.过失,流逝,失效,抛弃信仰,间隔;vi.堕落,停止,失效,流逝;vt.使失效 | |
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2 adroitness | |
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3 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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4 crafty | |
adj.狡猾的,诡诈的 | |
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5 ingenuous | |
adj.纯朴的,单纯的;天真的;坦率的 | |
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6 disposition | |
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 | |
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7 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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8 inclinations | |
倾向( inclination的名词复数 ); 倾斜; 爱好; 斜坡 | |
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9 inclination | |
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好 | |
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10 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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11 conviviality | |
n.欢宴,高兴,欢乐 | |
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12 boundless | |
adj.无限的;无边无际的;巨大的 | |
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13 sipped | |
v.小口喝,呷,抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14 habitual | |
adj.习惯性的;通常的,惯常的 | |
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15 condescension | |
n.自以为高人一等,贬低(别人) | |
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16 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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17 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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18 ornament | |
v.装饰,美化;n.装饰,装饰物 | |
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19 sublime | |
adj.崇高的,伟大的;极度的,不顾后果的 | |
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20 coxcomb | |
n.花花公子 | |
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21 conceit | |
n.自负,自高自大 | |
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22 contemptible | |
adj.可鄙的,可轻视的,卑劣的 | |
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23 consultations | |
n.磋商(会议)( consultation的名词复数 );商讨会;协商会;查找 | |
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24 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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25 prudent | |
adj.谨慎的,有远见的,精打细算的 | |
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26 providence | |
n.深谋远虑,天道,天意;远见;节约;上帝 | |
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27 debut | |
n.首次演出,初次露面 | |
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28 dexterity | |
n.(手的)灵巧,灵活 | |
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29 felicitous | |
adj.恰当的,巧妙的;n.恰当,贴切 | |
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30 impromptu | |
adj.即席的,即兴的;adv.即兴的(地),无准备的(地) | |
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31 premier | |
adj.首要的;n.总理,首相 | |
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32 shrine | |
n.圣地,神龛,庙;v.将...置于神龛内,把...奉为神圣 | |
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33 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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34 oracles | |
神示所( oracle的名词复数 ); 神谕; 圣贤; 哲人 | |
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35 lustre | |
n.光亮,光泽;荣誉 | |
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36 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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37 consort | |
v.相伴;结交 | |
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38 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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39 constellation | |
n.星座n.灿烂的一群 | |
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40 villa | |
n.别墅,城郊小屋 | |
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41 civilisation | |
n.文明,文化,开化,教化 | |
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42 fiat | |
n.命令,法令,批准;vt.批准,颁布 | |
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43 sneer | |
v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语 | |
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44 revival | |
n.复兴,复苏,(精力、活力等的)重振 | |
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45 muse | |
n.缪斯(希腊神话中的女神),创作灵感 | |
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46 simplicity | |
n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯 | |
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47 prospects | |
n.希望,前途(恒为复数) | |
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48 elegance | |
n.优雅;优美,雅致;精致,巧妙 | |
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49 refinement | |
n.文雅;高尚;精美;精制;精炼 | |
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50 subdued | |
adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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51 nonchalance | |
n.冷淡,漠不关心 | |
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52 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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53 hereditary | |
adj.遗传的,遗传性的,可继承的,世袭的 | |
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54 mingle | |
vt.使混合,使相混;vi.混合起来;相交往 | |
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55 exquisite | |
adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的 | |
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56 satire | |
n.讽刺,讽刺文学,讽刺作品 | |
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57 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
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58 dexterous | |
adj.灵敏的;灵巧的 | |
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59 superciliousness | |
n.高傲,傲慢 | |
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60 confidential | |
adj.秘(机)密的,表示信任的,担任机密工作的 | |
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61 coterie | |
n.(有共同兴趣的)小团体,小圈子 | |
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62 adorns | |
装饰,佩带( adorn的第三人称单数 ) | |
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63 indifference | |
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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64 compensate | |
vt.补偿,赔偿;酬报 vi.弥补;补偿;抵消 | |
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65 exertion | |
n.尽力,努力 | |
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66 complexion | |
n.肤色;情况,局面;气质,性格 | |
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67 aquiline | |
adj.钩状的,鹰的 | |
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68 transparent | |
adj.明显的,无疑的;透明的 | |
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69 delicacy | |
n.精致,细微,微妙,精良;美味,佳肴 | |
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70 extremities | |
n.端点( extremity的名词复数 );尽头;手和足;极窘迫的境地 | |
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71 specimen | |
n.样本,标本 | |
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72 shunned | |
v.避开,回避,避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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73 pretensions | |
自称( pretension的名词复数 ); 自命不凡; 要求; 权力 | |
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74 corrupt | |
v.贿赂,收买;adj.腐败的,贪污的 | |
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