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Bulmer began reproaching him with his conduct during the eve
ning, and his neglect of Miss Mazyck. He barely suffered the
buggy to get out of the court yard and into the main road, when
his indignation broke forth into angry words.
_
“ Well, sir; and how do you propose to excuse your conduct this
evening.”
“My conduct, sir ? I don’t understand you. I really flattered
myself that I had been doing the handsome thing all the evening,
making myself very agreeable all round, and certainly finding a
great deal that was greatly agreeable to myself.”
“ T ou are a puppy, sir, and a fool, with your self-complaisance.
I can tell you that, sir.”
“ Choice epithets, certainly, and very complimentary.”
“ Well, sir, you deserve them. Why do you provoke me ?”
u T ou provoke yourself, father. Speaking reasonably, sir, I see
nothing of which you can properly complain in my conduct.”
“ Indeed, sir; and who, pray, taught you to speak reasonably.
No man, sir, speaks reasonably, unless he thinks rationally.”
“ A logical conclusion, truly.”
“ So it is, —and no man who acts like a fool, can be held a rea
soning animal.”
“ True, again, logically.”
u I say, sir, you are a dolt, a mere driveller, committing suicide
morally, and striving against those who would help you out of
deep water.”
ho would drown me rather—deny me the privilege to swim
in the places which I most prefer.”
“ Hear me, Ned Bulmer,—why do you not listen to what Tin
saying ?”
“ I have been listening, sir, very patiently. Go ahead!”
“Go ahead ! hy will you, sir, knowing your family and
breeding, indulge in those vile samples of Western slang ? Speak
like a gentleman, sir, even if you do not understand how to behave
like one!’,
Ned said nothing, gave the horse the goad, and waited for the
next volley.
“ ell , sir; after what I said to you on our way to Mrs. Ma
zyck’s,—after a full showing to you of what I desired—what did
you mean, sir, by so entirely slighting my wishes ?”
“ Your wishes were not mine, sir,” answered Ned very coolly,
“ an( l even if they were, sir, a ball room, though a very good place
for a flirtation, is not exactly the scene for a bona fide courtship ”
“ 1 ma y y° u that, sir, but I did not ask that you would
would make it the scene of a courtship. I only asked that you
would offer such civilities and attentions to Miss Mazyck ”
“ As s he, her mother, and everybody else might construe to
mean courtship.”
“ ou will °hlige me not to finish my sentences for me, sir. I
say, Edward Bulmer, that you were not even decently civil to Mrs.
Mazyck and daughter.”
“ There I must deny you, sir. The matter is one of opinion.
I contend that I was as civil, considerate and respectful in my at
tentions to both the ladies, as the elder had a right to require and
the younger desired to receive.”
“ t h<l >OU ’ S ‘ r ’” hat the }’ oUr 'S er desired to receive ?”
By infallible instincts. The fact is, father, it is of no use to
trouble me or yourself in regard to Beatrice Mazyck. I assure
SUPPLEMENT TO SOUTHERN LITERARY GAZETTE.
you, sir, that every body sees, if you do not, that another T
won her heart.” “ M **
“ You mean Dick Cooper.”
“ I do.”
“ Well, sir, I have Dick’s assurance, from his own lips that
there have been no love passages between them; that they are ■■■
tirely uncommitted to each other.”
“And no doubt what Dick told you, sir, is perfectly true- but
things have changed since your day, sir. People have become
more refined and less formal. It don’t need, now-a-days, to make
a declaration in words in order to be understood. In your dav
when all gentlemen were moulded upon one model, and* all affec
tions spoke through one medium, and after a particular
when, in fact, the affections were not recognized at all— and when
hither or mother could swap off their children as the condition bv
which alone they could unite certain acres of swamp and uplands ~
sucli an intercourse as that of Beatrice Mazzyck and Dick Cooper
would pass for nothing. Mats , nous arms change tout celap ’
“Ah ! d—n that gibberish. Speak in English if you will speak.
Though, by the way, speaking such consummate nonsense and
stuff as you do, perhaps French is the proper dialect. Well, sir.
what more ; —use what lingo you please.”
”Oh ! sir, any thing to please you. I have few more words to
say; and Ido say, that, though no words may have been exchanged
between Beatrice Mazyck and Dick Cooper on the subject, yet
their hearts, sir, are as irrevocably engaged, as if the Reverend Mr.
Hymen, of the old Greek Church, had been called in to officiate.
Hearts, sir, have a language in our day, which was denied them in
yours. Perhaps this is one of the redeeming features of ultra
democracy!”
“ Tou have talked a long farrago of nonsense, Edward Bulmer,
m which, as far as I can perceive, you have aimed at nothing more
than to accumulate together all those topics which, in their nature,
might offend me. I will meditate this hereafter. To make my
complaints of your conduct more specific, why, sir, did you attach
yourself the whole evening to the Bonneau faction, neglecting
wholly Mrs. Mazyck and her daughter.”
“ \ our charge is not more specific now than before. It is quite
as easily answered. I join issue with you on the fact, sir.”
“ W hat, do you question my word ?”
“ No, sir, by no means, —only the correctness of your opinion.
“ his a matter of mere testimony. I beheld it with my own
eyes.”
u T our eyes deceived you, father.”
u How, sir { Did you not dance repeatedly with Miss Bonneau?
“ I did, sir.”
“ Did you ever dance once with Miss Mazyck ?”
“ I did not , sir.”
u Well, sir; —yet you persist that you were attentive to the latter
lady.”
“ I do, sir, as far as it was possible. I proposed to dance with
her, and she was engaged. This sir, on two occasions— quite often
enough, I think, to try a lady’s mood towards you.”
“ Edward Bulmer, is it possible that you resort to evasion! Sir,
I know too well what is the practice with young men, where they
wish to escape a duty. In my day, sir, and I confess I w’as guilt}
of this conduct myself, it was not unfrequently the trick- — trick J
I say, sir, trick! —to ask a lady after she was known to be eng* 1 ,- 11