E. Phillips Oppenheim

“ There is no man in England that should feel more proud to-night than the gallant young nobleman whose heroic, though somewhat quixotic, action has spared a great city from the the disgrace of another street riot. We trust that Lord Hadley, now that he has broken the ice, will take an active part in political life, and will give us the opportunity of hearing again that eloquence, of which he must undoubtedly be possessed, in the House of Lords, where such a gift is sadly wanted. ”

“ That was a strange crowd which trudged along after Lord Hadley through the early morning streets. Eager-looking women, with children running by their sides, or clasped in their arms; gaunt, hollow-eyed men, with a wolfish glare in their eyes ”

“ Lord Hadley took another glass of wine, and then astonished his cousin by throwing himself back in an easy-chair and subsiding into a perfect fit of laughter. Then he sat up and wiped his eyes.
"George," he said feebly, "this'll be the death of me. Swear by everything that's holy that you'll keep it dark."
"I swear by these cigars," he remarked with mock solemnity; "proceed."
"Well, then, it's all a grand sell. They've got hold of the wrong end of the stick somehow. You see, Neil Reid bet me a hundred pounds I wouldn't make a speech to those fellows. ”

“ The expected mass meeting of the unemployed was held this afternoon in Trafalgar Square, in defiance of the police regulations, and it appears quite certain that a most disastrous riot was only prevented by the gallant conduct of a young English nobleman, Lord Francis Hadley, Marquis of Hetherdean. From an early hour in the morning the Square was partly filled with a disreputable mob of loafers and vagabonds, who had assembled to take part in the afternoon's demonstration, and at no time could the police, although in great force, keep the people moving. ”

“ One man alone refused to join in in, and in less than a moment he was hustled off his feet, trodden upon, spat at, kicked, his clothes torn, and his face smeared with dirt and blood. Then they left him alone, at the stern command of the man who was going to give them food. ”

“ I don't know whether you're in earnest, but I tell you frankly—I am. Let's have it out. Are we rivals?"
"Presuming that you refer to Miss Saville," Lord Hadley said a little stiffly, "we are. I intend to ask her to be my wife."
There was a dead silence for several minutes, which Mr. Neil Reid was the first to break.
"Very well, then, Hadley, let it be a fair fight between us. There's just one favour I should like to ask you. Miss Saville will doubtless be a little annoyed with me for throwing them over this Christmas, though, hang it all! I can't help it. ”

“ Several speeches of a highly inflammatory nature were delivered, despite the desperate efforts of the police to reach the platform, and matters were in a very critical state when the Marquis of Hetherdean—who, being disguised as a working man, was not generally known—mounted the platform and expostulated with great effect. ”

“ It seemed so very mother-in-law-ish) —"we are leaving here this afternoon for Bradgate Park, and I am writing you a few lines to remind you of your promise to spend Christmas there. We are all very well, and you will be glad to find (underlined) "that dear Flora's cold has quite disappeared. I think that I may venture to give you a little good news with regard to—a certain matter. I have sometimes feared that the dear child—very silly of her—thought a little too much of Mr. Reid, who certainly has been very attentive to her. ”