Mr. Dalton

“ She drove down to the City Hall, and greatly astonished Mr. Dalton by walking into his office and requesting a moment's private conversation with him. Dalton was a dapper young man, exceedingly glib and well dressed, making his way in political and official, as he had already made it in social life. He greeted Mrs. Belding with effusion, and was anxious to know how he might serve her, having first cleared the room of the half-dozen politicians who did their lounging there. ”

“ Dalton say to you? I 'm curious to know; I 'd like to hear how he spoke of me.”
“As of one who was well disposed to serve him, Meekins,” said Grounsell, hesitatingly, and in some confusion.
“Yes, to be sure,” said the fellow, with a keen glance beneath his gathering brows. “And he told you, too, that we parted good friends,—at least, as much so as a poor man like myself could be to a born gentleman like him.”
“That he did,” cried Grounsell, eagerly; “and young Mr. Dalton is not the man to think the worse of your friendship because you are not his equal in rank.” ”

“ Dalton, it is here. By this will, signed, sealed, and witnessed in all form, Mr. Godfrey bequeathed to his brother-in-law his whole estate of Corrig-O'Neal, and, with the exception of some trifling legacies, names him heir to all he is possessed of.”
“Let me out of this,—leave me free!” shouted the prisoner, whose eyeballs now glared with the red glow of madness. “What brought me into your schemes and plots?—why did I ever come here? Oh, my Lord, don't see a poor man come to harm that has no friends. Bad luck to them here and hereafter, the same Daltons! ”

“ Even Nelly smiled at the witty sallies and playful conceits of this clever talker, and felt almost grateful to him for the momentary distraction he afforded her from gloomier thoughts. With such success did he exert himself, that all the graver sentiments of the occasion were swallowed up in the pleasant current of his small-talk, and no time given for a thought of that parting which was but a few minutes distant. Sir Stafford and Mr. Dalton were not sorry to discover the party in this pleasant humor, and readily chimed in with the gayety around them. ”

“ Editha, leave the room instantly, and I will deal with these people myself. Go, I say; that woman is no fit companion for my daughter!’ Mr. Dalton shouted, and strode toward me, his hands clenched and his face blazing with fury. ”

“ Rick-etts. “Mr. Dalton very wisely remarks that man is of all lands, while the inferior productions of nature require their native soils as a condition of existence.”
“Yes, indeed,” said Dalton, fathering the sentiment at once; “'tis only the blacks that can't bear the cowld. But, after all, maybe they 're not the same as ourselves.”
“I own I never could think them so,” smiled Mrs. Rick-etts, as though the very appearance of Peter Dalton had confirmed the prejudice.
“Faix! I'm glad to hear you say that,” said he, delightedly. “Tis many's the battle Nelly and me has about that very thing. ”

“ Ricketts to Martha, but loud enough for Dalton to hear. “That is so perfectly Irish; they can be as impetuous as the Italian, and possess all the self-restraint and impassive bearing of the Indian warrior.”
“But w-w-why did you go on, when luck was a-a-gainst you?”
“Who told me it was against me till I lost all my money?” cried Dalton. “If the first reverse was to make a man feel beat, it would be a very cowardly world, Mr. Purvis.” ”

“ Dalton—but these youngsters. If what I heard is thrue that that poor boy never was himself since the girl died, it was a mercy for God to take him; and afther all He is a betther judge of what's fit for us than we ourselves. Bounce, now, Mr. Dalton; you have little time to lose. I want you to come wid me to the agent, Mr. Travers. ”

“ Meekins slowly repeated the other's words twice over to himself, as if to weigh every syllable of them, and then a sudden flashing of his dark eyes showed that he had caught what he suspected was their meaning.
“Exactly so; I was coming to that,” cried he. “We 'll take an oath on the Gospel,—Mr. Frank Dalton and myself,—that never, while there's breath in our bodies, will we ever speak to man or mortal about this matter. I know a born gentleman would n't perjure himself, and, as for me, I 'll swear in any way, and before any one, that your two selves appoint.” ”

“ Someone at the courthouse had asked Dalton, in connection with some inquiry of his, whether he had an abstract of title or not. This Dalton did not know and he promptly wrote to their lawyer friend to inquire.
“If we have, Leslie, I’d like to see Mr. Ives get around that.”
“Perhaps he just wanted to frighten us and get us away. Could he be connected with rum-running, do you suppose?”
“Men apparently as honest as he are,” Dalton replied, “but unless it is on a large scale, I scarcely think so. I’ve put it up to Jim Lyon, anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if he took a vacation and came on. ”

“ Surely, if knowledge is valuable, it can never be good policy in a country far wealthier than Tuscany, to allow a genius like Mr. Dalton's, to be employed in the drudgery of elementary instruction. ”

“ Make your mind easy, and keep your heart light, and the devil a fear but your knees will get limber, and the swellin' will leave your ankles; but weak punch and tiresome people would undermine the best constitution in the world. Taste that.”
To judge from Mr. Foglass's face, Dalton had at least provided one element of health for his companion. ”

“ KATE found Lady Hester, the Prince, and Mr. Jekyl awaiting her as she entered the drawing-room, all looking even more bored and out of sorts than people usually do who have been kept waiting for their dinner.
“Everybody has sworn to be as tiresome and disagreeable as possible to-day,” said Lady Hester. “George said he'd dine here, and is not coming; Lord Norwood promised, and now writes me word that an unavoidable delay detains him; and here comes Miss Dalton, the mirror of punctuality when all else are late, a full half-hour after the time. ”

“ There was one I seen myself, with an elegant pair of horses, as nice steppers as ever you looked at, and a groom behind with a leather strap round him,” and here Mr. Dalton performed a pantomime, by extending the fingers of his open hand at the side of his head, to represent a cockade “what d' ye call it in his hat; and who was he, did you think? 'Billy Rogers,' of Muck; his father was in the canal—”
“In the canal!” exclaimed Lady Hester, in affright.
“Yes, my Lady; in the Grand Canal, an inspector at forty pounds a year, the devil a farthin' more ”

“ Mr Smeeth was the incumbent of the little village of Flatton, and having no afternoon service of his own, had made an appointment with Athelstan Lockstable to walk over and hear Mr Bristley’s discourse, which was greatly in vogue in the county on account of its polemical character. To hear the articles of the dominant creed pulled to pieces by innuendo was an intellectual pastime calculated almost to make an English Sunday lively, especially as, in a place like Dulham, church services were almost wholly useless for the purpose of displaying new mantles and head dress. ”

“ She doesn't know Nelly Dalton,” said Peter. “'T is the same girl does n't care for trouble or inconvenience; just talk to her about Kate and you 'll pay her well for all she could do for you.”
“My sister thinks a carriage would be better, she is so very weak,” mildly observed Martha.
“Well, we 'll get one in a jiffy. Fritz, my man, send down to the Platz for a shandradan,—a wagon, I mean. 'T is a droll name for a coach.” And he laughed heartily at the conceit “And now, Mr. Purvis, let us finish them before we go. The Gen'ral is doing his part like a man. ”

“ By insulting you, I have put myself on a level with you, and of course cannot refuse to meet you on your own terms. Come along, sir.” The men were dismissed; and Col. Grant, accompanied by his adversary and some mutual friends, repaired to the mess-room, where he very speedily closed up Mr. Mulcahy’s peepers, and sent him home perfectly satisfied. That was the proudest day of Mulcahy’s life, and many a time has he boasted of the black eye he got from a K.C.B., as if it were an honourable ordinary emblazoned upon his escutcheon. ”

“ So you saw Frank, and he's looking well?”
“The finest youth in the regiment. They know him through all Vienna as the 'Handsome Cadet.'”
“And so gentle-mannered and unaffected,” cried Nelly.
“Kind and civil to his inferiors?” said Dalton; “I hope he's that?”
“He condescended to know me,” said Brawer, “and call me his friend.”
“Well, and maybe ye were,” said Peter, with a majestic wave of the hand. “A real born gentleman, as Frank is, may take a beggar off the streets and be intimate with him. Them's my sentiments. Mark what I say, Mr. ”

“ It is very simple, meanwhile—any child may comprehend it—when we feel ourselves puzzled to account for the evil that is in the world, to have the answer ready that evil is good misplaced. Certainly, to explain is not to remove it: still mere explanation is a satisfaction to the intellect.’
‘That’s Bristley’s idea, is it?’ said Mr Lockstable. ‘Well, it’s clear enough, I will say. And though I don’t go in for being a thinker myself, I’ve heard clever people say that evil is a mystery beyond them.’
‘They make it more beyond them than it need be, by not going the right way to work. ”

“ To Reginald's immense surprise and relief, Leon informed him that the marriage with Miss Fortescue was not a mock marriage at all. For once in his life he had been honest. The marriage had been a real one. It was only after the affair in the Dalton vaults that he had pretended that it was false. He did so in order to free himself from his real wife, and gain some control over the Dalton estate. The Rev. Mr. Porter was a bona fide clergyman, and the marriage had been conducted in a legal manner. ”

“ Dalton found his little household on the alert at his return home; for Mrs. Ricketts had just received an express to inform her that her “two dearest friends on earth” were to arrive that evening in Baden, and she was busily engaged in arranging a little fête for their reception. All that poor Nelly knew of the expected guests was that one was a distinguished soldier, and the other a no less illustrious diplomatist; claims which, for the reader's illumination, we beg to remark were embodied in the persons of Colonel Haggerstone and Mr. Foglass. Most persons in Mrs. ”

“ You wouldn’t have a young lady mount a bicycle in flowing robes, would you, Kit?’
‘No, I wouldn’t have a young lady mount a bicycle at all. But it seems to be your mission in life, Theo, to outrage its proprieties.’
‘On the whole, I am disposed to agree with that remark,’ returned Mr Bristley coolly.
Before his wife could reply, Lesbia presented herself at the door, in her muddy costume, with a healthy glow on her face and her eyes sparkling. ”

“ Rose gave a keen glance at Lesbia and her friend, and the Vicar of Dulham looked like anything rather than a country parson as he bowed ceremoniously to his niece, gently rubbing his hands over each other.
‘But, seriously,’ he resumed, recovering his ordinary manner, ‘I trust we may felicitate both you, Miss Dimpleton, and you, Mr Lockstable, on having at least explained away your occasional misunderstandings and become fast friends?’
‘Yes, we're all right, thanks, Bristley,’ answered Athelstan; ‘in fact, one needn’t beat round the bush. ”

“ Half-an-hour in a town is worth half a day in the country for steadying you.’
‘Yes; you can’t sleep on your machine like an albatross on the wing, when an omnibus is skinning you on one side and a coal waggon on the other,’ replied Lesbia. ‘Which way are we going? I don’t know this side of Frogmore so well.’
‘Northward for the present,’ said Mr Lyttelhurst, who had dropped back to her side for a moment. ”

“ The third representative of forlorn humanity was a very tall, muscular man, whose jockey-cut green coat and wide-brimmed hat contrasted oddly with a pair of huge white moustaches, that would have done credit to a captain of the Old Guard. On features, originally handsome, time, poverty, and dissipation had left many a mark; but still the half-droll, half-truculent twinkle of his clear gray eyes showed him one whom no turn of fortune could thoroughly subdue, and who, even in the very hardest of his trials, could find heart to indulge his humor for Peter Dalton was an Irishman ”

“ If I knew we were better than other people, it never made me unneighborly; I was always free and affable; my worst enemy could n't say other of me. I 'd like to have these poor devils to dinner, and give them a skinful for once in their lives, just to drink Kate's health, and Frank's; they 'd think of the Daltons for many a long year to come—the good old Dalton blood, that never mixed with the puddle! What a heavenly day it is! and an elegant fine market. There's a bit of roasting beef would feed a dozen ”

“ The wild and rapid utterance of his lips, and the strange fancies they syllabled, often exciting him to laughter, only deepened the gravity of their countenances, and cast over the glances they interchanged a tinge of sadder meaning.
“He could n't have better luck,” muttered Dalton, sorrowfully; “just from being a friend to us! If he had never seen nor heard of us, maybe 't is happy and healthy he 'd be to-day!”
“Nay, nay, papa,” said Nelly, gently; “this is to speak too gloomily; nor is it good for us to throw on fortune the burden that we each should bear patiently.” ”