Off ran William.
‘Come, let’s have the King’s health again. De Luc, drink it. Here, Champagne to De Luc!’
I wish you could have seen Mr. De Luc’s mixed simper—half pleased, half alarmed. However, the wine came and he drank it, the Duke taking a bumper for himself at the same time.
‘Poor Stanhope!’ cried he: ‘Stanhope shall have a glass too! Here, Champagne! What are you all about? Why don’t you give Champagne to poor Stanhope?’
Mr. Stanhope, with great pleasure, complied, and the Duke again accompanied him.
‘Come hither, do you hear?’ cried the Duke to the servants, and on the approach, slow and submissive, of Mrs. Stainforth’s man, he hit him a violent slap on the back, calling out ‘Hang you! Why don’t you see for my rascals?’
Away flew the man, and then he called out to Westerhaults, ‘Hark’ee! bring another glass of Champagne to Mr. De Luc!’
Mr. De Luc knows these Royal youths too well to venture at so vain an experiment as disputing with them; so he only shrugged his shoulders and drank the wine. The Duke did the same.
‘And now, poor Stanhope,’ cried the Duke, ‘give another to poor Stanhope, d’ye hear?’
‘Is not your Royal Highness afraid,’ cried Mr. Stanhope, displaying the full circle of his borrowed teeth, ‘I shall be apt to be rather up in the world, as the folks say, if I tope on at this rate?’