“My dear Rockwell! I am rejoiced to see you! I almost passed without recognising you; I could scarcely have expected to meet you, fresh from the country, standing in a brown study, in the most crowded square of the city!”
The two young men had been classmates at college, and though a regular correspondence had not been kept up between them, they were always the warmest of friends whenever they chanced to meet. They turned to walk together towards Mr. Holcroft’s.
“Pray, Elkinton, do you know any lady who wears a blue velvet mantilla?” asked Julius as soon as politeness allowed him to introduce an extrinsic subject.
“Very probably I may, but I never recollect ladies by their dress, as I seldom pay the slightest attention to it. What sort of a lady do you mean?”
“A young, very beautiful one, with bright complexion, clear hazel eyes and sunny tresses.”
“I know several such,—you may see plenty of them passing any hour; but what about her?”
“Oh, nothing! only I saw her in the street and was struck with her appearance.”
“Pshaw! you will be struck ten times a minute if you are on the look-out for beauty. For my part, I have given up looking at the ladies in general.”
“Then it must be because you are engrossed by one in particular.”
“Right, and I’ll introduce you to her for old acquaintance sake. Don’t you remember our standing argument, that neither of us would marry without a communication to, and a consultation with, the other?”