“My Dear Tommy,—I send you this precious document; the only one I could obtain. It is a flaring-up page of the History of the Nineteenth Century! God is great, and will be greater the day He will annihilate our persecutors. En attendant, I am always,—Your affectionate friend,
“D’Orsay.”
The following refers again to the Imprisonment Abolition Bill:—
“Mon Cher Tommy,—I think that we ought to try to ascertain how far the humbugging system can go. As soon as I received your note this morning I wrote to Brougham, and explained all the unfructuous attempts of Mr Hawes.[29] I enclose the first answer. Now, he has just been here, after having had a long conversation with Lyndhurst, who is decided to spur the Solicitor-General, stating, as the Parliament will last until Thursday week, there will be time enough to pass the bill. See what you can do with Mr Hawes. I am sure that if he will strike the iron now, when it is hot, that we have still a chance. Lyndhurst, I assure you, is very anxious about it, and expressed it strongly to Brougham. Do not be discouraged.—Yours affectionately,
“D’Orsay.”
The enclosed note from Brougham ran:—
“Mon Cher A.,—Je suis coloré plutôt que désespéré. Il faut que je mette ordre à tout cela. Je vais chez Lyndhurst dans l’instant, H. B.”
Tom Duncombe was himself a capital hand at getting into debt; we read:—“Duncombe is playing good boy, having completely drawn in; he has given up his house and carriages, and taken his name out of the Clubs. He had become so involved that he could not carry on the war any longer. They say that he has committed himself to the amount of 120,000l.”
Readers of Vanity Fair will recall “Mr Moss’s mansion in Cursitor Street,” “that dismal place of hospitality,” to which Colonel Crawdon was an unwilling visitor. It was such an ordeal, that D’Orsay was determined not to undergo. Shame upon those who threatened him with it.