CHAPTER X.
“Why will you fight against so sweet a passion,
And steel your heart to such a world of charms!”
Addison.
Markham was glad that Mr. Martindale’s visit had terminated without discovering the unpleasant circumstances in which the young man’s father had been involved: and as soon as the elder Markham was sufficiently recovered to attend to his usual occupation, the young man took his leave of his parents and returned to town.
Now another season was commencing in the great metropolis, and the family of Colonel Rivolta had become tolerably well naturalised. The Colonel himself, from his relation to so opulent a man as old John Martindale, became a person of some consequence, and he had the honor to lounge and yawn about the streets with divers persons who bore titles or were in expectation of titles. Much as ignorant and superficial people may laugh at the old story of Jack helping Dick to do nothing, we are firmly and seriously of opinion that a man is never so much in need of assistance as when he has nothing to do. Colonel Rivolta found many persons in London in this predicament, and such was the natural benevolence of his mind that he took an inexpressible delight in affording them all the assistance in his power. The Colonel was never without a cigar in his mouth; and therefore he was peculiarly acceptable to those young noblemen and gentlemen who could not for the weakness of their heads smoke in the morning, because though they could not smoke they could employ themselves with sniffing the fumes of the Colonel’s cigars.
The Colonel was not indeed very intimate with the English language so as to enjoy and understand its delicacies and niceties; but he was sufficiently well acquainted with the language and air and style of fashionable impertinence and coxcomical exclusiveness, and he could laugh remarkably well. He was also exceedingly well-dressed, and had that exquisitely ridiculous military air, which if it be not the glory is at least the pride of most of those green ones who have entered the army since 1815. The Colonel had also in very great perfection the imitative faculty, which enabled him to catch to the very life the manners of the people with whom he associated. He caught with great facility all the fashionable fool’s tricks of the dinner-table; and notwithstanding his imperfect knowledge of the English language, he had no difficulty in understanding and in making himself understood in all matters touching eating and drinking: on these subjects he was eloquent and animated. The Colonel was not a very young man, as may be inferred from the age of his daughter, but he had the air and manners of youth; and he was thus more ridiculous, if possible, than those young men with whom he chiefly associated. This, however, could be said for him which could not be said for them; namely, that he had seen actual and severe service, and had undergone many hardships: there was therefore something of philosophy in his very flippancy of character and manner.