'Yes; Sharpe must be worth his quarter of a million. And he has made it in such a deuced short time!'

'Why, he is not much older than we are!'

'Ten years ago that man was a prizefighter,' said Lord Catchimwhocan.

'A prizefighter!' exclaimed Ferdinand.

'Yes; and licked everybody. But he was too great a genius for the ring, and took to the turf.'

'Ah!'

'Then he set up a h.e.l.l.'

'Hum!'

'And then he turned it into a subscription-house.'

'Hoh!'

'He keeps his h.e.l.l still, but it works itself now. In the mean time he is the first usurer in the world, and will be in the next Parliament.'

'But if he lends money on the terms he accommodates me, he will hardly increase his fortune.'

'Oh! he can do the thing when he likes. He took a fancy to you. The fact is, my dear fellow, Sharpe is very rich and wants to get into society.

He likes to oblige young men of distinction, and can afford to risk a few thousands now and then. By dining with him to-day you have quite repaid him for his loan. Besides, the fellow has a great soul; and, though born on a dung-hill, nature intended him for a palace, and he has placed himself there.'

'Well, this has been a remarkable morning,' said Ferdinand Armine, as Lord Catchimwhocan set him down at his club. 'I am very much obliged to you, dear Catch!'

'Not a word, my dear fellow. You have helped me before this, and glad am I to be the means of a.s.sisting the best fellow in the world, and that we all think you. _Au revoir!_ We dine at eight.'

CHAPTER XII.

_Miss Grandison Makes a Remarkable Discovery_.

IN THE mean time, while the gloomy morning which Ferdinand had antic.i.p.ated terminated with so agreeable an adventure, Henrietta and Miss Grandison, accompanied by Lord Montfort and Glas...o...b..ry, paid their promised visit to the British Museum.

'I am sorry that Captain Armine could not accompany us,' said Lord Montfort. 'I sent to him this morning early, but he was already out.'

'He has many affairs to attend to,' said Glas...o...b..ry.

Miss Temple looked grave; she thought of poor Ferdinand and all his cares. She knew well what were those affairs to which Glas...o...b..ry alluded. The thought that perhaps at this moment he was struggling with rapacious creditors made her melancholy. The novelty and strangeness of the objects which awaited her, diverted, however, her mind from these painful reflections. Miss Grandison, who had never quitted England, was delighted with everything she saw; but the Egyptian gallery princ.i.p.ally attracted the attention of Miss Temple. Lord Montfort, regardful of his promise to Henrietta, was very attentive to Miss Grandison.

'I cannot help regretting that your cousin is not here,' said his lordship, returning to a key that he had already touched. But Katherine made no answer.

'He seemed so much better for the exertion he made yesterday,' resumed Lord Montfort. 'I think it would do him good to be more with us.'

'He seems to like to be alone,' said Katherine.

'I wonder at that,' said Lord Montfort; 'I cannot conceive a happier life than we all lead.'

'You have cause to be happy, and Ferdinand has not,' said Miss Grandison, calmly.

'I should have thought that he had very great cause,' said Lord Montfort, enquiringly.

'No person in the world is so unhappy as Ferdinand,' said Katherine.

'But cannot we cure his unhappiness?' said his lordship. 'We are his friends; it seems to me, with such friends as Miss Grandison and Miss Temple one ought never to be unhappy.'

'Miss Temple can scarcely be called a friend of Ferdinand,' said Katherine.

'Indeed, a very warm one, I a.s.sure you.'

'Ah, that is your influence.'

'Nay, it is her own impulse.'

'But she only met him yesterday for the first time.'

'I a.s.sure you Miss Temple is an older friend of Captain Armine than I am,' said his lordship.

'Indeed!' said Miss Grandison, with an air of considerable astonishment.

'You know they were neighbours in the country.'

'In the country!' repeated Miss Grandison.

'Yes; Mr. Temple, you know, resided not far from Armine.'

'Not far from Armine!' still repeated Miss Grandison.

'Digby,' said Miss Temple, turning to him at this moment, 'tell Mr.

Glas...o...b..ry about your sphinx at Rome. It was granite, was it not?'

'And most delicately carved. I never remember having observed an expression of such beautiful serenity. The discovery that, after all, they are male countenances is quite mortifying. I loved their mysterious beauty.'

What Lord Montfort had mentioned of the previous acquaintance of Henrietta and her cousin made Miss Grandison muse. Miss Temple's address to Ferdinand yesterday had struck her at the moment as somewhat singular; but the impression had not dwelt upon her mind. But now it occurred to her as very strange, that Henrietta should have become so intimate with the Armine family and herself, and never have mentioned that she was previously acquainted with their nearest relative. Lady Armine was not acquainted with Miss Temple until they met at Bellair House. That was certain. Miss Grandison had witnessed their mutual introduction. Nor Sir Ratcliffe. And yet Henrietta and Ferdinand were friends, warm friends, old friends, intimately acquainted: so said Lord Montfort, and Lord Montfort never coloured, never exaggerated. All this was very mysterious. And if they were friends, old friends, warm friends, and Lord Montfort said they were, and, therefore, there could be no doubt of the truth of the statement, their recognition of each other yesterday was singularly frigid.

It was not indicative of a very intimate acquaintance. Katherine had ascribed it to the natural disrelish of Ferdinand now to be introduced to anyone. And yet they were friends, old friends, warm friends.

Henrietta Temple and Ferdinand Armine! Miss Grandison was so perplexed that she scarcely looked at another object in the galleries.

The ladies were rather tired when they returned from the Museum. Lord Montfort walked to the Travellers, and Henrietta agreed to remain and dine in Brook-street. Katherine and herself retired to Miss Grandison's boudoir, a pretty chamber, where they were sure of being alone.

Henrietta threw herself upon a sofa, and took up the last new novel; Miss Grandison seated herself on an ottoman by her side, and worked at a purse which she was making for Mr. Temple.

'Do you like that book?' said Katherine.