We are almost afraid to say what Mr. Waffles' means were, but we really
believe, at the time he came of age, that he had 100,000_l._ in the funds,
which were nearly at 'par'--a term expressive of each hundred being worth a
hundred, and not eighty-nine or ninety pounds as is now the case, which
makes a considerable difference in the melting. Now a real _bona fide_
100,000_l._ always counts as three in common parlance, which latter sum
would yield a larger income than gilds the horizon of the most mercenary
mother's mind, say ten thousand a-year, which we believe is generally
allowed to be 'v--a--a--ry handsome.'
No wonder, then, that Mr. Waffles was such a hero. Another great
recommendation about him was, that he had not had time to be much plucked.
Many of the young men of fortune that appear upon town have lost half their
feathers on the race-course or the gaming-table before the ladies get a
chance at them; but here was a nice, fresh-coloured youth, with all his
downy verdure full upon him. It takes a vast of clothes, even at Oxford
prices, to come to a thousand pounds, and if we allow four or five thousand
for his other extravagances, he could not have done much harm to a hundred
thousand.
Pages:
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68