212520_The_Adve ... _Way_Through_The_World.pdf - OUDL Home

ON HIS WAY THROUGH THE WORLD 475
efforts at reconciling enemies: as if, my good creature, the
Twysdens ever let a man into their house who was poor or out
of fashion ! They lived in a constant dread lest Philip should call
to borrow money of them. As if they ever lent money to a man
who was in need! If they ask the respected reader to their house,
depend upon it they think he is well-to-do. On the other hand,
the Twysdens made a very handsome entertainment for the new
Lord of Whipham and Ringwood who now reigned after his kinsman's
death. They affably went and passed Christmas with him
in the country; and they cringed and bowed before Sir John
Ringwood as they had bowed and cringed before the Earl in his
time. The old Earl had been a Tory in his latter days when
Talbot Twysden's views were also very conservative. The present
Lord of Ringwood was a Whig. It is surprising how liberal the
Twysdens grew in the course of a fortnight's after-dinner conversation
and pheasant-shooting talk at Ringwood. " Hang it ! you
know," young Twysden said, in his office afterwards, "a fellow
must go with the politics of his family, you know!" and he
bragged about the dinners, wines, splendours, cooks, and preserves
of Ringwood as freely as in the time of his noble granduncle.
Any one who has kept a house-dog in London, which
licks your boots and your platter, and fawns for the bones in
your dish, knows how the animal barks and flies at the poor who
come to the door. The Twysdens, father and son, were of this
canine species : and there are vast packs of such dogs here and
elsewhere.
If Philip opened his heart to us, and talked unreservedly regarding
his hopes and his plans, you may be sure he had his little
friend, Mrs. Brandon, also in his confidence, and that no person in
the world was more eager to serve him. Whilst we were talking
about what was to be done, this little lady was also at work in her
favourite's behalf. She had a firm ally in Mrs. Mugford, the proprietor's
lady of the Pall Mall Gazette. Mrs. Mugford had long
been interested in Philip, his misfortunes and his love affairs.
These two good women had made a sentimental hero of him. Ah !
that they could devise some feasible scheme to help him! And
such a chance actually did very soon present itself to these delighted
women.
In almost all the papers of the new year appeared a brilliant
advertisement, announcing the speedy appearance in Dublin of a
new paper. It was to be called THE SHAMROCK, and its first
number was to be issued on the ensuing St. Patrick's day. I need
not quote at length the advertisement which heralded the advent of
this new periodical. The most famous pens of the national party