The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900 ... - Gredos

The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900)
Ben because he is so d—d big, to be sure; there is a huge porter of the name at Carlton
House, whom George thinks like his Royal Highness, so has christened him after him,
and he dubs Mrs. Fitz Benina — there is no love lost between those two, I promise you.
Well, as I was saying, the usual symptoms have declared themselves. He sighs like a
volcano; he grows pale, they tell me, and tightens his stays daily; he eats somewhat less
than
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usual, and drinks somewhat more. And then he is bled — that with him is the infallible
sign that the passion is serious. It is said in Lady Jersey's day he was bled four times in
twenty-four hours — sends for different doctors, you know, so that there may be no
refusal on account of his having been cupped before.”
"Gad!" ejaculated the other, "what a senseless thing to do! I can understand a little
blood-letting being soothing to the feelings, but d—n me, I prefer it to be another man's.
So Mrs. Fitz does not love our friend?"
"No, truly; as little as she loves Fox himself. She had a personal grievance against him
— aye, I've heard her say he rolled her in the gutter."
"In the gutter?" returned the other young fop, dropping his jaw with so bewildered an air
that his friend burst out laughing.
“Why, what a blessed babe — too innocent for this naughty world! Surely, Charley, you
have heard of Fox's famous speech in the House, when he declared that Mrs. Fitz not
only wasn't, but shouldn't, couldn't, and wouldn't, by any possibility, ever be the Prince's
wife. But, bless me, 'tis a good many years ago — you were scarce weaned then. Well,
he said so, and the poor lady, who they say has got her marriage lines laid by in safety
somewhere, took it mighty ill, and has never forgiven him. She dislikes Brummel for a
different cause. She thinks he leads the pretty little Royal dear into mischief. Why, my
boy, 'tis he who introduced him to the lovely Charnock!"
Simon had been listening uneasily to this conversation, now telling himself that his
supposition that the two men were alluding to Rachel was merely the effect of his
diseased fancy, now turning sick with the dread that she had indeed made herself so