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AN AUCTION-ROOM EPISODE.
“the Tenth, “venerable divines, and members of parliament. There was my Lord So-and-so, calling to his Grace of Such-and-such, and there was the gallant Colonel Somebody, shaking hands with the Hon. Major Nobody; while old Lady Asterisk, with a fat poodle under her arm, which she would not resign, made way after her fair daughter, who was leaning on a gay captain of the Guards. Through this glittering phalanx of the aristocracy, I slid myself, by degrees, and at length got snugly ensconced in a corner of the room, nearly opposite the point of my mission. The noble crowd broke into groups; there was a truce to the levelling of glasses, and the buzz and murmur-the “beautiful! ““superb! ““unique! ““"! “unquestionable! “died away, as the auctioneer mounted his rostrum. He was a man of much polished amenity, with powdered hair, a blue coat, linen of unsullied purity, and a smile of unceasing urbanity. His commendations of the various lots were delivered with courteous intonations of voice, and measured cadences, and seemed to pay deference to the judgment of the company, while, in fact, they did much to direct it.
Lot after lot was put up, struggled for, and knocked down to the triumphant opponent; at length “Lot 37 “was announced, and my heart bounded into my very throat.
“Ladies and gentlemen, “began the orator, “the cabinet gem now submitted to competition is, perhaps, one of the finest specimens by the divine Urbino, ever consigned from Italy to this country. The eye of the connoisseur need but glance upon it, to create a conviction of its originality, its singular beauty, and its perfect preservation; and when 1 inform you that it is from the Palavacini Gallery at Rome, of which it was, for ages, the distinguished ornament; and, at the same time, refer to the known taste and consummate judgment of its late noble possessor, by whom it was purchased for a sum which I fear to mention, you cannot hesitate to mark your just appreciation of this invaluable work. What sum shall I have the honour of naming as a commencement? One thousand, seven hundred, five hundred, three hundred, one hundred guineas? “and he glanced round the brilliant assembly; his eye fell upon mine; I nodded, he bowed. “One hundred guineas, ladies and gentlemen, I am authorised “-he was interrupted by a second bidding, a third, a fourth, a fifth, and a dozen heads were nodding against each other, like Chinese mandarins on a mantel-shelf. The vertebræ of my neck was in perpetual motion, and it required the quickness of thought, and the vigilance of Argus, to keep pace with my rivals. The picture rose rapidly; eleven hundred guineas were bid for it, and a momentary pause took place. I breathed more freely; “the task is nearly over! “exclaimed 1; but as I listened in expectation of the sound of the hammer, the doors were thrown open, and a little old man, wrapped in a roquelaure, with his hat on one side, and every mark of disorder in his appearance, rushed into the room.
“Is it gone? Is it gone? “he exclaimed, driving every one right and left, “the Raffaelle! the Raffaelle! Am I too late? “The auctioneer suspended his blow, and murmurs of “his Grace! "
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' his Grace! “ran round the room, while clusters of peers and peeresses crowded towards him; but pushing them aside, he flew up to the easel, uttered a fervent thanksgiving, and actually seemed to devour the picture with his eyes. Then pulling a cambric handkerchief from his pocket, that scented the whole place with otto of roses, he flung his hat upon a chair, and wiped his face, literally scarlet with the haste of his entre. The auctioneer politely hesitated to proceed. “Go on, go on, my good Sir! “cried out the stranger. “I am quite ready to commence-eleven hundred and fifty guineas. — I heard of the sale only two days ago at Antwerp, “he continued, turning to the marchioness of “and travelled day and night, lest the stupidity of an agent might cause the irreparable loss of this treasure-am but this instant arrived, having neither eaten nor drank upon my way-my cigar was every thing-but who is that young man, with black hair, bidding against me? “he inquired. “A Mr. Montague, ” replied the Peeress, pointing her glass at me; the Duke followed her example-two pair of aristocratic eyes of the first class, were bent upon my burning cheeks at the same instant. Montague-Montague, what Montague? “said his Grace, without altering the position of his glass. “The nephew of Colonel Rivers, of the Lodge, Westmoreland. “The Duke started. “Colonel Rivers, did your ladyship say? Is it possible? Why Rivers was as unlucky as myself about the picture at Rome. ““Twelve hundred guineas, “insinuated the auctioneer; his Grace nodded. “Twelve hundred and fifty. “I did the same, all eyes were upon me; the Duke drew himself up in an attitude of cool determination, and looked at me as though he could smile me into insignificance. A dead silence prevailed, dowagers, peeresses, carls, and officers, were gazing upon me, for I was comparatively, unknown; and the presumption of opposing his Grace, filled them with surprise. My situation was, to me, frightfully conspicuous, and I had scarcely presence of mind to maintain the contest, when a familiar voice exclaimed, “Egad! there's my friend Montague, throwing away hundreds against the Duke of L-; “at the same moment a fine military-looking fellow, full six feet high, in dashing regimentals, seized me by the hand: it was Sydney. “Why, my dear boy, “he whispered, “it's madness to bid against his Grace-he'll never give in, or supposing he does, by Jove you'll get a dear bargain. “At this instant he was called away by a brother officer; my embarrassment reached its climax; the “inestimable gem “already stood at thirteen hundred guineas; what it might run to, there was no imagining. 1 faultered, paused, lost time; the Duke perceived my irresolution, threw in another bidding, and at the same moment a hundred glasses were, pivot-like, turned round at me: this completed my confusion, and
