ooming
into the world out of the nursery. They have been schooled there to keep
their bright eyes to look only on the prince and the duke, Croesus and
Dives. By long cramping and careful process, their little natural hearts
have been squeezed up, like the feet of their fashionable little sisters
in China. As you see a pauper's child, with an awful premature knowledge
of the pawnshop, able to haggle at market with her wretched halfpence,
and battle bargains at hucksters' stalls, you shall find a young beauty,
who was a child in the schoolroom a year since, as wise and knowing as
the old practitioners on that exchange; as economical of her smiles, as
dexterous in keeping back or producing her beautiful wares; as skilful
in setting one bidder against another; as keen as the smartest merchant
in Vanity Fair.

If the young gentlemen of the Life Guards Green who were talking about
Miss Newcome and her suitors, were silent when Clive appeared amongst
them, it was because they were aware not only of his relationship to the
young lady, but his unhappy condition regarding her. Certain men there
are who never tell their love, but let concealment, like a worm in
the bud, feed on their damask cheeks; others again must be not always
thinking, but talking, about the darling object. So it was not very
long before Captain Crackthorpe was taken into Clive's confidence, and
through Crackthorpe very likely the whole mess became acquainted with
his passion. These young fellows, who had been early introduced into
the world, gave Clive small hopes of success, putting to him, in their
downright phraseology, the point of which he was already aware, that
Miss Newcome was intended for his superiors, and that he had best not
make his mind uneasy by sighing for those beautiful grapes which were
beyond his reach.

But the good-natured Crackthorpe, who had a pity for the young painter's
condition, helped him so far (and gained Clive's warmest thanks for
his good offices), by asking admission for Clive to entertain evening
parties of the beau-monde, where he had the gratification of meeting
his charmer. Ethel was surprised and pleased, and Lady Kew surprised and
angry, at meeting Clive Newcome at these fashionable houses; the girl
herself was touched very likely at his pertinacity in following her.
As there was no actual feud between them, she could not refuse now and
again to dance with her cousin; and thus he picked up such small crumbs
of consola