The Reminiscences of Sir Barrington Beaumont, Bart

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAFPER II THE DISPELLER OF MY ENNUI LIFE, said I, to Lord George Aylmer, is indeed ' weary, stale, flat, unprofitable, ' and I suppressed a yawn. You shouldn't say that, was his unsympathetic response; you have everything that a reasonable man can want.' Suppose I am not a reasonable man ? I suggested,...
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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAFPER II THE DISPELLER OF MY ENNUI LIFE, said I, to Lord George Aylmer, is indeed ' weary, stale, flat, unprofitable, ' and I suppressed a yawn. You shouldn't say that, was his unsympathetic response; you have everything that a reasonable man can want.' Suppose I am not a reasonable man ? I suggested, for I was in a contradictory humour. I will suppose it if you like, he conceded. In that case, what is the matter ? I am bored to death, said I, petulantly. We were strolling about together at Ranelagh one summer evening in the year 1778. Lord George was at that time my principal companion, guide, philosopher, and friend, at least as far as my conceit would allow any one to guide me. He was then close on thirty; his knowledge of the world was extensive, his taste in literature and the fine arts was unimpeachable, and his manner most imper- turbably agreeable. I believe he would have undertaken to perform a surgical operation, rebuild WestminsterAbbey, or assume command of the Channel Fleet, and no one would have discovered by his manner that the patient had died, the church fallen down, and the fleet been sunk or captured. He had small regular features, an interesting expression, and a worn face, which usually prejudiced the women in his favour. I liked him as well as I liked anybody; he was Ires bon camarade, and together we participated in innumerable pleasures. For a brief period he had been one of the wildest young sparks in Town, and somewhat noted in Paris also; but it was eight or nine years since he had passed through that phase, and his escapades had now been more or less forgotten. You have plenty of practice in the art of amusing yourself, said he; you ought to be a past master. Don't waste your opportunities It is...