Pole. 'Now I hold he is the most
conceited, affected fellow that I ever met,' he continued with unusual
energy.
'Ah! you men do not understand him,' said Lady Monteagle, shaking her
head. 'You cannot,' she added, with a look of pity.
'I cannot, certainly,' said Mr. Pole, 'or his writings either. For my
part I think the town has gone mad.'
'Well, you must confess,' said her ladyship, with a glance of triumph,
'that it was very lucky for us that I made him a Whig.'
'I cannot agree with you at all on that head,' said Mr. Pole. 'We
certainly are not very popular at this moment, and I feel convinced
that a connection with a person who attracts so much notice as
Cadurcis unfortunately does, and whose opinions on morals and religion
must be so offensive to the vast majority of the English public, must
ultimately prove anything but advantageous to our party.'
'Oh! my dear Mr. Pole,' said her ladyship, in a tone of affected
deprecation, 'think what a genius he is!'
'We have very different ideas of genius, Lady Monteagle, I suspect,'
said her visitor.
'You cannot deny,' replied her ladyship, rising from her recumbent
posture, with some animation, 'that he is a poet?'
'It is difficult to decide upon our contemporaries,' said Mr.
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