Oxford-blue from Randall's, and an immaculate guinea
Lincoln-and-Bennett, our hero was delighted with the general effect
of the costume; and after calling in at the tailor's to express his
approbation, he at once sallied forth to "do the High," and display
his new purchases. A drawn silk bonnet of pale lavender, from which
floated some bewitching ringlets, quickly attracted our hero's
attention; and the sight of an arch, French-looking face, which (to
his short-sighted imagination) smiled upon him as the young lady
rustled by, immediately plunged him into the depths of first-love.
Without the slightest encouragement being given him, he stalked this
little deer to her lair, and, after some difficulty, discovered the
enchantress to be Mademoiselle Mouslin de Laine, one of the presiding
goddesses of a fancy hosiery warehouse. There, for the next fortnight,
- until which immense period his ardent passion had not subsided, -
our hero was daily to be seen purchasing articles for which he had no
earthly use, but fully recompensed for his outlay by the artless
(ill-natured people said, artful) smiles, and engaging, piquant
conversation of mademoiselle. Our hero, when reminded of this at a
subsequent period, protested that he had thus acted merely to improve
his French, and only conversed with mademoiselle for educational
purposes. But we have our doubts. ~Credat Judaeus!~

About this time also our hero laid the nest-eggs for a very pro-


[94 ADVENTURES OF MR. VERDANT GREEN]

mising brood of bills, by acquiring an expensive habit of strolling
in to shops, and purchasing "an extensive assortment of articles of
every description," for no other consideration than that