"
"Who the deuce is that pleasant-looking fellow," said Bob, "who appears
to give and gain the _quid pro quo_ from every body that passes him?"
"That, my dear fellow, is the Grand Marshal of all the merry meetings
here, and a very gentlemanly, jovial, and witty fellow; just such a man
as should fill the office of master of the ceremonies, having both seen
and experienced enough of the world to know how to estimate character
almost at a first interview; he is highly and deservedly respected.
There is a very affecting anecdote in circulation respecting his
predecessor, the detail of which I much regret that I have lost; but
the spirit of the affair was too strongly imprinted upon my memory to be
easily obliterated. He had, it appears, loved a beauteous girl in
early life, and met with a reciprocal return; but the stern mandate
of parental authority prevented their union. The lover, almost
broken-hearted, sought a distant clime, and, after years of peril,
returned to England, bringing with him a wife. The match had been one
~235~~of interest, and they are seldom those of domestic bliss. It
proved so here--he became dissipated, and squandered away the property
he had possessed himself of by marriage. In this situation, he collected
together the wreck of his fortunes, and retired to Cheltenham, where his
amiable qualities and gentlemanly conduct endeared him to a large circle
of acquaintance, and, in the end, he was induced to accept the situation
of master of the ceremonies.
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