_Sir Per_. My dear lord, I beg ten millions of pardons for leaving town before you; but you ken that your lordship at dinner yesterday settled it that we should meet this morning at the levee.
_Lord Lum_. That I acknowledge, Mac.--I did promise to be there, I own.
_Sir Per_. You did, indeed.--And accordingly I was at the levee and waited there till every soul was gone, and, seeing you did not come, I concluded that your lordship was gone before.
_Lord Lum_. Why, to confess the truth, my dear Mac, those old sinners, Lord Freakish, General Jolly, Sir Antony Soaker, and two or three more of that set, laid hold of me last night at the opera,--and, as the General says, 'from the intelligence of my head this morning,' I believe we drank pretty deep ere we departed; ha, ha, ha!
_Sir Per_. Ha, ha, ha! nay, if you were with that party, my lord, I do not wonder at not seeing your lordship at the levee,
_Lord Lum_. The truth is, Sir Pertinax, my fellow let me sleep too long for the levee.--But I wish I had seen you before you left town--I wanted you dreadfully.
_Sir Per_. I am heartily sorry that I was not in the way:--but on what account did you want me?
_Lord Lum_. Ha, ha, ha! a cursed awkward affair.--And, ha, ha, ha! yet I cann't help laughing at it neither--tho' it vext me confoundedly.
_Sir Per_. Vext you, my lord! Zounds, I wish I had been with you:--but, for heaven's sake, my lord,--what was it, that could possibly vex your lordship?
_Lord Lum_. Why, that impudent, teasing, dunning rascal, Mahogany, my upholsterer.--You know the fellow?
_Lord Lum_. The impudent scoundrel has sued me up to some damned kind of a--something or other in the law, that I think they call an execution.
_Lord Lum_. Upon which, sir, the fellow, by way of asking pardon--ha, ha, ha! had the modesty to wait on me two or three days ago, to inform my honour--ha, ha, ha! as he was pleased to dignify me,--that the execution was now ready to be put in force against my honour;--but that out of respect to my honour--as he had taken a great deal of my honour's money-- he would not suffer his lawyer to serve it, till he had first informed my honour, because he was not willing to affront my honour; ha, ha, ha! a son of a whore!