; and decidedly clever."

Lord Spendquick was usually esteemed a gentleman without three ideas.

Randal smiled.

In the mean while the visitor had taken out a card from an embossed
morocco case, and now presented it to Randal, who read thereon, "Baron
Levy, No.--, Bruton St."

The name was not unknown to Randal. It was a name too often on the lips
of men of fashion not to have reached the ears of an habitue of good
society.

Mr. Levy had been a solicitor by profession. He had of late years
relinquished his ostensible calling: and not long since, in consequence
of some services towards the negotiation of a loan, had been created a
baron by one of the German kings. The wealth of Mr. Levy was said to be
only equalled by his good-nature to all who were in want of a temporary
loan, and with sound expectations of repaying it some day or other.

You seldom saw a finer-looking man than Baron Levy, about the same age
as Egerton, but looking younger: so well preserved, such magnificent
black whiskers, such superb teeth! Despite his name and his dark
complexion, he did not, however, resemble a Jew,--at least externally;
and, in fact, he was not a Jew on the father's side, but the natural son
of a rich English grand seigneur, by a Hebrew lady of distinction--in
the opera. After his birth, this lady had married a German trader of
her own persuasion, and her husband had been prevailed upon, for the
convenience of all parties, to adopt his wife's son, and accord to him
his own Hebrew name. Mr. Levy, senior, was soon left a widower, and then
the real father, though never actually owning the boy, had shown him
great attention,--had him frequently at his house, initiated him betimes
into his own high-born society, for which the boy showed great taste.
But when my Lord died, and left but a moderate legacy to the younger
Levy, who was then about eighteen, that ambiguous person was articled to
an attorney by his putative sire, who shortly afterwards returned to his
native land, and was buried at Prague, where his tombstone may yet be
seen. Young Levy, however, contrived to do very well without him. His
real birth was generally known, and rather advantageous to him in a
social point of view. His legacy enabled him to become a partner
where he had been a clerk, and his practice became great amongst the
fashionable classes of society. Indeed he was so useful, so pleasant,
so much a man of the world, that he grew intimate with his
client