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Vanity Fair: Amelia

At the Sedley home, Becky met Amelia's brother Joseph, a stout, puffy man, who wore buckskins and Hessian boots, several immense neckcloths, a red striped waistcoat, and an apple-green coat. He was lazy, peevish, a glutton, and a hard drinker, but Rebecca decided instantly to set her cap for him and began by whispering to Amelia, rather loud, "He's very handsome!" Rebecca's plans, however, were foiled by George Osborne, an admirer of Amelia, and Miss Sharp took her departure from the Sedley house.

She went to be governess in the home of Sir Pitt Crawley, which place, in her letters to Amelia, she dubbed Humdrum Hall. There were many Crawleys, the most important being Sir Pitt's spinster sister, and his second son, Rawdon Crawley. The old lady possessed seventy thousand pounds, and had almost adopted Rawdon, who was her favorite nephew, while several members of the family fought to supplant him in her favor. Captain Rawdon Crawley was a large young dandy, who spoke with a great voice and swore a good deal. He remarked of the demure Rebecca, "By Jove, she's a neat little filly!" and both he and his aunt took a decided fancy to the clever and fascinating little governess, though, indeed, she made conquest of pretty much whomsoever she chose. Now we must flit back to London to see what has become of Miss Amelia. Far less interesting than Becky, and with nothing but her wax-doll face to recommend her, yet all the young men clustered round her chair and battled for a dance with her. She was now engaged to George Osborne, albeit his sisters wondered, "What could George find in that creature?" So much did they wonder this, that it affected George, and he concluded he was throwing himself away on the chit. But poor little Amelia adored him, and Captain Dobbin, who favored Amelia himself, kept Osborne up to the mark in his attentions. The infatuated girl cared nothing about the Napoleonic war that was raging, the fate of Europe was to her only Lieutenant George Osborne; while he, often away with his regiment, the Horse Guards, read her letters hastily, murmuring, "Poor little Emmy--how fond she is of me! and gad! what a headache that mixed punch has given me!"