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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f6a783b --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51628 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51628) diff --git a/old/51628-8.txt b/old/51628-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b2aea65..0000000 --- a/old/51628-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6425 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Delaware;, by G. P. R, (George Payne Rainsford James) - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Delaware; - or, The Ruined Family Vol. 1 - -Author: G. P. R, (George Payne Rainsford James) - -Release Date: April 2, 2016 [EBook #51628] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DELAWARE; *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by the -Web Archive (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) - - - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - 1. Page scans provided by the Internet Archive, - https://archive.org/details/delawareorruined01jame - (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) - - 2. The diphthong oe is represented by [oe]. - - - - -EDINBURGH -PRINTED BY M. AITKEN, 1, ST JAMES's SQUARE. - - - - - - -DELAWARE; - -OR - -THE RUINED FAMILY. - -A TALE. - - - -IN THREE VOLUMES. -VOL. I. - - - -EDINBURGH: -PRINTED FOR ROBERT CADELL, EDINBURGH; -AND WHITTAKER & CO., LONDON. -MDCCCXXXIII. - - - - - - -PREFACE. - - -Not many years ago, as the writer of this work was returning on -horseback to Castellamare, from a visit to the Lactarian Hills, he -overtook, just under the chestnut trees on the slope, which every one -who has visited that part of Italy must remember, two gentlemen with -their guide, who were on their way home after some expedition of a -kind similar to his own. - -As the indefinable something told him at once that they were -Englishmen, he turned, as usual under such circumstances, to examine -them more critically in passing, and in one of them recollected a -person whom he had met more than once in London. He hesitated whether -he should claim the acquaintance; as, when he had before seen him, the -traveller had appeared to great disadvantage. A man of rank and -fortune, flattered, caressed, single, and set at, he had borne a sort -of sneering indifference on his countenance, which certainly did not -recommend him to a person who neither sought his friendship nor feared -his contempt. A few traits, indeed, had casually appeared, which -seemed to betray a better spirit beneath this kind of supercilious -exterior; but still the impression was unfavourable. - -All hesitation, however, was put an end to by a bow and friendly -recognition on the part of the other; and either because the -annoyances of the society in which he had formerly been met, were now -removed, or because a general improvement had worked itself in his -demeanour and character, his tone was so different, and his aspect so -prepossessing, that all feelings of dislike were soon done away. He -instantly made his "dear, new-found friend" acquainted with his -companion; and informing him that he had left his wife and sister at -the Albergo Reale, invited him to join their party for the evening. - -This was accordingly done, and now--having ridden the third person -long enough, as it is the roughest going horse in the stable--I will, -with the reader's permission, do the next ten miles on the first -person singular. - -The acquaintance which was there renewed soon went on to intimacy; and -as I found that the party which I had met with, consisted of an odd -number, the unfortunate fifth being an old gentleman, who required -some one more of his own age than his four relations to converse with, -I ventured to propose myself as their companion in a visit to some -places in the neighbourhood, and as their cicerone to Pæstum. The -proposal was accepted; and, strange enough to say, our companionship, -which had commenced so suddenly, did not end till those I may now -boldly call my friends returned to England, nearly a year after, -leaving me to stupify at Lauzanne. - -Amongst the many pleasures which I derived from their society in -Italy, none was greater than that which some account of their -preceding adventures gave me. This was first obtained in a casual -manner, by hearing continual reference made amongst themselves to -particular circumstances. "Do you remember, Henry, such and such an -event? Does not that put you in mind of this, that, or the other?" was -continually ringing in my ears; and thus I gathered part ere the whole -was continuously related to me. At length, I obtained a complete -narrative; and though it was told with many a gay and happy jest, and -many a reference to details which would not amuse the world in -general, I could not help thinking that the public might find it -nearly as interesting as it proved to me. - -In the same sort of gossiping anecdotical style in which I received -it, I have here, with full permission, put down the whole story. In -what tongue under the sun I have written it, I do not very well know, -though the language I intended to employ is a sort of jargon, based -upon Anglo-Saxon, with a superstructure of the Norman corruption of -French, propped up by bad Latin, and having the vacancies supplied by -Greek. Taking it for granted, that into this refuge for destitute -tongues, any houseless stranger would be welcome, whenever I was not -able to find readily a word or expression to my purpose, I have either -made one for myself, or stolen one from the first language at hand; -and as this has been done in all ages, I make no apology for it here. - -I have reason, however, to believe that I have more sins to answer for -amongst the technical terms, and other more important matters. My -worthy lawyer, Mr. W----, tells me that my law is not sound; that, -instead of _indicted_ I should have said _arraigned_; instead of -_action_ I should have used the word _process_--or the reverse, I -forget which. My gallant friend, Captain D----, has taken much pains -to explain to me the difference between a _yawl_ and a _Peter boat_, -and has utterly confounded me with a definition of _clinker built_; -and my noble friend. Lord A----, declares that I have certainly -painted both his foibles and his adventures in somewhat strong -colours; but if, by so doing, I make a better book of it--why, let it -pass. - -For all this I apologize to the public in general, acknowledging that -I am neither lawyer nor physician, soldier nor sailor, scholar nor -philosopher, nor what the cant of a former day denominated a man of -wit about town. Whoever reads the book, will see all this at a glance; -but I trust they will also see that I have not drawn from things of -marble, but from flesh and blood. - -To one portion of his Britannic Majesty's subjects I have particularly -to apologize. Since this book went to the press, I have discovered, -from Cary's Road-Book, that there is a real village, or hamlet, or -town, called Emberton; and I hereby most solemnly declare, that, in -fixing upon that name as the scene of my chief adventures, I believed -I was employing an entirely fictitious title, and did so for the sole -purpose of concealing the real place at which some of the events -occurred. Let it be remembered, therefore, by all persons who have -seen, heard, or known any thing of the village, town, or hamlet of -Emberton, that, in writing this book, I did not know that such a place -did truly exist, and that nothing herein contained, is in any way to -be understood or construed to apply to the real place called Emberton -or its inhabitants, referring solely to a different spot in a -different county, which shall, by the reader's good leave, be -nameless. - -Innerleithen, -25_th May_, 1833. - - - - - - -DELAWARE; -OR, -THE RUINED FAMILY. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - -Most cities are hateful; and, without any disposition to "babble about -green fields," it must be owned that each is more or less detestable. -Nevertheless, amongst them all, there is none to be compared as a -whole to London;--none which comprehends within itself, from various -causes, so much of the sublime in every sort. Whether we consider its -giant immensity of expanse--the wonderful intricacy of its internal -structure--the miraculous harmony of its discrepant parts--the grand -amalgamation of its different orders, classes, states, pursuits, -professions--the mighty aggregate of hopes, wishes, endeavours, joys, -successes, fears, pangs, disappointments, crimes, and punishments, -that it contains--its relative influence on the world at large--or the -vehement pulse with which that "mighty heart" sends the flood of -circulation through this beautiful land--we shall find that that most -wonderful microcosm well deserves the epithet _sublime_. - -To view it rightly--if we wish to view it with the eye of a -philosopher--we should choose perhaps the hour which is chosen by the -most magnificent and extraordinary of modern poets, and gaze upon it -when the sun is just beginning to pour his first red beams through the -dim and loaded air, when that vast desert of brick and mortar, that -interminable wilderness of spires and chimneys, looks more wide, and -endless, and solemn, than when the eye is distracted by the myriads of -mites that creep about it in the risen day. - -It may be asked, perhaps, who is there that ever saw it at that hour, -except the red-armed housemaid, washing the morning step, and letting -in the industrious thief, to steal the greatcoats from the hall; or -the dull muffin-man, who goes tinkling his early bell through the -misty streets of the wintry morning? Granted, that neither of -these--nor the sellers of early purl--nor the venders of saloop and -cocoa--nor Covent Garden market-women--nor the late returners from the -_finish_--nor he who starts up from the doorway, where he has passed -the wretched night, to recommence the day's career of crime, and -danger, and sorrow--can look upon the vast hive in which they dwell -with over-refined feelings; and perhaps, to them, may come home -unhappy Shelley's forcible line, - - - "Hell is a city very much like London!" - - -The valetudinarian, too, who wakes with nervous punctuality to -swallow down the morning draught, prescribed by courtly Henry's -bitter-covering skill, may curse the cats that, perched upon the -tiles, salute their lady-loves with most discordant cries, and keep -him from repose; and, with all the virulence of Despréaux, may exclaim -upon the many hateful sounds of a town morning. But besides all these, -there are sometimes persons, who, rising five hours before their usual -time, come forth in all the freshness of the early day, stimulated by -the vast effort that roused them from their beds, proud of a -successful endeavour to get up, and excited by the novelty of the -circumstance and the scene, and who rush on, admiring all the beauties -as they go to take their places in the gay stage-coach. - -Fully double the extent of ancient Athens in its days of greatest -splendour--at least if the calculation of Aristides be correct--London -lies in circuit more than one day's journey, and many a day's journey -may be taken in the interior without ever threading the same streets. -It would not matter much, therefore, in what corner of the town was -placed the coach-office, whence, at an early hour of every lawful day, -set forth a smart-looking vehicle, drawn by four fiery bays, for a -distant town in ----shire; but nevertheless, as it may be a -satisfaction to the reader's mind, it is but fair to state, that the -aforesaid four-inside light coach took its departure daily from that -wild scene of bustle and confusion, which, within the last century or -two, has usurped the site of what a modern writer of ancient romance, -terms "the sweet little village of Charing," and which is now -popularly called the Golden Cross, Charing Cross. - -As the things that were, are now no more, and even three short years -have made sad havoc amidst the brick antiquities of dear Pall Mall, it -may not be amiss more particularly to commemorate the appearance--at -the time our tale commences--of that agglomeration of street corners, -Charing Cross, from which--on account I suppose of its beautiful -vagueness--all rogues and insolvent debtors were wont to date their -letters. But this commemoration had best be given in describing the -effect of the whole upon a young and unsophisticated mind. - -From a place that they call a hotel, in Piccadilly--Think of a man -taking up his abode at a hotel in Piccadilly!--but he knew no -better--From a hotel, in Piccadilly, at about half-past five o'clock -on the morning of the last day of August, one thousand eight hundred -and something, set out a hackney coach, containing within its sphere -of rotten wood and rusty leather a small portmanteau on the front -seat, and the portmanteau's master on the other. He was a well-made -youth, of about five-and-twenty years of age, with firm, graceful, and -yet powerful limbs, and a fresh clear complexion--not villainous red -and white, but one general tone of florid health. His eye was blue and -bright, and the clustering curls of fair hair--as pure Saxon as Sharon -Turner's last new book--might have looked somewhat girlish, had it not -been for the manly features and the free dauntless look that they -overshadowed. At the same time, be it remarked, that there was -something of melancholy, if not of gloom, in his aspect; but that did -not prevent him--after the chambermaid had been satisfied, and the -waiter had been paid, and boots had had his fees, and the porter had -claimed more than his due; and, in short, all the exactions of an inn -had been played off upon him in succession--that did not prevent him, -when fairly rolling away towards the top of the Haymarket, from gazing -out upon the scene around him with a sufficient degree of open-eyed -curiosity to make the waterman stick his tongue into his cheek, and -mentally denominate him "_a raw_." - -It may be necessary to inform the unlearned reader, that the sun -rises, in the end of August, a few minutes after five in the morning, -and at the time I speak of the great luminary was pouring a flood of -radiance through the loaded air of the vast city, filling the long -empty perspective of the streets with the golden mistiness of the -morning light. Closed within the dull boards which defend the precious -wares of many a careful tradesman from the cosmopolite fingers of the -liberal Many, the shops exhibited nothing but the names and -occupations of their various owners; but the wide streets, with all -their irregular buildings, in the broad light and shade, were not -without beauty of their own peculiar kind, distinct from all the -mighty associations connected with their existence. - -The coach rolled at the statute pace along Piccadilly, unobstructed by -any thing, and, indeed, unencountered by any thing but two slow market -carts, wending heavily towards Covent Garden, and another fac-simile -of itself just overcoming--in order to take up some other early -passenger--the _vis inertiæ_ which had held it on the straw-littered -stand for the last hour. In the Haymarket, however, the progression -was more difficult; for there, already had congregated many a loaded -cart, the drivers of which, as usual, had, with skilful zeal, -contrived to place them as a regular fortification, obstructing every -step of the way. Gin and purl, too, were reeking up to the sky from -the various temples of the rosy god that line the west side of the -street; and amidst the bargainings of some early dealers, and the -p[oe]ans of the gin-drinkers, no one attended to the objurgations of -the embarrassed coachman. Nevertheless, all these difficulties were at -length removed by one means or another; and Cockspur Street opened -wide before the traveller, exposing at the end, black with the smoke -of fires innumerable, the famous Statue and the girthless horse. On -one side, wide and open, lay Whitehall, with all those offices whence -many a time has issued the destiny of the world; on the other hand, -dark and dingy, wound away the Strand, with the house of the Percys -maintaining still the last aspect of a feudal dwelling to be found in -London. The King's Mews, on which a violating hand had hardly yet been -laid, occupied all the space to the left; and the flaming ensign of -the Golden Cross, stuck up in front of a tall narrow-fronted house, -told that the place of many coaches was before the traveller's eyes. - -He found, on alighting, that he had arrived at least ten minutes -before the time; and after having been cheated, as usual, by the -hackney coachman, and gazed about the dull desolate yard, shut in by -the high houses round, in the far shadows of which stood two or three -red, blue, and yellow vehicles, all unpacked and unhorsed, he once -more sauntered out through the low-browed arch which gave admission to -the court, and amused himself with the wider scene exhibited by the -street. - -At that hour, one-half of Murillo's pictures find living -representatives in the streets of London; and when the young traveller -had moralized for a minute or two on some groups of beggar-boys -playing round the Statue--had marked the sage and solemn pace with -which an elderly waterman brought forth his breakfast to a coachman on -the stand--and had listened to the Solon-like sayings of each upon the -weather and the state of the nation--he was looking back to see -whether the coming of the coach was hopeless, when the rushing noise -of rapid wheels caught his ear, and he turned his eyes in the -direction of the sound. - -If people would but remark, they would find that they have -presentiments of little events a thousand times more often than they -have presentiments of great ones; and the feeling of the gallant -Nelson was not more strong, that the sun of Trafalgar was the last -that was destined to shine upon his glory, than was at that moment the -conviction of the young traveller that those rolling wheels were about -to bring him a companion for the stage-coach. Nor, let me tell you, -gentle reader, is it a matter of small importance who is to be brought -in such close contact with one for the next ten hours. What is life -but a chain of those brief portions of eternity which man calls hours, -so inseparably linked together that the first and the last, and every -link throughout the series, have a mutual dependence and connexion -with each other! Oh, let no one despise an hour! It is fully enough to -change dynasties and overthrow empires--to make or mar a fortune--to -win high renown or stain a noble name--to end our being or to fix our -destiny here and hereafter, in time and through eternity. So awful a -thing is one hour--ay, one moment of active being! - -The companion of the three hundred and sixty-fifth part of one out of -seventy years, is a person to whom we may well attach some importance; -and the young traveller looked with no small eagerness to see who was -about to fill that station in relation to himself. The first thing -that his eyes fell upon, as he turned round, was a dark brown -cabriolet, whirled along with the speed of lightning by a tall bay -horse, full of blood and action, and covered with harness, which, -though somewhat elaborate and evidently costly, was guarded by -scrupulous good taste from being gaudy. Behind the vehicle appeared a -smart active boy in groom's apparel, but with no distinctive livery to -designate him as the tiger of Colonel this, or the Earl of that, -though a cockade in his hat told that his master pretended to either -military or naval rank. Where the young traveller stood, the -appearance of the driver was not to be discerned; but, from the style -of the whole turn-out, he began to doubt that his anticipations in -regard to their approaching companionship were fallacious, when, -dashing up to the pavement, the horse was suddenly drawn up, the groom -sprang to the head, and the person within at length made his -appearance. - -He was a young man of about seven-and-twenty, tall, and rather -gracefully than strongly made; but still with a breadth of chest, and -a sort of firm setting on his feet, which spoke a greater degree of -personal strength than appeared at a casual glance. His clothes were -all of that peculiar cut which combines the most decided adherence to -the prevailing fashion, with a very slight touch of its extravagance. -Every thing, however, in the whole of his apparel, was in good -keeping, as the painters call it; and though the colours that appeared -therein, were such as no one but a man of rank and station in society -would have dared to wear, the general hue of the whole was dark. - -"He's a dandy!" thought the young traveller, with a somewhat -contemptuous curl of the lip as the other descended from the -cabriolet; but the moment after, hearing him bid the boy tell Swainson -not to forget to give Brutus a ball on Wednesday night--and to walk -Miss Liddy for an hour twice every day in the park, he concluded that -he was a gentleman horse-jockey--a thing, in his unsophisticated -ideas, equally detestable with a dandy. Scarcely had he come to this -conclusion--and his conclusions, be it remarked, were formed very -quickly--when the stranger strode rapidly past him. The cabriolet -drove away, and its owner--with a quantity of glossy black hair -escaping from under his hat, and mingling with whiskers more glossy -still--entered the inn-yard, and proceeded to the coach-office. - -The other traveller followed, in hopes of seeing some signs of -approaching departure; and, as he did so, he heard the reply of the -book-keeper to something which the owner of the cabriolet had asked. -"No room outside, sir;--very sorry, indeed--got our full number,"--he -had got three more, by the way,--"plenty of room inside.--That 'ere -gentleman's going inside, 'cause he can't get room out." - -"Well, inside be it then," replied the other. - -The book-keeper began to write. "What name, sir?" - -"Burrel!" replied the stranger. - -"Any luggage?" - -"None," answered Burrel. - -"One pound ten shillings and sixpence, sir, if you please!" said the -book-keeper; and, as Burrel paid the money, the coachman's cry of, -"Now, gentlemen, if you please!" sounded through the yard. - -In another minute the horses were dashing through that antique and -abominable arch, which, in days of yore, gave egress and regress to -the Golden Cross, while Burrel and the other traveller, seated side by -side, held their breath as the rough vehicle clattered over the London -stones. It has often been remarked, that it is wonderful how much -shaking together two Englishmen require before they speak to each -other; and, in setting out from a town like London, there is scarcely -any individual who has not too much to think of--either in parting -from well-loved friends--in quitting scenes of pleasure or of pain--in -self-congratulation on escaping from smoke and noise--in anticipation -of quiet and repose of joyful meetings and smiles of welcome--not to -court a few minutes' calm reflection as they leave behind them that -great misty den of feelings and events. Our two travellers then leaned -back in their respective corners without the interchange of a -word--the one, Burrel, apparently buried in deep thought; and the -other too proud, if not too shy, to begin any conversation himself, -even had he not had memories enough in his bosom to furnish him also, -with food for meditation. Such, however, he had; and--seeing that his -companion appeared wrapped up in that sort of gentlemanly reserve -which so often covers over a man's eyes, ears, and understanding, as -he goes through life, and leaves him, like the Grand Lama, with -nothing to speculate upon but his own perfections--the younger -traveller gave way also to his thoughts, and, ere they had reached -Brentford, had forgotten that there was any being in the coach but -himself. - -His reflections did not seem very pleasant; for at Hounslow, what -appeared to be the first act thereof, ended in a sigh so long and -deep, that it attracted the notice of his fellow-traveller, who turned -his head, and, for the first time, examined him somewhat attentively, -as he sat looking out of the windows, with the objects as they passed -skimming hardly noted before his eyes. The second act of the young -man's thoughts did not seem quite so abstracted as the first; for when -the coach stopped for a few minutes at Staines, he put his head forth -from the window, and demanded the name of the place, addressing -Mynheer Boots, who gazed in his face and answered nothing. - -"This is Staines," replied his hitherto silent companion, in a mild -gentlemanly tone, in which there was not the slightest touch of -_coxcombry_ or affectation; "perhaps you have never travelled this -road before?" - -"I have, indeed," replied the other; "but the first time was many -years ago; and when last I passed, I had various things to think of, -which prevented my noting particularly the places through which I -travelled." - -"Oh, any thing on earth to think of," replied Burrel, "of course -renders travelling out of the question. It is no longer travelling, it -is locomotion.--It becomes the act of a stage-coach, a steam-engine, -or any other machine, as soon as a person has one thought occupied by -either business or memory, or any one of the troublesome things of the -world. Before one sets out on a journey, one should shake out one's -mind, as the ancient pilgrims did their wallets, and leave no trace of -friends, or relations, or feelings, or prejudices, or remembrances of -any kind in short, to hang about it; but make all void and clear for -the new stock of ideas that are to be placed in it." - -"Yours is a strange doctrine," replied his companion, "though I -believe it might be as well to practise it." - -"Why, if a man carries about in his mind," continued Burrel, "his -uncles and aunts, and sisters and brothers, and all the luggage of -associations that they bring along with them, he might as well jog on -in the old family coach at the rate of forty mortal miles per day, -from the town house in Berkeley Square to the country house in -Staffordshire. But let a man resolve to forget every thing on earth -but the scenes through which he is passing, and he will find as much -to interest, and amuse, and excite him--ay, and as much to the purpose -of real information too--between London and Dorchester, as between -Paris and the Dardanelles." - -His companion smiled, perhaps as much from surprise at the very -unexpected tone of his fellow-traveller's tirade, as from any -acquiescence in the tirade itself. "Nay, nay," he said; "surely you -won't deny that--putting all other advantages out of the question -between the two journeys you mention--there is still much more -picturesque beauty to be found between Paris and the Dardanelles than -between London and Dorchester?" - -"I do not know that," replied Burrel. "There may be newer scenery, and -perhaps more sublime scenery; but whether the more sublime be -calculated to produce a finer or a sweeter effect upon man's heart and -mind than softer and gentler pictures, I much doubt. There is -something in an English landscape to be found nowhere else--an air of -rich, sweet, happy repose--of safe tranquillity and successful -industry, that is in itself almost sublime. Let your eye now run over -that view as the coach climbs the hill. Where did you ever behold a -scene on which sight can so pleasantly repose?--The rich scattered -wood in front, full of Old England's grand primeval oaks.--Then look -how, bending over a thousand slopes, in the true lines of beauty, the -hedgerows wind along, dividing wealthy field from field--now giving -skips and glances of fair towns and uplands, and now massing together, -till the eye believes them to be deep groves--then that catch of the -river, glistening under the hill, while the sunshine streams through -the valley, and that broad shadow of some cloud we do not see, passes -slowly on, at every change that it effects in the light and shade of -the landscape, bringing out some new beauty, as if it itself delighted -in the loveliness it produces. Then again, cast your eyes up yonder to -the village church hanging halfway down the hill, with its neat -parsonage embowered in tall elms; and looking, as it is, the abode of -peace and virtue. As good a man dwells there as the whole world can -produce, and a true representative of the great majority of the -much-belied English clergy. But say, did you ever see a fairer scene?" - -"Seldom, indeed," replied his companion, whose attention, called to -the principal points of a purely English picture, found more beauties -in it than custom suffered him to see before. "But still," he added, -"I am fond of mountain scenery." - -"And so am I," replied Burrel. "I am fond of every kind of scenery, -from the bold blue mountain with its purple heath, as bare, as naked, -and as wild as the banks of Loch Awe itself can show, to the rich and -undulating plains of Champagne, where soft line beyond line of faint -and fainter shadows, vanishing away in Claude-like sunshine, are all -that marks the wide extent over which the eye can roam. There is such -a thing as the economy of admiration; and by husbanding that faculty -properly, you will not find a scene in all the world on which you -cannot afford to bestow some small portion thereof." - -The other traveller replied, not a little pleased to find that all the -fine sketches which he had been making of his companion's character, -during the earlier part of their journey, were as empty as a protocol; -and, with the very natural jump which man's heart takes when it finds -itself agreeably disappointed in the estimation it had formed of -another, perhaps the stranger now felt as much inclined to over-admire -his companion, as he had before been disposed to undervalue him. A -growing remembrance of his features, too, for some time made him fancy -that he had met with an old friend, whose face, like a worn piece of -money, though half obliterated by time, was still sufficiently plain -to tease memory--one of those provoking recollections, as tenacious as -remorse, and intactible as a soufflet. After some farther -conversation, and one or two thoughtful pauses--in which memory was so -busy in digging amongst the ruins of the past to see if she could find -the name of Burrel, that she would not even let the young traveller's -loquacious powers go on, for fear of disturbing her search--he -suddenly exclaimed, with that degree of frank simplicity which at once -spoke him but little a child of the great world, "Oh! now I remember -where it was; I saw you before!" - -"Where?" demanded Burrel with a slight smile, which he instantly -repressed lest he should give pain. - -But the young stranger was not of a nature to think there could be any -thing wrong or absurd in acknowledging whatever he felt, if what he -felt were pure and natural. "It was at the door of Lord Ashborough, in -Grosvenor Square," he replied at once. "You were coming out as I was -going in to call for his lordship. It was but yesterday; and yet I -have been searching through many long years to find out where it was I -had seen you before." - -"Memory is like the philosophers," replied Burrel, "and often sends -out far to seek what she might stumble over at her own door. I now -remember your face also, and think I heard you give your name as -Captain Delaware." - -"The same," answered his companion with somewhat of a sigh. "Do you -know Lord Ashborough well?" - -"I have known him long," replied Burrel; "but to know a man well is a -very different thing; for I am afraid that all men have learned -now-a-days what Sallust regrets in the decline of the Romans--_magis -vultum quam ingenium, bonum habere_. Not that I mean to say it is so -with Lord Ashborough;--far from it. He bears a high character in the -world, and is esteemed upright, honourable, and talented, though -somewhat stern and haughty." - -A grave and rather melancholy expression came over the countenance of -the other; and he replied, changing the subject abruptly, "You were -speaking of the Dardanelles. Were you ever there?" - -"Never," answered Burrel, "though once within little more than a -hundred leagues. I should have been well pleased to have gone on; but -circumstances called me back to England." - -"I have been there," replied the other; "and there is nothing -more delightful on earth than the sail from Corfu to -Constantinople--except, indeed, some parts of the coast of Sicily." - -"You are a naval man, then, I presume?" said Burrel. The other -answered in the affirmative, and his companion proceeded. - -----"For nothing on earth could be more disagreeable to me, and I -suppose to most landsmen, than a sail from any one given point of the -globe's surface to another. When you speak of Sicily, however, you -speak of a land that I too know well; and in regard to which I can -enter into your enthusiasm. There are few lands more fertile in -beauties of nature and association than Sicily, and Epicurean -Calabria, and the old Etruscan groves! You have of course visited -Italy, if you so well know Sicily?" - -"I have done little more than cruise along the coast," replied Captain -Delaware; "but in Sicily I was landed, and remained some months for -the recovery of my health." - -"Oh, the sweet coasts of the Mediterranean Sea!" said Burrel, "where -at every league there is some beauty and some memory--some pleasant -dream of the present or the past---from the Imperial City and its -wolf-suckled founder, to the grey majesty of Pæstum and the Calabrese -peasant with his long gun and his Mother Goose hat, caroling his gay -ditty as cheerfully as a pickpocket. In every other corner of the -world, I feel earth stuffed with stern realities; but in Italy I can -fully enter into the feeling of Metastasio, and exclaim, '_Sogno della -mia vita e il corso intero!_'" - -"You are an enthusiast, I see," replied the other with a smile. - -"When I am in company with one," answered Burrel laughing. His -companion coloured slightly, but good-humouredly, and the conversation -went on in the same easy manner in which it had commenced, through the -rest of their journey. It is unnecessary to give any farther details -thereof; for such light nothings, though very pleasant to while away -the hours in a stage-coach, are most excessively tiresome in the small -pages of an octavo. Let it suffice that Captain Delaware, surprised -and pleased with his companion, found the journey far shorter than he -had expected. Indeed, so captivated was he, that in the whole of -Burrel's deportment there was but one thing he thought might have been -altered to advantage, which was a certain air of taking every thing as -a matter of course--a tone of indifference which men of the world -acquire they know not well how, and which, in the present instance, -blended in an extraordinary manner with the high feeling of the -beautiful and the excellent which his conversation breathed -throughout. - -That tone, however, is not without its advantages also, and the young -sailor found that it might be serviceable, when at Hartford Bridge a -person of a very different description was intruded upon them. He was -a short, broad made man, with long baboonish arms, and a face on which -nature had so plainly written the class to which it was to belong, -that had fortune in some of her freaks covered it either with the -coronet of a peer, or a peasants straw hat, his mother, or fortune, or -nature, would have had much to answer for. Some of the features were -good, however--the eyes were very tolerable, for instance; and the -nose was not bad. But then the cheek-bones!--Good God, such -cheek-bones! From Crim Tartary to Banff there is nothing to be seen -like them. The mouth, too, was worse--one of those fearful mouths, -whose broad, fat, wide-parted, irregular lips, seem to vaticinate the -fate of the owner with such distinctness that no person of common -foresight can see them without at once picturing the person who -possesses them--not as about to be hanged, but as actually hanging. -The skin that was over all was of that reddish, coarse, mottled kind, -which puts one in mind of a gross strawberry; and although, as before -said, the eyes in themselves were _goodish_ blue, meaningless eyes -enough, yet the place where there should have grown eyelashes, being -alone furnished with a red knotty line in their room, gave them a -ferret-like sharpness, without which they would have signified nothing -at all. - -This Worthy, "_passant à joints pieds_" as Madame de Sevigné calls it, -over all ceremonies, was inclined to make himself so much at his ease, -that Captain Delaware--disgusted and offended, yet without any -absolute pretext for anger--felt strongly inclined to quarrel with, -and eject from the window, a person who interrupted a pleasant -conversation to substitute vulgar impertinence in its place. Burrel, -on the contrary, with cool indifference, amused himself for a moment -or two with the other's vulgarity, and then trode him into silence by -contempt. He then calmly resumed the conversation with his first -companion, from which there was something in his tone and manner that -irresistibly excluded the other, who to revenge himself looked out of -the window, and, like my Uncle Toby, whistled _lillebullero_. - -Thus passed the remaining hours of their journey--Burrel every moment -increasing upon the esteem of his travelling companion, till at length -they approached, about six o'clock, a little village, which, though it -may bear a different name in the county map, we shall take the liberty -of calling Emberton. The sun had so far declined from the meridian, -that the shadows were getting long and blue; but still the sheeny -splendour of the summer's day was not at all decreased, though the -approach of evening had cleared away the hazy brightness which hangs -ever about a very hot and sunny noon. The coach wound on along the -road, every now and then passing various objects which gave notice -that it was approaching some place where the busy and improving emmets -that lord it over this ant-hill world, had congregated together, and -adorned their place of sojourn. Now came a neat gate and a detached -cottage, too miniature in all its proportions, from the little -turkey-carpet garden to the rustic porch, to be the country mansion of -any man of large property; and yet too neat, and one might perhaps say -too elegant, to be the dwelling of the poor. It was evidently the -house of the doctor or the lawyer, or the retired maiden lady of some -village near at hand, and it again was succeeded by a long clean -whitewashed wall, belonging to garden, or shrubbery, or semi-park, -between which and the coach road ran a fair gravel footpath, defended -by green posts and iron chains. The manifold paths and roads branching -to the right and left, clean and well kept, told the same tale of -man's habitation; and in a moment after, winding over a slight rise, -the coach reached the brow of the hill from which the whole village or -little town of Emberton was visible. - -It lay in a country slightly undulating, but backed by some high hills -at the distance of about fifteen miles, and between them and the -elevation which the coach had reached, the expanse might rather be -called a plain than a valley. The village was close beneath the slope, -and had little to distinguish it from any other English country town, -having all that peculiar air of cleanness, of regularity, and of the -spirit of industry and cultivation, which is only to be seen in -England. Its greatest ornament was the river, which, clear, smooth, -and tranquil, ran through the town very nearly at the middle, and was -itself spanned over by a neat stone bridge of about fifty yards in -length. That bridge, however, was to be remarked for something more -than its light and elegant construction: its balustrade formed the -continuation of a low stone wall which separated the village from a -wide park on the right hand side, full of majestic trees, scattered in -groups of four or five over a fine undulating piece of ground. Through -the midst the river flowed gently on, reflecting the evening sky, and -two or three swans that floated on its bosom, the clear light of which -was only broken here and there by a fall of a few feet, which scarcely -increased the flow of the current. As one looked up the park from -the bridge--at the distance of about a third of a mile on either -hand--might be seen a grove of tall graceful trees, sufficiently -extensive to take the appearance of a forest, in some of the glades of -which the eye caught occasionally the remains of old summer-houses, in -the Charles the Second taste; and in the central point was seen the -mansion itself built of mingled gray stone and red brick, with small -innumerable windows. It bore the aspect of what it really had been--a -monastery erected early in the reign of Henry VIII. by a wealthy -community of friars. From them it was afterwards wrested by that pink -of reforming monarchs, tyrants, and plunderers, and bestowed upon some -minion of the day. The buttery of their time had become the lodge now, -and was a detached building in the same fashion as the house, -projecting into the high-road, and flanked by two large iron gates, -which, to say sooth, were somewhat rusty for the want of paint. In -what state of repair the dwelling-house itself was kept, could hardly -be discerned at that distance; but no kinds of deer were seen sporting -in the park, and sheep had evidently taken their place, as affording -probably a more profitable manner of employing the land. - -"That seems a splendid park!" said Burrel, as his eye first lighted on -it. "Do you know what it is called?" - -"Emberton Park," replied the young sailor briefly. - -"And belongs to?"----said Burrel. - -"Sir Sidney Delaware, my father," answered the young man with so deep -a sigh that Burrel asked no further questions. - -After dragging the wheel, the coach ran rapidly down the descent, and -then rolling on, stopped at a neat clean house, with a small garden in -the front. At the little white gate were four fine setters, with a -servant out of livery; who instantly touched his hat to Burrel, and, -approaching the door, said, "This is the house, sir." - -"Very well," answered Burrel; "and now farewell Captain Delaware," he -said, turning to his companion, and, giving him his hand with as much -frank good humour as if he had addressed an old acquaintance, "I doubt -not we shall meet again." - -Delaware grasped his hand without reply, and the other alighted. All -his dogs sprang up to greet him with evident joy, much to the -detriment of his clothes, but not the least of his good humour, and -after gazing up and down the road for a moment as one does in a -strange place, he walked through the little gate and entered the -house, at the door of which stood a tidy old lady, evidently curtsying -to a new lodger. - -The coach drove on; and then again stopped at the lodge of the park, -where Captain Delaware alighted also. His portmanteau was given to the -woman at the lodge; and he himself with a quick step walked up the -path which led to the mansion. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -Whether there be something inherent in the nature of things which -renders any object that man very much desires, thenceforth very -difficult to be obtained; or whether it be, that, by a certain -perversity in man's nature, he only desires those things that _are_ -difficult to be obtained, I cannot tell; but one point is very clear -in every body's experience, that whenever we fix our heart upon one -particular object, and strive for it very ardently, however easy it -might seem before, we find a thousand difficulties and obstacles start -up upon our path, and overrule our wishes. Nevertheless, as there is -nothing upon earth half so tiresome--ay, and half so useless, too--as -a disquisition upon causes and effects, we will proceed with the -events which gave rise to the above sage observation, which, by -rights, should have followed this chapter as a corollary upon it, -instead of a sort of epigraph at its head. - -The person who has figured before the reader during a long day's -journey in a stage-coach under the name of Burrel, entered the small -neat house we have before described; and, after having considered -attentively with his eyes all the proportions and dimensions of the -little parlour which was to be his sitting-room, he seated himself -before the antique, and somewhat obscure, mahogany table that it -contained, and addressed his servant--who had followed into the room, -together with the decent, respectable landlady--pronouncing those two -important, but somewhat laconic words, "Get dinner!" - -The man bowed, and left the room without reply, and Burrel proceeded, -speaking to the landlady, who was beginning to fear, from certain -symptoms that she saw, that both master and man were equally taciturn. -"Well, my good lady," he said, "my man has doubtless arranged every -thing with you, and I hope you are satisfied with the bargain he has -made?" - -"Oh dear, yes, sir!" replied Widow Wilson, as the good dame was -denominated. "There was but one word to that bargain, I can assure -you." - -"I suppose so," said Burrel dryly, "if Harding concluded it. But tell -me--that is a beautiful park opposite the window; who does it belong -to?" - -"Bless you, sir, that is Emberton Park!" replied the landlady, looking -unutterable things at Burrel's ignorance. "You must have heard tell of -Sir Sidney Delaware, Bart. of Emberton Park, surely?" - -"I think I have heard the name," replied Burrel. "What family has he?" - -"Why, Lord bless me, sir! you came down with his own son," answered -the old lady, more and more surprised at her lodger's ignorance of -village facts, and beginning greatly to undervalue his understanding. -"Why, I saw the Captain's head as plain as possible when you got out -of the coach." - -"Indeed!" said Burrel, with gravity not to be shaken; "and is he an -only child?" - -"Oh no, sir, no!" answered Mrs. Wilson. "Sir Sidney has a young lady, -too. Himself, his son, and his daughter--that is all of them, poor -people!" - -"Poor people!" exclaimed Burrel; "I should think they were rich people -with such a fine estate as that?" - -"Ah, sir, things that show best are not always as they look!" replied -the good woman. "They are as poor as church-mice, sir, and that's poor -enough. I wish to God they were richer--much good would they do! But I -have heard Lawyer Johnstone say, that, with all the fine estate, Sir -Sidney, when all is paid, has not four hundred a-year of his own; and -gentility without ability is like a pudding without plumbs. Then there -is the Captain's half-pay, you know; and if they could let the house -and park, it might bring something more. They tried one year, and went -and lived at a cottage down at Sidmouth--but it did not let, and the -place was going to ruin--and so they came back; for, though there are -not many of them, yet two or three in a house are better than none at -all." - -"That is very true," said Burrel; "very true, indeed; and now, my good -lady, see if my man has taken up the hot water to the dressing-room." - -The good woman took the hint and retired; and here it may be as well -to mention one or two circumstances which preceded the arrival of -Henry Burrel, Esq., at the neat little village of Emberton. These -circumstances were simply as follows:--Two days before that on which -we have thought fit to begin our tale, arrived by the coach--together -with four portmanteaus, four dogs, and a gun-case--the servant whom we -have seen waiting the traveller at the door of Mrs. Wilson's house. -After a few enquiries at the inn, all conceived in very laconic style, -he proceeded at once to Mrs. Wilson's, and, in words inexpressibly -brief, concluded a bargain for her apartments, as they were called, -for one month from that period, in the name of his master, Henry -Burrel, Esq. As soon as the important fact was generally known that a -gentleman possessing four portmanteaus, four setters, a gun-case, and -a man out of livery, was about to take up his residence for one month -in the village of Emberton, the wise may imagine the commotion that -was created. The object of his visit was evidently to shoot, otherwise -what could he do with four setters and a gun-case; but there were -various other matters to be ascertained by the young and old ladies of -the village; first and foremost, whether the shooter might not be shot -by Cupid's shaft--next, whether he were rich--next, whether he were -young or old--next, whether he were a bachelor or a widower--and next, -whether he had ever been in India. All these points, with the various -branches into which they spread, were matters of consideration to the -three classes of ladies that inhabit a small country town; namely, -those who will not, or cannot, marry at all, or any more--those who -will marry when it suits them--and those who, at any time, will marry -any thing, or anybody. However, not to enter into disagreeable -particulars, the surgeon and apothecary, well knowing the importance -of the case, the immense increase of influence he might acquire by -learning the whole facts and all the concomitant advantages which -might thence accrue, was the first to watch the servant out of the -house, after the rumour had spread, and--accosting him in an easy and -familiar way--to propound to him what the law people call leading -questions. But the servant was as taciturn and as guarded as a thrice -convicted Old Bailey witness _is_, or the ambassador's private -secretary's valet-de-chambre _should_ be; and nothing could the doctor -make of him. The lawyer tried him next, and then the innkeeper, but -all equally failed; and the consequence was, that at the hour the -coach was expected to arrive on the two subsequent days, all Emberton -was in a flutter. There were the Misses this and the Misses that, as -fine as--but there is no word for it--all taking their afternoon walk -along the line of road--and there was Mrs. the-other-thing, the fair -young widow, in such becoming weeds--buying some grey silk at the -mercer's opposite, which she found it necessary to examine by the -broader light of the street-door---just as the wheels came rattling -down the hill. The coach at length was seen to stop; and Burrel, who -had noticed no one on the face of the earth but his own servant at the -door of Mrs. Wilson's, walked into the house as we have before -described, while the fact spread like lightning through the place that -the gentleman at Mrs. Wilson's was young, handsome, dark, tall, and -exquisite, and undoubtedly unmarried--for, by a peculiar test, or sort -of instinct, which heaven has bestowed upon womankind, amongst their -many other excellences, the fair sex have an extraordinary gift of -discovering whether any male thing be married or single at the -distance of a hundred yards. - -There was but one subject of conversation throughout Emberton during -the course of that evening. The old topic--the unhappy poverty of the -people at the Park, and the absurd pride which prevented them from -giving tea-parties, because they could not give dinners, with all the -little malice and tittle-tattle thereunto attached--was forgotten for -the time, and nothing was spoken of but Mrs. Wilson's lodger and his -silent manservant. Indeed, the latter, with his extraordinary and -unaccountable taciturnity, divided with his master the anxious -curiosity of the two tea-parties given that evening; and one lady even -went so far, as not to doubt that he was a foreigner, and could not -speak English, in proof of which she adduced his heavy black brows and -egregious whiskers--an argument which, combined with the man's -reserve, left one-half of her hearers nearly convinced. - -In the meanwhile, however, Henry Burrel sat down to his dinner, which -he concluded with an excellent appetite, and in perfect silence, -totally unconscious of the restless moments he was giving to the -tongues of Emberton. This state of meditation continued unbroken till -the cloth disappeared, and the silent servant, placing the inviolate -bottle of comet claret before him--a supply of which, by the way, had -been sent down to the coach-office ten days before, arguing, the -lawyers would infer, a predetermination to lodge at Emberton--was -about to retire, when he was arrested by his master's voice. - -"Have you yet," demanded Burrel, musing, "made the enquiries I -directed you, Harding?" - -"Yes, sir," replied the man, and was again silent. - -"Where does he live, then, this Mr. Tims?" asked his master. "How far -is it from the village?" - -"About a mile and a half, sir," answered Harding, "down a back lane at -the end of the park--a very retired place, but easily found." - -"And what else did you discover?" continued his master, "I mean, in -regard to the Delawares?" - -"They visit no one, sir--in the village, at least," replied the man, -"and receive no one." - -"Do any of the family shoot?" - -"None, sir,--and they have often given leave to gentlemen staying at -the inn, for the mere asking." - -"Very well," answered his master.--"Now, bring me my writing-desk, and -some books from the library--the greatest trash you can find." - -The man disappeared, and returned with the desk, from which, while he -was again absent bringing the trash in quest of which his master had -despatched him, Burrel took out some notes and accounts, and -apparently went over the latter with the accurate attention of a man -of business. He then wrote a brief note, which he folded and sealed, -and, giving it to Harding on his return, bade him deliver it the next -morning early, and wait an answer. All this being completed, he took -up the first volume that had been brought him, cast himself back in -his chair, and skimmed the pages till bed-time. - -The breakfast-table was laid out by the neat hands of Mrs. Wilson, -exactly at eight o'clock the next morning--the white table-cloth, the -jug of rich yellow cream, the two smooth rolls, somewhat browner than -the same article of food in London, but doubtless much more the -children of the corn--all bespoke a comfortable country breakfast; and -when, in about half an hour after, Burrel descended in shooting guise, -he looked round with that air of satisfaction which a man feels, after -a long London season, on waking and finding himself really in the -country. The hot water, not in the accursed lukewarm urn, but in a -kettle hissing hot from the fire, was brought in by Mrs. Wilson; but -in about ten minutes Harding himself appeared, and, with his usual -silence, presented his master with an answer to his note of the -evening before. It ran as follows, and explains both itself and the -one to which it replied:-- - - -"_Emberton Park, Wednesday Morning_. - -"Sir Sidney Delaware is happy to have the power of affording Mr. -Burrel any gratification; and begs to say, that he is perfectly at -liberty to shoot over any part of his property, with the exception of -the grounds in the immediate vicinity of the house, the game on which -he wishes to preserve." - - -"Hum!" said Burrel, shaking his head as he read the note; "Whom did -you see, Harding?" - -"A maid-servant, sir," replied the man, "and the old gentleman -himself." - -"Did he say nothing about calling on me?" demanded Burrel; "or being -happy to see me?" - -"Nothing, sir," replied the man; and, with an injunction to get his -gun ready, and see that the old lady did not give the dogs any thing -to eat before they went out, his master dismissed him. "We must find -some means," said Burrel to himself when the servant was gone; "but I -am afraid it will be more difficult than I thought----But the young -man will call of course." - -Now, though it would be very easy to look into the mind of Henry -Burrel, Esq. as he there stands pondering, with his hand leaning on -the table, yet it may be better to pursue him a little farther ere we -take such a liberty, and see him set forth upon his shooting -expedition, in the course of which he approached as near to the -mansion of Emberton Park as he decently could. His expedition was -solitary, however; and if he expected or hoped to meet any of the -family, he was disappointed. No one did he see but an occasional -shepherd, and a hedger and ditcher; and at three o'clock he returned -home, with nothing to repay his walk but ten brace of birds. - -The following morning it was no better; but Burrel seemed resolved -upon another line of conduct, and, at the risk of seeming to intrude, -he called at the house itself as he passed, and, on finding that its -owner was from home, left a card with his compliments and thanks for -the permission which had been granted him. "They will perhaps think me -a presuming coxcomb," he thought; "but I care not." The next day, in -crossing the fields with his dogs and his gun as usual, he suddenly -met his stage-coach companion, Captain Delaware, with a young lady -leaning upon his arm, whom, from a certain family likeness, he at once -concluded to be the sister of his acquaintance. Her dress was as plain -as possible; but the model was good, and no one could have doubted -that she was a lady, though it is probable that the walking-dress of -the mercer's daughter at Emberton, was beyond comparison more -fashionable--in price. Her figure was extremely good, though heaven be -praised not at all sylphlike; and all that Burrel remarked was, that -she was a very pretty girl, and had a very pretty foot. Her brother -stopped for a moment; and with a countenance, in which various -emotions, strangely mingled, of pleasure and pain, called up an -eloquent glow, he hoped that Burrel had met with good sport, -introduced him to his sister Miss Delaware, and then, in a manner -somewhat abrupt and embarrassed, bade him good-by, and turned away. - -Burrel walked on with his gun under his arm; and for a minute, as he -did so, he bit his nether lip, and his brow slightly contracted. The -moment after, however, he laughed, lightly murmuring, "Well, I must -have recourse to the old miser after all, though I hate his -instrumentality;" and, turning on his heel, he sauntered back towards -his own abode. - -He was suffered to enter in peace; but his Manton was scarcely laid on -the table, and his dogs given into the charge of his servant, when, to -his horror and astonishment, Mr. Tomkins, the surgeon of the village, -was announced, and a smart dapper little man, of a pale and -gentlemanly aspect, made his appearance. Burrel was cool and civil; -for it was a part of his code to be civil to every one till they were -insolent; and, after the usual symphony concerning the weather, Mr. -Tomkins proceeded to the chief motive of his visit. - -"He had always," he said, "proposed to call upon Mr. Burrel as soon as -his manifold occupations would permit; but he had that day been -charged with a commission, which gave so much additional pleasure to -his proposed visit, that he of course determined to pay it -immediately. The fact was," he added, "that he had that morning been -visiting Mrs. Darlington, the lady to whom that beautiful house and -those sweet grounds upon the hill belonged, and who, having heard of -Mr. Burrel's arrival in Emberton, though she could not of course call -upon him herself, had begged the identical Mr. Tomkins, then before -him, to say how much pleasure she would have to see him, if he would -do her the honour of dining with her on the following day." - -She was a widow lady of a certain age, Mr. Tomkins implied, who had -all her life moved in the best society, and was the most charming and -good-tempered person in the world--"draws beautifully; has a great -taste for music; sees a good deal of company at her house, where the -cookery is excellent; does a great deal of good, and takes a vast deal -of interest in every thing that is doing in the village." - -"What a disagreeable person!" thought Burrel. "Nevertheless, I may as -well amuse myself with her and hers, as walk about these fields from -breakfast till dinner-time, or read these idiotical romances from -dinner till bed-time." He replied, however, according to the letter of -the law of civility, "Mrs. Darlington does me a great deal of honour, -my dear sir," he said; "and I will do myself the pleasure of accepting -her invitation, which I will notify to her forthwith by my -servant--Pray, how far may be her house?" - -"Oh, not above five miles certainly," replied the worthy chirurgeon. - -"Five miles!" said Burrel; "that is a tremendous way to roll in any -thing but a cabriolet after eating. I shall certainly die of an -indigestion if I trust myself to a hack post-chaise in a state of -repletion." - -The man of medicines grinned at what in his ears sounded something -very like a professional joke, but assured Burrel at the same time -that his apprehensions were vain, for that Mrs. Darlington's -invitations always implied a bed at her house. - -"That alters the case," replied Burrel; "for I expect some horses down -to-night, and will ride over and dress before dinner." - -The doctor, who felt that a vast accession of dignity would accrue, if -he could expose himself to the wondering eyes of Emberton, in close -companionship with the young and fashionable stranger, proposed to -drive him over in his pony chaise; but this honour Burrel declined, -replying quietly, that he would prefer riding; and, after one or two -faint efforts towards discovery of all the hidden things appertaining -to the young traveller, the surgeon, finding that the conversation -began to fall continually to the ground, took the hint and retired; -and Burrel proceeded to change his shooting-dress for one better -suited to the town. - -Leaving him, however, to make this alteration, and to send off his -answer to Mrs. Darlington's invitation, we shall now beg leave to -follow home Captain Delaware and his sister, and--as every thing in a -tale like the present should be as clear as possible, without the -slightest mystery or absurd concealment--shall explain a few things -that may have hitherto appeared strange in the conduct of that family. - -The spot at which Burrel had that morning met his travelling -companion, was not more than a quarter of a mile from the mansion, and -the brother and sister walked on directly towards one of the smaller -doors in the park wall, and, passing through, turned their steps -homewards. They proceeded, however, in silence; for there was -something evidently in their rencontre with Burrel unpleasant to them -both, nor was that unpleasant sensation perhaps relieved by the aspect -of their paternal dwelling, or the grounds that surrounded it. Without -entering into the painful details of a family's decay, it is -sufficient to say, that the whole place bore the character--not of -neglect--but of means incompetent to ward off the constant, -unremitting, insidious assaults of time. They passed a temple in the -park, which had been built in imitation of some famous specimen of -Grecian architecture, and now came nearer still to the original by its -decay. A large mass of the frieze had fallen, and over the green and -disjointed steps the brambles were shooting their long thorny arms. -The path itself, too, which wound on towards the house, was half -overgrown with grass; and where an effort to hoe it up had been begun, -it had speedily been abandoned, from the necessity of employing the -man in some more useful service. The mansion, too, more than half -closed, had about it all--not the aspect of ruin, for it had by no -means reached that pitch--but a look of desertion and of poverty which -contrasted painfully with the splendour of the original design. - -To the eye of Miss Delaware and her brother, all this was customary; -but yet it struck them both, after their meeting with Burrel, perhaps -more forcibly than it had ever done before; and there was something -like a sigh escaped the lip of each, as, opening the large door, they -passed on into what had once been a splendid vestibule. The day was a -sultry one, and the door of a room, entering immediately upon the -hall, was open when Captain Delaware and his sister entered. The step -of Miss Delaware as she walked on caught the ear of some one within, -and a voice, in the tone of which there was the slightest possible -touch of impatience, was heard exclaiming "Blanche! is that you, my -love?" - -The young lady, followed by her brother, immediately turned her steps -into the fine old library from which the sound proceeded, and found -reading, at a small table near one of the long many-paned windows, a -person who--however contrary to rule--deserves a more particular -sketch of his mental and corporeal qualities, and of his previous -history, than we may find it convenient to give of any other person -connected with this book. - -Sir Sidney Delaware had set out in life a younger son. His father, Mr. -William Delaware, had been a man of great talents, and very little -common sense, who, by the help of his abilities, and considerable -family influence, had been raised to offices in the state, conferring -large revenues, which he squandered profusely. Mr. William Delaware, -however, kept up the appearance of a man of fortune; and as his uncle, -the then possessor of Emberton Park, was unmarried and advanced in -life, his prospects were admitted on all hands, even by Jews and -money-lenders, to be good. Be it remarked, nevertheless, that though -he was the direct male heir to his uncle's property, there were two -other persons who more than equally shared in his uncle's favour--his -own first cousins, and equally the nephews, (though by the female -line,) of the Sir Harcourt Delaware, who then held the lands of -Emberton. These were Lord Ashborough and his brother, the Honourable -Henry Beauchamp. However, he did not let any thing disturb him, but -continued to live splendidly and well; gave his eldest son a -commission in a crack regiment of cavalry, and sent his second son, -Sidney, to Christ Church. - -At Christ Church there were two or three peculiarities observed in -Sidney Delaware;--With his scholastic education we shall have nothing -to do, being no scholars ourselves. The first of these peculiarities -was an uncommon degree of accuracy in paying his bills, and living -within his income; and his elder brother was wont to say, that Sidney -was so sick of seeing nobody paid at home, that he was resolved to pay -every one to the uttermost farthing. The next trait remarked by his -fellow-collegians, was his extraordinary good nature; for was any one -in difficulty or distress, Sidney Delaware would help them to the very -utmost of his power, though in many instances he was known to hate and -contemn the very men he assisted;--and the third quality was a talent -for satire, and a faculty of vituperation, which might have been -envied by Gifford amongst the dead, and two or three we could name -amongst the living. - -The secret of his character, perhaps, was the combination of an -extraordinary sensibility of the absurd, with a high and severe moral -feeling. He studied for the church, however; and as he did so, many of -the injunctions of that divine book, to which his mind was naturally -turned continually, appeared so contrary to the asperity of his -sarcastic disposition, that he determined to make a powerful effort to -restrain the bitterness of speech and writing to which he had before -given way. Time and years too had their effect, and the biting satire -that used to hang upon his lip, remained hidden in silence, or only -broke forth casually, when he was off his guard. He tried to banish -from his heart that feeling of contempt and scorn which he experienced -whenever any thing mean, or false, or base, met his eyes; and perhaps -the very good-natured facility with which he could be induced to -assist any one, might spring from an apprehension lest the scorn he -felt for all that was pitiful in others, might affect his own actions, -and render him uncharitable himself. His elder brother died before he -himself was ordained; and, on the persuasion of his father, he -abandoned his purpose of entering the church, travelled for several -years, and then studied for the bar. His next step was to marry, and -he was a widower with two children at the time that his father -succeeded to Sir Harcourt Delaware. The baronet, however, in dying, -had given to his two nephews. Lord Ashborough and Mr. Beauchamp, who -had been very constant in their attentions, a far larger share of his -fortune than he left to him who was to inherit the baronetcy; and -thus, the latter, having counted largely on his future fortune, found -himself more embarrassed than relieved by the death of his uncle. The -estate that was left to him was also entailed by the will of the last -possessor; and his only resource to free himself from the most -pressing difficulties, was to engage his son to join him in raising -money upon annuity. Sidney Delaware consented with a heavy heart, and -the money was borrowed, much against his will, from his father's -cousin, Lord Ashborough, between whom and the young heir of Emberton a -quarrel had previously taken place, of a nature not likely to admit of -reconciliation. For the pitiful sum of twenty-five thousand pounds, -the estate of Emberton was charged with an annuity of two thousand per -annum; and scarcely had that sum been swallowed up by his father's -debts, when Sidney Delaware succeeded to a splendid name and a ruined -property. - -Griefs and disappointments had impaired his health, had broken his -spirit and crushed his energies; and, dwelling almost in solitude, he -had given himself up to the education of his children, forgetting that -a time would come when the acquaintances which he was losing every -day, would become necessary to his children in the world. In -bitterness of heart, too, he often thought that his friends were -neglecting him, when in fact he was neglecting them; and exclaiming, -"Donec eris felix, multos numerabis amicos!" he shut his doors against -the world, believing that his poverty would meet with nothing but -contempt. - -As time wore on, however, he found that he erred in not exerting his -abilities, in order to remove the encumbrances which his father had -incurred. His son grew up and entered the navy, and half the interest -of a small sum which had been his wife's fortune, afforded sufficient -to maintain the boy in that service. But it was when his daughter also -grew towards womanhood, that Sir Sidney Delaware felt most severely -that he had committed an error. His son, he thought, had an honourable -profession, and by his own high merits and activity was making rapid -progress. At the death of Lord Ashborough, too, the annuity which -swallowed up almost the whole rents of his estate would lapse, and his -heir would have enough. But Lord Ashborough was scarcely an older man -than himself; and when he gazed upon his daughter, and saw her growing -up with all her mother's beauty and grace, with every quality fitted -to charm and to attach, and at the same time remembered that she was -to live, cut off from society, during all those brighter days of youth -and hope which lie between sixteen and five-and-twenty, he would have -given his right hand to have recalled the years which, by active -exertion, he might have employed to remove the difficulties that held -him down. Now, however, he felt, or persuaded himself, that it was -impossible to seek society. He could not mingle with persons in his -own rank of life upon an equality, and he would not mingle with any -other class, or, with them, in any other manner. Few of these old -friends existed for him, on whose generous feelings he could -fearlessly rely, and feel certain, from a knowledge of their nature, -that no thought even would ever cross their minds, which could have -wounded him if spoken. Thus, he had no old channel of communication -with the world still open, and pride, rendered irritable by -disappointment, as well as the circumstances in which he was placed, -prevented him from seeking any new connexion with society. Could he in -any way have given his son and daughter the means of mingling with the -world, while he himself shunned it altogether, he would have snatched -eagerly at the opportunity; but that of course was out of the -question, and day went by after day, and found them all in the same -situation. - -Such was still the case, at the time of my present tale; and when Miss -Delaware and her brother entered the library, in which their father -was, as usual, driving away thought by reading, they found him seated -near the open window with Pope's Essays in his hand. His hair, which -had once been dark brown, was now nearly white--in fact, much whiter -than his years would warrant. Yet, though the body was in some degree -broken _curis et laboribus_, still temperance and fine air had done -much to counteract even grief. His countenance was florid, his eye was -clear, and he appeared a hale, healthy man, though six or seven years -older than he really was. - -Long conversations being, like love and marriage, excessively tiresome -to every one but those concerned, a summary of what followed will be -better than a chapter; and it is quite sufficient to say, that the -rencontre of the brother and sister with Mr. Burrel, soon became the -principal topic of conversation. Captain Delaware, whose loves were -very _first-sighty_, dashed at once into such an encomium of his -stage-coach companion, that an arch smile, at this pouring forth of -his well-known enthusiasm, played for a moment on the lip of Blanche -Delaware. Her father, however, looked grave, and said he was sorry -that they had met him at all. "This young man," he went on, "seems to -be a person of fortune and station, whom, in happier times, we might -have been delighted to see; but you are well aware, William, that -under our present circumstances, it is perfectly impossible to invite -a man of horses and dogs, and guns and servants, to this house.--Did -he seem so very charming to you, Blanche?" - -Miss Delaware replied, that her brothers acquaintance had not -appeared either quite so handsome or quite so fascinating in his -shooting-jacket as her brother had described him in his travelling -costume,--"But at all events," she added, "his appearance savoured -nothing of arrogance or presumption." - -"Alas! my dear Blanche," said her father, "you do not know what a man -of the world is. Every point in the situation of a poor gentleman is -painful, but none so much so, as the having to endure the compassion -of fools and puppies." - -Captain Delaware turned to the window, and, after looking out for a -moment or two, left the room. Blanche remained, but dropped the -subject, and it was no more resumed. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -After having undergone the visit of the surgeon, Burrel, as we have -stated, changed his dress; and, having given some directions to his -servant, strolled out alone upon an expedition, in which it may be -necessary to follow him. Crossing the bridge--upon which he paused for -a moment to gaze up the long vista of the park--he proceeded to the -extremity of the wall which formed the enclosure, and then turning -through a shady lane, formed by that boundary on one side, and a steep -bank and hedge on the other, he strolled on with an air of absent -thoughtfulness, that made more than one milkmaid, whom he met -returning with her brimful pails from the neighbouring fields, -conclude, with the true sentimentality of a Molly, that "the gentleman -must be in love!" - -Sad, however, to say, Burrel was not the least in love in the world; -and though of a somewhat enthusiastic and Quixotical character, he -would probably have been obliged, like the hero of La Mancha himself, -to think some time before he could possibly have discovered any one in -the sphere of his acquaintance, whom he would have considered worthy -of the honour and the trouble of falling in love with. Still more -melancholy to relate, so far from any fair image filling his mind with -dreams ambrosial, and making him stumble over the stones in his way, -he was at that moment thinking of money--base, unwholesome money. His -meditations were of Cocker; and many a sum, both of addition, -multiplication, and subtraction, together with various computations of -interest, and now and then a remote flash of vulgar fractions, passed -across his mind, in all of which he displayed a talent for accounts -somewhat more clear and accurate than that of Joseph Hume, thank -God--though not quite so neat and rapid as that of ever-lamented -Windham. - -Thus he walked along under the wall of the park till the park wall -ended, and then taking a narrow and overhanging road, which descended -into a sweet wild valley--through which a brook meandered on, till it -lost itself in the sands upon the sea-shore, about five miles to the -east--he proceeded on his way without doubt or question, as if he had -known the whole country from his boyhood. The opposite bank of the -valley was thickly covered with trees and shrubs; and about half a -mile from the spot where the road entered it, the summit of what -seemed a tall old-fashioned farmhouse, of cold grey stone, rose above -this sort of verdant screen. Within a few hundred yards of this -building, the road climbed the bank, and passed before the door, which -was painted of a bluish gray, like that of a French country house, and -offered an aspect of untidiness and discomfort, not often seen in an -English dwelling. No roses decorated the porch, no clematis festooned -the windows; stone walls surrounded that which was, or had been -intended for, a garden; and the gruntings and squeaks which echoed -from within that boundary, spoke the character of the domestic animals -chiefly cultivated at Ryebury. - -Undeterred, however, by the inhospitable appearance of the building, -or by the wailings of the beast that never chews the cud, Burrel -approached the door, and, laying his hand upon a bell, made sure that -if any one was within half a mile he must be heard; and then, turning -round to gaze upon the prospect, continued to hum "Dove sono," with -which he had been beguiling the way for the last ten minutes. While -thus employed, one of the high windows almost immediately above his -head was thrown open, and the upper part of a woman-servant, who would -have been pretty enough had she not been disguised in indescribable -filth, was protruded to reconnoitre the stranger's person. The moment -after, another head was added, almost as dirty, but neither pretty nor -young, being the dingy white superstructure of an old man's person, -who looked not at all unlike Noah, unwashed since the Flood. - -A long and careful examination did these two respectable persons -bestow upon him who so disturbed the quiet of their dwelling, while -Burrel, though perfectly conscious, from the groaning of the upheaved -window-frame, that he was undergoing a general inspection, continued -indefatigably to hum "Dove sono," till opining that the inquisition -had continued sufficiently long, he again applied himself to the bell, -which once more responded to his will with "most miraculous organ." - -"Run down, Sarah! Run down!" cried the elder phantom, "and open the -door.--Ask him who he is, and what he wants, and then come and tell -me.--But stay, I will go down with you to the parlour!" - -The bell was once more in Burrel's hand, when the door yawned, and -displayed to his view a great part of the person and adjuncts -dependent upon the female head which had been criticising him from -above. It is scarcely necessary to say more than that she was a slut -of the first quality, with dirt, _ad libitum_, spread over the whole -person--various triangular tears in the printed cotton that covered -her--much white lining protruding through the chasms in her shoes--and -a cap as yellow as a pair of court ruffles. Without waiting for the -categories that were to be addressed to him, Burrel at once walked -into the house; and, telling the dirty maid to inform her master that -Mr. Burrel desired to speak with him, approached the door of the -parlour, where the person he sought--not confiding in his servant's -powers of recapitulation--was listening with all his ears to the -catechism he proposed that the stranger should undergo. As soon, -however, as he caught the name of Burrel, he emerged and met that -gentleman in the passage with many a bow. His dress was clean enough, -and in style and appearance was upon a par with that of a country -attorney's of about twenty or thirty years ago--black, jet-black from -head to heel, except the worsted stockings, which were dark grey. The -whole was well and economically worn, but his face evinced small -expense of soap, and his beard that he wore out no razors--upon his -chin at least. In person he was a short thin man, of about sixty-five -or six, with a reddish tip to a long nose, set on upon a pale -many-furrowed face. He stooped a little towards the shoulders, and -there was that sort of bending droop about the knees which betokens a -decrease of vigour. His clear grey eye, however, had something in it -both eager and active, and the heavy penthouse of long black and white -hair that overhung it, gave a sort of fierce intensity to its glance. - -"Your name, sir, is Tims, I presume?" said Burrel, eyeing him with a -good deal of that cool nonchalance which is no doubt very -disagreeable. The other bowed to the ground, and his visiter -continued--"My name is Burrel, and Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson, my -solicitors, have doubtless written to you concerning"---- - -"Hush! Hush!" exclaimed the other in a subdued voice, at the same time -raising his eyebrows, and opening his eyes with a stare of wondering -deprecation. "We will speak about it presently, sir, if you please. I -received theirs in due course, and expected to have heard of your -coming sooner, sir; but shall be very happy, indeed, if we can do -business together. Do me the honour, sir, to walk in. Sarah, bring -this gentleman a glass of--of--wine," he added, after a moment's -hesitation and a glance at the stranger's dress; "but perhaps you -would prefer ale, Mr. Burrel, after your walk?" - -"I take nothing, sir," answered Burrel, evidently to the great -satisfaction of the other, "and having but a few minutes to stay, -merely wish to speak with you concerning"---- - -But his host again cut across him, appearing to think that all matters -in which the very name of money was to be mentioned, had better be -talked of in private; and hurrying Burrel forward into the parlour, he -begged him to be seated, adding almost in the same breath--"Sad times, -indeed, sir, as you say--rate of interest falling terribly--hardly -four per cent to be got on good security,--sad times, indeed, sir, as -you say!" - -"I do not say the times are bad at all, sir," replied Burrel gravely, -"nor that four per cent cannot be got for money on good security. You -must mistake me, I believe, for some more plaintive person. But to -the point, Mr. Tims. I think my solicitors wrote to you that I had -twenty-five thousand pounds lying uninvested, which I was willing to -lend at five or four and a half per cent. This sum they had heard you -were seeking for some gentleman in this neighbourhood who could give -good security--Sir Sidney Delaware, I think, was his name." - -"Oh but, sir, I am afraid"--answered Mr. Tims, shaking his head, "I am -afraid that business is off. It won't do, sir, I am afraid--It won't -do--Can't manage matters there, I am afraid!" - -"And pray why not, sir?" demanded Burrel. "I shall not feel very well -pleased if I have been brought down here by your report to examine the -matter myself, and am disappointed." - -"Oh! no fear of that, sir," replied the other; "no fear of finding -plenty of others. Besides, I should think, with submission, that you -might make Sir Sidney pay--as you say--your expenses, loss of time, -&c. &c. He gave me full powers--and as you say"---- - -"I do not say any thing of the kind, sir," replied Burrel sternly. "Be -so good as not to put words into my mouth which I have never spoken. -Rather let me hear why, and how, the proposed arrangement cannot have -effect, and then we will consider other matters after we have fully -canvassed the first." - -"Quite right, sir! Quite right!" replied Mr. Tims, not in the least -discomposed by Burrel's rebuke. "Quite right, indeed! Always right to -have every thing clear by itself! Why, you must know the simple fact -is this. The property of Emberton, as you say, is burdened with an -annuity to the amount of two thousand pounds per annum on the life of -the present Lord Ashborough, the sum given for which was only -twenty-five thousand pounds--and that nearly twenty years ago, when -Lord Ashborough was about forty, and his life was worth at least -twenty years' purchase. Well, having to speak with Sir Sidney some -time ago on some road business, the transaction came up, and I asked -him why he did not pay off the annuity, by raising money on mortgage, -which he could do at five per cent. His son, the Captain, too, was -present; and, as the entail ends with the Captain, the matter would be -easily done--though it had never struck them--always provided, -nevertheless, that the annuity was redeemable. The arrangement would -save them a thousand a-year you see, sir, and so they agreed to -give"---- - -"To give you how much, sir, for the job?" demanded Burrel. - -"Only a fair commission for raising the money," replied the other; -"and as Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson, your worthy and excellent -solicitors, had been making enquiries about this very estate, as it -would happen--I cannot think how or why--I wrote to them about it, -and the matter was soon arranged; but then Captain Delaware was -obliged to go to London to speak with my Lord Ashborough--an -excellent gentleman--and on his return, it was found that the annuity -deed, by some strange accident, contained no clause of redemption. -Indeed, none could have been stipulated, for I know the person who -drew it, and who is as accurate as Duval." - -"And pray, sir, who did draw it?" demanded Burrel. - -"My own nephew, sir--my own nephew--Peter Tims, Esq." replied his -companion; "Peter Tims, who succeeded me in my chambers at Clement's -Inn; and who was fortunate enough to secure the patronage and -friendship of Lord Ashborough." - -"Ha!" replied Burrel dryly; "so then you think the annuity cannot be -redeemed?" - -"Afraid not, sir! Afraid not!" replied the retired lawyer, or, as he -was commonly called by the villagers, the miser. "Afraid not; but as I -was saying, there are plenty of other properties susceptible of -mortgage in this neighbourhood, and some," he added, closing one eye, -and fixing the other on Burrel's face with the look of a tame raven -that has just hidden a silver spoon, "and some where there is a strong -ultimate prospect of a foreclosure and sale at excessive reduction. -There is the estate of Sir Timothy Ridout--who wants now to borrow -twenty thousand pounds--well worth an hundred. By a little management -one might get hold of it, and"---- - -"I have no such views, sir," replied Burrel gravely; "and as the other -business cannot apparently be arranged, I shall invest the money in -other property. But, tell me, did Lord Ashborough refuse to redeem?" - -"Yes, sir! Yes, flat, downright!" replied the miser; "and very right, -too. He could not get near the interest even now. But you had better -think of the business of Sir Timothy Ridout. Such a thing is not to be -got hold of every day." - -"I shall never give it another thought," replied Burrel coldly; and, -rubbing his boot with his cane, unconscious of what he was about, he -remained for several minutes thinking deeply, while the miser sat upon -the edge of his chair, marvelling that any human being could let slip -the tempting bait of Sir Timothy Ridout's estate; and beginning to -entertain strong doubts as to whether Burrel was really a wealthy man, -from the indifference he showed to the prospect of increasing his -wealth. "I am sorry," he thought, "that I told that servant of his -that he might shoot over the Ryebury fields: I will write to Peter by -the next post, and make him fish out of Messrs. Steelyard and -Wilkinson whether he really has money. I might have made a cool five -hundred by that Ridout business." - -While he thus thought, and Burrel's meditations continued, though of a -very different nature, a sudden ring of the bell roused them both from -their reveries; and, after a short _reconnoissance_ through the -window, the miser exclaimed, "It is Sir Sidney Delaware, I declare!" - -"Then you will be so good, Mr. Tims," said Burrel, in a tone -sufficiently peremptory, "not to refer or allude to me, in any shape -or way, as the person who wished to lend the money." - -"Oh, certainly not! certainly not!" replied the miser with a shrewd -glance; "it is a bad speculation that--but the Ridout business, if you -will but think over it--Will you see this Sir Sidney?" - -"I have no objection," answered Burrel; and the miser bidding his -dirty maid show the gentleman in. Sir Sidney Delaware was ushered into -the parlour the moment after. - -As soon as he saw that there was a stranger present, the baronet -paused, and for an instant seemed as if he would have drawn back, -saying, "You are engaged, Mr. Tims; I was not aware you had any one -with you." - -"Not at all; not at all, my dear sir!" said Mr. Tims. "Sir Sidney, Mr. -Burrel--Mr. Burrel, Sir Sidney Delaware!" - -"I am happy to have an opportunity, sir," said Burrel, "of returning -you my personal thanks for the permission to shoot over your grounds, -which you were kind enough to grant me." - -"Where there is no obligation conferred, sir," replied the baronet -somewhat distantly, "there can be no occasion for thanks. I do not -shoot--my son has not this year taken out a license; and it is quite -as well that the game should be shot by you, who ask permission, as by -those who do not ask at all." He paused for an instant, while the -colour deepened in Burrel's cheek; but the baronet's heart instantly -reproached him for an uncourteous reply, and he added, "I hope you -have found sport." - -"Plenty of game," answered Burrel; "but the birds are very wild." - -"That is a very natural consequence," said Sir Sidney Delaware, "of -the immense number of persons whose notions of property are daily -growing more limited." - -"I trust, indeed, that something may soon be done," replied Burrel, -"to correct the extensive system of poaching." - -"Probably we shall soon have one of those beautiful pieces of -legislation on the subject," replied Sir Sidney, "which will prevent -people from committing the crime, by rendering it none in the eye of -the law--But, Mr. Tims, as I have a little business of a private -nature on which I must speak with you, I will probably call upon you -to-morrow if you are likely to be disengaged." - -"No delay must take place on my account," said Burrel, rising. "My -business with this gentleman is over; and therefore I will leave you." - -Thus saying, he turned, and, wishing the baronet good-morning, quitted -the house, ushered to the door by Mr. Tims; who, though still doubtful -as to the young stranger's wealth, followed him with many a lowly bow, -fearful of losing by any indiscretion the sums that might accrue from -the good management of the Ridout business. Burrel, in the mean time, -took his way once more through the valley, musing as he went upon his -late interview with Sir Sidney Delaware, with somewhat more deep and -curious speculation than entered into the thoughts he bestowed upon -the old miser, of whose general character he was before aware. - -In the manner and tone of Sir Sidney Delaware, however, there was -something that he felt to be repulsive and unpleasant, which, to -a man of Burrel's character, was extremely painful. His first -determination--if that can be called a determination which, formed -upon impulse, does not last ten minutes--was to set out for London, -and forget that such a place as Emberton, or such a person as Sir -Sidney Delaware, was upon the face of the earth. Burrel, however, to -use Sterne's expression, was a great motive-monger, but with this -peculiarity, that he was fully as fond of examining his own motives as -those of other people; and, in the present instance, the small still -voice whispered something about offended pride, which made him enquire -into his own heart a little more strictly. - -He found then, upon reflection, that however much he might fancy -himself perfectly indifferent, he was in fact angry, and the primary -cause of this anger was as usual mortified vanity. He--accustomed to -be courted and sought, to choose at will his acquaintances, and to -keep at arm's length all those he did not particularly like by a cool -tone of indifference, which had something in it of scorn--had come out -of his stronghold, and--as he could not but acknowledge--had gone as -far as he well could, to seek the acquaintance of Sir Sidney Delaware. -That gentleman was evidently not disposed to give it him; and though -Burrel felt in some degree the motives which might and did actuate -him, yet a knowledge of the degree of scorn which mingled with his own -coolness towards others, would not let him believe that some portion -of contempt did not also exist in the indifference with which Sir -Sidney Delaware treated his advances. - -It is in general the natural refuge of mortified vanity, to persuade -itself that it retorts contempt upon those that show it, and to pass -off upon itself the anger it feels for the more dignified passion of -scorn. A slight touch of this sort of feeling had been experienced by -Burrel; for there are few bosoms, of whose passions we may not say, -_castigata remordent_; but his nature was too generous to entertain -such feelings long, and, before he had reached the door of good Mrs. -Wilson in Emberton, his first angry resolution was changed, and a more -firm determination adopted, to remain in the village the time he had -at first proposed, and without seeking any more an acquaintance which -was evidently withheld intentionally, to see whether chance might not -furnish him with some opportunity of gratifying a more generous -purpose. - -"For the sake of that gallant lad," he thought, "I will not give it up -so easily." - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -On his return home, Burrel found that the horses which he expected -from London had arrived in high condition, having performed the -journey by slow and careful stages. The appearance of this new -accession to his dignity was not, of course, without its effect upon -the good people of Emberton, and "Have you seen Mr. Burrel's beautiful -horses?" was a general question amongst the male part of the -inhabitants; while all the ladies of the place, of course, were not in -the least anxious to see the tall, dark, handsome, mysterious stranger -ride forth upon some one of those three steeds whose fame already -filled the town. - -Those who had such expectations, however, were long disappointed, for -during the whole of the following morning, Mr. Burrel never set foot -beyond his door; and it was near four o'clock when his servant, on -horseback, proceeded towards Mrs. Darlington's with a small travelling -portmanteau, thus giving notice that the master himself was soon to -follow. About half past four, or a quarter to five, a groom appeared -at the door with a splendid dark bay horse, and a moment after Burrel -himself came forth, looked at the girths, the stirrups, and the curb, -and then putting his foot in the stirrup, swung himself easily into -the saddle. The horse stood as still as marble till it felt, its -master's heel, and then, as if cut out of one piece, away went -both--without the slightest regard to high-road--straight across the -country towards Mrs. Darlington's house, which was seen crowning the -distant hill. - -"Happy Mrs. Darlington!"--thought the ladies of Emberton as they gazed -out, and saw the horseman clear the fence at a bound, and then canter -lightly over the sloping fields that led away towards her dwelling. -"Happy Mrs. Darlington!" and Mrs. Darlington was a happy woman;--but -as there are at least a thousand ways, in this intellectual world, of -being happy, we shall take leave to give a slight sketch of _Mrs. -Darlington's way_. - -Mrs. Darlington was a widow, and her happiness was farther increased -by being a widow with a large fortune. Nor was her fortune alone -derived from her ci-devant husband, for she had passed through all the -three stages of female felicity--that of co-heiress, heiress, and rich -widow with a very slight taste of the necessary purgatory preceding -the last happy climax. Who was her father matters not to this book; he -was dead, and his ancestors had him in the dust,--for as the Spectator -says, "He had ancestors just as well as you and I, if he could but -have told their names." This, however, it was supposed, from some -defect in the family memory, he could not do; but in regard to his -daughter, who was neither very handsome nor very ugly, the defect was -soon remedied. She had every sort of instruction that the known world -could produce; her father luckily died early; she had no relations to -make her vulgar; she married Mr. Darlington, a man of rank and -station--easily acquired the slang and ease of fashionable life; and -adopted boldly, and without remorse of conscience, the whole of her -husband's relations. Her husband found that his wife brought him -fortune, good luck, and no family. His affairs, to use the seaman's -term, righted, and after four years' marriage he died, leaving her out -of pure gratitude, widowhood, fortune, and his relations. - -Mrs. Darlington, having penetrated into the arcana, and got all she -wanted--an introduction and a station in society--determined to taste -no more of matrimony herself; though with laudable zeal she was ever -willing to promote it amongst her friends and neighbours. She was -naturally of somewhat a sentimental turn, but mingled and kept down by -so sufficient a portion of small sensualities--I mean the eating, and -drinking, and soft-lying, and, in short, the comfortable sensualities, -nothing worse--that the sentimentality never became vulgar or -troublesome. Nay, indeed, I might say, it never became apparent, and -showed itself rather as a convenient sort of tender consideration for -the wishes and feelings of young people of suitable ages and -descriptions, and likely to fall in love with each other, than as any -thing personal. In most other things, she was one of those very -ordinary persons, perfectly ladylike and at their ease, with a small -degree of taste in the fine arts--drew tolerably, liked music, and -would sometimes play on the piano--was fond of fine scenery--spoke -French well, with the exception of a slight confusion in the -genders--had an idea or two of Italian, and had sketched the Coloseum. -Added to all these high qualities, she was extremely good-natured, -very fond of her friends and of herself; quiet, in no degree -obtrusive, with a sufficient share of vanity never to fancy herself -neglected, and yet not enough to run against the vanity of any one. A -little tiresome she was, it is true, from a potent mixture of -insipidity; but who is there so splenetic as not to forgive the only -evil quality over which one can fall sound asleep, and wake without a -headach? - -Mrs. Darlington's common course of life was to travel during six -months of the year, accompanied by as many young marriageable friends -as she thought might do credit to her taste and kindness; and as she -had a very extensive circle of acquaintances, at whose dwellings she -was always welcome, these journeys were generally pleasant, and -sometimes fortunate. Of the other six months, two were spent in -London, where Mrs. Darlington, dressed by Carson, in the manner at -once the most splendid and the most becoming her age, figured at -dinner and evening parties, and was exceedingly useful both as a -chaperon and a fill-up; while the other four months were passed at her -estate near Emberton, with a house seldom entirely vacant, and dinner -parties renowned for the delicacy of the _manger_. - -Such was the lady to whose house Henry Burrel, Esq. had received an -invitation, solely upon the strength of the gossip of the village, and -a vague report, that Captain Delaware had met him at the Earl of -Ashborough's. The fact indeed was, that Mrs. Darlington's house was -completely vacant at the time, or she might have felt some scruples as -to asking a stranger, without some farther information regarding his -station in society than could be derived from the panegyric of the -doctor, whose knowledge of him went no farther than the cut of his -coat. She did, indeed, feel a little apprehensive after she had -despatched the invitation, but the appearance of Burrel's servant, who -brought her his reply, the form of the note that contained it, and the -very handwriting, all convinced her that Henry Burrel must be a -gentleman, though it was in vain that she racked her imagination to -find out which of all the Burrels it could be. - -When, about half-past four, Mr. Burrel's servant arrived, and -proceeded to prepare the room assigned to his master with a sort of -ceremonious accuracy, which argued the constant habit and custom -of ease and care, the footman, feeling for the anxiety of his -mistress--for footmen and lady's maids know every thing--communicated -to Mrs. Hawkins, his mistress's maid, the result of his own -observations; and Mrs. Darlington sat down, with a composed mind, to -finish a sketch of the west shrubbery walk, till Mr. Burrel should -arrive; while, of the rest of the guests she had invited, some had not -appeared, and some had retired to dress. - -At length her eye caught from the window the apparition of some person -on horseback approaching the house, and in a few minutes Mr. Burrel -was announced. Graceful, easy, _posé_, Burrel's whole appearance -carried its own recommendation with it. He was one of those men who, -in speaking little, say much, and in a very few minutes he was in high -favour with Mrs. Darlington. - -It now became necessary for him to dress, as he well knew that a lady -whose fondness for the good things of this life was so admitted as -Mrs. Darlington's, would not brook the spoiling of her dinner; and -accordingly he rang, and was shown to his room. His toilet, indeed, -was not very long; and a few minutes after six, the hour named, found -him entering the drawing-room. - -There were four persons already assembled, of whom Mrs. Darlington -herself was one. The face of the young lady who sat by her on the -sofa, was, he thought, familiar to him; but it cost him more than one -glance, ere he recognized in the beautiful girl he now beheld, and who -was certainly as lovely a thing as ever the female part of creation -produced--It is saying a great deal, but it is true, nevertheless--It -required more than one glance, I say, before he recognized in her, the -lady he had seen hanging upon the arm of Captain Delaware on the -preceding day. - -Burrel, however, never looked surprised; and his claim upon Miss -Delaware's acquaintance was immediately admitted with a degree of -frank and smiling kindness, which arose partly, perhaps, from the high -character her brother had drawn of his stage-coach companion, but more -still, in all probability, from feeling that her father's reserve -might have given pain and offence. While he was still speaking with -Mrs. Darlington and Miss Delaware, and was just at one of those -before-dinner pauses, in which the conversation flags, some one laid -his hand upon Burrel's arm, and turning round, he confronted a thin, -but hale elderly man, dressed in black, on whose fine gentlemanly -countenance was playing a smile, which had as much archness in its -composition as habitual gravity of expression would allow. - -"My dear Henry," said the clergyman--for no one could look in his face -for a moment and doubt that he was a clergyman;--"my dear Henry, what -have you been doing with yourself this many a day?" - -The first look had shown Burrel an old and dear friend, and he shook -his hand heartily as Dr. Wilton.--"I am still, I believe, acting as -one of what Tillotson calls '_fools at large_,'" replied the young -stranger, "and wandering about the world doing nothing." - -"Nay, nay, Henry!" replied the other, "your report of yourself was -always less favourable than you deserved. You are not one to wander -about the world doing nothing--but speak to me a moment," and he drew -his younger companion gently towards the hollow of the bay window, -where they conversed for a few moments in a low tone, while one or two -of the neighbouring gentlemen and ladies were announced and entered -the room. - -The dinner bell rang immediately after; and the doors being thrown -open, Burrel advanced and took in Mrs. Darlington, though he would, -perhaps, have preferred a nearer place to Miss Delaware. But Dr. -Wilton took the end of the widow's table, and laughingly secured the -younger ladies to himself; so that Burrel was obliged to content -himself with talking elaborate nonsense to Mrs. Darlington, which, to -do him all manner of justice, he executed with great gravity and -success. - -"I do not like this Mr. Burrel," thought a sensible middle-aged county -woman, who sat next to him on the other hand. "He's a coxcomb!" -thought a rough, shrewd, wealthy proprietor opposite. The shy young -fox-hunter, who sat a little farther down, and whose ideas were -strangely confined to horses, and dogs, and fences, and five-barred -gates, was inclined to cry with Mungo, "D---- his impudence!" and, in -short, at the end of the table at which he himself sat, Burrel most -perversely contrived to give very general dissatisfaction to every one -but Mrs. Darlington. With her he ran over the slang of cookery, and -criticism, and ton, with the most wonderful emptiness. - -There is certainly some strange perversity in the human heart, which -renders it so pleasant sometimes to make one's self disagreeable--ay, -and, for the express purpose of doing so, to assume a character -totally different from one's own. So, however, it is; and perhaps -Burrel was especially giving himself forth as a fop at the one end of -the table, because he very well knew that Dr. Wilton would not fail to -portray him differently at the other. - -Such, indeed, was the fact. Blanche Delaware was a sort of pet of the -worthy clergyman; and he used to declare that he was always the -proudest man in the county when in company with her, for that he was -the only man she ever was known to flirt with. The affectionate term, -"My dear," which he always applied to Miss Delaware, was felt by her -as he intended it; and she looked up to him as, in some degree, a -second parent. His conversation with her almost immediately turned to -Burrel, whose appearance there had evidently surprised him. - -"You seem an old friend of his?" said Miss Delaware, as soon as the -soup was gone, and a general buzz suffered her to ask the question -without particular notice. "Pray, is he so very admirable and charming -as he has convinced my brother he is, in a short journey of a hundred -miles?" - -"He is something better than charming, my dear," replied Dr. Wilton. -"He is one of the noblest-hearted, finest-minded men in England." - -At that very moment there was one of those unhappy breaks which make -low voices loud; and Burrel was heard descanting upon the merits of -Madeira after soup. "For Heaven's sake, never think of taking sherry, -my dear madam!" he exclaimed. "After soup or maccaroni, Madeira is the -only thing bearable." - -Blanche Delaware looked up in Dr. Wilton's face with a smile full of -playful meaning. "Do not judge him by that," replied the clergyman, -speaking to the smile's purport. "Do not judge him by that--I have -known him from his boyhood. He was my pupil as a youth, and has been -my friend as a man--and"---- - -"And that is evidence beyond rejection that he is all that is good and -amiable?" said Miss Delaware seriously. - -"Ay, and though he can talk her own kind of nonsense to a worthy lady -like that," replied Dr. Wilton, determined to revenge himself on Miss -Delaware for her smile, "he can talk nonsense equally agreeable to -younger and fairer ladies, my dear Blanche. So take care of your -little heart, my pretty dame." - -Miss Delaware laughed gaily, in the full ignorant confidence of a -heart that had known no wound; and the conversation dropt as far as it -regarded Burrel. He himself prolonged the idle gossip with which he -was amusing himself for some time; but finding, or fancying, that the -elder lady who sat next to him possessed a mind that could appreciate -better things, he gradually led the conversation to matters of more -general interest than _pieds de cochons à la St. Menehould_, or the -portraiture of gravel walks. - -It is the most difficult man[oe]uvre in the tactics of conversation, -and shows greater skill, when executed neatly, than any other -evolution whatever, to change at once from the flimsy and the foolish -to the substantial and the good, without deviating into the heavy--to -slide down the diapason from the high notes of commonplace chatter, -to the fine tenor of calm and sensible discourse, touching each -semitone and enharmonic difference as one goes, till the change is -scarcely felt, though the music may be richer. Burrel could do it when -he liked; but now he overdid it. From French dishes he speedily got to -France and the French people, and thence to the difference between the -French and English character, with an easy facility, that made the -alteration of the subject seem nothing strange; but then he went a -little beyond. - -"The French," he said, in answer to a question from his neighbour, -"have nothing of that sort of thing that we would call national -modesty. They would look upon it as _mauvaise honte_ and each -Frenchman thinks himself fully justified in praising his own country -to the skies. It is they who believe it, that are foolish. They, the -French, call themselves the most civilized, well-informed people in -the world; and yet go into the provinces, and you will find a -peasantry more generally ignorant, than perhaps any other country can -show. I myself resided for many months in a part of one of the most -cultivated Departments of France, where the farmer on either hand of -the house in which I dwelt during the hunting season--each renting -many hundreds of acres of land--could neither read nor write. Where -could such a thing be found in England?" - -"Ay, sir," cried the wealthy country gentleman opposite; "but -their laws, sir, their laws--their wise and equitable courts of -justice--their civil and political liberty, sir--a model for all -nations; and which I hope some day to see fully adopted in this -country." - -"May God forbid!" cried Burrel. "As to their political liberty, we -cannot speak of it; for a thing that has never existed for ten years -together, without deviating into anarchy on the one hand, or sinking -before tyranny on the other, is something very like a nonentity. As to -civil liberty, they have no such thing; and may heaven avert the day -when an Englishman's house will be open to domiciliary visits at the -caprice of any man or body of men, or when he cannot ride for twenty -miles without being subjected to interruption, and a demand for his -passport!" - -He now found that his conversation was getting too heavy, and would -fain have dropped it; but the other urged him somewhat warmly with, -"Their laws, sir--their laws! their courts of justice!" and Burrel -resolved that he should not rest even upon that. - -"As to their courts," he replied, "I have been in many, and never did -I see the forms of justice so completely mocked. The judge renders -himself a party, and that party the accuser. The unhappy man who is to -be tried, placed on an elevated station in face of all the court, is -himself cross-examined, and tortured by interrogations without end; -every tittle of the evidence against him is urged upon him by the -judge; he is obliged to answer and to plead to the accusation of each -witness on the adverse part, and woe be to him if he trip in the -smallest particular. If ever there was a plan invented for condemning -the innocent and the timid, and letting the guilty and the daring -escape, it is that of a French trial. The only security is in the -individual integrity and discrimination of the judges--in general most -exemplary men." - -"That may be all very true, sir," replied the other, who, like many of -our countrymen, had been talked into believing the French system very -fine, without ever taking the trouble of examining accurately what the -French system is, "That may be all very true; but yet their laws, -sir--their laws!" - -"I think," replied Burrel more calmly than he had before spoken; for -the commonplace absurdity of the other's commendation of what he did -not understand, had thrown even his cool mind off its guard--"I think, -if you will take the trouble of reading the book which contains their -codes, you will find that it is confined both in scope and detail; and -to show how iniquitous as well as absurd their laws are, we have only -to look at their law of succession, which prevents a man from -disposing of his property at his death, according to his own judgment -and inclination, whether he have acquired it by his personal labour or -by inheritance." - -"A foolish law it is indeed," said Dr. Wilton, who had been listening -attentively; "and would be a disgrace to the common sense of any -nation under the sun." - -"Already," continued Burrel, "although the time since its enactment -has been so short--it is beginning to paralyze industry and commerce -in France--to degrade the higher orders, and to starve the lower." - -"They must repeal it!" said Dr. Wilton; "They must repeal it, if they -be sane!" - -"But there are some points, by dear sir, on which whole nations become -insane," replied Burrel laughing, "and none more than the French. One -thing, however, is evident. They must either repeal it, or it will -effect the most baleful change that country ever underwent. Already -one sees every where fields no bigger than a handkerchief, which in -the next generation will have to be divided again between three or -four sons. Every thing else is split in the same way; and the argument -which the French hold, that commerce and industry will remedy the -effects of this continual partition, is a vain absurdity; for the -natural tendency of the partition itself, is, by want of capital, to -ruin the commerce and paralyze the industry which they think will -remove its evils. Under its influence, the French must gradually -decline till they become a nation of beggars--universal beggary must -beget universal ignorance--and thus from a nation of beggars they must -become a nation of barbarians, with a country too small to support -their increased numbers, a fierce necessity of conquest, and the -concomitant hatred of better institutions than their own. Then woe -to Europe and the world! but beyond doubt--at least it is to be -hoped--they will change a law, the glaring absurdity of which strikes -every person of common understanding even in France." - -"Why not let each individual control his property as he pleases?" -demanded Dr. Wilton. "Though I cannot but feel that entails are often -beneficial, let them be done away if they will but at least leave each -man to dispose of his property as he judges best in its immediate -transmission from himself to another." - -"Nay, Mr. Burrel!" cried Mrs. Darlington, seeing him about to reply, -"Nay, nay! have pity, I beseech you, upon us poor women." - -"I must indeed apologize," answered Burrel laughing; "but, in truth, -we live in such a scientific age, that railroads and steam-engines, -geology and legislation, now form the staple chit-chat of society; and -mathematics is the food of babes and sucklings." - -"The matter has become perfectly absurd," said Dr. Wilton; "and -whether from ignorance or design I know not, but those who cater for -the lower orders in these things, instead of giving them those -instructions which may be useful to them in their station, which would -make them better, wiser, and more contented, choose for them alone -that species of knowledge which may make them discontented with their -state, without aiding to raise them honestly to a better." - -"I will not be tempted any more to grave discussions, my dear sir," -said Burrel laughing, and looking towards Mrs. Darlington; "yet I -cannot help adding, that the new-fashioned education of children is -just as ill adapted to children as the instruction forced upon -mechanics is unfitted for them. Lord deliver us from the little -pragmatical race of half-learned pedants that are springing up! I -understand that they have been obliged to dissolve one infant school -in London, because it was divided into two such furious parties of -Neptunists and Vulcanists; and the son of a cousin of my own talked to -me upon reform the other day so like Lord John Russell, that I asked -when the little legislator was to be breeched." - -The conversation soon became more general, though the party consisted -of ten, that most inconvenient of all numbers; and Burrel soon -regained that middle strain, half playful half serious, which was -calculated to be more generally pleasing. This continued till the -ladies rose; and the few minutes that ensued ere the gentlemen -followed them, were passed by Burrel and Dr. Wilton in calling up -remembrances of old times, when they had lived together as pupil and -preceptor. - -"Well, my dear doctor," said Burrel, "I always thought that your head -was fitted for a mitre; and I doubt not that we shall see it so -adorned erelong." - -"Not for a world!" cried Dr. Wilton; "and you, my dear boy, do nothing -towards it, I insist. I would not change my present state, with all -the blessed sufficiency that attends it--its opportunities of doing -some good to my fellow-creatures in quiet and unassailed -obscurity--for the painful, anxious, ill-requited life of a bishop, -whom every rude, unprincipled, and vulgar churl dares to attack, -solely because he knows that the churchman can neither rail again, nor -chastise him as other men would do. I would not change it, I say, on -any account whatever. I am happy as I am here in the country, and I -want nothing more." - -"Now I could understand that, Dr. Wilton," said the young fox-hunter, -"if you ever mounted a red coat and followed the hounds. But you never -hunt nor shoot; and, unless your magisterial capacity afford you some -amusement, I cannot conceive how you can like the country, which, -without hunting or shooting, is dull enough." - -"Never dull to me!" replied Dr. Wilton; "never dull, and always -tranquil; and in it shall I be well contented to pass my life away, -saying with Seneca, - - - 'Sic cum transiêrint mei - Nullo cum strepitu dies - Plebeius moriar senex!'" - - -A Latin quotation was of course enough to put an end to the session, -and the whole party rose. - -It would seem that the purpose of assembling to dine together, the -mere act and fact of which assimilates one to the hog--as somebody has -said before me--is solely with a view to familiarize people with each -other by the open submission to a general infirmity--teaching the most -conceited that he must gulp and guzzle like the rest, and showing the -most diffident that the brightest and the best he can meet with, is -but a beast of prey like himself. Men therefore assemble at dinner, -and then generalize best. After dinner--when the tea and the coffee, -and the various tables laid out with their various calls upon -attention, prompt people to break into smaller parties--then is the -time to choose your own little knot, and individualize. - -It matters very little how or why--though the arrangement was made by -the simplest process imaginable--but after dinner, Henry Burrel found -himself seated, in the far part of the room, with a sofa-table, and -innumerable books of drawings and prints upon it before him, and by -the side of Blanche Delaware. It is wonderful what stepping-stones -prints and drawings and annuals are to pleasant conversation, even -though the first be not quite so well handled as the pictures of Prout -or Stanley, and the latter contain nothing half so beautiful as -Liddell's "Lines upon the Moors." - -Burrel had managed his approaches well, though he did it -unconsciously. He first stooped over the book of drawings that Miss -Delaware was examining, to look at one of those fair Italian scenes -where the long sunshine seems to stream forth from a spot beyond the -picture, and pour onward, till one can absolutely see its wavy -softness skip from point to point in its advance. He then spoke a few -words, in a quiet everyday tone, upon Italian scenery. Miss Delaware -said, that she had never had an opportunity of visiting Italy, but had -often heard her brother speak of it, with all his own wild rapture. -Burrel instantly took up the topic of her brother, well knowing that -it was one, round which that tender-footed thing, a woman's heart, -could play at ease; and while he spoke of Captain Delaware, he glided -quietly into the vacant place by her side, and proceeded with a -conversation which was destined to wander far and wide before it -ended. - -There was a kindly gentleness in Burrel's tone as he began, a sort of -dreamy enthusiasm, slightly touched by a more gay and laughing spirit -as he went on, together with a general leaven of the gentlemanly -feeling that springs from a noble heart, softening and tempering the -whole,--which united, addressed to Miss Delaware the most flattering -compliment that woman can receive, by showing that he knew her to be -worthy of very different conversation from that which he held with any -one else. Such conversation is the adulation of respect, esteem, and -admiration, expressed but not spoken. - -Burrel's words were uttered with no particular emphasis--his eyes, -fine and expressive as they were, gave no peculiar meaning to his -sentences--the vainest beauty that ever grew old and ugly, could never -have persuaded herself that he was making love to her--and yet Blanche -Delaware could not but feel that there was a charm in the manners of -Henry Burrel, which might turn the head of many a one, with a heart -less cold and indifferent than her own. A cold and indifferent heart -in a girl of nineteen! Ye gods! Such, however, she fancied it to -be--and, consequently, she talked with Henry Burrel of poetry, and -painting, and beautiful scenes, and sweet music, and noble deeds, and -generous feelings, and all those whirling spots of brightness that -dance unconnected through the sunshine of enthusiastic minds, with all -the ardour of innocence and youth, and unblighted feelings, and never -dreamed of its becoming any thing more. Mrs. Darlington, for her part, -had soon perceived that Burrel and Miss Delaware were deep in what -seemed interesting conversation. She did not pretend to divine what -might happen--she prognosticated nothing--she took no notice, and let -things take their course--but she carefully abstained from giving any -interruption; and, by a few slight but skilful turns, prevented their -little _tête-à-tête_ from being broken in upon so soon as it otherwise -would have been. - -It was Dr. Wilton, who, in the simplicity of his heart, dissolved it -for the night; for after having been talking earnestly for a few -minutes with the little surgeon of Emberton, about some of his poor -parishioners who were sick, his eye met that of Blanche Delaware, as -she still sat beside Burrel on the sofa, and it lighted up for a -moment with a glance of gay meaning, that called the blood into her -fair cheek. Burrel marked it all; and the next two answers which Miss -Delaware made to what he was saying were sufficiently _à travers_ to -show him that the conversation, on her part at least, rolled no longer -at its ease. To prolong it under such circumstances would be a crime, -as he well knew; and therefore he soon furnished her with an excuse to -join Mrs. Darlington. - -The evening then proceeded as such evenings usually do, partly in -music and partly in idle gossip. Some stupid people played at whist; -and at ten o'clock the carriages of those who returned home were -announced. Dr. Wilton, who lived at twelve miles distance, and Blanche -Delaware, who lived at five, remained with Mrs. Darlington and Henry -Burrel; and the worthy clergyman, who felt himself in some degree -bound to prove his former pupil as charming as he had depicted him, -took care to lead the conversation to those subjects on which he well -knew Burrel would shine. - -He did shine, too, but without striving to do it; and the evening wore -on, for another hour, as pleasantly as moments could fly. There is -something in the last hour of the day, if it have been itself a happy -one, which seems to concentrate all the pleasant things of the past. -It is like a fine evening sky, calm, and sweet, and full of rays, that -are all the rosier because they are the last. - -I do not know whether it would be fair or proper to follow Blanche -Delaware to her bedroom, and investigate what were her thoughts while -she was undressing and falling asleep; but as no such considerations -forbid with regard to Burrel, we may, for a moment, intrude upon his -privacy, first premising, that his room entered very nearly at the top -of the great staircase, the landing-place of which formed a sort of -balustraded gallery, with a corridor running to the right and left. -His first thought, as he sat down for his silent servant to pull off -his shoes and stockings, it must be allowed, was of Blanche Delaware, -and he internally pronounced her a very charming girl. "It is not her -beauty," he thought, "though she is very beautiful; but it is that -freshness of mind, that fine unsophisticated heart, whose rapid -emotions, sparkling up unchecked to that sweet face, and animating -every movement of that fair form, give a thousand graces and -lovelinesses that art could never reach. One might very well fall in -love with such a girl as that. I must take care what I am about." - -With this resolution to take care, Burrel would have dismissed the -subject; but still he thought of Blanche Delaware a good deal more -than was necessary; and, after having detained his servant full half -an hour longer than usual, went to bed, thinking of her still. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -Although there was a good deal of noise in the house for some time, -Burrel fell sound asleep in the midst of it. Whether he dreamed or -not, I cannot tell; but after he had been in the arms of slumber, for -a long while as it appeared to him, he awoke, and heard still some -sounds of moving to and fro, although less loud than before. -Moralizing upon that strange thing sleep, and its power of taking from -us all consciousness of time's passing, he turned himself round to -court the drowsy god again; but though the slight noises that had -roused him, ceased in a moment altogether, the charm was dissolved, -and he could not close an eye. His only resource was to think of Miss -Delaware; and although he was obliged to own that the blessing of -Heaven--in keeping her out of London and London life--had brought -forth all those natural graces and charms which he so much admired, -yet he could not but think it hard that such a flower should be born -to blush unseen; neither could he help fancying that it would be no -very unpleasant thing to transplant her to a more happy soil. Feeling -all this, and feeling that he was feeling it, Burrel saw better than -ever that it was necessary to take care what he was about; and, as the -first step, he applied himself vigorously to go to sleep again. The -night was oppressively warm, however, and it would not do. He began -also to fancy that there was a marvellous smell of wood smoke; and he -thought that, if Mrs. Darlington's housekeeper had begun already to -provide for the _manger_ of the next day, Mrs. Darlington's cook must -have a hard place of it. So, stretching out his hand, he reached his -watch, struck it, and found that it was just half-past two. - -He now began to think the smell of smoke odd as well as disagreeable; -and, raising himself on his arm, he found that it was more potent than -he had at first perceived. There was also a sort of faint rushing -sound, as of a draught of wind through long passages, and Burrel -thought he heard a crackling noise also, which, after listening for a -moment or two, determined him to rise and make a voyage of discovery. -To guard against all contingencies, he partly dressed himself, put on -his dressing-gown, and then opened the door. A loud roaring sound, and -a still greater volume of smoke, immediately met him; but he found -that there was yet another door between him and the corridor; and, as -he was seeking for the lock, it was thrown open, by his own servant, -so violently as almost to knock him down. - -It wanted not the man's cry of "Sir, sir, the house is on fire!" to -show Burrel what had happened. A red fearful glare, of bright flame -shining through dense volumes of smoke, was seen below, from the edge -of the sort of gallery on which he stood, while along the cornices and -mouldings a number of detached spots of fire appeared running on -before the great body of the conflagration, like light troops thrown -forward to skirmish. The roaring and crackling too, which, as well as -the suffocating smoke, had been, in a great measure, excluded from his -bedroom by the double door, was now sufficiently distinct; and at one -glance he perceived that the whole foot of the great oak staircase, -near the top of which his apartment opened, was in flames. At the same -time, as he looked along the corridor to the left, he saw another door -open, which seemed to lead to the top of a different flight of steps; -for he could distinctly see two or three figures in every state of -dishabille running down as fast as possible, while his servant pulled -him that way, begging him to come to the stone stairs. - -All this was gathered in a moment, and Burrel demanded, "Have you seen -any of the family?--Mrs. Darlington"---- - -"I saw her this moment, sir, running down with Dr. Wilton," replied -the man. - -"And Miss Delaware?" demanded his master. - -"I don't know, sir--I don't know!" replied the man, hastening away -himself. "The house will be down, sir, if you don't make haste." - -A good sturdy housemaid, however, hurrying away from some of the -upstair rooms, caught Miss Delaware's name, and cried out--without -stopping in her flight, however--"Oh, dear! oh, dear! poor young -lady--she will be burned to a certainty!" - -"Which is her room?" demanded Burrel. But it was not till he had -repeated his question in a still louder tone that the woman paused to -point with her hand, exclaiming, "Up there, at the end of the -wing!--she will be burned!--Oh, dear, she will be burned!"--and off -ran the housemaid. - -Burrel ran along the corridor like light. It was evident that--as is -always the case in houses on fire--all the inhabitants had lost their -wits for the time, and no one had even thought of Miss Delaware. -Without ceremony, Burrel threw open the last door that he came to, in -the direction which the servant had pointed out, but the glare of the -flames was quite sufficient to show him that it had not been slept in -that night. He tried the next, and instantly perceived all the little -articles of a lady's toilet spread upon the table, while, by the drawn -curtains of the bed, he doubted not that the sleep of its fair tenant -had been undisturbed by the sounds which had woke himself. - -The violence with which he threw open the door woke Blanche Delaware -from the first sweet sleep of innocence and youth; and her voice -demanding, in alarm, "Who is there?" immediately struck his ear. - -He knew that not a moment was to be lost; and though he approached her -bedside with a feeling of real pain, from the shock he was about to -give her, there was but one course to be pursued; and, springing -forward, he drew back the curtains. "Forgive me!" he cried, "but the -house is on fire--not a moment is to be lost!--Your life is at stake, -and you must pardon me if I use but scanty ceremony!" - -"Leave me! Leave me then, Mr. Burrel, and let me rise!" she exclaimed, -gazing in his face with all the wild surprise natural to one wakened -from their sleep by such tidings. - -"Miss Delaware, moments are life!" replied Burrel hastily. "Even while -I speak our only chance may be cut off." - -The gathering smoke and the rushing sound of the flames bore to his -own ear, as well as to that of the fair girl who lay pale and -trembling before him, the certainty that he spoke no more than truth; -and, without farther pause, he stooped over her, wrapped the -bedclothes round her as tenderly and delicately as a mother would wrap -her young infant from the wintry wind, and, catching her up in his -arms, he bore her out into the corridor. All before them was a scene -of mingled smoke and flame. The wainscoting of the corridor, the -balustrades, the cornices, were all charred, blackened, and catching -fire in a thousand places. The blaze was rushing up from below, -towards the skylight, which had unfortunately been left open, and gave -an additional draught. Wherever an open door presented itself, the -flames were seen rushing in, licking the door-posts and the -wainscoting; the heat was scorching; the smoke was suffocating; and -every step that Burrel took forward, he felt uncertain whether the -beams over which he trod would not give way beneath his feet. Still, -however, he strode on till he reached the spot where the flames were -rushing up the great staircase more furiously than any where else, -from the additional mass of fuel that there supplied the fire.--His -foot was on the edge of the landing, to cross over towards the stone -stairs; and he had just time--warned by a sudden crash--to draw back, -when the whole staircase and part of the corridor above it gave way, -and fell into the vestibule below. It was a fearful sight; but he was -not a man to leave any chance of safety to be snatched from him by -terror. The rest of the corridor beyond the gap appeared more sound -than that he had already past. He remembered having seen a side-door -in his own room, which he had just left behind; and retreading -his steps, he entered the chamber, drove in the door he had -remarked--which was but weakly fastened--with a single kick, and -running through a room, the tenant of which had made his escape, he -passed on into a dressing-room, and thence regained the corridor, -beyond the point where it had been connected with the great staircase. - -The fall of so much lime and rubbish had in a degree deadened the -fire; and, striding on, Burrel reached the door which opened on the -stone staircase. The rush of cool air and the joy of escape revived -him, almost suffocated as he was with the heat and smoke; and, bending -down his head over his fair burden, he said--the most natural thing in -the world--"Dear girl, you are safe!"--Ay, though he had only seen her -twice in all his life! - -Though they were now in comparative security, the fire had made -sufficient progress even there, to render haste imperative, and Burrel -lost not a moment till he reached a small door which led out upon the -lawn by some ascending steps. At about the distance of fifty or -sixty yards, were assembled the whole of the late inmates of the -dwelling--mistress, visiters, and servants, with twenty or thirty -country men and women--all engaged in the laudable occupation of -seeing the house burn. - -Dr. Wilton was the only one in a state of activity; and he, in his -shirt and breeches, which, with the exception of his shovel hat, were -the only articles of apparel he had saved, was endeavouring to -instigate some of the servants and peasantry to get up a ladder to the -window of Miss Delaware's room, which--what between fear, wonder, and -stupidity--they were performing with extraordinary slowness. At the -same time, one of the Molly Dusters was corroborating to the rest of -the company the assertion of Burrel's servant, who informed them that -his master had gone to fetch Miss Delaware: and the very likely -consummation that they would both be burnt together, was prophesied -manfully, just as he was making his way across the green towards them, -to prove that he did not intend to participate in such a holocaust. - -On seeing Burrel, and guessing what it was that he carried in his -arms, Mrs. Darlington, who was really a good-tempered woman, gave way -a great deal more to her feelings than her usual _bienseance_ -permitted, and literally screamed for joy. Since her escape she had -found time to get cool in body if not in mind; and indeed the latter -part of the mixed whole, was by this time sufficiently tranquillized, -to admit the vision of a pretty little quiet romance to cross her mind -concerning Burrel and Blanche Delaware, and to suggest the propriety -of letting her house burn away in peace, while she took shelter, and -guarded against taking cold, in the cottages just below the lodge. -Thither, too, she requested Burrel, who would give up his fair burden -to no one, to follow her; and she herself led the way, with a thousand -encomiums on his heroic gallantry, mingled with thanks to heaven that -all her title-deeds were at the banker's, and manifold aspirations -concerning the fire-resisting powers of the plate-chests. - -Burrel thought of nothing but her he carried in his arms. It was not -love he felt, but it was intense interest; and I will defy any man to -carry a beautiful girl that he has already admired and liked, through -dangers such as those, pressed close to his own bosom, and with her -heart beating against his, without feeling very different towards her -from what he ever did before. He had, however, a quality which few -young men possess much of--considerable delicacy of mind; and, as soon -as he had placed Miss Delaware in safety in the cottage, he left her -with Mrs. Darlington, without any of the troublesome enquiries about -her health and comfort which some foolish people might have made. - -He then hastened back as fast as possible towards the house, with a -determination of doing all that he rationally could to save whatever -portion of it remained, but without the slightest intention in the -world of bringing his life into jeopardy, or enacting wonders worthy -of a demigod, either to preserve the property of a rich old widow lady -about whom he did not care a sixpence, or to astonish worthy Dr. -Wilton and half-a-dozen lackeys and cowherds who were looking on. When -he arrived at the spot, however, he found that the occupation which he -had proposed to himself, had been already seized by a stout agile -young fellow, in a sailor's jacket and trowsers, who had arrived on -the ground during his absence, and had inspired one or two of the -peasantry with some activity. - -The efforts of this young man were energetic, bold, and cleverly -executed; but, from being ill directed, did little comparative good, -while his own life was every moment hazarded. Indeed, personal -security seemed the last thing that he considered; and perhaps this -somewhat superabundant display of daring, might do some good, if only -by stirring up the more slothful to a tolerable degree of activity. -Burrel paused and looked on for an instant, but not from either -over-prudence or laziness. What is best to be done may be always -better considered before doing any thing than after, provided too much -time is not bestowed upon it; and, in the single moment that Burrel -gave to consideration, he perceived that the young sailor was not only -doing no good, but running himself and others into certain -destruction, by continuing to labour at the centre of the house--the -interior of which was completely consumed, and the roof of which -threatened to fall--while, by cutting off the communication between -the _corps de logis_ and the wings, a considerable part of the -building might be saved. The moment his mind was made up, he entered -the principal door, and catching the young sailor by the arm, as he -stood in what had been the vestibule, he called upon him to desist. - -The lad, for he was scarcely a man, turned round upon him for a moment -with a countenance, which haste, heat, and impetuosity of disposition, -rendered somewhat furious at the interruption; but a few calm, -reasonable words from Burrel, at once showed him the rationality of -what he proposed, and after a single oath, escaping, as it were, by -the safety valve of his tongue, he agreed to follow. Burrel then -hastened to get out of the stifling heat and smoke; but finding that -the other still lingered, he turned again at the door. The sailor had -paused to recover a bucket, and was at the very instant taking his -first step after Burrel, when a small quantity of heated rubbish came -pattering from above, and then, with a considerable crash, a thick -beam detached itself from the roof, caught upon the ruins of the -staircase, and swung blazing for a single instant above the vestibule. -The young man sprang forward towards the door; but he was too late to -escape entirely. The beam came thundering down--it struck him, and he -fell. - -Something more was now at stake than the bed and table linen of an old -woman. A life is always worth the peril of a life, and Burrel at once -plunged in again, and dragged him out, though certainly at the risk of -much more than he would have hazarded to save Mrs. Darlington's abode, -or any inanimate thing it ever contained. He was scarcely clear of the -doorway when the roof fell in, and the rush and the roar, and the -subsequent silence, and the suddenly smothered flame, showed him what -he had escaped, and made him pause for an instant with a thankful -exclamation to that Being, before whose eyes, a sparrow falls not to -the ground unheeded. - -Henry Burrel then drew the man he had rescued forward, beyond the -influence of the heat. I say drew, because he evinced a strange -inaptitude to voluntary locomotion, from which Burrel did not augur -very favourably; and being within an inch of six feet high, with a -very tolerable proportion of sinew and muscle, he was not quite so -portable in one's arms as Blanche Delaware. - -"Now, my good friends," said Burrel, laying the lad down upon the -smooth turf of the lawn, and addressing those who crowded round, "if -you want really to render any assistance, get what axes, picks, crows, -and other things of the kind you can, and break down entirely yon -little gallery which lies between the house and the right wing. You -run no risk; for the fire has not yet caught the gallery, and you will -save the wing. Never mind this young man, I will attend to him. Here, -Harding," he added, speaking to his servant; "you are a cowardly -----. Take care of yourself, the next time I meet you in a house on -fire, that I do not throw you into the flames, to prevent your running -away when I want your assistance." - -The man replied nothing, as usual, and his master proceeded, "Have you -a penknife in your pocket?" - -"No, sir," answered the servant; but Dr. Wilton supplied the -deficiency. - -"Here, here is one!" he cried, groping in his breeches pocket; "What -are you going to do, my dear Harry? The poor lad seems dead." - -"Only stunned, I hope," replied Burrel; "but, at all events, the best -thing one can do for him is to cut the artery in the temple, and let -him bleed freely. If he be dead, it can do him no harm; if there be -any life left, it will recall it." - -Thus speaking, with little ceremony, he drew the penknife sharply -across the artery, much to the wonder of the bystanders, some of whom -thought him a fine, bold gentleman; some, concluded that he was but -little troubled with that civil understrapping virtue of discretion. -The effect, however, soon became visible. The blood at first hardly -flowed, but, in a moment after, it burst forth with rapid jerks. A -deep sigh followed from the hurt man, and in an instant after he -looked faintly round. - -"I thought I was gone!" he cried, raising himself on his hand, and -looking towards the fire. "My head's bad enough still; but I rather -think I owe you my life, sir. Well, there is an old woman down in the -village, will pray God bless you." - -Burrel now endeavoured to stanch the blood; but, like many other -persons, he had not previously calculated all the consequences of what -he was going to do; and he might have found the undertaking somewhat -difficult, had it not fortunately happened that the flames of Mrs. -Darlington's villa had alarmed the whole of the little town and -neighbourhood of Emberton, and thus people were flocking up both on -foot and on horseback. Amongst the first that arrived, was of course -her late guest the village surgeon--one at least of the learned -professions being more peculiarly and unhappily obnoxious to -Rochefoucault's sneering assertion, that there is always something -pleasant to ourselves in the misfortunes of our friends. The surgeon -then was amongst the first of course, sparing not his horse's breath -in order to condole and sympathize, and look grave, and set a limb or -tend a bruise, or dress a burn, or, in short, perform any of those -small acts which are the sources of emolument, present or future, to a -country apothecary. His arrival happened at a fortunate moment for -Burrel's patient; and, after having ascertained that no one of more -consequence was hurt, he complimented the young stranger highly on his -prompt and skilful treatment of poor Wat Harrison, as he called him, -suffered the bleeding to continue for another moment, merely to show -how much he approved of what had been done, and then proceeded to stop -it. - -The adventures of the night were now soon concluded. By Burrel's -directions, and the exertions of the peasantry, stimulated at last to -some degree of activity, one wing of the house, as well as the -stabling and offices, was saved; and, from the part thus preserved, -apparel was procured sufficient to clothe the half-naked bodies of -those who were its late denizens. This apparel, indeed, was of -somewhat an anomalous description, and the metamorphoses produced were -rather strange; for though Miss Delaware came out most beautifully, as -a pretty dairymaid; and Mrs. Darlington did not look ill, as a -housekeeper; yet Dr. Wilton had a somewhat fantastic air, when a -footman's great-coat was added to his black breeches, silk stockings, -and shovel hat. Burrel himself adhered to his own dressing-gown, -though many a hole was burnt in the gay flowers that covered it, and -many a stain and scorch obscured the original colours. A general -smile, which even the serious calamity that had reduced them to that -state could not repress, played upon the lips of the whole party, as -they met in such strange attire at the door of the cottages, just as -the pale light of the morning was pouring faint and bluish through the -air. On the countenance of Blanche Delaware, however, that smile, -mingled with a flickering blush as she answered Burrel's enquiries -concerning her health; and Burrel, though he could not but think it as -beautiful a thing as ever the eyes of the morning rested on, hastened, -by quiet and easy words of deep but unceremonious respect, to remove -the glow with the embarrassment that caused it. - -By this time all sorts of chaises and vehicles had arrived from -Emberton, and Mrs. Darlington's own carriage and horses had been -brought up from the stables. Burrel handed the two ladies in to -proceed to the village, the inn of which place, Mrs. Darlington -declared, should be her abode for the next day or two. He declined, -however, a seat beside them; and bidding his servant take care of his -horses, and bring them down afterwards, he himself--the fire having -nearly expended itself--got into a hack chaise for Emberton, and, -accompanied by the young sailor who had been hurt, drove slowly down -into the valley. - -Dr. Wilton, whose living lay at a considerable distance in a different -direction, had before taken leave of him with many a pressing -invitation to the rectory, and had preceded him in departing. One by -one, the people from the town returned, and the peasantry dropped -away; and, with one man left to keep watch, the ruins of Mrs. -Darlington's house remained smouldering in silent solitude, like the -history of a battle, which, full of fire, confusion, and destruction, -while it lasts, leaves, after the lapse of a few years, nothing but -vacancy, ruin, and the faint smoke of fame. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -It is quite wonderful what a fund of conversation one has with one's -self, when one is left alone for a few minutes, after an hour or two -of that excitement, during which the mind at one moment has enough to -do in calculating what the body is to do the next. This conversation -is sometimes pleasant of course, and sometimes severe, according to -the circumstances of the case, and character of the person, or rather -of the persons concerned. I hold the plural to be the right number in -speaking of such conversation; for therein, more or less, the two -spirits which Araspus, and every other man felt and feels in his own -bosom, hold commune with each other; and--being two twin brothers, -who, though good and evil in their several natures, have still a bond -of kindred sympathy between them--although they wrangle and oppose -each other in the busy strife of the world, yet, when they thus calmly -meet in solitude and silence, to talk together over the past, there is -a strain of melancholy affection mingles with their intercourse, which -renders it always pleasing, though sometimes sad. The good spirit--for -it is his moment of power--rebukes his evil brother gently for every -abuse of his sway; and the evil one bows contrite, or playfully evades -the charge. - -All this, however, has very little to do with Henry Burrel, (some -persons may think,) who, in companionship with a hurt lad, half -peasant half sailor, was slowly winding onward, in a creaking -post-chaise, towards the small town of Emberton. Nevertheless, -notwithstanding that fact--and whether any one understands some of the -foregoing sentences or not, which probably they will not do without -reading them over twice--Nevertheless, Henry Burrel's thoughts were -suffered to flow, hardly interrupted--for the young sailor was still -in a dozy, half lethargic state--and the two spirits, though the good -one could scarcely be said to have lost its ascendency during the -hours lately passed, had full leisure for conversation in his bosom. - -"I must take care what I am about," thought Burrel, as soon as he had -fallen back in the chaise, after a few kindly words to his poor -companion, which remained half unanswered; "I must take care what I am -about," and it may hardly be necessary to inform the reader, that he -was thinking of Blanche Delaware. "And yet," he continued the next -moment, half smiling, "why should I take care?--whom have I to care -for but myself?" - -That was one point gained at least! It was settled, thenceforth and -for ever, that there was no reason on earth why he should not fall in -love with Blanche Delaware, if he liked it. By the way, men very -seldom get so far as that without being somewhat in love already. Few -people think of attacking a fort without being in the army. The next -step to be taken by a reasonable man--and Burrel was one of those -people whose natural inclination to act by impulse was so strong, that -he was very anxious, on all occasions, to give impulse a good reason, -lest she should act without one, and then laugh at him for his -pains--The next step to be taken was to find some good and legitimate -cause, altogether independent of passion, why such a cool and -considerate person as Henry Burrel looked upon Henry Burrel to be--and -which he really was by habit, though not by nature--should fall in -love with Blanche Delaware; and as it is not very easy mathematically -to find a sufficient cause for falling in love at all, Burrel was -obliged to proceed cautiously in the matter, from axiom to postulate, -and so on. - -He accordingly set himself to think over all he had seen of Blanche -Delaware; and he did not find it in the least difficult to imagine, to -assume, to demonstrate, that she had plenty of virtues and high -qualities, (independent of her beauty,) to make her a desirable wife -for any man. He next considered the question of marriage in the -abstract, and was naturally led to conclude, with St. Paul, as cited -by the Book of Common Prayer, that it is a state honourable among all -men. All these steps being taken, he next looked into his own -condition, and found that marriage might do him a great deal of good, -and could do him very little harm. Then putting the points already -gained in relative position with his own situation, he deduced the -following: Marriage is good and honourable in all men--marriage in his -own case was peculiarly advisable--and Blanche Delaware was peculiarly -eligible for any man as a wife. - -So far all was fair and prosperous, and he was like a ship with full -sails and a favourable wind, dancing over a sunny sea towards the port -of matrimony; and a very comfortable port, too, let me tell you. -However, there was still one little obstacle to be got over, which the -reader unless he be an under-graduate, will never divine. The fact is, -that no man who has been long at either of the two learned -universities, can bear the idea of falling in love. He looks upon it -as a sort of disgrace; and Burrel, who was Christ Church, would not -admit for a moment that he was the least little bit in love in the -world. At the the time, with that sort of odd perversity, which, on -some subject or another, is to be found in the breast of every one, he -had no idea of any one marrying without being in love, unless, indeed, -some point of honour or propriety required it. This latter opinion -came of course from reading novels and romances, plays, poetry, and -such trash; and, in his course through the world hitherto, these -contending principles, always in opposition to each other, had kept -him safe, sound, and unmarried, up to the respectable period of -seven-and-twenty years. His Master of Arts degree, had acted as a -shield to his heart from the many arrows which had been directed -against it; and a romantic disposition had guarded him against that -sort of abstract matrimony which is undertaken without love. - -"He was an odd man this Mr. Henry Burrel!" - -"He was so, sir! Just such another bundle of contrarieties as you or -I, or any one else. We are all odd men, if you look at us closely." - -The simple fact of Burrel's situation at that moment was merely -this--He was not over head and ears in love with Blanche Delaware. He -had not had time, sir! A man does not fall in love by steam! No; but -he had at least advanced two or three steps in that quagmire, and he -was not very likely to get out of it in a hurry. If any one who reads -this book--and pray heaven they may be many!--have ever ridden a -thorough-bred horse over a shaking moor, he will have seen that the -animal, at the first two or three steps over the boggy ground, -trembles at every limb, and if you let him, he will sink to a -certainty. Your only way is to stick your spurs into his sides, keep a -light hand and his head up, and gallop as hard as you can till you get -upon firm ground. Now Burrel felt very much inclined to gallop. He got -a little frightened at his situation, especially when he found himself -stringing together so many reasons for marrying Blanche Delaware, and -it was even betting, whether he staid to fall in love, or got into the -ten o'clock stage, and dined in London. - -The way that Love got over it was as follows: Burrel began to think -about the events of the foregoing night, and the remembrance of saving -the life of Blanche Delaware; and carrying her out through the flames -in his arms, was, of course, too pleasant a little spot for memory, -not to pause upon it agreeably. The flickering blush, also, which had -risen in her cheek when she had seen him afterwards, rose up sweetly; -and his next thought was to consider whether it would be more delicate -again to apologize for entering her chamber in the middle of the -night, or to leave it in silence, and never mention it at all. That -was soon settled; but he then thought, "The story will, of course, be -told about the country--ay, and with additions and improvements, which -may very likely injure that sweet girl, and will, at all events, hurt -her feelings if she should hear them. I would not have it so for a -world--and yet what can one do to prevent it?" - -At that moment, connecting itself with the blush, by one of those fine -invisible links of thought, which defy all grasp, for who can - - - "Trace to its cloud the lightning of the mind?"-- - - -At that moment, the few words he had spoken, at the top of the stone -staircase, when he first found they were in safety--the outpouring of -joy which had sparkled over the lip of the cup--the "Dear girl you are -safe!"--were gathered up by memory and held up to his sight; and -Burrel, who was a gentleman, and considered the point of honour more -sacred and more delicate towards a woman than even towards a man, -believed that he had said too much, not to say more, if he found that -to say it, would not offend. - -"Doubtless she will forget it!" he said to himself; "Doubtless she -will never think of it more; but yet I have spoken what was either an -insult or a declaration, and for my own honour's sake I cannot quit -the country till I have pursued it farther." - -Well done, Maître Cupidon! Strangely well managed for a little blind -gentleman, strongly suspected of being lame in one leg! But 'tis time -to give over gossiping, for I have a long story to tell, and very -little space to tell it in; and if we stop investigating every thing -that passes in the mind of all the principal personages in this tale, -we shall never get half through all the perils, and dangers, and -hairbreadth escapes, which have not yet begun. - -Well, the chaise rolled on; but as, for the sake of his hurt -companion, Burrel had ordered it to roll slowly, his own thoughts -rolled a considerable deal faster, and he had got happily over the -above cogitations, and a great many more to boot, before the vehicle -entered the little town of Emberton. All the good folks in the place -were agog with the joy and excitement of a fire, and the misfortunes -of their fellow-creatures; and although it had been discovered, by the -arrival of Mrs. Darlington's carriage, that unfortunately no one had -been killed, yet every body looked out anxiously for the next comers -from the scene of action, in order to have the pleasure of hearing a -detailed account of the property destroyed. Good Lord! what a pleasure -and satisfaction it was to the ladies of Emberton to commiserate Mrs. -Darlington! There is certainly no affection of human nature half so -gratifying as commiseration! It raises us so infinitely above the -object we commiserate; and, oh! if that object have been for long -years a thing or person to be envied!--Ye gods! quit your nectar, for -it is not worth a sup, and learn to commiserate one another! - -"Poor Mrs. Darlington! Only think how unfortunate to have her fine -place entirely destroyed!" cried Commiseration.--"She that was so -smart and gay, and held her head so high!" observed Envy.--"No great -harm; it will lower her pride!" said Hatred.--"They say all her -title-deeds are burned, and she is likely to lose the whole estate!" -whispered Malice.--"It was ill enough got, I dare say!" added All -Uncharitableness; "for no one could tell how her father made his -money!"--And thus the matter being settled to the satisfaction of -every one who had lungs to cry out, "Poor Mrs. Darlington!" the good -people of Emberton waited anxiously for the next arrival, to see -whether it would afford them any thing equally new and pleasant to say -upon the subject. - -The next arrival, as we before hinted, was that of Henry Burrel, Esq., -carrying in the post-chaise along with him, "Poor Wat Harrison," as -the surgeon had called him; and this conjunction of two such very -opposite planets in one post-chaise, was wonderfully prolific of -agreeable speculations to the folks of Emberton. Some declared that -Poor Wat Hanison, or Sailor Wat, as he was called, had been detected -in plundering the house, and had been brought down in irons. Some -vowed that he had insulted Mr. Burrel, and had been knocked down by -that gentleman with a blow which had fractured his skull. One little -boy, who saw him pass with a bloody handkerchief round his head, ran -across to his father on the other side of the way, crying out, "Oh, -papa, they have brought home the widow's son, at the end of the lane, -with his throat cut! You used always to say he would be hanged!" - -Besides this gentle vaticination of his ultimate destiny, various were -the reports that his appearance in Burrel's post-chaise produced. -Nevertheless, the chaise rolled on, and, passing through the town, -turned up the lane leading by the park wall towards the mansion-house, -and, after proceeding about a couple of hundred yards, stopped at the -door of a neat cottage, humble and small, but clean and decked with -flowers. - -"Stay, and let me help you out!" said Burrel to his companion, as the -postilion opened the door. - -"No, no!" cried the lad, rousing himself from the sort of dozing state -in which he had hitherto continued. "It will frighten her.--Let me get -out myself.--She has had frights enough already." - -He was next the door, and he staggered down the steps with an effort; -but, before his foot touched the ground, a female figure appeared at -the entrance of the cottage. It was that of a woman of about forty -years of age, with traces of considerable beauty, less withered -apparently by time than by sorrow; for the braided hair upon her -forehead was but thinly mingled with gray, the teeth were fine and -white, the eye clear and undimmed. But there was many a line about the -mouth which seemed to hold every smile in chains, and there was an -expression of deep, habitual anxiety in the eyes, fine as they were, -that can only be fixed in them by care. They seemed always asking, -"What new sorrow now?" She was dressed in the garb of a widow--not -deep weeds--but those habiliments which might still be worn as marks -of the eternal mourning of the heart, after time and the world's -changes had banished the memory of her loss from every bosom but her -own. They were neat and clean, but plain and even coarse; and her -appearance--and it did not belie her state--was altogether that of a -person in the humbler class of life; but with a mind, and perhaps an -education, in some degree superior to those of her own station. - -As the young man got out of the chaise, she took two or three quick -steps forward to meet him, exclaiming, with an anxious gaze at his -face, "Oh, my boy! what has happened now?" - -"Nothing mother, nothing!" answered the young man, "A knock on the -head! That's all! Nothing at all! It will be well to-morrow;" and he -strove to pass into the house, as if to hide himself from the anxious -eyes which were scanning his pale face, dabbled as it was with blood. - -Burrel sprang out of the chaise; and, putting his right hand under the -lad's elbow, so as to support him steadily, he gently displaced his -mother's hand by taking it in his own, and leading her on with them -into the cottage, saying, as he did so, "Your son, my good lady, has -had a severe blow on the head, from the falling of a beam, as he was -aiding gallantly to extinguish the fire at Mrs. Darlington's. We have -been obliged to bleed him; but, as you see, he is much better now; and -I doubt not, with care and good medical advice, will soon be quite -well." - -By this time he had got the young man into the cottage, and seated him -on a wooden chair near the door; but the words of comfort that he -spoke seemed to fall meaningless on the ears of the widow, who stood -and gazed upon her son's face, with an expression of anxious care -which we must have all seen at some time or another, but which is -hardly describable. It was not only the sorrow and the anxiety of the -moment, but it was the crushed heart, prophesying many a future woe -from long experience of grief,--it was the waters of bitterness, -welling from the past, and mingling its gall with all things present -or to come. - -Her son was her first thought, but she marked Burrel's words, -though she answered them not; for the next moment she said, as if -speaking to herself--for distress had done away with courtesy, for the -moment--"Where am I to get good medical advice?" - -"That shall not be wanting, my good lady," replied Burrel kindly. -"Come, come, the matter is not so bad as you think it. Get your son to -bed, and as soon as Mr. Tomkins the surgeon returns, he shall have my -orders to give him every attention. He will soon be better, so set -your mind at ease." - -"Oh sir!" answered the widow, looking, for the first time, at the -person who spoke to her, "I have not known what a mind at ease is, for -many a long year. But you are very good, sir, and I ought to have -thanked you before." - -"That you ought mother," said the young man, "for he got me out of the -fire, and saved my life. God bless you, sir! I can be thankful enough -for a good turn, in spite of all that the people of this place may say -against me. They first drove me to do a wrong thing, and then gave me -a worse name for it than I ever deserved." - -"I believe it is too often so," answered Burrel, laying his hand with -a gentle motion upon his arm; "and many a man like you, my poor -fellow, may be driven from small faults to great ones. But it is never -too late to correct one's mistakes; and as I will bear witness to your -gallant exertions to save Mrs. Darlington's property, you will now -have a good foundation to raise a better name for yourself than you -seem to say, you have hitherto obtained. Let this make a new beginning -for you, and I will take care you shall not want encouragement." - -The young sailor suddenly grasped his hand, and wrung it tight in his -own. "God bless you, sir!" he said, "God bless you!" and Burrel fully -understood that the words of hope he had spoken, had found their way -straight to a heart that might have gone astray, but was not entirely -corrupted. After a few more kind words to the widow and her son, he -got into the chaise again, and returned to his lodging. His first care -was to provide medical aid for the young sailor, and he sent -immediately for Mr. Tomkins, the surgeon, who had by this time -returned. After giving full orders and authority to see the young man, -God willing, completely restored to health, with all the necessary -attendance and medicaments to be charged to his account, Burrel -learned from the apothecary the history of the young sailor, which is -as simple a one as ever was told. - -His father and mother had married young, principally upon the strength -of that camelion fricasee--hopes and expectations; and his father had -settled in a small shop in Emberton, became bankrupt, and died. There -is nothing wonderful in that; for oxalic--nay, prussic acid itself, -has no advantage over broken hopes, except in being a quicker poison. -If one takes up the Gazette, and looks at the names of the great -bankers and merchants that have figured in its sad list during the -last twenty years, we shall find that two out of three, have not -survived their failure three years. Well, he died; and his widow did -hope that the liberal creditors would allow her the means of carrying -on her husband's trade again, or at least supporting herself and her -child. But no. The world is a very good world, and a liberal and -generous world, _et cetera, et cetera, et cetera_; but let no one, as -they value peace, count upon its kindness or generosity for a moment. -The liberal creditors left her not a shred on the face of the earth -that they could take, and turned her and her beggar boy into the -street. To the kindness of Sir Sidney Delaware she owed the small -cottage in which she dwelt; but Sir Sidney, God help him! had hardly -enough for himself; and though many a little act of comforting -kindness was shown by the poor family of the park to the poor family -in the cottage, yet that was not enough for support, and want was -often at the door. As the boy grew up, his heart burned at his -mother's need; and in an evil hour he became connected with a gang of -poachers--plundered the preserves of Sir Timothy Ridout--was -detected--resisted. The gamekeeper was struck and injured in the -affray, and poor Wat Harrison, as he was called, was nearly finding -his way to Botany Bay; when, by some kind management, he was allowed -to go to sea, and remained in Captain Delaware's ship till she was -paid off, a few months before the time of which I now write. - -It has before been shown, however, that Wat Harrison had established -for himself a bad character in the little town which saw his birth. To -such a degree even had he done this, that the peculiar class of -wiseacres, who have a prepossession in favour of hanging, uniformly -agreed that poor Wat Harrison would be hanged. Such a reputation once -established, is not easily shaken off; and although, at his return, he -bore a high character from Captain Delaware, who reported him--what he -really was--a brave, active, gallant lad, somewhat rash and -headstrong, and with a disposition that, in good guidance, might be -led to every thing good and noble--still the wiseacres shook the -knowing head, and declared that all that might be very true, but that -bad company would soon make him as bad as ever. - -Burrel listened to the story with some attention; but by this time he -had resumed his impenetrability, which had been a little shaken within -the last four-and-twenty hours, and the good doctor could by no means -discover what Henry Burrel intended to do in favour of poor Wat -Harrison, or whether he intended to do any thing. - -It is not improbable that, as the surgeon was really a kind-hearted -man, he would have given what medical aid was required by the widow's -son, even had no pecuniary remuneration brightened with its golden -rays the horizon of a long attendance; but the unlimited order he -received to do every thing that was necessary for the youth's complete -recovery, inspired a new alacrity into all his movements; for there is -no charity which is half so active as that which is paid for. Away, -then, hied worthy Mr. Tomkins, undivided surgeon to the whole little -township of Emberton and its dependencies, to attend poor Wat -Harrison, with as much eager zeal as if the lad had been a Calender, a -king's son, instead of a poor widow's; and his prompt appearance, as -well as several mysterious "nods, and becks, and wreathed smiles," -which he joined to some mysterious words about her son having secured -a powerful protector, served greatly to soothe the heart of poor Widow -Harrison. In good truth, much did it need soothing; for her only child -had soon fallen into the same fearful drowsy state again, from which -his first arrival at her humble dwelling had roused him, and either -left her questions unanswered, or answered _à tort et à travers_. This -had terrified and alarmed her to a dreadful degree; and the assurances -of the surgeon, that her son would do well, joined to the hints he -gave, that her future prospects were brightening, brought the first -rays of the blessed daystar of joy to shine in upon her heart, which -had found their way through the casement of her cottage for many -a-year. - -The lad was by this time in bed, and a second bleeding relieved him; -but it was now discovered that the beam had struck his side as well as -his head, and there appeared some reason to fear inflammation from the -feverish state of his pulse. Cooling drinks and refrigerants of all -kinds were recommended; and as Mr. Burrel's orders had been dictated -in a spirit of liberality, to which the mind of the village surgeon -was averse to set bounds, yet afraid to give full course, he deemed it -best to wait upon that gentleman, and state what he thought necessary. - -"In regard to medicines, and every thing of that kind, my dear sir," -replied Burrel, who was found with half a dozen half-written letters -before him; "in regard to medicines, and every thing of that kind, I -must let him trust to you. As to diet, the _juvantia_ and _lædentia_ -must be explained to my man, who shall have full orders to provide all -that is necessary for him." - -The letters on the table were a sufficient hint to a man, a part of -whose profession it is to understand hints quickly; and after the -words of course, he took leave once more, and departed. - -A short time after, Burrel's silent servant, Harding, appeared at the -cottage, bringing with him all that could make a sick man comfortable. -He himself was active and attentive; and, considering his wonted -reserve, Master Harding might be looked upon as loquacious. He showed -none of those airs which the servants of fine gentlemen sometimes -affect, when called upon to attend the poor or sick, in any of those -cases in which their masters find it convenient to do the less -pleasant parts of charity by deputy; but, sitting down by the bed of -the sick man, he asked kindly after his health--talked over -the accident which had occasioned the injury from which he -suffered--turned up his nose at his own master, when Widow Harrison -called down blessings on Burrel's head--declared that the time was -fast coming when such men would find their right level--and hoped in -his days to see the national debt wiped away with a wet spunge, and a -reasonable limit fixed to the fortunes of private men, so that no such -unequal distribution, of things that were naturally in common, should -take place. - -Widow Harrison was silent from astonishment, and her son was ill, and -not logical; so that the oration of silent servant passed -unquestioned, and he returned to his master's lodging, where, to do -him all manner of justice, although he was perfectly respectful, his -lips did not overflow with any of those warm professions of attachment -and devotion which used to characterize the determined rascal in days -of old. It is to be remarked here, that the character of the -scoundrel, the pickpocket, and the thief, has changed within the last -five or six years most amazingly; and that the leaven of liberal -sentiments, of one kind or another, which has been so industriously -kneaded up with the dough-like and ductile minds of Englishmen, has -been naturally communicated in a greater proportion to the thieves, -pickpockets, cheats, and valets-de-chambre, than to any other class in -the state. - -Far from finding fawning and cringing in the knavish valet--far from -meeting courtesy and gentleness in the highwayman--far from being -treated with urbanity and persiflage by the swindler--the first, when -about to steal his master's silver spoons, discusses the origin of the -idea of property; the second, when he lays you prostrate with a club, -or blows your brains out with a pistol, swaggers about the rights of -the people, while the swindler is sure to cheat you under the guise of -a lecture on political economy; and the man who meditates cutting your -throat in your bed, views you with cool indifference--reads Cato -before he goes to rest--and, ere he sets to work, lies down to take an -hour or two of sleep, and dream of Brutus. Oh, ye gods, it is a goodly -world! and those who see most of the march of intellect, begin to -suspect that its progression is somewhat like that of a crab. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -About three o the clock of the day at which we are still pausing, the -sky began to show a strong disposition to weep. A heavy shower came -on, and if there were a spark left till then unextinguished amongst -the blackened remains of Mrs. Darlington's house, there certainly now -came down from above the wherewithal to drown it out effectually. The -whole heavens became black and gloomy, and for about an hour there was -nothing to be seen but a scanty allowance of prospect, half obscured -by the gray drizzle. Shortly after, however, a yellow break made its -appearance on the south-western edge of the horizon, and the rays of a -September sun, mingling with the falling shower, poured through the -streaks of rain, and seemed to fringe the cloud with an edging of spun -glass. Moving slowly onward, the heavy mass of vapours left room for -the evening sun to burst forth, and, while the rainbow waved its scarf -of joy in the air, the whole world sparkled up refreshed and -brightened by the past rain. - -It was just about the same moment that Henry Burrel, rising up from a -desk at which he had been writing, closed it, rang the bell, and, -giving two letters to his servant for the post, ordered him to bring -his hat and stick. - -It happened, of course, that at the very same time the whole of the -most gossiping heads in Emberton were at the windows of their several -dwellings, endeavouring to ascertain if it were going to turn out a -fine evening, and, of course, their speculations were soon confined to -Burrel, who was seen to walk slowly along the street, to stop for ten -minutes at the principal inn, either--as it was conjectured by the -spectators--for the purpose of giving some orders, or of enquiring -after the health of Mrs. Darlington, and then to proceed leisurely -across the bridge, turn the corner of the park, and approach the -widow's cottage. - -The cottage itself being, as I have before said, two or three hundred -yards removed from the town, in the turnings of a narrow road, was out -of sight. But there was a house, which stood at the corner of the -bridge, on the opposite side to the park, commanding a view of a -considerable part of the grounds; and---from the windows of the first -floor, a female figure having been seen walking quickly down amongst -the trees on the left, while Burrel was pausing at the inn--Miss -Mildew, the fair tenant of that story--a lady of about fifty-nine, who -had exercised millinery, and had had her heart broken several times by -the perfidy of man--put on her bonnet, and ran across the street to -tell a congenial spirit, from whom she concealed nothing, that Miss -Delaware was just going down to give the strange gentleman a meeting -at the widow's cottage. Both held up their hands, and sighed -mournfully over the depravity of the world, and the sad decline of -female modesty in this latter day. - -In the meanwhile Burrel pursued his way, and, entering the open door -of the cottage, knocked at that of the room in which he had before -seen the widow. Another door opposite, however, was immediately opened -by Widow Harrison, and Burrel, entering the room with that pleasant -and unpretending easiness of demeanour, which is always received as a -kindly compliment by the lower classes, found himself, to his -surprise, in the presence of Miss Delaware. - -Although her mind was too little acquainted with evil in any shape to -lead Blanche Delaware to fancy for a single instant that any one would -put a wrong construction on her actions, yet there was something, she -knew not well what, in all that had passed between Burrel and herself -since their first meeting, that called up into her check a slight -blush, unconnected with any unpleasant feelings, as soon as she beheld -him--Those blushes are great tell-tales, and will often let out the -secret of a woman's heart, before she herself knows that there is any -secret in it; but we shall have more to say of them hereafter. - -The blush instantly passed away, however; and, as Burrel advanced to -speak to her, it was all gone. - -"I am delighted to see you, Miss Delaware," he said; "for I really had -hardly time to convince myself this morning that you had neither -suffered from cold nor from alarm in all the terrible adventures of -last night." - -"Not in the least," answered Miss Delaware; "and I have to thank you, -Mr. Burrel, for life. For, certainly, had it not been for your prompt -and generous assistance, I must have perished by a miserable death. As -it was," she added with a smile, which was followed by a blush again, -"As it was, your assistance was so prompt, and I was so sound asleep, -that I had not time to be frightened till I was safe. However, I must -trust the expression of my gratitude to those who are more capable of -doing justice to it. My brother, I believe is now gone to call upon -you." - -Widow Harrison had stood by, listening respectfully, but there was -many a shade of care removed from her face since the morning; and as -soon as Miss Delaware had ended, and there was a pause--for Burrel, -feeling that he would a thousand times sooner be thanked by her own -lips than by those of her brother, halted at his reply--the poor woman -joined in to express her gratitude too. A degree of embarrassment, -however, as to the manner, made her do it somewhat obliquely, and she -exclaimed, addressing Blanche Delaware:--"Oh, ma'am! this gentleman is -good and kind to every one! This is the gentleman I was telling you -brought home my poor boy, and sent Doctor Tomkins and his own servant -too; and has been so kind!" - -Blanche Delaware looked up in Burrel's face with one of those -sparkling smiles--as brilliant and more precious than a diamond--the -beaming approbation of a good heart, at the sight of a good action. - -Now, the good-natured world may say, if it list, that this chapter is -all about blushes and smiles; but let me tell it, that, rightly valued -and rightly read, there are not such beautiful or interesting things -on the earth. A dimple is fair enough on a fair face, but it means -little or nothing; but the smiles and the blushes of a fine and bright -mind, are lovely in all their shades and expressions: they are the -first touching tones of nature in her innocence--the sweet musical -language of the heart. - -And Blanche Delaware's smile was the sweetest that it is possible to -conceive, and none the less so because it beamed upon as fair a -countenance as the eye of man ever rested upon. Altogether, it was -like the sunshine upon a beautiful country--lovely in itself, and -lovely by that over which it played. "I thought it was the same, -Margaret," she replied to the widow; "I thought it was the same, -because--because--there was no other stranger at the fire, that I -heard of at least." - -Burrel might well ask his heart what it was about!--though it was a -day too late; for by this time it was determined to have its own way. -However, he knew more of the world than Blanche Delaware, and the -knowledge of good and evil has always the same effect that it had at -man's first fall. "And they knew that they were naked," says the Book -of Genesis; and in that simple record, the main motive and hidden -cause of all that class of weaknesses and follies is to be found which -teach man to conceal his actions, his thoughts, and his feelings--to -shrink from public censure, or fear the opinion of the world. The -knowledge of the good and evil that is in the world, teaches even the -noblest mind to know the proneness of all nature to wickedness, and -makes it hasten to clothe itself in a seeming not its own. Burrel knew -the world and its evil, and felt that, however pleasant it might be to -stay where he was, and enjoy the conversation of Blanche Delaware for -an hour, for her sake it would be better for him to refrain; and -therefore, after visiting the young sailor, who was in bed in the next -room, and bidding his mother ask frankly for every thing that was -necessary for his comfort or recovery, he took leave of Miss Delaware, -telling her that he would bend his steps homewards, in the hope of -meeting her brother. - -Ere he had crossed the bridge, his hand was clasped in that of Captain -Delaware, who was, in fact, infinitely glad of an opportunity of -drawing closer the acquaintance which he formed with his stage-coach -companion. He thanked him animatedly and warmly for his gallant -conduct in saving his sister, and apologized for the fact of his -father not calling on him that night, on account of slight -indisposition, adding, however, that it was his purpose to do so on -the following morning. - -To the latter annunciation Burrel merely bowed; but to the first he -replied, with a smile, that he believed he owed Miss Delaware an -apology more than she owed him thanks, for having so impudently walked -into her room in the middle of the night; although, he believed, they -would have been both burned if he had paused much longer to consider -of proprieties or improprieties. - -Captain Delaware laughed. "Blanche," said he, "though even I, her -brother, cannot help owning that she is a very _witching_ little -person in her way, when she likes it, has no great desire to pass -through such a fiery ordeal as that from which you relieved her; but -if you will come with me to Widow Harrison's cottage she will thank -you herself." - -"I have already had the pleasure of seeing her, and have been thanked -far more than necessary," replied Burrel; "for I certainly did no more -than I would have done to serve any lady in similar circumstances; -though I cannot deny that the merit of the action was greatly -decreased by the object of it being Miss Delaware." - -Captain Delaware paused for a moment, and then, catching his -companion's meaning, replied, smiling at his momentary dulness, "Oh! I -understand you! I understand you! But indeed, my dear sir, you must -give me notice next time you intend to leave the complimentary part of -your speech implied rather than understood; for, at first, I -understood your meaning to be, that you would rather have served any -other person than my sister." - -"Quite the contrary," replied Burrel. "The pleasure I felt in serving -your sister, took away all merit from the act--but compliments at all -times are very foolish things, so I will have done with them; and only -say most truly, that I was delighted to serve your sister.'" - -"I understand you now," said Captain Delaware; and then added, -laughing, "but you are accustomed to fine speeches, and I am not; so, -forgive my first stupidity. I take your compliment at its proper -value; and will--as the merchants tell us when we put into a strange -port--discount it to my sister at the current exchange." - -"Do not give her less than the amount," answered Burrel; and he spoke -so seriously, that even Captain Delaware, though he was not very -quicksighted in such matters, thought it better to let the subject -drop. However, there was something in Burrel's tone, that for the -first time made him think seriously of his sister's situation, and -made him feel a pang, which he had never before felt, at the low ebb -to which his house's fortunes had been reduced. Had there been in -Burrel's conversation one tittle of presumption--had the pride of -riches or of station shown itself by a word, by a very tone--pride, -irritated by poverty, might have risen up in his bosom, and taught him -to hold the stranger at arms-length, even though he had sacrificed -what he believed would prove one of the most agreeable acquaintances -he had ever made. But, on the contrary, though every thing in Burrel's -appearance, manners, and establishment, showed habitual affluence, -such a total disregard of the idle world's prosperity in others, -evinced itself in his whole conversation--he seemed so thoughtful of -wealth of mind and manners, and so disregardful of the poorer wealth, -that Captain Delaware, feeling himself by nature, education, and -habit, that noble thing--a gentleman--would not have hesitated to have -introduced Burrel to a cottage, and said, "This is my home;" convinced -that his companion would hardly see what was around him, provided some -weak vanity on his own part did not call his attention irresistibly to -the painful spectacle of pride endeavouring to hide poverty. - -While such conversation had been passing between them, and such -thoughts had been busy in Captain Delaware's bosom, Burrel, without -any definite purpose, made a wheel upon the bridge; and, in a moment -after, they were walking through the town together, towards the lane -which led to the widow's cottage. Captain Delaware remained silent, as -he continued meditating for two or three minutes, till remembering -that the name of his sister--for whom he had a fund of deep love and -respect, which influenced all his actions, even without his knowing -it--had been the last upon their lips; and, feeling that some -inference of deeper moment might be drawn from his silence than he -could desire, he changed the subject, abruptly enough indeed, to make -his sudden fit of thoughtfulness more liable to remark than if it had -continued twice as long. - -"Your servant," he said, "is certainly a descendant, not of [OE]dipus, -but of his friend the Sphinx--which, by the way, our sailors, when we -were at Alexandria, used always to call the Minx. I did not think I -showed any very impertinent curiosity, but he could neither tell me -where you had gone--which way you had turned when you left the -door--when you were to be back--or, in short, any other fact -concerning your movements this evening: for, feeling deeply indebted -to you on poor Blanche's account, I wished to unload my bosom of its -thanks." - -"Oh, he is a discreet and sober personage, Master Harding," answered -Burrel. "One of those men who have a great idea of not committing -themselves; and I like him infinitely better than a plausible, -fair-spoken knave that I had lately, who would not, or could not, -loose my horse's girths, if the groom were out of the way, and who -left me because I did not allow my servants Madeira." - -"I hope you threw him out of the window?" cried Captain Delaware, -giving way to a burst of honest indignation. - -"Oh dear, no!" answered Burrel, "I saw him depart through the usual -aperture, with a degree of coolness and fortitude he did not expect; -and after trying another, whom I _did_ kick out, I was soon supplied -with the present rascal, who is useful, silent, and circumspect. He -cheats me in about the same proportion as the others, or rather less; -is so far more honest, that he never pretends to honesty; and I have -never yet discovered that he lets any other person cheat me besides -himself." - -"No very high character, either!" answered Captain Delaware. - -"I beg your pardon!" cried Burrel. "Sufficient for a prime minister, -and more than sufficient for a member of parliament.--But here we are -at the cottage; I wonder if I dare intrude again upon Miss Delaware's -presence?" - -Captain Delaware made no difficulty, and a few minutes afterwards the -whole party were observed--with Blanche hanging upon her brother's -arm, and Burrel walking by her side, his handsome head bent down to -speak and hear with the more marked attention--walking slowly along -the lane under the park wall, till they reached the small door nearest -to the mansion. There Burrel raised his hat, and took his leave; and -while Miss Delaware and her brother entered the park, he drew up his -head, threw wide his shoulders, and, resuming his usual gait, returned -to the town. - -The person who had observed all this, and who declared positively that -she had not walked that way on purpose, reported it all fully to the -honest folks of Emberton, who instantly prognosticated a marriage. How -desperately they were mistaken, remains to be shown. - -Burrel returned to his house, dined without the slightest symptoms of -love being discernible in the removed dishes; and ended the day by -sleeping as devotedly as if he had been a sworn votary of Somnus, -first telling his servant to see that all the fires were put out, as -he had not the slightest inclination to be woke from his rest again. A -fire on two consecutive nights, however, is not a piece of good -fortune that happens to every man; and Burrel, after having slept one -third of the round dial undisturbed, woke the next morning, and sat -down to breakfast, asking himself, what was to occur next? - -Every man must find that there come moments in the dull lapse of life, -when---as we feel that nothing can stand still--we are certain that -something must happen, however small and trifling in itself, to change -the monotonous course in which things are proceeding, and lead us to a -new train of events. Did you ever trace the current of a small stream, -reader, from its earliest gush out of the green swampy turf, or the -little rugged bank, to its confluence with some other water? Do! It is -amusing and instructive. At its first burst into existence, you will -find it generally rushing on in gay and bounding brightness, fretting -at all that opposes its course, and dashing over every obstacle that -would retard its progress. Gradually as one obstruction after another -meets and impedes its onward flow, slower and more slow becomes its -current, till a mere molehill will divert its course, and send it -wandering far in the most opposite direction to that which it -originally assumed. But, after all, I am stealing an image; for some -poet--I forget who--has said something very like it. Nevertheless, I -make no apology for the robbery. The illustration suits my purpose, -and I take it. Let every man steal as much as he likes; but put it in -inverted commas, and it is all according to act of parliament. - -It matters not that the thought be old: the figure is fully as -appropriate as if it were new; and any one who has watched the -progress of a stream, must have said in his own heart--"This is life!" - -Well, Burrel, as he sat down to breakfast, had just come to one of -those slow spaces in the current of existence, where he felt that some -bank, or stone, or molehill, must turn the stream; and, as I have -before said, his first thought was, What is to happen next? - -Oh, that curious question, which has puzzled the wisest from the -beginning of the world, and will puzzle them still, till the last day -solves it for ever! What is to happen next? - -It had scarcely passed, through Burrel's brain, when the door opened, -and Sir Sidney Delaware was announced. He entered the room slowly, as -was his custom; but, as he did enter, Burrel at once perceived that a -certain air of coldness--which, like the mithridate of the ancients, -defied all analysis from the multitude of ingredients that composed -it--was altogether gone, and in its room there was a frank bland -smile, as he greeted him, which unloaded the baronet's brow of the -wrinkles of full ten years. - -"I have come to visit you, Mr. Burrel," said Sir Sidney Delaware, "at -an unusual hour, solely because I wished to see you; and, if you will -give me leave, I will take my coffee with you," Burrel rang the bell, -and the necessary additions to his breakfast-table were soon -completed, while he expressed politely, but neither coldly nor -cordially, his pleasure at the visit of Sir Sidney Delaware. - -"My first task, Mr. Burrel," said the baronet mildly and kindly, "is -to express my gratitude for the salvation of my dear child; and allow -me to say, that no one who does not love her as I do, can feel what -that gratitude is." - -When a poor man and a proud man condescends to pour forth his feelings -to his equal in mind and station, and his superior in more worldly -wealth, it is a compliment which deserves instant return, and -Burrel--though he had been unwilling to risk for a moment a fresh -advance, to be again repulsed--felt, from the whole tone and manner of -his companion, that the barrier was broken down between them. To have -held back would have been an insult, and he instantly replied, not in -the set form which means no more than a copy-line to a schoolboy, but -in those words and accents that conveyed fully to Sir Sidney Delaware, -that he had felt a real and personal pleasure in serving his daughter -in the manner that he had done. He spoke frankly, though guardedly, -of the charms and graces of Miss Delaware's conversation and -demeanour--he spoke more boldly and feelingly of the impression that -the blending of sailor-like candour with, gentlemanly feeling, in -Captain Delaware, had produced upon his mind--and although Burrel -alluded to these things in the tone of a man of the world, who had -found out a treasure in pure nature that he had never before -discovered, he did so without the slightest assumption of superiority; -and both his words and his manner expressed alone unfeigned pleasure -in the acquaintance he had made, and the service he had rendered. - -"Enough, enough!" cried Sir Sidney Delaware, interrupting him as he -was going on in his encomiums. "I came here to thank you for what you -have done for one of my children, not to hear praises of both, that -might perhaps make my old eyes overflow. But, as you speak of my son, -I must not only confess that I owe you thanks, but an apology which I -have promised him to make you, for not calling on you before. In that -voluminous catalogue of lies, which, like hackney-coaches on a stand, -are ready at the beck of every one, I might find a hundred excuses -ready made to my hand, which you would be bound to receive as current; -but my principles do not admit of my making use of them, and when I -apologize at all, it must be by telling the truth. Unfortunate -circumstances, Mr. Burrel," he added in a grave and somewhat sad tone, -"have placed a painful disparity between the fortune and the station -of my family. For myself, I do not covet wealth, neither do my -children; but we have never sought, or even admitted, the society of -any one who was likely to differ from us in our estimation of our own -situation." - -"Although such an apology is far more than I either deserve, or could -expect," replied Burrel; "yet I own I am glad to find that you did not -at all hate me for my own sake. As to my feelings and principles--if, -as I hope, this acquaintance stops not here--you will soon find, my -dear sir, that I am far too aristocratic in my own nature to dream -that wealth can make any addition to rank--far too liberal in my own -sentiments to dream that either wealth or rank can make any addition -to gentlemanly manners and a gentlemanly mind. Do not mistake me, Sir -Sidney Delaware," he added, seeing a slight shade come over the -baronet's countenance; "I have every reverence for the institutions of -society, and for those grades, which society can never be deprived of, -without sinking gradually into barbarism of manners, if not barbarism -of mind. All I mean to say, is, when I pay reverence to rank, it is a -tribute I render to society--when I pay reverence to the individual, -it is a tribute I offer to virtue, and that tribute will be offered to -either, under all circumstances, and at all times; but I have no idea -of bowing low to the purse in a man's pocket, or fawning upon the -bottle of Lafitte that graces his sideboard." - -Sir Sidney Delaware smiled. "I am afraid, then," he replied, "you are -unlike the majority of our young men at present. The worst kind of -aristocracy--because it must always be too new a garment to sit -easily--the aristocracy of wealth, is springing up each day as the -idol for worship; and I am afraid every one who may be said to have a -golden calf in their house, will find plenty of our Israelites willing -to commit idolatry, though to the worship of wealth in others may be -applied the memorable words with which Sallust stigmatizes avarice -itself--'Ea quasi veninis malis imbuta, corpus animumque virilem -effæminat, semper infinita insatiabilis est; neque copiâ, neque inopiâ -minuitur.' My own race have been too little followers of the blind -god--I mean Plutus, not Cupid--and the effects you will see, if you do -me the favour of dining in my poor house to-morrow." - -"If I see yourself and family there, Sir Sidney Delaware, I shall -certainly see nothing amiss, and probably nothing else; though," he -added, feeling that the subject was one which had better be led into -some other, as soon as possible, "though the house appears to be a -very perfect and beautiful specimen of the peculiar kind of -architecture to which it belongs." - -"It is, indeed," replied the baronet, instantly mounting the hobby -that Burrel set before him; "it is, indeed, perhaps the most perfect -specimen of the architecture of the early part of Henry VIII. now in -existence. It shows the first step from the pure Gothic to the pure -Vandal, if I may so call it, which succeeded." - -"Without pretending to be a connoisseur," replied Burrel, "I am -certainly a great lover of architectural antiquities of all sorts; and -I must endeavour to seduce you into pointing out all the peculiar -characteristics of the place." - -"I shall be delighted!" exclaimed Sir Sidney Delaware. "Let me beg you -to come to-morrow early--come to breakfast--and give us your whole -day, if you can spare so much of your time, which is doubtless -valuable. - -"Perfectly worthless!" replied Burrel. "So, remember if you find that -I take you at your word, and bestow my whole day of tediousness upon -you, it is your own fault; for you have invited me; and I shall look -jealously for every yawn." - -"No fear, no fear, my dear sir!" said the baronet. "I do not know how, -Mr. Burrel, or why, but something in your aspect and manner makes me -feel as if you were an old friend." - -"May you always feel so!" replied Burrel, with a smile of pleasure, -which vouched that the words were more than mere form. - -"Even your face," continued Sir Sidney, "comes upon me like a dream of -the past, and I feel, in speaking with you, as if I had just got my -studentship at Christ Church, and were in those bright days again when -the boy, standing on the verge of manhood, grasps at the crown of -thorns before him, as if it were a diadem of stars. However, I feel -towards you like an old friend, and shall treat you as such, which -means--as one of the flippant books of the present day asserts--that I -shall give you a very bad dinner." - -"Do! do!" cried Burrel, shaking the hand his guest held out to him as -he was about to depart. "Do! do! and I will find a way to avenge -myself without difficulty." - -"How do you mean?" demanded the baronet, pausing. - -"By coming for another very soon," answered his companion. "So, I dare -you to keep your word." - -"I certainly shall," rejoined Sir Sidney Delaware, "if such be the -penalty;" and they parted with feelings entirely changed on both sides -since their meeting at the house of Mr. Tims. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -Whether the succeeding hours of the day on which Sir Sidney Delaware -first visited Henry Burrel, did or did not pass with any degree of -impatience, felt on the part of the latter, it is difficult to say. -Burrel had an habitual dislike to the display of what he felt and -except on special occasions, where the stirred-up feelings broke -through all customary restraint, there might be many far deeper things -passing in his bosom than the eye of a casual observer could discover -from his face. - -The hours of that day seemed to fly in perfect tranquillity. He -visited the widow's cottage twice, and marked with pleasure that a -change for the better had taken place in her son; he called upon -Mrs. Darlington at the inn, gossiped over a thousand subjects of -tittle-tattle, and sketched out a plan for rebuilding her house--a -consideration which seemed to give the good lady so much pleasant -occupation, that Burrel could scarcely find it in his heart to regret -that her house had been burned at all. He then strolled home to write -letters, remarking with little farther comment, as he did so, that his -silent servant, Harding, was walking on the other side of the way, in -quiet conversation with the vulgar person who had been for a short -time one of his own companions in the London coach. - -Nothing, in short, through the whole day, or the ensuing evening, -could betray that the hours were at all weary to Henry Burrel; and the -only circumstance which led his servant--who had eyes sufficiently -inquisitive and acute--to believe that his master looked upon the -approaching visit with more than ordinary interest, was, that the next -morning, instead of sleeping soundly as usual till he was called, he -rang his bell somewhat impatiently full five minutes before his -ordinary hour of rising. - -Giving the necessary orders for his dressing apparatus to be brought -up to the mansion before dinner, Burrel sallied forth as soon as he -was dressed, and took his way towards the park gate. He paused upon -the bridge, however, and for a moment gazed up the long open space of -park lawn, broken by old elms and oaks, with the stream flowing calmly -on in the midst, and the swans dipping quietly into its waters, and -the whole, in the soft morning sunshine, bearing an air of peace, with -which even the gray building at the end of the vista harmonized full -well. - -With what other thoughts there might be in Burrel's bosom--and there -were a good many different threads that ran across the web in various -directions--we will have nothing to do here, but will follow the one -continuous line which we began to trace before, and only consider the -psychological phenomena that were passing in his heart, as far as they -related to Blanche Delaware. That Burrel had thought of her a great -deal since last he saw her, there can be no doubt; and he had thought -of his own situation too, and what he was about, with a degree of -human perversity that was quite extraordinary in a hero of romance. As -the beginnings of love must always be imaginative, and as Burrel had -got into a bad habit of laughing at most things under the sun, by -feeling that few were worth considering seriously--from the effects of -which bad habit, be it remarked, he himself, his own mind and -peculiarities, were not at all exempt--as a consequence of all this, -he had chosen, in the present case, to image the predicament in which -he stood to his own fancy, under a thousand different forms, most of -them, indeed, ludicrous or trivial. He had been now the moth -fluttering round the light--now the trout rising to the hook--but, -more frequently still, he had painted himself to himself, as the fly -upon the edge of a plate of honey, tasting and retasting the tenacious -sweets till his feet become glued to the place, and he is forced to -remain and die amidst the plundered stores of the bee. There are -several great uses in thus learning to laugh at ourselves. In the -first place, we know all that the world--the good-natured world--may, -can, might, could, would, should, or ought to say of us. In the next, -we can flatter ourselves that we have looked at the most disagreeable, -that is to say, the sneering side of things; and lastly--the story of -galloping across the swamp, comes over again, and we get over a great -deal of ground easily, which it would not do to stay and examine -seriously. - -Whether it was from any or all of these motives that Burrel acted, -or whether it was a mere affair of habit, does not much matter; for -when he set out on that morning to breakfast at Emberton Park, and -looked up the calm expanse towards the dwelling Blanche Delaware -inhabited--when he entered the old gates, and strolled leisurely up -amongst the shady trees--when he thought of how fair and how gentle -she was--and when he felt conscious that he was only walking up -those paths the first time out of many that fate, or love, destined -him to tread them--he perceived that the matter was somewhat more -serious--that it was too weighty to be raised upon the wings of a -light laugh, or rolled about by an idle sneer. - -There was something startling in the sensation; and he felt that -where the happiness of the whole of that space out of eternity, which -we are destined to pass amidst the warm relationships of earth, is -concerned, the matter is grave when rightly considered, if not solemn. -But then, as he went on thinking--even though the morning, pouring -through the dim old trees, had something serious in its very gray -tranquillity--yet the object that connected itself with every idea, -the sweet form, the bright sunshiny smile of Blanche Delaware, came -flitting across his dreams, and cast a light from itself over the -whole future prospect. Then would Burrel look around him, and weave -many a fairy project of conferring happiness; and he would twine, in -fancy, many a jewel and a wreath to bind the fair brows of the fair -girl he thought of, and would lead her through scenes of splendour, -and of beauty, and of joy, to mansions of domestic happiness and -bowers of tranquil repose. - -Thus went it on, till at length he woke up at the door of the -dwelling-house, and found himself as great an enthusiast at heart as -ever lived and loved. Ascending the steps from the terrace, he rang -the large bell, which was answered in a moment by the appearance of an -honest-faced country servant, who was the only male domestic in a -house which, had it been all inhabited, would have required a dozen at -least. A little to the man's surprise, Burrel, who was still thinking -of something else, and whose heart beat more than he thought proper, -walked directly forward to the door of the library, and was raising -his hand to open it too, when, recollecting himself, he paused, and -suffered the servant to announce him. His hand was cordially shaken by -Captain Delaware, almost as he entered; and there was a glow of -pleasure on the face of the young sailor, not only because he was -really glad to see a man whom he personally liked, but that what he -looked upon as a reproach to the hospitality of their house was wiped -away. - -Sir Sidney Delaware was at the further end of the room, which was well -furnished--for books are always furniture--and they were many and -choice. He, too, immediately rose, and advanced to welcome his guest -most cordially; for the service that Burrel had rendered his child had -completely opened his heart; and, when it was once opened, there was -room enough within, though the door had been somewhat narrowed, in -order to shut out the cold air of the world. - -Burrel's eyes ran round the library, but Blanche Delaware was not -there; and though he would have probably laughed, had any one called -him a modest man, yet he found that he could not enquire after her -with so easy an air as he might have done two or three days before, -and therefore he did not enquire after her at all, expecting every -instant to see her appear. He felt uncomfortable, however, when her -father at length proposed that they should go to the breakfast-room; -and he asked himself whether she could be absent from home. - -Burrel's mind was put at ease the moment after; for, on passing -forward to the little breakfast-room--to which he seemed to find his -way instinctively, without his host having to say, "Turn here" or -"turn there!"--the first object that presented itself was Blanche -Delaware, on hospitable thoughts intent, making the tea, and--as -probably Eve was the most beautiful creature ever created--looking as -like Eve as possible. - -But let us pause one moment, and expatiate upon an English -breakfast-room. There is nothing like it in all the world besides. It -is an emanation from the morning-heart of Englishmen.--It is a type of -the character of the people. Good Heaven! when one comes down on a -fine autumn morning, and finds the snowy table-cloth, the steaming urn, -the clean polished furniture, the simple meal, and all the implements -for dispensing it, shining in the morning sunshine, as if the Goddess -of Tidiness had burnished them; together with a rich English landscape -looking in at the windows, and, round the table, half a dozen smiling -faces, and fair forms, all arrayed in that undeviating neatness which -is also purely English, how the heart is opened to all that is good, -and kindly, and social--how it is strengthened, and fortified, and -guarded against the cares and labours and ills of the ensuing day! - -Blanche looked up as Burrel entered, and there were one or two slight -circumstances which might have made him believe that his presence was -not unpleasant to her, had he been in a mood to remark any thing but -the simple fact of her being there. There was the same fitful blush, -the same sparkle of the eyes, that would not be repressed, the same -sweet smile, as he gave her the morning's greeting, which he had seen -separately before; but, what was more to the purpose, she withdrew the -tea-pot before she remembered to stop the urn, spilt the water on the -table-cloth, and got into some confusion both at her embarrassment and -at its cause. Captain Delaware smiled; and Blanche, though she knew -that her brother was not very, very learned in woman's heart, -attributed more meaning to his smile than it deserved, and would have -been more embarrassed still, had there not been a degree of warmth, -and a subdued tenderness in Burrel's manner, that was very consoling. -Now, had Blanche Delaware laid a systematic design against Burrel's -heart, and had she endeavoured to make herself appear the very wife -suited to him, from every thing she had seen of his character, she -would have taken great care not to let the urn deluge the table-cloth, -and would have believed her whole plan ruined for ever, if she had -done so; for Burrel had certainly, at Mrs. Darlington's, affected a -sort of fastidiousness--altogether in jest, but done seriously enough -to deceive--which would have rendered such a little accident fatal. -But Blanche Delaware had not the slightest idea of such a design in -the world. Burrel, it is true, was the handsomest man in person, and -the most elegant man in manners, that she had ever met with. His -character she had heard from Dr. Wilton--one she was accustomed to -reverence. His conversation had pleased, amused, and fascinated her. -At the risk of his own life he had carried her close to his heart, -through the midst of a tremendous fire. He had saved her life, and, in -the enthusiasm of doing so, had called her "Dear girl!" and had -perhaps pressed her a little closer to his bosom, when he found that -they were safe. Of the last particular, however, she was not quite -sure; but so much does the heart of man expand to those we protect and -save, that, even if he did, it was quite natural. All this had given -her different feelings towards Burrel, from those that she experienced -towards any other man; and though she kept a tight rein upon -imagination, and would not even suffer the sweet folly of -castle-building to enter her heart in this instance, yet she felt -sufficiently agitated and pleased by his presence, to become alarmed -at her own sensations, and to feel unwittingly consoled by the marked -difference between his manner to herself, and to others. She was -therefore vexed at the little accident it is true, but she was vexed -solely because she thought it might betray more agitation than she -believed that she felt; not because she feared, by a trifle, to lose a -heart for which she had set no traps, and of whose possession she was -determined not to dream at all. - -So much for nothings! But as nothings are the small casters on which -the great machine of the world goes lumbering along, one may pause to -remark them for a moment, without a fault.--But now to more serious -matters. Burrel soon recovered that degree of ease which he had never -lost in the eyes of any other person, although he felt the loss -himself, and the breakfast past over in that sort of light and varied -conversation, which allows all to shine in turn who are capable of -shining. - -It was about the time of some serious disturbances in France; and -those events naturally suggested themselves, at least to the three -gentlemen, as the most interesting topic of the day. - -"What think you then, Mr. Burrel," demanded Sir Sidney Delaware, "of -La ---- coming forth in his old age to renew the scenes which, in his -youth, he first excited, and then lamented?" - -"The great misfortune is," replied Burrel, "that his name should be -able to do so much, when he himself is unable to do any thing." - -"You mean that he is in his dotage," said Captain Delaware. "Is it not -so?" - -"I mean merely," replied Burrel, "that he is in that state of mental -decrepitude where the plaudits of a mob of any kind, either of porters -or peers, would make him commit any folly for the brief moment of -popularity. With poor old La ---- it is only now the fag-end of the -great weakness of his life, vanity--that sort of gluttonous vanity, -that can gorge upon the offal of base and ignorant applause." - -"Ay, there lies the fault," replied Sir Sidney Delaware. "The man who -seeks the applause of the good, the wise, and the generous, is next in -honourable ambition to him who seeks the approbation of his God; but -he whose depraved appetite finds food in the gratulating shout of an -assemblage of the ignorant, the base, and the vicious--like--like--I -could mention many, but I will not--he, however, who does so, is a -moral swine, and only swills the filth of the public kennel in another -sense." - -"Papa, papa!" cried Blanche Delaware. "In pity, let me finish -breakfast before you indulge in such figures of rhetoric. William, in -mercy change the subject! Cannot you tell us some of those pretty -stories about Sicily and its beloved _Mongibeddo_ with which you -charmed my ears when first you came from the Mediterranean?" - -"Not I, indeed, Blanche!" replied her brother; "for, on the faith of -those stories, you had nearly persuaded my father to go abroad, which -would not suit my views of promotion at all." - -"And did Miss Delaware really wish to visit foreign lands?" demanded -Burrel, "We should not easily have forgiven you." - -"It was but to see all those things one dreams so much about!" replied -Blanche Delaware, "and to return to my own land after they were seen; -for I can assure you, I have neither hope nor wish, ever to find any -country half so fair in my eyes as our own England." - -"That is both just and patriotic," answered Burrel; "more than -one-half of what we like in any and every land, is association, and -if, without one classic memory of the great past, you were to visit -Italy itself, half the marvels of that land of beauties would be lost. -The Colosseum would stand a cold brown ruin, cumbering the ground; -Rome, a dull heap of ill-assorted buildings; the Capitol a molehill; -and the Tiber a ditch. But under the magic wand of association, every -thing becomes beautiful. It is not alone the memories of one age or of -one great epoch that rise up to people Italy with majestic things; but -all the acts of glory and of majesty that thronged two thousand years, -before the eye of fancy, walk in grand procession through the land, -and hang a wreath of laurels on each cold ruin as they pass. Yet it is -all association; and where can we find such associations as those -connected with our native land?" - -The question was tolerably general, but the tone and the manner were -to Blanche Delaware; and she replied, "It would be difficult, I am -afraid, to raise up for any country such as those you have conjured up -for Italy; but still I should never be afraid of forgetting England. -It is where I was born," she added, thinking over all her reasons for -loving it, and looking down at the pattern on the table-cloth, as she -counted them one by one; "I have spent in it so many happy hours and -happy days. Every thing in it is connected with some pleasant thought -or some dear memory; and the associations, though not so grand, would -be more sweet--though not so vast, would be more individual--would not -perhaps waken any very romantic feelings, but would come more home to -my own heart." - -Burrel answered nothing; but when she raised her eyes, which had been -cast down while she spoke, they found his fixed upon her; and she felt -from that moment that she was beloved. - -Blanche Delaware turned very pale, though the consciousness was any -thing but painful. It was so oppressive, however, that the agitation -made her feel faint; but her brother's voice recalled her to herself. - -"Well spoken, my dear little patriot sister!" he said; "but if you had -been a sailor, like your brother, you would have added, that England -is not wanting in associations of glory and freedom, and noble actions -and noble endeavours; and in this view, the associations connected -with our native land are more extended than those of any other -country; for in whatever corner of the world an Englishman may be, -when he catches but a glimpse of the salt sea, the idea of the glory -of his native land rushes up upon his mind, and he sees, waving before -the eye of fancy, the flag that 'for a thousand years, has stood the -battle and the breeze.'" - -Burrel smiled; but there was no touch of a sneer in it. "The song from -which you quote," he said, "must have been written surely under such -enthusiasm as that with which you now speak. I know scarcely so -spirit-stirring a composition in the English language. Indeed, all -Campbell's smaller poems are full of the same _vivida vis animi_." - -"And yet," said Sir Sidney Delaware, "you, as well as I, must have -heard fools and jolterheads say, that Campbell is no poet, because now -and then, in his longer pieces, when he gets tired of the mere -mechanism, he suffers a verse or two to become tame--out of pure -idleness I have no doubt." - -"Those who say he is no poet, do not know what poetry is," replied -Burrel, somewhat eagerly, "Scattered through every one of his poems -there are beauties of the first order; and almost all of his smaller -pieces stand perfectly alone in poetry. He has contrived sometimes to -compress into four or five of the very shortest lines that can be -produced, more than nine poets out of ten could cram into a long -Spenserian stanza with a thundering Alexandrine at the end." - -"Do you know Mr. Campbell personally?" asked Miss Delaware. - -"I do," answered Burrel laughing; "but do not suppose my praise of him -is exaggerated from personal friendship. On the contrary, I am bound, -by all the laws and usages of the world in general, to hate him -cordially." - -"Indeed! and why so?" demanded Blanche, half afraid that she had -touched upon some delicate subject. - -"Simply because we differ on politics," answered Burrel. "Can there be -a more mortal offence given or received?" - -"As we are speaking of poets, however," continued Miss Delaware, "I -will ask you one more question, Mr. Burrel--Do you know Wordsworth?" - -"I am not so fortunate," answered Burrel; "for, though we should as -certainly differ as we met, upon nine points out of ten, yet I should -much like to know him." - -"Then you know and esteem his works, of course?" said Miss Delaware. - -"I know them well," replied Burrel; "but I do not like them so much as -you do." - -"Nay, nay!" said Blanche Delaware. "I have said nothing in their -favour. What makes you believe I admire them more than yourself?" - -"Simply because every body of taste must esteem them highly," replied -Burrel; "and women who do esteem them, will always esteem them more -than men can do. A woman's heart and mind, Miss Delaware, by the -comparative freshness which it retains more or less through life, can -appreciate the gentle, the sweet, and the simple, better than a man's; -and thus, while the mightier and more majestic beauties of -Wordsworth's muse affect your sex equally with ours, the softer and -finer shades of feeling--the touches of artless nature and simplicity, -which appear almost weak to us, have all their full effect to you." - -"But if you own that, and feel that," said Blanche Delaware, "why -cannot you admire the same beauties?" - -"For this reason," replied Burrel, "man's mental taste, like his -corporeal power of tasting, gets corrupted, or rather paralyzed, in -his progress through the world, by the various stimulants he applies -to it. He drinks his bottle of strong and heady wine, which gradually -loses its effect, and he takes more, till at length nothing will -satisfy him but cayenne pepper." - -"But if he appreciates gentler pleasures," said Captain Delaware, "he -must be able in some degree to enjoy them." - -"Of course," replied Burrel, "there are moments when the cool and -pleasant juice of a peach, or the simple refreshment of a glass of -lemonade, will be delightful; and in such moments it is, that he feels -he has stimulated away a sense, and a delightful one. Thus with -poetry, and literature in general, the mind, by reading a great many -things it would be better without, loses its relish for every thing -that does not excite and heat the imagination--which is neither more -nor less than the mental palate;--and though there are moments when -the heart, softened and at ease, finds joys in all the sweet -simplicity which would have charmed it for ever in an unsophisticated -state, yet still it returns to cayenne pepper, and only remembers the -other feelings, as of pleasures lost for ever. With regard to -Wordsworth's poetry, perhaps no one ever did him more injustice than I -did once. With a very superficial knowledge of his works, I fancied -that I despised them all; and it was only from being bored about them -by his admirers, that I determined to read them every line, that I -might hate them with the more accuracy." - -Blanche Delaware smiled, and her father spoke, perhaps, the feelings -of both. "We have found you out, Mr. Burrel," he said; "and understand -your turn for satirizing yourself." - -"I am not doing so now, I can assure you," replied Burrel. "What I -state is exactly the fact. I sat down to read Wordsworth's works, with -a determination to dislike them, and I succeeded in one or two poems, -which have been cried up to the skies; but, as I went on, I found so -often a majestic spirit of poetical philosophy, clothing itself in the -full sublime of simplicity, that I felt reproved and abashed, and I -read again with a better design. In doing so, though I still felt that -there was much amidst all the splendour that I could neither like nor -admire, yet I perceived how and why others might, and would, find -great beauties and infinite sweetness in that which palled upon my -taste; and I perceived, also, that the fault lay in me far more than -in the poetry. The beauties I felt more than ever, and some of the -smaller pieces, I am convinced, will live for ages, with the works of -Shakspeare and Milton." - -"They will, indeed," said Sir Sidney Delaware, "as long as there is -taste in man. Nevertheless, the poet--who is perhaps as great a -philosopher, too, as ever lived--has sacrificed, like many -philosophers, an immense gift of genius to a false hypothesis in -regard to his art; and has consequently systematically poured forth -more trash than perhaps any man living. His poems, collected, always -put me in mind of an account I have somewhere read of the diamond -mines of Golconda, where inestimable jewels were found mingled with -masses of soft mud. But you have long done breakfast, Mr. Burrel. -Come, Blanche, I am going to take Mr. Burrel to the terrace, and -descant most dully on all the antiquities of the house. Let us have -your company, my love; for we shall meet with so many old things, it -may be as well to have something young to relieve them!" - -It required but a short space of time to array Blanche Delaware for -the walk round the terrace that her father proposed. In less than a -minute she came down in the same identical cottage bonnet--the ugliest -of all things--in which Burrel had first beheld her with her brother; -but, strange to say, although on that occasion he had only thought her -a pretty country girl, so changed were now all his feelings--so many -beauties had he marked which then lay hid, that, as she descended with -a smiling and happy face to join them at the door of the hall, he -thought her the loveliest creature that he had ever beheld in any -climate, or at any time. - -The whole party sallied forth; and as people who like each other, and -whose ideas are not commonplace, can make an agreeable conversation -out of any thing, the walk round the old house, and the investigation -of every little turn and corner of the building, passed over most -pleasantly to all, although Blanche and her brother knew not only -every stone in the edifice, but every word almost that could be said -upon them. They were accustomed, however, to look upon their father -with so much affection and reverence; and the misfortunes under which -he laboured, had mingled so much tenderness with their love, that "an -oft told tale" from his lips lost its tediousness, being listened to, -by the ears of deep regard. Burrel, too, was all attention; and, while -Sir Sidney Delaware descanted learnedly on the buttery, and the wet -and dry larder, and the priors parlour, and the scriptorium, and -pointed out the obtuse Gothic arches described from four centres, -which characterize the architecture of Henry VIII., he filled up all -the pauses with some new and original observation on the same theme; -and though certainly not so learned on the subject as Sir Sidney -himself, yet he showed that, at all events, he possessed sufficient -information to feel an interest therein, and to furnish easily the -matter for more erudite rejoinder. - -By the time the examination of the house itself was over, however, Sir -Sidney Delaware felt fatigued. "I must leave Blanche and William, Mr. -Burrel," he said, "to show you some of the traces of those antique -times which we have just been talking of, that are scattered through -the park, particularly on the side farthest from the town. I myself -think them more interesting even than the house itself, and wish I -could go with you; but I am somewhat tired, and must deny myself the -pleasure." - -Burrel assured him that he would take nothing as a worse compliment -than his putting himself to any trouble about him; and, perhaps not -unwillingly, set out accompanied only by Blanche and her brother. It -would have been as dangerous a walk as ever was taken, had he not been -in love already. There was sunshine over all the world, and the air -was soft and calm. Their way led through the deep high groves and -wilder park scenery that lay at the back of the mansion, now winding -in amongst hills and dells covered with rich short grass, now -wandering on by the bank of the stream, on whose bosom the gay-coated -kingfishers and the dark water-hens were skimming and diving in -unmolested security. In the open parts, the old hawthorns perched -themselves on the knolls, wreathing their fantastic limbs in groups of -two or three; and every now and then a decaying oak of gigantic girth, -but whose head had bowed to time, shot out its long lateral branches -across the water, over which it had bent for a thousand years. - -The whole party were of the class of people who have eyes--as that -delightful little book the Evenings at Home has it--and at present, -though there were busy thoughts in the bosoms, at least of two of -those present, yet perhaps they strove the more to turn their -conversation to external things, from the consciousness of the -feelings passing within. Those feelings, however, had their effect, as -they ever must have, even when the topics spoken of are the most -indifferent. They gave life, and spirit, and brightness to every -thing. - -Blanche Delaware, hanging on the arm of her brother, and yielding to -the influence of the smiles that were upon the face of nature, gave -full way to her thoughts of external things as they arose; and, -together with spirits bright and playful, but never what may be called -_high_--with an imagination warm and brilliant, never wild--there -shone out a heart, that Burrel saw was well fitted to understand, and -to appreciate that fund of deeper feelings, that spring of enthusiasm, -tempered a little by judgment, and ennobled by a high moral sense, -which he concealed--perhaps weakly--from a world that he despised. - -He felt at every step that the moments near her were almost too -delightful; and, before he had got to the end of that walk, he had -reached the point where love begins to grow terrified at its own -intensity, lest the object should be lost on which the mighty stake of -happiness is cast for ever. - -Having proceeded thus far--which, by the way, is no small length; for -the great difficulty, as Burrel found it, was to place himself fairly -on a footing of friendship with Sir Sidney Delaware's family--we must -unwillingly abandon the expatiative; and, having more than enough to -do, leave the party on their walk, and turn to characters as -necessary, but less interesting. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -In the house of Lord Ashborough--which is situated in Grosvenor -Square, fronting the south--there is a large room, which in form would -be a parallelogram, did not one of the shorter sides--which, being -turned to the north, looks out upon the little rood of garden, -attached to the dwelling--bow out into the form of a bay window. The -room is lofty, and, as near as possible, twenty-eight feet in length -by twenty-four in breadth. Book-cases, well stored with tomes in -lettered calf, cover the walls, and a carpet, in which the foot sinks, -is spread over the floor. Three large tables occupy different parts of -the room. Two covered with books and prints lie open to the world in -general, but the third, on which stand inkstands and implements for -writing, shows underneath, in the carved lines of the highly polished -British oak, many a locked drawer. Each chair, so fashioned that -uneasy must be the back that would not there find rest, rolls smoothly -on noiseless casters, and the thick walls, the double doors, and -bookcases, all combine to prevent any sound from within being caught -by the most prying ear without, or any noise from without being heard -by those within, except when some devil of a cart runs away in Duke -Street, and goes clattering up that accursed back street behind. - -Such were the internal arrangements and appearance of the library at -Lord Ashborough's, on a morning in September of the same year, one -thousand eight hundred and something, of which we have been hitherto -speaking. The morning was fine and clear; and the sun, who takes the -liberty of looking into every place without asking permission of any -one, was shining strongly into the little rood of garden behind the -house. The languishing plants and shrubs that had been stuffed into -that small space, dusty and dry with the progress of a hot summer, and -speckled all over with small grains of soot--the morning benediction -showered down upon them from the neighbouring chimneys--no doubt -wished that the sun would let them alone; and, as through an open -passage-door they caught a sight of the conservatory filled with rich -exotics, all watered and aired with scrupulous care, one of the poor -brown lilacs might be heard grumbling to a stunted gray laburnum about -the shameful partiality of the English for foreigners and strangers. - -About eleven o'clock Lord Ashborough himself entered the room; and -before any one else comes in to disturb us, we may as well sit down, -and take a full-length picture of him. He was a man of about -fifty-nine or sixty, tall and well-proportioned, though somewhat thin. -His face was fine, but pale, and there was a great deal of intellect -expressed on his broad brow and forehead, which looked higher than it -really was, from being perfectly bald as far down as the sutures of -the temples. From that point some thin dark hair, grizzled with gray, -spread down, and met his whiskers, which were of the same hue, and cut -square off, about the middle of his cheeks. His eyes were dark blue -and fine, but somewhat stern, if not fierce, and in the space between -his eyebrows there was a deep wrinkle, in which a finger might have -been laid without filling up the cavity; the eyebrows themselves, -though not very long, were overhanging; the nose was well-formed and -straight, though a little too long perhaps; but his mouth was -beautifully shaped, and would have appeared the best feature in his -face, had he not frequently twisted it in a very unbecoming manner, by -gnawing his nether lip. His chin was round, and rather prominent; and -his hand small, delicate, and almost feminine. - -It is all nonsense that a man's dress signifies nothing. It is--if he -takes any pains about it; and if he takes none, it comes to the same -thing--It is the habitual expression of his mind or his mood; and in -the little shades of difference, which may exist with the most perfect -adherence to fashion, you will find a language much easier read than -any of those on the Rosetta stone. Lord Ashborough was dressed more -like a young than an old man, though without any extravagance. His -coat was of dark green, covering a double-breasted waistcoat, of some -harmonizing colour, while his long thin, rather tight-fitting -trowsers, displayed a well-formed leg, and were met by a neat and -highly polished boot. Round his neck he wore a black handkerchief, -exposing the smallest possible particle of white collar between his -cheek and the silk; and on one of his fingers was a single seal ring. -Taking him altogether he was a very good-looking man, rather like the -late Mr. Canning, but with a much less noble expression of -countenance. - -Walking forward to the table, which we have noted as being well -supplied with locks, Lord Ashborough opened one of the drawers, and, -having rang the bell, sat down and took out some papers. The door -opened; a servant appeared;--"Send in Mr. Tims!" said Lord Ashborough, -and the man glided out. After a short pause, another person appeared, -but of very different form and appearance from the servant; and -therefore we must look at him more closely. He was a short stout -bustling-looking little man, of about thirty-eight or forty, perhaps -more, habited in black, rather white at the seams and edges. His -countenance was originally full and broad; but the habit of thrusting -his nose through small and intricate affairs, had sharpened that -feature considerably; and the small black eyes that backed it, -together with several red blotches, one of which had settled itself -for life upon the tip of the eminence, did not diminish the prying and -intrusive expression of his countenance. There was impudence, too, and -cunning, written in very legible characters upon his face; but we must -leave the rest to show itself as we go on. - -As Mr. Peter Tims, of Clement's Inn, attorney-at-law--for such was the -respectable individual of whom we now treat--entered the library of -Lord Ashborough, he turned round and carefully closed the double door, -and then, with noiseless step, proceeded through the room till he -brought himself in face of his patron. He then made a low bow--it -would have been _Cow Tow_ if it had been desired--and then advanced -another step, and made another bow. - -"Sit down, sit down, Mr. Tims!" said Lord Ashborough, without raising -his eyes, which were running over a paper he had taken from the -drawer. "Sit down, sit down, I say!" - -Mr. Tims did sit down, and then, drawing forth, some papers from a -blue bag which he held in his hand, he began quietly to put them in -order, while Lord Ashborough read on. - -After a minute or two, however, his lordship ceased, saying, "Now, Mr. -Tims, have you brought the annuity deed?" - -"Here it is, my lord!" replied the lawyer; "and I have examined it -again most carefully. There is not a chink for a fly to break through. -There is not a word about redemption from beginning to end. The money -must be paid for the term of your lordship's natural life." - -Lord Ashborough paused, and gnawed his lip for a moment or two. "Do -you know, Mr. Tims," he said at length, "I have some idea of -permitting the redemption? I am afraid we have made a mistake in -refusing it." - -Mr. Tims was never astonished at any thing that a great man--_i. e_. a -rich man--did or said, unless he perceived that it was intended to -astonish him, and then he was very much astonished indeed, as in duty -bound. It was wonderful, too, with what facility he could agree in -every thing a rich man said, and exclaim, "Very like an ousel!" as -dexterously as Polonious, or a sick-nurse, though he had been -declaring the same question, "very like a whale!" the moment before. -Nor was he ever at a loss for reasons in support of the new opinion -implanted by his patrons. In short he seemed to have in his head, all -ticketed and ready for use, a store of arguments, moral, legal, and -philosophical, in favour of every thing that could be done, said, or -thought, by the wealthy or the powerful. In the present instance, he -saw that Lord Ashborough put the matter as one not quite decided in -his own mind; but he saw also that his mind had such a leaning to the -new view of the matter, as would make him very much obliged to any -one, who would push it over to that side altogether. - -"I think your lordship is quite right," replied Mr. Tims. "You had -every right to refuse to redeem if you thought fit; but, at the same -time, you can always permit the redemption if you like; and it might -indeed look more generous, though, as I said before, you had every -right to refuse. Yet perhaps, after all, my lord"---- - -"Tush! Do not after all me, sir," cried Lord Ashborough, with some -degree of impatience, which led Mr. Tims to suspect that there was -some latent motive for this change of opinion, which his lordship felt -a difficulty in explaining: and which he, Mr. Tims, resolved at a -proper time to extract by the most delicate process he could devise. -"The means, sir," added Lord Ashborough; "the means are the things to -be attended to, not the pitiful balancing of one perhaps against -another." - -"Oh, my lord! the means are very easy," replied Tims, rubbing his -hands. "You have nothing to do but to send word down that your -lordship is ready to accept, and any one will advance the means to -Sir"---- - -"Pshaw!" again interrupted Lord Ashborough. "You do not understand me, -and go blundering on;" and, rising from his chair, the peer walked two -or three times up and down the room, gnawing his lip, and bending his -eyes upon the ground. "There!" he cried at length, speaking with -abrupt rudeness. "There! The matter requires consideration--take up -your papers, sir, and begone! I will send for you when I want you." - -Mr. Tims ventured not a word, for he saw that his patron had made -himself angry with the attempt to arrange something in his own mind -which would not be arranged; and taking up his papers, one by one as -slowly as he decently could, he deposited them in their blue bag, and -then stole quietly towards the door. Lord Ashborough was still walking -up and down, and he suffered him to pass the inner door without taking -any notice; but, as he was pushing open the red baize door beyond, the -nobleman's voice was heard exclaiming, "Stay, stay! Mr. Tims come -here!" The lawyer glided quietly back into the room, where Lord -Ashborough was still standing in the middle of the floor, gazing on -the beautiful and instructive spots on the Turkey carpet. His reverie, -however, was over in a moment, and he again pointed to the chair which -the lawyer had before occupied, bidding him sit down, while he himself -took possession of the seat on the other side of the table; and, -leaning his elbow on the oak, and his cheek upon his hand, he went on -in the attitude and manner of one who is beginning a long -conversation. The commencement, however, was precisely similar to the -former one, which had proved so short. "Do you know, Mr. Tims," he -said, "I have some idea of permitting the redemption? I am afraid that -we have made a mistake in refusing it;" but then he added, a moment -after, "--for the particular purpose I propose." - -Mr. Tims was as silent as a mouse, for he saw that he was near -dangerous ground; and at that moment six-and-eightpence would hardly -have induced him to say a word--at least if it went farther than, -"Exactly so, my lord!" - -The matter was still a difficult one for Lord Ashborough to get over; -for it is wonderful how easily men can persuade themselves, that the -evil they wish to commit, is right; and yet how troublesome they find -even the attempt to persuade another, that it is so, although they -know him to be as unscrupulous a personage as ever lived or died -unhung. Now Lord Ashborough himself had no very high idea of the rigid -morality of his friend Mr. Tims's principles, and well knew that his -interest would induce him to do any thing on earth; and yet, strange -to say, that though Lord Ashborough only desired to indulge a -gentlemanlike passion, which, under very slight modifications, or -rather disguises, is considered honourable, and is patronised by all -sorts of people, yet he did not at all like to display, even to the -eyes of Mr. Tims, the real motive that was now influencing him. As it -was necessary, however, to do so to some one, and he knew that he -could not do so to any one whose virtue was less ferocious than that -of Mr. Tims, he drew his clenched fist, on which his cheek was -resting, half over his mouth, and went on. - -"The fact is, you must know, Mr. Tims," he said, "this Sir Sidney -Delaware is my first cousin--but you knew that before.--Well, we were -never very great friends, though he and my brother were; and at -college it used to be his pleasure to thwart many of my views and -purposes. There is not, perhaps, a prouder man living than he is, and -that intolerable pride, added to his insolent sarcasms, kept us -greatly asunder in our youth, and therefore you see he has really no -claim upon my friendship or affection in this business." - -"None in the world! None in the world!" cried Tims. "Indeed, all I -wonder at is, that your lordship does not use the power you have to -annoy him!" - -Mr. Tims harped aright, and it is inexpressible what a relief Lord -Ashborough felt--one of the proudest men in Europe, by the way--at -finding that the little, contemptible, despised lawyer, whom he looked -upon, on ordinary occasions, as the dust under his feet, had, in the -present instance, got the right end of a clue, that he was ashamed or -afraid to unwind himself. Besides, the way he put it, gave Lord -Ashborough an opportunity of _chucking_ fine and generous, as the -Westminster fellows have it; and he immediately replied--"No, sir, no! -I never had any wish to annoy him. My only wish has been to lower that -pride, which is ruinous to himself, and insulting to others; and I -should not have even pursued that wish so far, had it not been that a -circumstance happened which called us into immediate collision." - -On finding that simple personal hatred and revenge--feelings that -might have been stated in three words--were the real and sole motives -which Lord Ashborough found it so difficult to enunciate, Mr. Tims -chuckled--but mark me, I beg--it was not an open and barefaced -cachinnation--it was, on the contrary, one of those sweet internal -chuckles that gently shake the diaphragm and the parietes of the -abdomen, and cause even a gentle percussion of the ensiform cartilage, -without one muscle of the face vibrating in sympathy, or the slightest -spasm taking place in the trachea or epiglottis. There is the anatomy -of a suppressed chuckle for you! The discovery, however, was of more -service than in the simple production of such agreeable phenomena. Mr. -Tims perceiving the motive of his patron, perceived also the precise -road on which he was to lead, and instantly replied, "Whatever -circumstance called your lordship into competition with Sir Sidney -Delaware, must of course have been very advantageous to yourself, if -you chose to put forth your full powers. But that, let me be permitted -to say, is what I should suspect, from all that I have the honour of -knowing of your lordship's character, you would not do. For I am -convinced you have already shown more lenity than was very consistent -with your own interest, and perhaps more than was even beneficial to -the object;--but I humbly crave your Lordship's pardon for presuming -to"---- - -Lord Ashborough waved his hand, "Not at all, Mr. Tims! Not at all!" he -said, "Your intentions, I know, are good. But hear me. We came in -collision concerning the lady whom he afterwards married, and made a -well-bred beggar of. He had known her, and, it seems, obtained -promises from her before I became acquainted; and though a transitory -fancy for her took place in my own bosom,"--and Lord Ashborough turned -deadly pale,--"yet of course, whenever I heard of my cousins -arrangements with her, I withdrew my claims, without, as you say, -exerting power that I may flatter myself"---- - -He left the sentence unfinished, but he bowed his head proudly, which -finished it sufficiently, and Mr. Tims immediately chimed in, "Oh, -there can be no doubt--If your lordship had chosen--Who the deuce is -Sir Sidney Delaware, compared"----&c. &c. &c. &c. - -"Well, I forgot the matter entirely," continued Lord Ashborough, in a -frank and easy tone, for it is wonderful how the lawyer's little -insignificances helped him on. "Well, I forgot the matter entirely." - -"But you never married any one else," thought the lawyer, "and you -remember it now." All this was thought in the lowest possible tone, so -that Satan himself could hardly hear it, but Lord Ashborough went on. -"I never, indeed, remembered the business more, till, on lending the -money to his father, I found from a letter which the late man, let me -see that the present man, had not forgiven me some little progress I -had made in the lady's affection. He said--I recollect the words very -well--He said, that he could have borne his father borrowing the money -at any rate of interest from any person but myself, who had -endeavoured to supplant him--and all the rest that you can imagine. -Well, from that moment I determined to bow that man's pride, for his -own sake, as well as other people's. I thought I had done so pretty -well too; but, on my refusing to suffer the redemption--which no one -can doubt that I had a right to do--he wrote me that letter;" and his -lordship threw across the table, to his solicitor, the letter which he -had taken out of the drawer, just as the other entered. It was in the -form of a note, and couched in the following terms:-- - - -"Sir Sidney Delaware acknowledges the receipt of Lord Ashborough's -letter, formally declining to accept the offer he made to redeem the -annuity chargeable upon the estate of Emberton. The motives, excuses, -or apologies--whichever Lord Ashborough chooses to designate the -sentences that conclude his letter--were totally unnecessary, as Sir -Sidney Delaware was too well acquainted with Lord Ashborough, in days -of old, not to appreciate fully the principles on which he acts at -present. - - "Emberton Park, 1_st September_, 18--." - - -"Infamous! brutal! heinous!" cried Mr. Tims. "What does your lordship -intend to do? I hope you will, without scruple, punish this man as he -deserves. I trust that, for his own sake, you will make him feel that -such ungrateful and malignant letters as that, are not to be written -with impunity--ungrateful I may well call them! for what cause could -your lordship have to write to him at all, except to soften the -disappointment you conceived he would feel?" - -"You say very true, Mr. Tims," replied Lord Ashborough, with a benign -smile. "You say very true, indeed; and I do think myself, in justice -to society, bound to correct such insolence, though, perhaps, I may -not be inclined to carry the chastisement quite so far as yourself." - -"Nothing could be too severe for such a man!" cried Mr. Tims, resolved -to give his lordship space enough to man[oe]uvre in, "Nothing could be -too severe!" - -"Nay, nay, that is saying too much," said Lord Ashborough, "We will -neither hang him, Mr. Tims, nor burn him in the hand, if you please," -and he smiled again at his own moderation. - -"A small touch of imprisonment, however, would do him a world of -good," said Mr. Tims, feeling his ground--Lord Ashborough smiled -benignly a third time. "But the mischief is," continued the lawyer, -"he pays the annuity so regularly that it would be difficult to catch -him." - -"That is the reason why I say we have done wrong in refusing to allow -the redemption," rejoined the peer. "Do you not think, Mr. Tims, some -accident might occur to stop the money which he was about to borrow -for the purpose of redeeming; and if we could but get him to give -bills payable at a certain day, we might have him arrested, in -default?" - -The lawyer shook his head. "I am afraid, my lord, if you had permitted -the redemption, the money would have been ready to the minute," he -said. "My uncle, I hear, was to have raised it for him; and, as he was -to have had a good commission, it would have been prepared to the tick -of the clock." - -"And was your uncle to have lent the money himself, sir?" demanded -Lord Ashborough, with a mysterious smile of scorn. "Did your uncle -propose to give the money out of his own strongbox?" - -"No, my lord, no!" replied Tims, eagerly, "No, no! He would not do -that without much higher interest than he was likely to have got. Had -he been the person, of course your lordship might have commanded him; -but it was to be raised from some gentleman connected with Messrs. -Steelyard and Wilkinson--a very respectable law house, indeed!" - -"Some gentleman connected with Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson!" -repeated Lord Ashborough, curling his haughty lip; "and who do you -suppose that gentleman is, but my own nephew Harry Beauchamp?" - -The lawyer started off his chair with unaffected astonishment, the -expression of which was, however, instantly mastered, and down he sat -again, pondering, as fast as he could, the probable results that were -to be obtained from this very unexpected discovery. Some results he -certainly saw Lord Ashborough was prepared to deduce; and he knew that -his only plan was to wait the developement thereof, assisting as much -as in him lay, the parturition of his patron's designs. But Lord -Ashborough having spoken thus far, found very little difficulty in -proceeding. - -"The simple fact is this, Mr. Tims," he said; "Harry Beauchamp, full -of all the wild enthusiasm--which would have ruined his father, if we -had not got him that governorship in which he died--to my certain -knowledge has gone down to Emberton, with the full determination of -assisting these people, of whom his father was so fond. I have reason -to think even, that the coming up of that young man, the son, was at -Henry's instigation, although they affected not to know each other, -and I am told carried their dissimulation so far as to pass each other -in the hall as strangers. At all events, they went down together in a -stage-coach, and are now beyond all doubt laying out their plans for -frustrating all my purposes." - -"Shameful, indeed!" exclaimed Mr. Tims. - -"On Harry's part," replied Lord Ashborough, affecting a tone of -candour and moderation; "on Harry's part it is but a piece of boyish -enthusiasm--a touch of his father's folly. I love the boy, who, as you -know, will succeed me--when it pleases Heaven," he added piously--"to -remove me from this life. I love the boy, and I do not choose to see -him spend his splendid fortune, which will make a noble addition to -the family estates, upon a set of mean and designing beggars; and I -wish at once to punish them for their low and cunning schemes, and to -save my nephew from their snares. Can we not, Mr. Tims, do you think, -hit upon some plan by which this may be effected?" - -"Why, my lord," replied Mr. Tims, hesitating slightly, for he was -totally unprepared either for the intelligence he had received, or the -demand that followed it; "why, my lord, your lordship's views are as -kind and generous as usual; and doubtless--doubtless we may soon -devise some means by which your lordship's nephew may be extricated -from this little entanglement--but it will, of course, require -thought--though perhaps your lordship's clear and perspicuous mind may -have already devised some project. Indeed, I cannot doubt it," he -added, seeing a slight but well satisfied smile cross the features of -the noble earl. "Your lordship has so much of what Burke used to call -creative talent, that I doubt not you have already discovered the -fitting means, and only require an agent in your most devoted -servant." - -"Something more, Mr. Tims, something more than a mere agent," replied -Lord Ashborough. "I require your legal advice. We must proceed -cautiously, and not suffer either zealous indignation, or regard for -my nephew, to lead us into any thing that is not quite lawful. A -slight scheme of the matter may, indeed, have suggested itself to my -mind, but I want you to consider it well, and legalize it for me, as -well as some of the details. Could we not, I say--could we not--it is -but a supposition you know, sir--could we not give notice to this Sir -Sidney Delaware, that we are willing to permit the redemption; and -even to give him time to pay the money, cancelling, in the mean time, -the annuity deed"---- - -"Not before you have got the amount!" exclaimed the lawyer, in -unutterable astonishment. - -"Yes, sir, before I have got the amount," replied Lord Ashborough, -phlegmatically, "but not before I have got bills or notes of hand, -payable within a certain time, and with an expressed stipulation, that -unless those are duly paid, the annuity itself holds in full force." - -"Ay; but if they be paid, my lord," cried Mr. Tims, "the annuity is at -an end; and then where is your lordship?" - -"But cannot we find means to stop their being paid, Mr. Tims?" said -Lord Ashborough, fixing his eyes steadily upon the lawyer. "In all the -intricate chambers of your brain, I say, is there no effectual way you -can discover to stop the supplies upon which this Delaware may have -been led to reckon, and render him unable to pay the sum on the day -his bills fall due? Remember, sir, your uncle is the agent, as I am -led to believe, between this person and my nephew. Harry Beauchamp, -forsooth, has too fine notions of delicacy to offer the money in his -own person; but he is the man from whom the money is to come, and it -has been for some weeks lodged in the hands of Steelyard and -Wilkinson, his solicitors, awaiting the result--that is to say, the -whole of it except ten thousand pounds in my hands, which I have -promised to sell out for him to-morrow, and pay into their office. Are -there no means, sir, for stopping the money?" - -"Plenty, plenty, my lord!" replied the lawyer. "The only difficulty -will be the choice of them. But, first, cannot your lordship refuse to -pay the ten thousand?" - -"That will not do," answered the peer. "I know Harry well; and his -first act would be to sell out the necessary sum to supply the -deficiency. You must devise something else." - -"Let us make the bills payable at Emberton, my lord," said the -attorney, "at the house of my uncle. Mr. Beauchamp must then either -come to town for the money, or send some one to receive it; and in -either case it may be staid." - -"How so?" demanded Lord Ashborough. "If he come, the matter is -hopeless. He has sold out of the army too; so there is no chance of -his being called away there." - -"Ay; but there is a little process at law going on against him, my -lord," replied the attorney, of which he knows nothing as yet. "Some -time ago, he threw the valet he had then, down stairs, head foremost, -for seducing the daughter of his landlady. The fellow has since -prosecuted him for assault, and served the process upon me, whom he -employed in the affair. I am not supposed to know where he is, so that -the matter may be easily suffered to go by default; and, one way or -another, we can contrive to get him arrested for a day or two, no -doubt--especially as it is all for his own good and salvation, I may -call it." - -"Certainly, certainly!" answered Lord Ashborough. "I should feel no -scruple in doing so; for no one could doubt that I am actuated alone -by the desire of keeping him from injuring himself. But suppose he -sends, Mr. Tims?" - -"Why, that were a great deal better still!" said the lawyer. "The only -person he could send would be his servant, Harding, who owes me the -place; and who, between you and I, my lord, might find it difficult to -keep me from transporting him to Botany Bay, if I chose it. He would -doubtless be easily prevailed upon to stop the money for a time, or -altogether, if it could be shown him that he could get clear off, and -the matter would be settled for ever." - -There was a tone of familiarity growing upon the lawyer, as a natural -consequence of the edifying communion which he was holding with his -patron, that rather displeased and alarmed Lord Ashborough, and he -answered quickly, "You forget yourself, sir! Do you suppose that I -would instigate my nephew's servant to rob his master?" - -Mr. Peter Tims had perhaps forgot himself for the moment; but he was -one of those men that never forget themselves long; and, as crouching -was as natural to him as to a spaniel, he was instantly again as full -of humility and submission as he had been, previous to the exposé -which had morally sunk Lord Ashborough to a level with Mr. Tims. "No, -my lord! No!" he exclaimed eagerly, "Far be it from me to dream for -one moment that your lordship would form such an idea. All I meant -was, that this servant might easily be induced to delay the delivery -of the money, on one pretext or another, till it be too late; and if -he abscond--which perchance he might do, for his notions concerning -property, either real or personal, are not very clearly defined--your -lordship could easily intend to make it good to Mr. Beauchamp." - -"I do not know what you propose that I should easily _intend_ Mr. -Tims," replied Lord Ashborough; "but I know that it would not sound -particularly well if this man were to abscond with the money, and -there were found upon his person any authorization from me to delay -discharging his trust to his master." - -"Oh, my lord, that difficulty would be easily removed!" answered Mr. -Tims. "The law is very careful not to impute evil motives where good -ones can be made apparent. It will be easy to write a letter to this -man--what one may call a fishing letter--to see whether he will do -what we wish, but stating precisely that your lordship's sole purpose -and view is to save your nephew from squandering his fortune in a weak -and unprofitable manner. We can keep a copy, properly authenticated: -then, should he abscond and be caught with the letter on him, your -lordship will be cleared; while if, on being taken, he attempt to -justify himself at your lordship's expense, the authenticated copy -will clear you still." - -"That is not a bad plan," said Lord Ashborough, musing. "But what if he -draw for the money through your uncle, Mr. Tims? Do you think the old -man could be induced to detain the money, or to deny its arrival for a -day or two?" - -"Why, I fear not, my lord," answered the other, shaking his head; "I -fear not--he was five-and-thirty years a lawyer, my lord, and he is -devilish cautious.--But I will tell you what I can do. I can direct -him to address all his letters, on London business, under cover to -your lordship, which will save postage--a great thing in his -opinion--and, as he holds a small share of my business still, I can -open all the answers. So that we will manage it some way." - -Lord Ashborough paused and mused for several minutes, for though his -mind was comparatively at ease in having found his lawyer so eager and -zealous in his co-operation; yet a certain consciousness of the many -little lets and hindrances that occur in the execution of the best -laid schemes, made him still thoughtful and apprehensive. Did you ever -knit a stocking? No! nor I either--nor Lord Ashborough, I dare say, -either. Yet we all know, that in the thousand and one stitches of -which it is composed, if a single one be missed, down goes the whole -concatenation of loops, and the matter is just where it began, only -with a ravelled thread about your fingers and thumbs, which is neither -pleasant nor tidy. This consideration had some weight with the earl; -so, after thinking deeply for several minutes, he rejoined,--"The -matter seems clear enough, Mr. Tims, but I will put it to yourself -whether you can carry it through successfully or not--Hear me to an -end, sir--I will on no account agree to the redemption of the annuity, -if you are not certain of being able to bring about that which we -propose. So, do not undertake it unless you can do so. If you do -undertake it, the odds stand thus--You have five hundred pounds in -addition to your fees if you be successful, but, if you fail, you lose -my agency for ever." - -"My lord," replied Tims, who was not a man to suppose that cunning -could ever fail. "I will undertake the business and the risk. But, of -course, your lordship must give me all your excellent advice, and your -powerful assistance. In the first place, you must allow me to bid my -uncle send all his letters, and direct all the answers to be sent -under cover to your lordship, and, in the next place, you must allow -me to write immediately to this man Harding in your name." - -"Not without letting me see the letter!" exclaimed Lord Ashborough. -"But that of course; and if you succeed, the five hundred pounds are -yours." - -"Your lordship is ever generous and kind," replied Peter Tims, "and I -will undertake to carry the matter through; but only"--and Mr. -Tims was honest for once in his life, from the fear of after -consequences--"but only I am afraid your lordship will not find the -result put this Sir Sidney Delaware so completely in your power as you -think." - -"How so?" demanded Lord Ashborough, turning upon him almost fiercely. -"How so, sir? How so?" - -"Why, my lord," replied Mr. Tims, in a low and humble tone, "even -suppose he is arrested, depend upon it, he will very easily find some -one to lend him the money on the Emberton estates, to take up the -bills he has given." - -The earl's eye flashed, and the dark and bitter spirit in his heart -broke forth for the first time unrestrained. "Let me but have him in -prison!" he exclaimed, "Let me but have him once in prison, and I will -so complicate my claims upon his pitiful inheritance, and so wring his -proud heart with degradations, that the beggar who robbed me of my -bride, shall die as he has lived, in poverty and disappointment!" and -in the vehemence with which the long suppressed passion burst forth, -he struck his hand upon the table, till the ink-glasses danced in -their stand. - -Mr. Tims could understand envy, hatred, and malice, and all -uncharitableness; but he was cowed by such vehemence as that into -which the bare thought of seeing his detested rival in prison, had -betrayed his noble patron. Feeling, too, that he himself was not at -all the sort of spirit to rule the whirlwind and direct the storm, he -said a few quiet words about preparing every thing, and waiting on his -lordship the next morning, and slunk away without more ado. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -This chapter shall be, I think, what that delightful wight, Washington -Irving, would call a Salmagundi, or as it should be, perhaps, a _Salmi -à la Gondi_; but having mentioned that name, Irving I dedicate this -book to you. It is long since we first met--long since we last -parted--and, it may be, long, long, ere we meet again. Nevertheless, -Heaven speed you, wherever you are, and send you forward on your -voyage, with a calm sea, and a swelling sail! In all the many that I -have known, and amongst the few that I have loved and esteemed, there -is not now a living man that can compete with you in that delightful -conversation, where the heart pours forth its tide; and where fancy -and feeling mingle together, and flow on in one ever sparkling stream. -The dim Atlantic, whose very name sounds like that of eternity, may -roll between us, till death close the eyes of one or the other; but -till the things of this world pass away, you shall not be forgotten. - -Although we have now brought up the events in London nearly to the -same point as the events in the country, we must still leave Henry -Burrel strolling on through Emberton Park beside Blanche Delaware, -while we turn for a moment to his silent servant, who having, on the -same morning, walked with his usual slow and quiet step to the -post-office, brought home, and deposited upon his masters table, two -or three letters, after first gleaning every possible information that -their outside or their inside could furnish. He then proceeded to -inspect the contents of another epistle, which bore his own name and -superscription. The words therein written had a considerable effect -upon him, causing more twitches and contortions of the muscles of his -countenance, than was usually visible upon that still and patient -piece of furniture. The first expression was certainly full of -pleasure; but that soon relapsed into deep thought, and then a grave -shake of the head, and close setting of the lower jaw, might be -supposed to argue a negative determination. "No, no, Mr. Tims," he -muttered, "that wont do! If one could make sure of getting clear -off--well and good. But first, there is the chance of my not being -sent for the money--then you would take good care to have me closely -watched; and then, again, I do not know whether the chance here at -Emberton may not be worth ten of the other--and I may come in for my -share of the other too. No, no, Mr. Tims, it won't do!--so I will come -the conscientious upon you." And down he sat to indite an epistle to -Mr. Peter Tims, the agent of Lord Ashborough. It was written in one of -those fair, easy, but vacillating, running-hands, which bespeak a -peculiar and inherent gift or talent for committing forgery; and was -to the following effect:-- - - -"Emberton, _September_, 18-- - -"Sir--Your honoured letter was duly received this morning; and I -hasten to reply, as in duty bound. I am very sure that such honourable -gentlemen as my lord the earl and yourself, would not undertake any -thing but upon good and reasonable grounds; but, hoping that you will -pardon my boldness in saying so much, yet I cannot imagine that I have -any other than a straightforward duty to perform--namely, when my -master sends me for any sum of money, or other valuable thing, to -hasten to give it up into his hands as soon as I have received it; -which I would certainly do, in case he should send me up to London, -although I do not think it probable he will. It is very true, -certainly, that I do think our notions of property are very confined -and wrong; and that no man should have at his disposal a -superabundance, while another man is wanting the necessaries or even -conveniences of life; and that, if things were equally distributed, a -better system must spontaneously arise. This much I have learned by -reading; and I heartily wish that the principles of regeneration, -which are at present in active existence amongst the operative -classes, may go on to complete a change of the old corrupt system. -Nevertheless, until such time as the intellect of the country in -general shall have worked such results, I can be doing no wrong in -following the laws and usages established; and shall, consequently, -abstain from acting upon the abstract principles of general utility, -until such time as the general welfare may require a physical -demonstration of popular opinion. - -"In regard to certain passages of my past life, to which you are -pleased to refer; although I believe that I could perfectly justify -myself upon my own fixed principles for every thing that I have done -through life; yet I am sorry that any thing should have occurred to -make you for a moment doubt the integrity of a person you strongly -recommended to Mr. Beauchamp; and I am determined to do nothing that -shall confirm any evil opinion you may have unfortunately been led to -form, or to make my master regret having listened to the -recommendation which you formerly thought fit to give your very humble -and most obedient servant, - "Stephen Harding." - - -Having penned this delectable epistle, and read it over more than -once, with much genuine satisfaction at the skill with which he had -endeavoured to raise his own character, while rejecting the offers of -Mr. Tims, Harding sealed it up, and hastened to put it in the post. He -then sauntered slowly through the town; and having visited the widow's -cottage, and conversed for a few minutes with her son, he proceeded to -walk on in the same direction, which we have seen Burrel pursue upon a -former occasion, shortly after his first arrival at Emberton. The -purpose of the silent servant, however, was not to visit the old miser -of Ryebury in person; and, ere he had gone a quarter of a mile upon -the road, he was joined by the same bold vulgar personage who had, -during part of the journey, occupied a place in the stage-coach which -brought his master to Emberton. - -They met evidently as old and familiar friends, and with that sort of -easy nonchalance which bespoke that their meeting was not unexpected. -The servant pursued his way, scarcely pausing to say the necessary -passwords of civility, and the other, turning onward upon the same -path, walked by his side, with his arms bent behind his back, -conversing, not exactly in an under voice, but rather in that -between-the-teeth sort of tone, which renders what is said more -difficult to be understood by any one not quite near, than even a -whisper. - -The terms in which they spoke, also, were somewhat enigmatical, and -none, probably, but the initiated, could have discovered their views -or purposes by such terms as the following. - -"I have just been thinking last night. Master Harding," said his new -companion, "that we had better get the other job done as soon as -possible. We are wasting time, I thinks, and it seems to me as how you -are growing something squeamish." - -"You are a fool, Tony," replied Harding, civilly; "you are a fool for -thinking any thing of the kind. I'll tell you what, you may count -yourself extremely well off that you have fallen in with a man of -principle and education like myself, or you would have put your neck -in a noose long ago. You take no extended views of things; and, -instead of acting upon principle, which would always make you cautious -in regard to times and seasons, and means and methods, you go bolt on, -and would run your head into the stone pitcher, if I were not by to -pull you back by the heels." - -"Well, I think you're a rum covey, now!" replied the other; and was -proceeding in the same strain, when he was stopped by his companion -exclaiming--"Hush, hush! Curse your slang, it will betray you as soon -as the mark of the hot iron would. Look here, now. I am no more -squeamish than you are. I always act upon principle; and as to the job -before us, considering the sum of general utility that is to be -gained, I see no objection to doing the matter completely--I mean, -making a finish of it. You understand? But where is the hurry? Let us -go cautiously to work, learn our ground, and get every thing -prepared.--I say, where's the hurry?" - -"As to the matter of that," answered the other, "there mayn't be no -great hurry, to be sure. But we're both wasting our time somewhat; -and, besides, they are looking out sharp after that other job--you see -they have digged for the plate like mad--so that there is no use -staying longer nor necessary, you know?" - -"Don't be afraid!" answered Harding, coolly, "They can make nothing of -that. Besides, look here, Smithson; if we wait four or five days -longer, there will be five-and-twenty thousand pounds down from -London." - -"Whew!" whistled Mr. Anthony Smithson, laying one finger on the side -of his nose. "That is a go! But are you sure?" - -"I never say any thing without being sure," answered Harding, with -laconic pomposity. "So make yourself easy on that score. I say there -will be five-and-twenty thousand pounds down in three or four days; -and, if I know the old man right, the larger half will be in gold. -Have you tried Sally the maid?" - -"It won't do!" answered the other, with somewhat of a rueful face. -"She has lived long enough with that old fellow, to be as cautious as -a beak." - -"Well, I suppose I must do that too!" answered the valet; "though it -is a little tiresome, Master Smithson, that all the hard work is to -fall upon me." - -"Why, how the devil can I help it, Harding?" replied the other, "If -the girl will have nothing to say to me, what can I do, you know? No, -no, when it comes to the real hard work, you never find me behind!" - -"Well, well," answered his worthy coadjutor, "I must come round her -myself somehow, though she be but a dirty trapesing slut, that a man -of gentlemanly feelings will find some difficulty in making love -to--but, nevertheless, when one acts upon principle, one learns to -overcome one's repugnance to such things, from a consideration of the -mass of general utility to be obtained by a trifling sacrifice." - -His companion grinned, but he was too well accustomed to Mr. Harding's -method of reasoning to express any farther surprise. After a few words -more on both sides, however, as they judged it expedient to be seen -together as little as possible, those two respectable persons -separated, and, while Anthony Smithson returned to the town, Harding -pursued his way onward; and having, on the strength of the -communication he had received, determined to proceed to Ryebury, he -took the same path that Burrel had followed before him. The beauties -of nature occupied less of his thoughts than those of his master; and -while, with solemn steps and slow, he wandered on his way, his ideas -were much fuller of shillings and sixpences, and trips across the -Atlantic, than of the verdant mead and purling stream. - -As I believe I have before said. Master Harding was by no means an -ugly person; and the charms of his good looks, together with a -marvellous sweet voice, and a good deal more eloquence of its own -peculiar kind than any one could have suspected him to possess from -his usual taciturnity, he was what the French render, with somewhat -profligate decency, by calling the persons so gifted, _un homme à -bonnes fortunes_. His expedition against the heart of Sally, the -miser's maid, was more successful than that of his companion had been, -and he returned home flattering himself on having made more progress -than he had anticipated. In fact, he had been fortunate in finding Mr. -Tims out, and Sally at home; but as the intrigues of a slattern and a -valet form no part of the staple of this book, we shall leave the -matter as it is, without any farther elucidation. - -In the meanwhile, Burrel--for so we shall still call him--had -sauntered on, whiling away the golden minutes of a fair day, on the -early side of thirty, in sweet conversation beside a beautiful girl. I -have described what their conversation was like before, and I leave -every one who can remember what were the sensations he experienced, -when deep and fervent love just began to break upon his heart, to -imagine how sweet were the winged minutes as they flew. Even the -unspoken consciousness was not a burden, but a joy; and though Blanche -Delaware might be said to tremble at the feelings that were growing -upon her, yet there was a sort of vague internal conviction that those -feelings were reciprocal--that they could not thus have crept over her -heart unless some, nay, many of the signs of similar sentiments, on -his side, had been sufficiently displayed to make her feel secure that -she did not love unsought. Still there would every now and then -come a shrinking apprehension across her mind, that she might be -deceived--that it might be all, merely a courteous and engaging -manner, the same towards every one, which she in her ignorance had -vainly fancied particular to herself. But those thoughts were but for -a moment; and as Burrel walked onward by her side, there was in his -tone, in his manner, and still more in the current through which all -his thoughts appeared now to flow, a balmy influence that seemed to -soothe away every fear. She knew not well whence she derived that -balm; for had she tried, which, by the way, she did not, she could not -have found one particular word he spoke, which was more appropriate to -the vocabulary of love than to Johnson's Dictionary. It was, -perhaps--but she knew nothing about it--It was, perhaps, that pouring -forth of the soul upon every topic, which can never take place but in -conversation with one we love and esteem; for the hours of love are -like a sunshiny day in the midst of summer, and all the flowers open, -and the birds sing, and the bright things come forth through the -hearts universe. It was this, perhaps, more than ought else in -Burrel's manner, that made Blanche Delaware believe that she herself -was loved. - -It is sometimes a very difficult thing to get two people to -acknowledge, in any language under the sun, the feelings that are -passing in their hearts. It is more especially difficult in a book; -for no author likes to tell how he and his managed the matter -themselves--at least, if he be not an ass or a coxcomb--and any thing -that is manufactured, is almost always "flat, stale, and -unprofitable." A true story canters one easily over all such -difficulties; and it so fortunately happened, that Henry Burrel and -Blanche Delaware acknowledged it all without the slightest idea in the -world that they were doing any thing of the kind. - -There had been something spoken accidentally, that went too deep, and -both felt, perhaps, though almost unconsciously, that nothing more -could be said on that topic without saying more still; and as there -was a third person by, of course the matter dropt, and equally of -course, a long pause ensued, which grew unpleasant. - -"I thought," said Burrel at length, "that we were to meet with some -antiquities--even more interesting than the house itself--at least, -your father said so;" and conscious that he had made an awkward -speech, and very little to the purpose, Burrel looked up and smiled, -though many other men would have looked down and coloured. - -"You are not far from them," replied Captain Delaware--for Blanche's -eyes were fixed upon the ground, and her thoughts were--not at Nova -Zembla. "But surely you are not tired?" - -"Nay, nay, any thing but tired," answered Burrel; "but your father -declared he would catechize me upon these ruins severely, and I was -only afraid that I should forget them altogether." - -"A piece of inattention, which Blanche or I would excuse much more -readily than my father," replied the good-humoured sailor. "But we are -close upon them. You see those two wooded banks that fall across each -other, with the stream flowing out in foam from between them? They -form the mouth of a little glen, about a hundred yards up which, -stands the Prior's Fountain, and farther still the Hermit's Chapel. In -architecture, I believe, they are unique, and there is many a curious -tradition about both." - -"Hush, hush, William!" cried his sister, seeing him about to proceed, -"Never tell the traditions but upon the spot. Oh, an old legend, in -these days of steam and manufactory, can never be properly told, -except under the gray stone and the ivy, where the memories of a -thousand years are carved by the chisel of time on every tottering -pinnacle and mouldering cornice, which vouch, by their unusual forms, -for the strange stories of their founders!" - -"Oh, let us go on, by all means!" said Burrel, smiling; "an old legend -is worthy of every accessary with which we can furnish it.--But there -it is," he added, as they turned the angle of the bank, and, entering -the little glen, had before them a small Gothic building, covered with -the richest ornaments of the most luxurious age of Norman -architecture. "That, I suppose, is the Chapel?" - -"No, that is the Prior's Fountain," answered Captain Delaware; "and -certainly the monks must have attached some peculiar importance to it, -from covering it over with so splendid a structure." - -Another minute brought them near it, and Burrel found, that, under a -beautiful canopy of stone-work, supported by eight cluster pillars, -was placed a small stone fountain, full of the most limpid water, -which, welling from a basin somewhat like the baptismal font of a -Gothic church, poured through a little channel in the pavement, and -thence made a small sparkling stream, which joined the larger one ere -it had run fifty yards. Attached to the basin by an iron chain, was a -cup of the same metal, of very ancient date, though, perhaps, more -modern than the fountain. This cup, as soon as they approached. -Captain Delaware dipped into the water, and, laughing gaily, held it -to Burrel. - -"You must drink of the Prior's Fountain, Mr. Burrel," he said; "but -listen, listen, before you do so. The monks, you know, having vowed -celibacy, found that the less they had to do with love the better; and -it being luckily discovered that the waters of this well were a -complete and everlasting cure for that malady, one of the priors -covered it over, as you see, and enjoined that, on commencing his -noviciate at Emberton, every pseudo monk should be brought hither, and -made to drink one cup of the water. It is added, that the remedy was -never known to fail, and now with this warning, Burrel, drink if you -will." - -Burrel by this time had the cup in his hand, and for a single -instant his eyes sought those of Blanche Delaware. She was looking -down into the fountain, with one hand resting on the edge. There was -a slight smile upon her lip, but there was a scarcely perceptible -degree of agitation in her aspect, at the same time, which Burrel -understood--or, at least, hoped--might have some reference to himself, -although she might believe as little as he did in the efficacy of the -waters of the fountain. - -"No, no!" he replied at once, giving back the cup to Captain Delaware, -and laughing lightly, as people do when they have very serious -feelings at their hearts, "No, no! I dare not drink of such waters. -They are too cold in every sense of the word to drink, after such a -walk as this.--The very cup has frozen my hand!" he added, to take out -any point that he might have given to his speech. - -"He is actually afraid, Blanche!" cried her brother, laughing. "Come, -show him what a brave girl you are, and drain the cup to the bottom!" - -"No, indeed!" answered Blanche Delaware. "Mr. Burrel is very right. -The water is a great deal too cold;" and, as she spoke, she blushed -till the tell-tale blood spread rosy over her fair forehead, and -tingled in her small rounded ear. - -"Cowards both, as I live!" cried Captain Delaware, drinking off the -contents, and letting the cup drop.--"Cowards both, as I live!" and, -springing across the little streamlet, he took two or three steps -onward, towards the chapel. - -"Let me assist you across!" said Burrel, offering his hand. As his -fingers touched those of Blanche Delaware, to aid her in crossing -the rivulet, they clasped upon her hand with a gentle pressure of -thanks--so slight that she could not be offended, so defined that she -could not mistake. The natural impulse of surprise was to look up; -and, before she could recollect herself, she had done so, and her eyes -met Burrel's. What she saw was all kind, and gentle, and tender; but -she instantly cast down her eyes, with another blush that was painful -from its intensity, and with a single tear of agitation--and perhaps -delight. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -Sir Sidney Delaware was a peculiar character; and, if I had time, I -would go on and make a miniature of him. But I have not time; and -therefore, though there might undoubtedly be a great deal of pleasure -in investigating all the little complex motives which made him do this -thing or that thing, which seemed quite contrary to his general -principles--a great deal of pleasure in finding out the small fine -lines that connected together actions that appeared as opposite as -light and darkness--yet, having a long journey before me, and very -little time to spare, I must refrain from taking portraits by the -roadside, leaving every pleasant gentlemen of my acquaintance to say, -"That is not natural--this is out of character!" if he like. - -One thing, however, I must notice, which was, that Sir Sidney Delaware -was in some degree an indolent man--there was a great deal of the _vis -inertiæ_ in his constitution. His mind was naturally active enough, -but the body clogged it, and even rendered it lazy too; and the -opposition between a keen and powerful moral constitution, and an idle -physical temperament, was the cause of many a contradiction in his -conduct. - -Such had been the case in regard to his daughter's visits to Mrs. -Darlington. That good lady, when she first settled in the -neighbourhood, had determined upon visiting the people at the Park; -and though Sir Sidney for some time continued stiff, and cold, and -stern--ay, and even rude--Mrs. Darlington persevered, and Mrs. -Darlington carried her point. - -The same now became the case with Burrel. He had been once received as -an intimate in the house of the Delawares, and the door was open to -him whenever he chose. There was something to be said, it is true, -upon the score of a great service rendered, which, of course, formed a -tie between him and every member of the Delaware family, which existed -in no other case. But still there was a great deal of habit in the -matter; and Burrel, having now his purpose to carry too, took care -that the good custom should not drop. - -He became almost a daily visiter. Many a long-ramble he took with -Captain Delaware; many a sweet intoxicating walk beside Blanche. Many, -too, were the long and pleasant discussions he held with Sir Sidney, -upon every subject under the sun--the customs and manners of our -ancestors--the glorious works of past ages--the stores of classical -knowledge, or the beauties and perfections, follies and absurdities, -of our own and other lands. - -As some French writer has said, "C'est dans les petites choses que -l'on temoigne son amitié. L'amour propre a trop de part à ce qu'on -fait dans les grandes occasions;" and it is this truth that makes -small attentions always pleasant to those who receive them--great -services often painful. Burrel felt that it was so; and took infinite -care to conceal that he had the slightest thought of relieving Sir -Sidney Delaware from his difficulties; but, at the same time, by the -display of elegant manners and a polished mind, and by the constant -outbreakings of a generous and a noble heart, he rendered himself both -so agreeable and so much esteemed, that Sir Sidney learned to think, -"If I required any great service, I would ask it of Henry Burrel -sooner than of any other man I know." - -Very soon the worthy baronet began to look for his appearance shortly -after breakfast; and, as he had always something--perhaps of little -consequence--but still something on which he wished to speak with him, -he twice caught himself saying, when Burrel was a few minutes after -the usual hour, "I wish Mr. Burrel would come;" and then remembered, -with a sort of cynical smile, springing from very mixed feelings, that -he had no right to expect that he would come at all. - -Burrel always did come, however; and, finding that he was ever made -most welcome by the baronet, greeted with a hearty shake of the hand -by Captain Delaware, and found a bright, though timid, smile on the -sweet lips of Blanche, he did not find it very difficult to assign -motives for his each day's visit, or to discover an excuse for the -call of the next morning. Sir Sidney Delaware soon began to give him -stronger marks of his esteem; and on more than one occasion, when -accidentally alone with Burrel, referred frankly to the state of his -own affairs, and the causes which had combined to produce their -embarrassment. - -Burrel, on his part, of course found the subject difficult to converse -upon, and the more so, perhaps, from the previous knowledge, which he -did not choose to display. However, when on one occasion the baronet -directly mentioned the annuity granted to the Earl of Ashborough, he -replied--"But the interest is enormous, and the earl would, of course, -suffer you to redeem it." - -"I am sorry to say, my young friend," replied Sir Sidney, "that at the -time you met William in the coach coming from London, the poor fellow -was returning full of disappointment from an unsuccessful attempt to -persuade Lord Ashborough to permit the repayment of the original sum. -But his lordship refused in the most peremptory manner; and, on the -deed being produced, no clause of redemption was found in it, -although, in the original letter of instructions for the preparation -of that instrument, the introduction of such a clause is expressly -enjoined." - -"If I might advise, Sir Sidney," replied Burrel; but then breaking off -again, he added--"But perhaps I am taking too great a liberty with -you, in even offering advice upon your private affairs." - -"Not in the least, my dear sir!" replied the baronet. "Speak, speak, -my dear sir! I have forgotten all my legal learning, and shall be very -glad of any advice upon the subject." - -"I know nothing of law, either," answered Burrel smiling; "but I know -a little of Lord Ashborough, and I know the character he bears in the -world. Of his faults and failings, I do not pretend to speak; but his -lordship has, of course, his share. He has, however, always maintained -a grave and dignified name, and high character in society; and it is -very generally believed that his lordship values the reputation of a -just, stern, upright peer, more than"---- - -"The reality!" added Sir Sidney Delaware, with one of those sneers -which had made him many an enemy in his youth--Strange that a turn up -of the nostril should make men cut each other's throats! - -"I was not going to be quite so severe," said Burrel, somewhat -gravely; "but I was going to add, that he values that reputation more -than any part of his estate; and I should think that if your son were -to go to London once more, and were to show him the letter of -instructions for the preparation of the annuity deed, pointing out to -him that the clause has been omitted, either by the mistake or the -fraud of a lawyer, and hinting at the publicity of a court of -justice--I think, I say--indeed I feel sure, that his lordship's care -for his reputation, coming in support of what I believe to be his -natural sense of equity, would make him at once accept the -redemption." - -"Perhaps you are right in regard to his care for his reputation, Mr. -Burrel," replied Sir Sidney Delaware. "But I, who know him better -perhaps than you do, cannot reckon much upon his sense of equity. I -know him well--thoroughly! In early years, before these children were -born, Lord Ashborough and myself were unfortunately involved in a -dispute, which did not arise in any great demonstrations of a sense -of equity on his part; and since that time, I have reason to believe -that disappointment, added to a bitter quarrel, has caused him to -watch an opportunity of treading on the head of one, against whom Time -even--the great mollifier of all things--has not been able to abate -his rancour." - -"I would fain believe that you do not quite do him justice," replied -Burrel. "May not a little personal dislike on your own part, my dear -sir, influence your mind against him?" - -"No, indeed, Mr. Burrel! No, indeed!" answered Sir Sidney Delaware. "I -know him _intus et in cute novi_. He was, and is, and ever will be, -the same man. The cause of our quarrel now lies in the cold forgetful -dust, where all such dissensions cease. Besides, I was naturally the -least offended of the two, being the injured person. I also was -successful--he disappointed--notwithstanding all his arts; and -therefore the matter with me was soon forgotten, while with him it has -been, I am afraid, long remembered. Nevertheless," he added, "do not -for a moment fancy that I am saying all this because I do not intend -to follow your advice. Far from it--William shall go up. Indeed, I -should think myself very wrong, were I to leave any means untried to -remove those embarrassments which shut my children out from the -society to which by birth they are entitled." - -Captain Delaware soon joined the conference; and, although he shook -his head at all idea of changing the determination of Lord Ashborough, -yet he undertook to try, with a readiness that the cold and haughty -demeanour which he described that nobleman to have maintained towards -him, rendered a little extraordinary. The resolution, however, once -taken, William Delaware was not a man, either by temperament or habit, -to lose a moment in putting it into execution, and his place was -instantly secured in the next morning's coach for London. Burrel -agreed to dine at the mansion, and the day passed over with that -additional drop of excitement, which renewed hope and expectation, -however faint, are still sure to let fall into the cup of life. - -Either it was really so, or Burrel fancied it, that Blanche Delaware -was more lovely and more fascinating than ever; and, indeed, the -feelings that had been growing upon her for several days, had added an -indescribable and sparkling charm to all the attractions of youth, and -grace, and beauty. The soul always did much in her case to increase -the loveliness that nature had bestowed upon her face and form, and -Burrel could not help imagining--even long before--that the graceful -movement of each elegant limb, and finely modelled feature, was but -the corporeal expression of a bright and generous mind within. But now -the heart, too, was called into play, and all the warm and sunny -feelings of a young and ardent bosom, sparkled irrepressibly up to the -surface, calling forth new charms, both in their accidental flash, and -in the effort to suppress them. - -All Burrel's enthusiasm, too--brought as he was by every circumstance -into nearer connexion with that fair being, than any other events -could possibly have produced--having been admitted to that intimate -friendship which no other man shared--having become the friend and -adviser of her father and brother, and having saved her own life--all -his own natural enthusiasm of character, therefore, unchained by any -opposing motive, broke through all the habitual restraints of the -state of life to which he had so long been accustomed; and during that -afternoon, Henry Burrel, with very little concealment of his feelings, -sat beside Blanche Delaware, full of that bright unaccountable -thing--love. - -The matter was so evident, and indeed had been so evident for the last -two or three days, that the eyes of Captain Delaware himself--not very -clear upon such subjects--had been fully opened; and now, as Burrel -bent over his sister's drawing-frame with a look of tenderness and -affection that would bear but one interpretation, he turned his eyes -upon his father to see whether it were really possible that he did not -perceive the feelings that were kindling up before him. - -No one perhaps had ever in his day felt more deep and sincere -love than Sir Sidney Delaware, yet--it is wonderful! quite -wonderful!--Burrel might almost, as the old romances term it, have -died of love at his daughter's feet, without his perceiving that any -thing was the matter. Burrel was bending over Blanche Delaware with a -look, and a tone, and a manner, that all declared, "Never, in the many -mingled scenes which I have trod, did I meet with any thing so -beautiful, so gentle, so graceful as yourself!" Captain Delaware, as I -have said, turned his eyes upon his father; but Sir Sidney, with his -fine head a little thrown back, a pair of tortoiseshell spectacles -upon his nose, and his face to the bookcases, was walking quietly -along, looking earnestly for Pliny. - -Oh, had you not forgotten all your lessons in the natural history of -the heart, you might have marked much. Sir Sidney Delaware, that would -have given you more to study than could be found in Pliny, ay, or -Plato either! - -"I must look to it myself," thought Captain Delaware. "Poor Blanche! -It would not do to have the dear girl's affections trifled with.--Yet, -I do not think he is one to play such a part either--Oh, no!--yet I -must speak to him!" - -With this doughty resolution, and a thousand thoughts and difficulties -in regard to what he was to say when he did begin, Captain Delaware -sat down to dinner, somewhat absent and pensive; and after Blanche had -left them, and Sir Sidney had retired to his dressing-room to indulge -in a somewhat usual nap after dinner, the gallant officer invited his -friend to ramble through the park till tea-time, fully prepared to do -a great deal that a man of the world would never have thought of doing -at all. Burrel saw that something was weighing upon his companion's -mind; but as his own determinations in regard to Blanche were -completely formed, and he feared no questions upon the subject, he did -not anticipate any. He left Captain Delaware, however, to bring forth -his own thoughts at leisure, and walked on by his side as silent as -himself, though not quite so much embarrassed. - -At length. Captain Delaware began--"I have wished," he said, "Mr. -Burrel"---- - -Burrel started, for the epithet _Mister_ had long been dropped towards -him by his companion, and he evidently perceived that something very -formal was working its way through his friend's mind. - -"I have wished, Burrel," repeated Captain Delaware, correcting himself -on seeing the surprise expressed by the other's countenance--"I have -wished to speak with you about my sister;" and, as he mentioned that -dear name, a sense of deep affection for her made him proceed more -boldly, though his face glowed warmly as he spoke. "You have been much -with her of late, and perhaps may be so for some time longer. Now--do -not misunderstand me, Burrel--do not think 1 doubt you, or seek to -question you: but I wish first to put you in mind that she sees very -few persons besides yourself, and next to tell you--as most men of -station and fortune expect to receive some portion with their -wives--to tell you that the greater part even of the small sum which -Blanche and I inherited from our mother, is engaged to support as far -as possible, and that is little enough, our father's station in -society." - -"And did you, my dear Delaware, suppose for a moment"--said Burrel, in -reply, "did you imagine, from what you have hitherto seen of my -conduct and sentiments, that so long as I had enough myself to offer -any woman I might love, I would consider her fortune for an instant?" - -"No, no! I did not suppose you would," replied Captain Delaware, -hesitating in some degree how to proceed. "But the truth is, Burrel, I -have heard that women's hearts are delicate things, and as easily -wounded as the wing of a butterfly. However, let us say no more of it. -I begin to think that I have got out of my depth, and meddled with -matters I had better have left to themselves." - -For some reason, or reasons--from some simple or complex motive, which -I do not know, and shall not stop to discover--men, however fully -their minds may be made up in such matters as that on which I write, -never like to be questioned upon the subject till they choose to -explain themselves; and, although Burrel was fully determined to offer -his hand to Blanche Delaware, as soon as he had convinced himself that -not a shadow of hesitation on her part would hurt his pride; and -though he completely understood Captain Delaware's feelings upon the -subject, and was amused at his straightforwardness, yet some internal -little devil of perversity made him feel almost offended at the -sentences we have just recorded. He resisted, however, and the devil -fled from him. - -"My dear Delaware," he said, after a moment's pause, which he employed -in clearing his bosom of the enemy, "although no man likes to make a -declaration, except at his own choice and convenience, yet, situated -as you are, I can enter into all your feelings for your sister. Set -your mind at rest then," he added, laying his hand frankly and kindly -on his companion's arm. "Set your mind at rest then, as far as I am -concerned. It is my intention, as soon as I can entertain any hope of -success, to offer my hand to your sister. If she refuse me, it is not -my fault you know; but this much you will, I am sure, take upon my -word, that I would not presume for one moment to solicit the hand of a -daughter of Sir Sidney Delaware, unless in rank I could aspire to that -honour, and in fortune could maintain her in that circle which she is -calculated to adorn. Let us say no more upon the subject, if you can -trust me." - -Captain Delaware grasped his hand warmly, "You have made me very -happy," he said. - -"Well, then, keep my secret," added Burrel with a smile, "and let your -sister decide the rest." - -William Delaware could well have told, at least he thought so, what -his sister's decision would be; but delicacy prevented him from -speaking his belief; and with a lightened heart he changed the -subject, and returned with Burrel to the mansion. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - -William Delaware set out from Emberton, and arrived in London. His -next step was to send a note to Lord Ashborough, informing him of his -being in town, and requesting an interview the following morning; and -in answer he received a very polite though somewhat formal billet, -inviting him to breakfast in Grosvenor Square, and promising as long -an audience after that meal as he might think necessary. - -At the appointed hour--for Captain Delaware never considered that -appointed hours mean nothing--he approached Lord Ashborough's house, -and was ushered up stairs, where he found housemaids and empty -drawing-rooms enow; and, planting himself at a window that looked out -into the square, he gazed forth with somewhat unpleasant anticipations -occupying his mind, and rendering his eye sightless as to all that was -passing before it. - -In a few minutes the housemaids withdrew from the farther rooms, and -the whole suit became vacant for some time, till a light step caught -Captain Delaware's ear, and, turning round, he beheld a young lady -whom he had seen there before, when last he had visited London. At -that time he had found her surrounded by a whole bevy of strangers, -whose gay appearance and supercilious manner had somewhat repelled the -young sailor, although Miss Beauchamp herself. Lord Ashborough's -niece, had spoken to him with frank kindness, and claimed relationship -with him at once. - -Miss Beauchamp now advanced towards him, while he acknowledged her -approach by a bow, which was stiff though not awkward. The young lady, -however, held out her hand with a gay smile, and, as he took it, -added, in a tone of playful sharpness, "Tell me, sir, are you my -cousin, or are you not?" - -"I believe I have some right to claim that honour," replied Captain -Delaware. - -"Well, then," continued the young lady, "lay aside, immediately, all -that stiff, chilly reserve, or I will disown you henceforth and for -ever." Captain Delaware smiled, and she continued. "I know that this -house has a very icy atmosphere; but that does not extend to my part -of it, and while my noble and stately uncle may be as frigid as -the north pole in his peculiar territories, the library and the -dining-room, I must have a pleasanter climate in my domains, the -drawing-rooms and breakfast-room." - -"Your own presence must always produce such an atmosphere," replied -Captain Delaware. "But you must remember. Miss Beauchamp, that I have -been but a short time within its influence, so that I have scarcely -had leisure to get thawed." - -"Oh, I must unfreeze you quite, erelong, my good cousin," replied Miss -Beauchamp, laughing. "But now, listen to me for five minutes, for I -have a great deal more to say to you than you know any thing about. -Calculating that you would come early, when I heard that my uncle had -asked you to breakfast, I determined to rise a full hour sooner than -usual, on purpose to give you your lesson for the day." - -Captain Delaware expressed his thanks as warmly as possible, -acknowledging, however, that his gratitude was somewhat mingled with -surprise, to find that his fair cousin was prepared to be interested -in behalf of one, who, though akin by blood, was nearly a stranger as -far as acquaintance went. - -"That would be a severe reproach to my forwardness, William Delaware," -replied the young lady, "if I had not a good motive _in petto_. -Besides, I find, that in days of yore, when we were all children, and -my good father was alive, that you and I and Blanche, and my brother -Henry, have had many a rude game of play amongst the old trees of -Emberton Park. But, let us speak to the point, as we may have little -time to speak at all--An old friend of yours and mine, good Dr. -Wilton, has written to me a long letter, two or three days ago, giving -me an account of all this unfortunate business between your father and -my uncle, and desiring me, if you ever came to town again, to do my -best to forward your views. Now, the truth is, I have no more -influence with Lord Ashborough than that screen." - -"With a thousand thanks for your kind interest," replied Captain -Delaware; "I should still be sorry to owe, even to your influence, -what I could not obtain from justice." - -"Pride! Pride!" cried Miss Beauchamp, "the fault of men and angels! -But let me tell you, my dear cousin, that no man or men have any right -to be proud in a woman's presence; for ye are a mere race of bullies -at the best, and bow like the veriest slaves whenever we chose to -tyrannize over you. But to the point.--Listen to my sage advice. I was -saying, that I had no more influence with my Lord Ashborough than that -screen.--I am a mere piece of household furniture; and, I dare say, -that I am to be found, written down in the inventory thus:--'Front -drawing-room--Three tables, four-and-twenty chairs, four sofas, three -chaises longues, _a niece_.'--I do believe, my uncle, when I refused -the Honourable Mr. What's-his-name, the other day, which mortally -offended his lordship, thought of having me transferred to the -schedule of _fixtures_ forthwith. But, nevertheless, as I am a hearing -and seeing piece of furniture, I have learned that the only way to -manage the Earl of Ashborough, is to be firm, steady, somewhat -haughty, and a good deal stern. Remember all this, my dearly beloved -cousin, and make use of the hint. But I hear his lordship's morning -step, when the neat boot is first, for that day, fitted on to the neat -foot. So I will to the breakfast-room; and do not forget, when you -meet me, to wish me good-morrow in set form, and civil terms, and take -care that you do not look conscious." - -Thus saying, the gay girl ran lightly through the long suite of rooms, -leaving Captain Delaware standing nearly where she had found him, with -a good deal of admiration at her beauty, and a good deal of surprise -at the mingling of kindness both with levity, and with the slightest -possible spice of coquetry, which she had displayed in their brief -conversation. - -Ere she was well out of sight, the step that had been heard above, -might be distinguished descending the stairs. There is not a little -character in a step, and the sound of Lord Ashborough's was peculiar. -Perhaps the enfeebling power of time--which, what with one aid or -another, was not very apparent in his person--marked its progress more -decidedly in his step than in any thing else. There was a certain -degree of creaking feebleness in it, especially at an early hour of -the morning, when he was just out of bed, which, joined with a slow -precision of fall, indicated a declension in the firm and sturdy -manhood. His lordship felt it, and in society he covered the slight -falling off by an affectation of grave and thoughtful dignity of -movement,--but his valet-de-chambre knew better. - -Captain Delaware, however, did not; and as the earl entered the room, -with a roll of papers in his hand, like Talma in Sylla--he acted a -good deal, by the way--his young relative thought him a very grave and -reverend signor; and would rather have lain for an hour along side an -enemy's frigate, yard-arm to yard-arm, than have grappled with so -stern and thoughtful a personage, on so disagreeable a business as -that which he came to discuss. He had undertaken it resolutely, -however, and he was not a man to flinch before any coward -apprehensions, moral or physical. - -The first expression of his lordship's countenance, when his eyes fell -upon his visiter, was not certainly of a nature greatly to encourage -him. For a moment--a single instant--nature got the better, and a -slight shade of that loathing dislike, with which one regards some -poisonous reptile, or the object of some peculiar antipathy, passed -over Lord Ashborough's features. It was gone as quickly; and with a -much more condescending and agreeable smile than he had bestowed upon -him on his former visit, the earl advanced, and welcomed him to -London. - -Captain Delaware was of course very well disposed to welcome any show -of kindness; and he said a few words in regard to his regret at having -to trouble Lord Ashborough again. - -"Oh! we will speak of all that after breakfast," said the earl. "When -last I saw you I was hurried and fretted by a thousand things, and had -no opportunity of showing you any attention. Indeed, I have but little -leisure now, the duties of my office--he held a sinecure post, which -required him to sign his name twice a-year--the duties of my office -claiming great part of my time. But you must really, as long as you -remain in London, spend your days here; and my niece, Maria, who has -nothing to do, will show you all over the world, under the fair excuse -of your cousinship. But let us to breakfast. Maria will not be down -for this hour; but I never wait for that lazy girl." - -Lord Ashborough was not a little surprised to find his niece in the -breakfast-room, and praised her ironically on her habits of early -rising; but Miss Beauchamp answered at once, "Oh! I had a reason for -getting up soon to-day, otherwise I should certainly not have done so. -To contemplate my dear uncle for an hour, with one foot crossed over -the other, letting his coffee get cold, and reading the newspaper, is -too great a treat to be indulged in every morning." - -"And pray, my fair niece," demanded Lord Ashborough, smiling at a -picture of himself, which was not without the cold sort of importance -he chose to assume; "and pray, my fair niece, what was the particular -cause of your infringing your ancient and beloved habits this -morning?" - -"First and foremost, of course," replied Miss Beauchamp, with a -graceful bend of the head to her cousin, "to see Captain Delaware, -whose visit you yesterday evening led me to expect; but, in the next -place, my full resolution and determination was to take possession of -your lordship during breakfast, and tease you in every sort of way, -till you agree to leave this horrid place London, now that you are -positively the last gentleman remaining in it, except the men in -red-coats that walk up and down St. James's Street, and look -disconsolate from June till January. But they are forced to stay, poor -fellows! You are not." - -"There is no use of going out of town, Maria, to come up again the -next day," replied Lord Ashborough. "Parliament will certainly sit for -a few days this month, and I must be present. But, in regard to your -cousin, I intend to make him over to you for the whole day, as I have -some business to transact; and, therefore, you see you would not have -been deprived of his visit." - -"Sad experience making me doubtful," replied Miss Beauchamp laughing, -"in regard to how far your lordship's civility might extend to your -kindred, I did not know whether I might ever see Captain Delaware -again." - -She spoke in jest, but it cut home, and Lord Ashborough, reddening, -took his coffee and the newspaper, and left his cousin and his niece -to entertain themselves, while he soon became immersed in the idle -gossip of the day. After breakfast, he led the way to the library with -renewed complacence, and, begging Captain Delaware to be seated, he -listened to him calmly and good humouredly, while he spoke of the -cause of his coming. He then read attentively the first instructions -for the annuity deed, and returning the paper, fell--or affected to -fall--into deep thought. - -"Why, this certainly does make a great difference," he replied at -length; "and I am sure, Captain Delaware, you will exculpate me from -any desire to take advantage either of an accident or a misfortune. My -plan through life has been to do clear and simple justice to all, and -never to fall into the absurd error of mingling all the feelings of -private life with matters of business. Matters of business should be -transacted as matters of business, and without the slightest regard to -whether you be my cousin or a perfect stranger. I can be generous when -it is necessary, as well as other men; but you applied to me not on a -point of generosity, but on a point of right and of justice, and -therefore in that light did I consider and decline your last proposal. -In the same light do I consider your present statement; but the paper -you have produced, according to my present views, so far alters the -question, that without returning you any direct answer at present, I -will, in going out, call upon my solicitor, consult with him, and, if -you will see him to-morrow at eleven o'clock, he shall tell you my -final views, and, depend upon it, they shall be those of substantial -justice." - -Captain Delaware was somewhat disappointed; for, from the first -impression which the production of the paper he had shown Lord -Ashborough, had made upon that nobleman, he had concluded that the -matter would be settled at once. He saw, however, that it would be -useless to press the subject farther at the time; and, after promising -to spend his days, though not his nights, at the house of his noble -kinsman, during his stay in London, he left him in possession of the -library. - -Lord Ashborough almost immediately after mounted his horse, and rode -slowly on down all those filthy streets and long, which conduct to -Clement's Inn; in one of the dark and dusty staircases of which, -stinking of parchment and red tape, he met the identical Mr. Peter -Tims, of whom he was in search, and who led him instantly into the -penetralia. Their conversation was keen and long, but a few sentences -of it will be sufficient here. After relating Captain Delaware's -visit, the earl demanded eagerly, "Now, Mr. Tims, can the matter be -done? Have you seen to it?" - -"I have, my lord, and it can be done," replied the lawyer. "I have -this morning been at the house of Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson. -Both partners are out of town, but their head clerk was there, and I -have made the following arrangement with him"---- - -"You have not compromised my name, I hope," interrupted the earl. - -"Not in the least, my lord," replied the other. "I explained -to the clerk that you would sell out at this moment to a great -disadvantage--that fourteen days would in all probability alter the -position of affairs--and that therefore your lordship would give a -bill at that date for the ten thousand pounds which you were to pay -them for Mr. Beauchamp. - -"But how will that forward the matter?" demanded the earl. "It will -seem as if I were shuffling with my nephew concerning his money -matters, and not promote the other purpose." - -"Your pardon, my lord--your pardon!" cried the lawyer. "You shall -demand of Sir Sidney Delaware to give you bills for the whole sum at a -fortnight's date, and give him up the annuity deed at once, and we -will arrange it so that you shall be out of town when the draft on you -becomes due, so as to stop the ten thousand pounds at the very nick." - -"Ay, but Harry will write up to know whether it be paid!" said the -earl. - -"I will write to him as soon as you have given the bill, my lord, -telling him that the money is paid," answered the lawyer; "and I will -direct the letter to his house in John Street, to be forwarded. I have -a good excuse for writing, in regard to this business of the valet he -kicked down stairs--so there will be no suspicion." - -"You know that he is a good man of business, Mr. Tims," replied the -earl, doubtingly. "Do you think he will take your word without writing -to enquire?" - -"Oh yes, my lord!" answered the lawyer boldly. "You know your own -plans, and therefore think he may suspect them. That is the way with -all gentlemen, when they first do any little business of this kind. -They always fancy that other people know that we are wanting to keep -them in the dark. Remember Mr. Beauchamp has no suspicion.--He does -not know that you know where he is.--He is not aware that you have -heard he is going to squander away his money at all; still less, that -you are good enough to take such pains to prevent him. He will believe -it at once, that the money is paid, and will simply give a draft for -it on Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson when the money is wanted. -Besides, from all I can learn, although he be in general a good man of -business enough, I hear he has got hold of one of those pieces of -business that put every thing else out of a man's head altogether." - -"What do you mean, sir?" demanded the earl, in a strong tone of -aristocratical pride; for there was a sort of sneer upon the -countenance of Mr. Tims, which he did not at all admire, coupled with -the mention of his rich nephew--and here, be it remarked, that it made -a great difference in Lord Ashborough's estimation, whether the person -spoken of was a rich or a poor nephew. He had a sort of indescribable -loathing towards poverty, or rather towards poor people, which was -only increased by their being his relations. He hated poverty--he -could not bear it--in his eyes it was a disease--a pestilence--a vice; -and therefore--although, had his nephew been poor, Mr. Tims might have -sneered at him to all eternity--as he was rich, Lord Ashborough felt -very indignant at the least want of reverence towards him. The tone in -which he demanded, "What do you mean, sir?" frightened Mr. Tims, who -hastened to reply, that he had heard from his respected and -respectable relative in the country, that the Mr. Burrel who had -proposed to lend the money to Sir Sidney Delaware, was now continually -at Emberton Park; and that it was very well understood in the country -that he was to be married immediately to Miss Delaware. - -Lord Ashborough gazed in the face of the lawyer, with that mingled -look of vacancy and horror, which we may picture to ourselves on the -countenance of a person suddenly blinded by lightning. When he had -collected his senses, it was but to give way to a more violent burst -of rage, and, with clenched hands and teeth, he stamped about the -office of the attorney, till the clerks in the outer room began to -think that he was breaking the hard head of their master against -the floor. A few words, however, served to give vocal vent to -his fury. "The hypocritical, artful, despicable race of beggarly -fortune-hunters!" he exclaimed; and, turning out of Mr. Tims's office, -impelled by the sole impetus of passion, he was standing by his horse -almost ere the attorney knew he was gone. The groom held the stirrup -tight, and Lord Ashborough had his foot on the iron, when cooler -thoughts returned, and, walking back to the chambers, he again entered -the lawyer's room. - -"Do all that you proposed, Mr. Tims," he said; "get the bills--retard -the payment--arrest the old reptile--manage it so that he may not get -bail; and the day you lodge him in the King's Bench--if it can be -done--you receive a draft for a thousand pounds.--They must be -crushed, Mr. Tims," he continued, grasping him tight by the arm; "they -must be crushed--ground down into the earth--till their very name -be forgotten;--but mark me," he added, speaking through his set -teeth--"mark me--if you let them escape, my whole agency and business -goes to another for ever." - -"Oh! no fear, my lord, no fear!" replied Mr. Tims, in a sharp, -secure tone, rubbing his little, fat, red hands, with some degree of -glee. "No fear, if your lordship will consent to leave it to my -guidance.--But I will send for a bill stamp, and we will draw up the -bill directly, send it to Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson, and then I -will give due notice to Mr. Beauchamp that the money is paid--which, -indeed, it may be said to be, when your lordship has given your bill -for it--you know." - -"I care not, sir!" exclaimed Lord Ashborough, vehemently, "whether it -may be said to be so or not. My nephew must be saved from this cursed -entanglement, by any means or all means. I will do my part--see that -you do yours. Crush these mean-spirited vipers, somehow or another, -and that as soon as may be;--but mind," he added more quietly, "mind, -you are to do nothing beyond the law!" - -"I will take care to do nothing that the law can take hold of," -replied the lawyer. "But you cannot think, my lord, how many things -may be done lawfully when they are done cautiously, which might treat -one with a sight of New South Wales, if they were to be undertaken -without due consideration--but I will send for the bill, my lord." - -The bill was accordingly sent for, drawn, and signed by Lord -Ashborough; and the attorney, after having despatched it to Mr. -Beauchamp's solicitor, wrote to that gentleman himself a letter, upon -the business to which he had referred, while speaking to Lord -Ashborough; and in a postscript, mentioned that he had handed over to -his agents a note for ten thousand pounds, on behalf of Lord -Ashborough. That nobleman stood by while all this proceeding was -taking place, and marked, with a well pleased smile, the double -language of the lawyer, and the quiet and careless manner in which he -contrived to offer a false impression in regard to the payment of the -money. When all was concluded, he paced slowly to the vacant park, -calmed his disturbed feelings by a quiet ride round its dusty roads, -and then returned with renewed self-command, to shower upon William -Delaware civilities, in proportion to his increased detestation. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - -Oh, if people would but take as much pains to do good as they take to -do evil--if even the well-disposed were as zealous in beneficence, as -the wicked are energetic in wrong--what a pleasant little clod this -earth of ours would be, for us human crickets to go chirping about -from morning till night! - -The Right Honourable the Earl of Ashborough could think of but one -thing; and what between the active working of his own brain, and the -unceasing exertion of the pineal gland of Peter Tims, Esq., following -keenly the plans and purposes which we have seen them communicating to -each other, the scheme for ruining the family at Emberton was brought -to that degree of perfection which rendered its success almost -certain. Mr. Tims, indeed, did wonder that the noble earl had -forgotten to propose to him any plan for detaining Sir Sidney Delaware -in prison after his arrest, and for consummating the persecution so -happily begun. He concluded that it had slipped his lordship's memory; -but, as he foresaw that, of course, Mr. Beauchamp would immediately -come forward to liberate the baronet, and clear him of his -embarrassments, Mr. Tims revolved a thousand schemes for entangling -him still more deeply, in order to be found prepared as soon as his -noble patron should apply to him for assistance on this new occasion. - -In truth, however, Lord Ashborough had calculated all; and from what -he had formerly known of Sir Sidney Delaware, as well as from what he -had lately heard of his impaired constitution, he felt assured that -even three or four days of imprisonment for debt would terminate -either life or reason, and thus leave his vengeance and his hatred -sated to the full. - -It must not be always supposed that the motives and the feelings which -are here stated, in what is vulgarly called black and white, appeared -in their original nakedness before the minds of the various actors in -this my little drama. On the contrary, they came before their master's -eyes, like poor players on the stage, robed in gorgeous apparel that -little belonged to them. Revenge flaunted away before the eyes of Lord -Ashborough, clothed in princely purple, and calling itself noble -indignation. Mortified vanity, and mean delight in wealth, tricked out -in silks and satins, called themselves honest scorn for deceivers, and -careful consideration for his nephew's interest, "and so they played -their part;" while deadly enmity, which would have acted murder, had -it dared, now mocked the Deity, and impiously assumed the name of -retributive justice. - -Nevertheless, there was in the bosom of Lord Ashborough at least so -much consciousness that all this was but a pageant, that he found it -necessary to redouble the careful guard he had put upon his feelings -towards Captain Delaware; and though he came back to dinner meditating -the destruction of his race and family, he showered on the young -sailors head civilities which might have raised doubts had he dealt -with one of the suspicious. Captain Delaware, however, was not one of -the suspicious. He had not acquired the quality of suspiciousness in -any of the three ways by which it reaches the human heart--neither by -the consciousness of evil designs in his own breast, by experience of -the world's baseness, or by the exhortations of others. He was -susceptible indeed, and easily perceived when a slight was intended, -or when the least approach to scorn was felt towards him or his; but -deeper and blacker feelings escaped his observation, if covered by -even a slight disguise. In the present instance he was completely -deceived. His drive out with his fair cousin in the morning had proved -so delightful, that he began to doubt the efficacy of the water of the -prior's fountain, and to feel that many such drives might make him -either very happy, or very much the contrary. But the kind attention -of Lord Ashborough, his changed demeanour, and the hopes to which it -gave rise, were all sources of unmixed pleasure. The evening passed -away in delight; and when, on visiting Mr. Tims next morning, he found -that he was prepared to concede every thing that he desired, on the -simple formality of his father giving a bill at a few days' date for -the money, his satisfaction was complete. Nor was it the less so, that -the necessity of awaiting an answer to his letter, communicating these -tidings, and of obtaining his father's signature to the bill, obliged -him, whether he would or not, to enjoy the society of Maria Beauchamp -for at least two days longer. - -On the part of that young lady herself, no dislike was felt to her -cousin's society--every one else was out of town--she had no one with -whom she could dance, or flirt, or talk, and still less any one to -whom she could communicate any of the deeper and better feelings which -formed the warp of her character, and across which the threads of a -sparkling sort of levity were intimately woven. With Captain Delaware -she did all but the first, and probably she would have danced too, had -minuets still been in vogue. She laughed, she talked, she jested; and -there was a sort of simple candour about his nature, together with -fine feelings and gentlemanly habits, preserved, fresh and -unadulterated, by a life spent either on the green waters or in the -green fields--which altogether wooed forth those points in her own -character, which as things most estimable, lay hid in the deeper -casket of her heart. - -In short, the two days that followed were two very pleasant days -indeed; and it was almost with a sigh that Captain Delaware opened his -father's letter, which arrived at the end of them, and found the bills -duly signed. Mr. Tims had before told him, that he had made the money -payable at Emberton, in order to save him or his father the trouble of -coming or sending again to London. That excuse, therefore, for either -prolonging his stay or returning, was not to be had; and, even if it -had still been ready, the lawyer also informed him gratuitously, that -Lord Ashborough's motive for settling the matter in the manner -proposed, was in order to spare himself all correspondence in the -country, to which he was immediately about to retire for the remainder -of the year. The simple fact was, that Mr. Tims--with the same over -anxiety of which he had accused Lord Ashborough to remove all -suspicion of a latent motive--had assigned these causes for his noble -patron's conduct, simply to account reasonably for his having demanded -a bill for the money, payable at Emberton, instead of following the -usual legal routine in such cases, accepting the redemption money when -ready, and then cancelling the deed. But Captain Delaware, with -constitutional susceptibility, instantly concluded that the whole was -intended as a hint to him, that any farther intimacy was not desired. - -He could not feel indignant, because he felt that he had no right to -demand a continuance of the communication which had been accidentally -created between himself and the family of his wealthy cousin; but he -determined at once to show that there was no necessity for such -warnings; and, after having pleaded other engagements, in order to -absent himself from his cousin's house during the rest of his stay in -London, he took his place in the identical stage which had whirled him -down to Emberton on the preceding occasion. He did not, however, in -that sort of burning at the heart which people feel on such occasions, -neglect to take all those steps which, to the best of his judgment, -were necessary to secure his father, and to conclude the business on -which he had come to London. On the contrary, he demanded and -received, by the hands of Mr. Tims, an acknowledgement, on the part of -Lord Ashborough, that a promissory-note had been given by Sir Sidney -Delaware for the sum of twenty-five thousand pounds, which, when duly -taken up, would be received as a full and due redemption of the -annuity chargeable upon the Emberton estate. - -When all this was concluded, and he had eaten in melancholy wise of -the dinner which the people of the pseudo hotel at which he lodged, -set before him, in that den of congregated discomforts, a public -coffee-room--when he had done this, and taken an idle walk round the -black thing that spits water by table-spoonfuls nearly opposite to -Devonshire House, for the purpose of digesting his dinner and his -vexation, he could not refrain; but returning home--or rather to the -place of his dwelling for the time--he dressed and walked to Grosvenor -Square. - -Lord Ashborough was in his library; Miss Beauchamp was -alone--somewhat in low spirits, too, and looking none the worse for -being so. She was in one of those moods in which a man may make a -great deal of a woman in a short time--if he knows how--but, -unhappily, Captain Delaware did not know how. He talked sentimentally, -and she talked sentimentally; and they made tea between them, and -poured it out and drank it--but it all came to nothing--otherwise -Maria Beauchamp might, perhaps, have been William Delaware's wife -before the end of the volume. Never did a man who was bred and born a -sailor miss stays so completely as Captain Delaware did; and just -when, towards the close of the evening, he was making up his mind to -say something sensible and pertinent, in came Lord Ashborough, and the -whole went to the--budget. - -Within half an hour after, William Delaware was on his way to his -hotel, and in the yellow of the next morning, he was once more rolling -away, to join the coach for Emberton. His journey was as dull as it -well could be. Two quaker ladies occupied one seat, and a deaf man -shared the other. Therefore--as it is a very laudable object to wind -up all sorts of matters here, in such a manner as to enable the -courteous reader to have done with the book at the end of this volume, -and to imagine, if he like, that the story is finished, when in fact -it is not begun--we shall give one paragraph to Mr. Tims, while -Captain Delaware rolls on. - -The worthy and beneficent lawyer, full of zeal in the service of his -patron, set boldly to work to accomplish the object in view, and added -so many thoughtful means and contrivances to support those which we -have already seen him propose, that, at the end of eight days, there -was hardly a human possibility of his prey escaping him. As, in some -instances, he thought fit to prepare engines which went a little -beyond the clear limit of the law, he took good care to add a safety -valve for himself, by cautiously mingling Lord Ashborough's name with -all those particular matters which were most delicate and dangerous, -and thus insuring the whole power and influence of that nobleman's -rank and fortune to shield him, even if the blame itself did not fall -solely on the earl. He wrote, too, to his uncle, Mr. Tims, at Ryebury, -directing him on no account to advance money to the gentleman calling -himself Mr. Burrel, who was, in fact, Lord Ashborough's nephew; and he -added many a hint and caution, calculated to make the miser of Ryebury -throw every impediment in the way of a liquidation of the debts on Sir -Sidney Delaware's estate. At the same time, a vague threat of Lord -Ashborough's displeasure, in case of recusancy, was held out; and by -the end of the week, Mr. Tims, as we have said, sat down perfectly -certain of having drawn those spider toils round the family of -Emberton, which it would be impossible for them to evade. - -In the mean time, William Delaware arrived at Emberton Park, and -found every thing precisely as he had left it. Burrel's visits were -still continuing daily. Indeed--during his son's absence, which -occasioned a sort of gap in the things to which Sir Sidney Delaware -was accustomed--the baronet had more than ever sought the presence of -Mr. Burrel to supply the want. - -The affection of Burrel for Blanche Delaware, seemed exactly the -same--if any thing, there was perhaps an additional shade of -tenderness in his manner, towards her, which for a moment caused -Captain Delaware to believe, that his sister had been made acquainted -with her lover's feelings. But it was not so. On the contrary, during -her brother's stay in London, Blanche had lost many of those pleasant -hours which she had before spent in Burrel's society. Her long rambles -with him through the park and the neighbouring country, were of course -at an end for the time; and, although Mrs. Darlington took a house in -the immediate vicinity, and pressed Miss Delaware to join her there -for a few days--though Blanche, perhaps, might feel that there she -could, with propriety, hold freer intercourse with one who had -obtained so strong a hold of her affection, yet filial duty overcame -even the wish, and she refused to leave her father during her -brother's absence. - -Captain Delaware's return, therefore, was a matter of joy and delight -to every one; and immediately after having heard all those _viva voce_ -particulars, which a letter could not convey, Sir Sidney Delaware -visited Mr. Tims, who assured him that the money would be ready full -twenty-four hours before the stipulated time, and instantly began to -prepare the mortgage which was to secure the sum to the lender. The -tidings were, of course, communicated to Blanche, whose young heart -beat high, to think of even a part of the dark cloud which had so long -overshadowed her dear father's fate, being blown away for ever. If, -too, a thought crossed her mind, in regard to her own situation, and -the improvement of her relative position towards him by whom she was -beloved, who shall say a word of blame? It was but nature; and perhaps -that thought might take away the only thorn that she saw encumbering -the fate before her. All eyes sparkled--all hearts beat high at -Emberton. The news insensibly was spread abroad--The prospects of the -Ruined Family seemed brightening--Those to whom they had been kind, -even in their adversity, blessed the day that saw their changing -fortune--and those who had despised their poverty, began to bow down -and worship, now that the storms no longer hung above them. - -Sir Sidney Delaware walked with a firmer step. His son felt that -one-half of the load of life was gone, and Blanche raised her eyes -timidly to meet those of Burrel, as if there had been some secret -voice which told her, that--how, or why, she knew not--all the -happiness that was growing up around them, was of his planting. - -Oh, deceitful Fortune! why wilt thou often smile so sweetly, while -opening thy store of evils to pour upon the devoted head! - - - - -END OF VOLUME FIRST. - - - - -EDINBURGH: -M. AITKEN, 1, ST. JAMES'S SQUARE. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Delaware;, by -G. P. 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Vol. 1</title> -<meta name="Author" content="G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford) James"> - -<meta name="Publisher" content="Robert Cadell and Whittaker & Co."> -<meta name="Date" content="1833"> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> -<style type="text/css"> -body {margin-left:10%; - margin-right:10%; background-color:#FFFFFF;} - - -p.normal {text-indent:.25in; text-align: justify;} -.center {margin: auto; text-align:center; margin-top:24pt; margin-bottom:24pt} - - - -p.right {text-align:right; margin-right:20%;} - -p.continue {text-indent: 0in; margin-top:9pt;} -.text10 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:10%; margin-right:0px; font-size:90%;} -.text20 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:20%; margin-right:0px; font-size:90%;} - - -.poem0 { - margin-top: 24pt; margin-left: 0%; - margin-right: 0%; text-align: left; - margin-bottom: 24pt; font-size:90%} - -.poem1 { - margin-top: 24pt; margin-left: 2em; - margin-right: 10%; text-align: left; - margin-bottom: 24pt; font-size:90%} - -.poem2 { - margin-top: 24pt; margin-left: 20%; - margin-right: 20%; text-align: left; - margin-bottom: 24pt; font-size:90%} - -.poem3 { - margin-top: 24pt; margin-left: 30%; - margin-right: 30%; text-align: left; - margin-bottom: 24pt; font-size:90%} - - - - -.t0 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0em; margin-right:0em;} -.t1 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:1em; margin-right:0em;} -.t2 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em;} -.t3 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:3em; margin-right:0em;} -.t4 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:4em; margin-right:0em;} -.t5 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:5em; margin-right:0em;} - - -.quote {text-indent:.25in; text-align: justify; font-size:90%; margin-top:36pt; margin-bottom:36pt} -.ctrquote {text-align: center; font-size:90%; margin-top:36pt; margin-bottom:36pt} - - -h1,h2,h3,h4,h5 {text-align: center;} - -span.sc {font-variant: small-caps; font-size:110%;} -span.sc2 {font-variant: small-caps; font-size:90%;} - -hr.W10 {width:10%; color:black; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt} - -hr.W20 {width:20%; color:black; margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:12pt} - -hr.W50 {width:50%; color:black;} -hr.W90 {width:90%; color:black;} - -p.hang1 {margin-left:3em; text-indent:-3em;} -p.hang2 {margin-left:3em; text-indent:0em;} - - -</style> - -</head> - -<body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Delaware;, by G. P. R, (George Payne Rainsford James) - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Delaware; - or, The Ruined Family Vol. 1 - -Author: G. P. R, (George Payne Rainsford James) - -Release Date: April 2, 2016 [EBook #51628] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DELAWARE; *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by the -Web Archive (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<p class="hang1">Transcriber's Notes:<br> -1. Page scans provided by the Internet Archive,<br> -https://archive.org/details/delawareorruined01jame<br> -(University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>EDINBURGH</h4> -<h5>PRINTED BY M. AITKEN, 1, ST JAMES's SQUARE.</h5> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h3>DELAWARE;</h3> -<br> -<h5>OR</h5> -<br> -<h4>THE RUINED FAMILY.</h4> -<br> -<h4>A TALE.</h4> -<br> -<br> -<h4>IN THREE VOLUMES.</h4> -<br> -<h3>VOL. I.</h3> -<br> -<br> -<h3>EDINBURGH:</h3> -<h4>PRINTED FOR ROBERT CADELL, EDINBURGH;<br> -<span style="font-size:smaller">AND WHITTAKER & CO., LONDON.<br> -MDCCCXXXIII.</span></h4> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>PREFACE.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Not many years ago, as the writer of this work was returning -on -horseback to Castellamare, from a visit to the Lactarian Hills, he -overtook, just under the chestnut trees on the slope, which every one -who has visited that part of Italy must remember, two gentlemen with -their guide, who were on their way home after some expedition of a -kind similar to his own.</p> - -<p class="normal">As the indefinable something told him at once that they were -Englishmen, he turned, as usual under such circumstances, to examine -them more critically in passing, and in one of them recollected a -person whom he had met more than once in London. He hesitated whether -he should claim the acquaintance; as, when he had before seen him, the -traveller had appeared to great disadvantage. A man of rank and -fortune, flattered, caressed, single, and set at, he had borne a sort -of sneering indifference on his countenance, which certainly did not -recommend him to a person who neither sought his friendship nor feared -his contempt. A few traits, indeed, had casually appeared, which -seemed to betray a better spirit beneath this kind of supercilious -exterior; but still the impression was unfavourable.</p> - -<p class="normal">All hesitation, however, was put an end to by a bow and friendly -recognition on the part of the other; and either because the -annoyances of the society in which he had formerly been met, were now -removed, or because a general improvement had worked itself in his -demeanour and character, his tone was so different, and his aspect so -prepossessing, that all feelings of dislike were soon done away. He -instantly made his "dear, new-found friend" acquainted with his -companion; and informing him that he had left his wife and sister at -the Albergo Reale, invited him to join their party for the evening.</p> - -<p class="normal">This was accordingly done, and now--having ridden the third person -long enough, as it is the roughest going horse in the stable--I will, -with the reader's permission, do the next ten miles on the first -person singular.</p> - -<p class="normal">The acquaintance which was there renewed soon went on to intimacy; and -as I found that the party which I had met with, consisted of an odd -number, the unfortunate fifth being an old gentleman, who required -some one more of his own age than his four relations to converse with, -I ventured to propose myself as their companion in a visit to some -places in the neighbourhood, and as their cicerone to Pæstum. The -proposal was accepted; and, strange enough to say, our companionship, -which had commenced so suddenly, did not end till those I may now -boldly call my friends returned to England, nearly a year after, -leaving me to stupify at Lauzanne.</p> - -<p class="normal">Amongst the many pleasures which I derived from their society in -Italy, none was greater than that which some account of their -preceding adventures gave me. This was first obtained in a casual -manner, by hearing continual reference made amongst themselves to -particular circumstances. "Do you remember, Henry, such and such an -event? Does not that put you in mind of this, that, or the other?" was -continually ringing in my ears; and thus I gathered part ere the whole -was continuously related to me. At length, I obtained a complete -narrative; and though it was told with many a gay and happy jest, and -many a reference to details which would not amuse the world in -general, I could not help thinking that the public might find it -nearly as interesting as it proved to me.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the same sort of gossiping anecdotical style in which I received -it, I have here, with full permission, put down the whole story. In -what tongue under the sun I have written it, I do not very well know, -though the language I intended to employ is a sort of jargon, based -upon Anglo-Saxon, with a superstructure of the Norman corruption of -French, propped up by bad Latin, and having the vacancies supplied by -Greek. Taking it for granted, that into this refuge for destitute -tongues, any houseless stranger would be welcome, whenever I was not -able to find readily a word or expression to my purpose, I have either -made one for myself, or stolen one from the first language at hand; -and as this has been done in all ages, I make no apology for it here.</p> - -<p class="normal">I have reason, however, to believe that I have more sins to answer for -amongst the technical terms, and other more important matters. My -worthy lawyer, Mr. W----, tells me that my law is not sound; that, -instead of <i>indicted</i> I should have said <i>arraigned</i>; instead of -<i>action</i> I should have used the word <i>process</i>--or the reverse, I -forget which. My gallant friend, Captain D----, has taken much pains -to explain to me the difference between a <i>yawl</i> and a <i>Peter boat</i>, -and has utterly confounded me with a definition of <i>clinker built</i>; -and my noble friend. Lord A----, declares that I have certainly -painted both his foibles and his adventures in somewhat strong -colours; but if, by so doing, I make a better book of it--why, let it -pass.</p> - -<p class="normal">For all this I apologize to the public in general, acknowledging that -I am neither lawyer nor physician, soldier nor sailor, scholar nor -philosopher, nor what the cant of a former day denominated a man of -wit about town. Whoever reads the book, will see all this at a glance; -but I trust they will also see that I have not drawn from things of -marble, but from flesh and blood.</p> - -<p class="normal">To one portion of his Britannic Majesty's subjects I have particularly -to apologize. Since this book went to the press, I have discovered, -from Cary's Road-Book, that there is a real village, or hamlet, or -town, called Emberton; and I hereby most solemnly declare, that, in -fixing upon that name as the scene of my chief adventures, I believed -I was employing an entirely fictitious title, and did so for the sole -purpose of concealing the real place at which some of the events -occurred. Let it be remembered, therefore, by all persons who have -seen, heard, or known any thing of the village, town, or hamlet of -Emberton, that, in writing this book, I did not know that such a place -did truly exist, and that nothing herein contained, is in any way to -be understood or construed to apply to the real place called Emberton -or its inhabitants, referring solely to a different spot in a -different county, which shall, by the reader's good leave, be -nameless.</p> - -<p class="normal"><p class="continue"> <span class="sc">Innerleithen</span>,<br> -25<i>th May</i>, 1833.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h3>DELAWARE;</h3> -<h5>OR,</h5> -<h4>THE RUINED FAMILY.</h4> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER I.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Most cities are hateful; and, without any disposition to -"babble about -green fields," it must be owned that each is more or less detestable. -Nevertheless, amongst them all, there is none to be compared as a -whole to London;--none which comprehends within itself, from various -causes, so much of the sublime in every sort. Whether we consider its -giant immensity of expanse--the wonderful intricacy of its internal -structure--the miraculous harmony of its discrepant parts--the grand -amalgamation of its different orders, classes, states, pursuits, -professions--the mighty aggregate of hopes, wishes, endeavours, joys, -successes, fears, pangs, disappointments, crimes, and punishments, -that it contains--its relative influence on the world at large--or the -vehement pulse with which that "mighty heart" sends the flood of -circulation through this beautiful land--we shall find that that most -wonderful microcosm well deserves the epithet <i>sublime</i>.</p> - -<p class="normal">To view it rightly--if we wish to view it with the eye of a -philosopher--we should choose perhaps the hour which is chosen by the -most magnificent and extraordinary of modern poets, and gaze upon it -when the sun is just beginning to pour his first red beams through the -dim and loaded air, when that vast desert of brick and mortar, that -interminable wilderness of spires and chimneys, looks more wide, and -endless, and solemn, than when the eye is distracted by the myriads of -mites that creep about it in the risen day.</p> - -<p class="normal">It may be asked, perhaps, who is there that ever saw it at that hour, -except the red-armed housemaid, washing the morning step, and letting -in the industrious thief, to steal the greatcoats from the hall; or -the dull muffin-man, who goes tinkling his early bell through the -misty streets of the wintry morning? Granted, that neither of -these--nor the sellers of early purl--nor the venders of saloop and -cocoa--nor Covent Garden market-women--nor the late returners from the -<i>finish</i>--nor he who starts up from the doorway, where he has passed -the wretched night, to recommence the day's career of crime, and -danger, and sorrow--can look upon the vast hive in which they dwell -with over-refined feelings; and perhaps, to them, may come home -unhappy Shelley's forcible line,</p> - -<p class="center"><span style="font-size:smaller">"Hell is a city very much like -London!"</span></p> - -<p class="normal">The valetudinarian, too, who wakes with nervous punctuality to -swallow down the morning draught, prescribed by courtly Henry's -bitter-covering skill, may curse the cats that, perched upon the -tiles, salute their lady-loves with most discordant cries, and keep -him from repose; and, with all the virulence of Despréaux, may exclaim -upon the many hateful sounds of a town morning. But besides all these, -there are sometimes persons, who, rising five hours before their usual -time, come forth in all the freshness of the early day, stimulated by -the vast effort that roused them from their beds, proud of a -successful endeavour to get up, and excited by the novelty of the -circumstance and the scene, and who rush on, admiring all the beauties -as they go to take their places in the gay stage-coach.</p> - -<p class="normal">Fully double the extent of ancient Athens in its days of greatest -splendour--at least if the calculation of Aristides be correct--London -lies in circuit more than one day's journey, and many a day's journey -may be taken in the interior without ever threading the same streets. -It would not matter much, therefore, in what corner of the town was -placed the coach-office, whence, at an early hour of every lawful day, -set forth a smart-looking vehicle, drawn by four fiery bays, for a -distant town in ----shire; but nevertheless, as it may be a -satisfaction to the reader's mind, it is but fair to state, that the -aforesaid four-inside light coach took its departure daily from that -wild scene of bustle and confusion, which, within the last century or -two, has usurped the site of what a modern writer of ancient romance, -terms "the sweet little village of Charing," and which is now -popularly called the Golden Cross, Charing Cross.</p> - -<p class="normal">As the things that were, are now no more, and even three short years -have made sad havoc amidst the brick antiquities of dear Pall Mall, it -may not be amiss more particularly to commemorate the appearance--at -the time our tale commences--of that agglomeration of street corners, -Charing Cross, from which--on account I suppose of its beautiful -vagueness--all rogues and insolvent debtors were wont to date their -letters. But this commemoration had best be given in describing the -effect of the whole upon a young and unsophisticated mind.</p> - -<p class="normal">From a place that they call a hotel, in Piccadilly--Think of a man -taking up his abode at a hotel in Piccadilly!--but he knew no -better--From a hotel, in Piccadilly, at about half-past five o'clock -on the morning of the last day of August, one thousand eight hundred -and something, set out a hackney coach, containing within its sphere -of rotten wood and rusty leather a small portmanteau on the front -seat, and the portmanteau's master on the other. He was a well-made -youth, of about five-and-twenty years of age, with firm, graceful, and -yet powerful limbs, and a fresh clear complexion--not villainous red -and white, but one general tone of florid health. His eye was blue and -bright, and the clustering curls of fair hair--as pure Saxon as Sharon -Turner's last new book--might have looked somewhat girlish, had it not -been for the manly features and the free dauntless look that they -overshadowed. At the same time, be it remarked, that there was -something of melancholy, if not of gloom, in his aspect; but that did -not prevent him--after the chambermaid had been satisfied, and the -waiter had been paid, and boots had had his fees, and the porter had -claimed more than his due; and, in short, all the exactions of an inn -had been played off upon him in succession--that did not prevent him, -when fairly rolling away towards the top of the Haymarket, from gazing -out upon the scene around him with a sufficient degree of open-eyed -curiosity to make the waterman stick his tongue into his cheek, and -mentally denominate him "<i>a raw</i>."</p> - -<p class="normal">It may be necessary to inform the unlearned reader, that the sun -rises, in the end of August, a few minutes after five in the morning, -and at the time I speak of the great luminary was pouring a flood of -radiance through the loaded air of the vast city, filling the long -empty perspective of the streets with the golden mistiness of the -morning light. Closed within the dull boards which defend the precious -wares of many a careful tradesman from the cosmopolite fingers of the -liberal Many, the shops exhibited nothing but the names and -occupations of their various owners; but the wide streets, with all -their irregular buildings, in the broad light and shade, were not -without beauty of their own peculiar kind, distinct from all the -mighty associations connected with their existence.</p> - -<p class="normal">The coach rolled at the statute pace along Piccadilly, unobstructed by -any thing, and, indeed, unencountered by any thing but two slow market -carts, wending heavily towards Covent Garden, and another fac-simile -of itself just overcoming--in order to take up some other early -passenger--the <i>vis inertiæ</i> which had held it on the straw-littered -stand for the last hour. In the Haymarket, however, the progression -was more difficult; for there, already had congregated many a loaded -cart, the drivers of which, as usual, had, with skilful zeal, -contrived to place them as a regular fortification, obstructing every -step of the way. Gin and purl, too, were reeking up to the sky from -the various temples of the rosy god that line the west side of the -street; and amidst the bargainings of some early dealers, and the -pœans of the gin-drinkers, no one attended to the objurgations of -the embarrassed coachman. Nevertheless, all these difficulties were at -length removed by one means or another; and Cockspur Street opened -wide before the traveller, exposing at the end, black with the smoke -of fires innumerable, the famous Statue and the girthless horse. On -one side, wide and open, lay Whitehall, with all those offices whence -many a time has issued the destiny of the world; on the other hand, -dark and dingy, wound away the Strand, with the house of the Percys -maintaining still the last aspect of a feudal dwelling to be found in -London. The King's Mews, on which a violating hand had hardly yet been -laid, occupied all the space to the left; and the flaming ensign of -the Golden Cross, stuck up in front of a tall narrow-fronted house, -told that the place of many coaches was before the traveller's eyes.</p> - -<p class="normal">He found, on alighting, that he had arrived at least ten minutes -before the time; and after having been cheated, as usual, by the -hackney coachman, and gazed about the dull desolate yard, shut in by -the high houses round, in the far shadows of which stood two or three -red, blue, and yellow vehicles, all unpacked and unhorsed, he once -more sauntered out through the low-browed arch which gave admission to -the court, and amused himself with the wider scene exhibited by the -street.</p> - -<p class="normal">At that hour, one-half of Murillo's pictures find living -representatives in the streets of London; and when the young traveller -had moralized for a minute or two on some groups of beggar-boys -playing round the Statue--had marked the sage and solemn pace with -which an elderly waterman brought forth his breakfast to a coachman on -the stand--and had listened to the Solon-like sayings of each upon the -weather and the state of the nation--he was looking back to see -whether the coming of the coach was hopeless, when the rushing noise -of rapid wheels caught his ear, and he turned his eyes in the -direction of the sound.</p> - -<p class="normal">If people would but remark, they would find that they have -presentiments of little events a thousand times more often than they -have presentiments of great ones; and the feeling of the gallant -Nelson was not more strong, that the sun of Trafalgar was the last -that was destined to shine upon his glory, than was at that moment the -conviction of the young traveller that those rolling wheels were about -to bring him a companion for the stage-coach. Nor, let me tell you, -gentle reader, is it a matter of small importance who is to be brought -in such close contact with one for the next ten hours. What is life -but a chain of those brief portions of eternity which man calls hours, -so inseparably linked together that the first and the last, and every -link throughout the series, have a mutual dependence and connexion -with each other! Oh, let no one despise an hour! It is fully enough to -change dynasties and overthrow empires--to make or mar a fortune--to -win high renown or stain a noble name--to end our being or to fix our -destiny here and hereafter, in time and through eternity. So awful a -thing is one hour--ay, one moment of active being!</p> - -<p class="normal">The companion of the three hundred and sixty-fifth part of one out of -seventy years, is a person to whom we may well attach some importance; -and the young traveller looked with no small eagerness to see who was -about to fill that station in relation to himself. The first thing -that his eyes fell upon, as he turned round, was a dark brown -cabriolet, whirled along with the speed of lightning by a tall bay -horse, full of blood and action, and covered with harness, which, -though somewhat elaborate and evidently costly, was guarded by -scrupulous good taste from being gaudy. Behind the vehicle appeared a -smart active boy in groom's apparel, but with no distinctive livery to -designate him as the tiger of Colonel this, or the Earl of that, -though a cockade in his hat told that his master pretended to either -military or naval rank. Where the young traveller stood, the -appearance of the driver was not to be discerned; but, from the style -of the whole turn-out, he began to doubt that his anticipations in -regard to their approaching companionship were fallacious, when, -dashing up to the pavement, the horse was suddenly drawn up, the groom -sprang to the head, and the person within at length made his -appearance.</p> - -<p class="normal">He was a young man of about seven-and-twenty, tall, and rather -gracefully than strongly made; but still with a breadth of chest, and -a sort of firm setting on his feet, which spoke a greater degree of -personal strength than appeared at a casual glance. His clothes were -all of that peculiar cut which combines the most decided adherence to -the prevailing fashion, with a very slight touch of its extravagance. -Every thing, however, in the whole of his apparel, was in good -keeping, as the painters call it; and though the colours that appeared -therein, were such as no one but a man of rank and station in society -would have dared to wear, the general hue of the whole was dark.</p> - -<p class="normal">"He's a dandy!" thought the young traveller, with a somewhat -contemptuous curl of the lip as the other descended from the -cabriolet; but the moment after, hearing him bid the boy tell Swainson -not to forget to give Brutus a ball on Wednesday night--and to walk -Miss Liddy for an hour twice every day in the park, he concluded that -he was a gentleman horse-jockey--a thing, in his unsophisticated -ideas, equally detestable with a dandy. Scarcely had he come to this -conclusion--and his conclusions, be it remarked, were formed very -quickly--when the stranger strode rapidly past him. The cabriolet -drove away, and its owner--with a quantity of glossy black hair -escaping from under his hat, and mingling with whiskers more glossy -still--entered the inn-yard, and proceeded to the coach-office.</p> - -<p class="normal">The other traveller followed, in hopes of seeing some signs of -approaching departure; and, as he did so, he heard the reply of the -book-keeper to something which the owner of the cabriolet had asked. -"No room outside, sir;--very sorry, indeed--got our full number,"--he -had got three more, by the way,--"plenty of room inside.--That 'ere -gentleman's going inside, 'cause he can't get room out."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, inside be it then," replied the other.</p> - -<p class="normal">The book-keeper began to write. "What name, sir?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Burrel!" replied the stranger.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Any luggage?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"None," answered Burrel.</p> - -<p class="normal">"One pound ten shillings and sixpence, sir, if you please!" said the -book-keeper; and, as Burrel paid the money, the coachman's cry of, -"Now, gentlemen, if you please!" sounded through the yard.</p> - -<p class="normal">In another minute the horses were dashing through that antique and -abominable arch, which, in days of yore, gave egress and regress to -the Golden Cross, while Burrel and the other traveller, seated side by -side, held their breath as the rough vehicle clattered over the London -stones. It has often been remarked, that it is wonderful how much -shaking together two Englishmen require before they speak to each -other; and, in setting out from a town like London, there is scarcely -any individual who has not too much to think of--either in parting -from well-loved friends--in quitting scenes of pleasure or of pain--in -self-congratulation on escaping from smoke and noise--in anticipation -of quiet and repose of joyful meetings and smiles of welcome--not to -court a few minutes' calm reflection as they leave behind them that -great misty den of feelings and events. Our two travellers then leaned -back in their respective corners without the interchange of a -word--the one, Burrel, apparently buried in deep thought; and the -other too proud, if not too shy, to begin any conversation himself, -even had he not had memories enough in his bosom to furnish him also, -with food for meditation. Such, however, he had; and--seeing that his -companion appeared wrapped up in that sort of gentlemanly reserve -which so often covers over a man's eyes, ears, and understanding, as -he goes through life, and leaves him, like the Grand Lama, with -nothing to speculate upon but his own perfections--the younger -traveller gave way also to his thoughts, and, ere they had reached -Brentford, had forgotten that there was any being in the coach but -himself.</p> - -<p class="normal">His reflections did not seem very pleasant; for at Hounslow, what -appeared to be the first act thereof, ended in a sigh so long and -deep, that it attracted the notice of his fellow-traveller, who turned -his head, and, for the first time, examined him somewhat attentively, -as he sat looking out of the windows, with the objects as they passed -skimming hardly noted before his eyes. The second act of the young -man's thoughts did not seem quite so abstracted as the first; for when -the coach stopped for a few minutes at Staines, he put his head forth -from the window, and demanded the name of the place, addressing -Mynheer Boots, who gazed in his face and answered nothing.</p> - -<p class="normal">"This is Staines," replied his hitherto silent companion, in a mild -gentlemanly tone, in which there was not the slightest touch of -<i>coxcombry</i> or affectation; "perhaps you have never travelled this -road before?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have, indeed," replied the other; "but the first time was many -years ago; and when last I passed, I had various things to think of, -which prevented my noting particularly the places through which I -travelled."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, any thing on earth to think of," replied Burrel, "of course -renders travelling out of the question. It is no longer travelling, it -is locomotion.--It becomes the act of a stage-coach, a steam-engine, -or any other machine, as soon as a person has one thought occupied by -either business or memory, or any one of the troublesome things of the -world. Before one sets out on a journey, one should shake out one's -mind, as the ancient pilgrims did their wallets, and leave no trace of -friends, or relations, or feelings, or prejudices, or remembrances of -any kind in short, to hang about it; but make all void and clear for -the new stock of ideas that are to be placed in it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yours is a strange doctrine," replied his companion, "though I -believe it might be as well to practise it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, if a man carries about in his mind," continued Burrel, "his -uncles and aunts, and sisters and brothers, and all the luggage of -associations that they bring along with them, he might as well jog on -in the old family coach at the rate of forty mortal miles per day, -from the town house in Berkeley Square to the country house in -Staffordshire. But let a man resolve to forget every thing on earth -but the scenes through which he is passing, and he will find as much -to interest, and amuse, and excite him--ay, and as much to the purpose -of real information too--between London and Dorchester, as between -Paris and the Dardanelles."</p> - -<p class="normal">His companion smiled, perhaps as much from surprise at the very -unexpected tone of his fellow-traveller's tirade, as from any -acquiescence in the tirade itself. "Nay, nay," he said; "surely you -won't deny that--putting all other advantages out of the question -between the two journeys you mention--there is still much more -picturesque beauty to be found between Paris and the Dardanelles than -between London and Dorchester?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I do not know that," replied Burrel. "There may be newer scenery, and -perhaps more sublime scenery; but whether the more sublime be -calculated to produce a finer or a sweeter effect upon man's heart and -mind than softer and gentler pictures, I much doubt. There is -something in an English landscape to be found nowhere else--an air of -rich, sweet, happy repose--of safe tranquillity and successful -industry, that is in itself almost sublime. Let your eye now run over -that view as the coach climbs the hill. Where did you ever behold a -scene on which sight can so pleasantly repose?--The rich scattered -wood in front, full of Old England's grand primeval oaks.--Then look -how, bending over a thousand slopes, in the true lines of beauty, the -hedgerows wind along, dividing wealthy field from field--now giving -skips and glances of fair towns and uplands, and now massing together, -till the eye believes them to be deep groves--then that catch of the -river, glistening under the hill, while the sunshine streams through -the valley, and that broad shadow of some cloud we do not see, passes -slowly on, at every change that it effects in the light and shade of -the landscape, bringing out some new beauty, as if it itself delighted -in the loveliness it produces. Then again, cast your eyes up yonder to -the village church hanging halfway down the hill, with its neat -parsonage embowered in tall elms; and looking, as it is, the abode of -peace and virtue. As good a man dwells there as the whole world can -produce, and a true representative of the great majority of the -much-belied English clergy. But say, did you ever see a fairer scene?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Seldom, indeed," replied his companion, whose attention, called to -the principal points of a purely English picture, found more beauties -in it than custom suffered him to see before. "But still," he added, -"I am fond of mountain scenery."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And so am I," replied Burrel. "I am fond of every kind of scenery, -from the bold blue mountain with its purple heath, as bare, as naked, -and as wild as the banks of Loch Awe itself can show, to the rich and -undulating plains of Champagne, where soft line beyond line of faint -and fainter shadows, vanishing away in Claude-like sunshine, are all -that marks the wide extent over which the eye can roam. There is such -a thing as the economy of admiration; and by husbanding that faculty -properly, you will not find a scene in all the world on which you -cannot afford to bestow some small portion thereof."</p> - -<p class="normal">The other traveller replied, not a little pleased to find that all the -fine sketches which he had been making of his companion's character, -during the earlier part of their journey, were as empty as a protocol; -and, with the very natural jump which man's heart takes when it finds -itself agreeably disappointed in the estimation it had formed of -another, perhaps the stranger now felt as much inclined to over-admire -his companion, as he had before been disposed to undervalue him. A -growing remembrance of his features, too, for some time made him fancy -that he had met with an old friend, whose face, like a worn piece of -money, though half obliterated by time, was still sufficiently plain -to tease memory--one of those provoking recollections, as tenacious as -remorse, and intactible as a soufflet. After some farther -conversation, and one or two thoughtful pauses--in which memory was so -busy in digging amongst the ruins of the past to see if she could find -the name of Burrel, that she would not even let the young traveller's -loquacious powers go on, for fear of disturbing her search--he -suddenly exclaimed, with that degree of frank simplicity which at once -spoke him but little a child of the great world, "Oh! now I remember -where it was; I saw you before!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Where?" demanded Burrel with a slight smile, which he instantly -repressed lest he should give pain.</p> - -<p class="normal">But the young stranger was not of a nature to think there could be any -thing wrong or absurd in acknowledging whatever he felt, if what he -felt were pure and natural. "It was at the door of Lord Ashborough, in -Grosvenor Square," he replied at once. "You were coming out as I was -going in to call for his lordship. It was but yesterday; and yet I -have been searching through many long years to find out where it was I -had seen you before."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Memory is like the philosophers," replied Burrel, "and often sends -out far to seek what she might stumble over at her own door. I now -remember your face also, and think I heard you give your name as -Captain Delaware."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The same," answered his companion with somewhat of a sigh. "Do you -know Lord Ashborough well?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have known him long," replied Burrel; "but to know a man well is a -very different thing; for I am afraid that all men have learned -now-a-days what Sallust regrets in the decline of the Romans--<i>magis -vultum quam ingenium, bonum habere</i>. Not that I mean to say it is so -with Lord Ashborough;--far from it. He bears a high character in the -world, and is esteemed upright, honourable, and talented, though -somewhat stern and haughty."</p> - -<p class="normal">A grave and rather melancholy expression came over the countenance of -the other; and he replied, changing the subject abruptly, "You were -speaking of the Dardanelles. Were you ever there?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Never," answered Burrel, "though once within little more than a -hundred leagues. I should have been well pleased to have gone on; but -circumstances called me back to England."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have been there," replied the other; "and there is nothing -more delightful on earth than the sail from Corfu to -Constantinople--except, indeed, some parts of the coast of Sicily."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You are a naval man, then, I presume?" said Burrel. The other -answered in the affirmative, and his companion proceeded.</p> - -<p class="normal">----"For nothing on earth could be more disagreeable to me, and I -suppose to most landsmen, than a sail from any one given point of the -globe's surface to another. When you speak of Sicily, however, you -speak of a land that I too know well; and in regard to which I can -enter into your enthusiasm. There are few lands more fertile in -beauties of nature and association than Sicily, and Epicurean -Calabria, and the old Etruscan groves! You have of course visited -Italy, if you so well know Sicily?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have done little more than cruise along the coast," replied Captain -Delaware; "but in Sicily I was landed, and remained some months for -the recovery of my health."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, the sweet coasts of the Mediterranean Sea!" said Burrel, "where -at every league there is some beauty and some memory--some pleasant -dream of the present or the past---from the Imperial City and its -wolf-suckled founder, to the grey majesty of Pæstum and the Calabrese -peasant with his long gun and his Mother Goose hat, caroling his gay -ditty as cheerfully as a pickpocket. In every other corner of the -world, I feel earth stuffed with stern realities; but in Italy I can -fully enter into the feeling of Metastasio, and exclaim, '<i>Sogno della -mia vita e il corso intero!</i>'"</p> - -<p class="normal">"You are an enthusiast, I see," replied the other with a smile.</p> - -<p class="normal">"When I am in company with one," answered Burrel laughing. His -companion coloured slightly, but good-humouredly, and the conversation -went on in the same easy manner in which it had commenced, through the -rest of their journey. It is unnecessary to give any farther details -thereof; for such light nothings, though very pleasant to while away -the hours in a stage-coach, are most excessively tiresome in the small -pages of an octavo. Let it suffice that Captain Delaware, surprised -and pleased with his companion, found the journey far shorter than he -had expected. Indeed, so captivated was he, that in the whole of -Burrel's deportment there was but one thing he thought might have been -altered to advantage, which was a certain air of taking every thing as -a matter of course--a tone of indifference which men of the world -acquire they know not well how, and which, in the present instance, -blended in an extraordinary manner with the high feeling of the -beautiful and the excellent which his conversation breathed -throughout.</p> - -<p class="normal">That tone, however, is not without its advantages also, and the young -sailor found that it might be serviceable, when at Hartford Bridge a -person of a very different description was intruded upon them. He was -a short, broad made man, with long baboonish arms, and a face on which -nature had so plainly written the class to which it was to belong, -that had fortune in some of her freaks covered it either with the -coronet of a peer, or a peasants straw hat, his mother, or fortune, or -nature, would have had much to answer for. Some of the features were -good, however--the eyes were very tolerable, for instance; and the -nose was not bad. But then the cheek-bones!--Good God, such -cheek-bones! From Crim Tartary to Banff there is nothing to be seen -like them. The mouth, too, was worse--one of those fearful mouths, -whose broad, fat, wide-parted, irregular lips, seem to vaticinate the -fate of the owner with such distinctness that no person of common -foresight can see them without at once picturing the person who -possesses them--not as about to be hanged, but as actually hanging. -The skin that was over all was of that reddish, coarse, mottled kind, -which puts one in mind of a gross strawberry; and although, as before -said, the eyes in themselves were <i>goodish</i> blue, meaningless eyes -enough, yet the place where there should have grown eyelashes, being -alone furnished with a red knotty line in their room, gave them a -ferret-like sharpness, without which they would have signified nothing -at all.</p> - -<p class="normal">This Worthy, "<i>passant à joints pieds</i>" as Madame de Sevigné calls it, -over all ceremonies, was inclined to make himself so much at his ease, -that Captain Delaware--disgusted and offended, yet without any -absolute pretext for anger--felt strongly inclined to quarrel with, -and eject from the window, a person who interrupted a pleasant -conversation to substitute vulgar impertinence in its place. Burrel, -on the contrary, with cool indifference, amused himself for a moment -or two with the other's vulgarity, and then trode him into silence by -contempt. He then calmly resumed the conversation with his first -companion, from which there was something in his tone and manner that -irresistibly excluded the other, who to revenge himself looked out of -the window, and, like my Uncle Toby, whistled <i>lillebullero</i>.</p> - -<p class="normal">Thus passed the remaining hours of their journey--Burrel every moment -increasing upon the esteem of his travelling companion, till at length -they approached, about six o'clock, a little village, which, though it -may bear a different name in the county map, we shall take the liberty -of calling Emberton. The sun had so far declined from the meridian, -that the shadows were getting long and blue; but still the sheeny -splendour of the summer's day was not at all decreased, though the -approach of evening had cleared away the hazy brightness which hangs -ever about a very hot and sunny noon. The coach wound on along the -road, every now and then passing various objects which gave notice -that it was approaching some place where the busy and improving emmets -that lord it over this ant-hill world, had congregated together, and -adorned their place of sojourn. Now came a neat gate and a detached -cottage, too miniature in all its proportions, from the little -turkey-carpet garden to the rustic porch, to be the country mansion of -any man of large property; and yet too neat, and one might perhaps say -too elegant, to be the dwelling of the poor. It was evidently the -house of the doctor or the lawyer, or the retired maiden lady of some -village near at hand, and it again was succeeded by a long clean -whitewashed wall, belonging to garden, or shrubbery, or semi-park, -between which and the coach road ran a fair gravel footpath, defended -by green posts and iron chains. The manifold paths and roads branching -to the right and left, clean and well kept, told the same tale of -man's habitation; and in a moment after, winding over a slight rise, -the coach reached the brow of the hill from which the whole village or -little town of Emberton was visible.</p> - -<p class="normal">It lay in a country slightly undulating, but backed by some high hills -at the distance of about fifteen miles, and between them and the -elevation which the coach had reached, the expanse might rather be -called a plain than a valley. The village was close beneath the slope, -and had little to distinguish it from any other English country town, -having all that peculiar air of cleanness, of regularity, and of the -spirit of industry and cultivation, which is only to be seen in -England. Its greatest ornament was the river, which, clear, smooth, -and tranquil, ran through the town very nearly at the middle, and was -itself spanned over by a neat stone bridge of about fifty yards in -length. That bridge, however, was to be remarked for something more -than its light and elegant construction: its balustrade formed the -continuation of a low stone wall which separated the village from a -wide park on the right hand side, full of majestic trees, scattered in -groups of four or five over a fine undulating piece of ground. Through -the midst the river flowed gently on, reflecting the evening sky, and -two or three swans that floated on its bosom, the clear light of which -was only broken here and there by a fall of a few feet, which scarcely -increased the flow of the current. As one looked up the park from -the bridge--at the distance of about a third of a mile on either -hand--might be seen a grove of tall graceful trees, sufficiently -extensive to take the appearance of a forest, in some of the glades of -which the eye caught occasionally the remains of old summer-houses, in -the Charles the Second taste; and in the central point was seen the -mansion itself built of mingled gray stone and red brick, with small -innumerable windows. It bore the aspect of what it really had been--a -monastery erected early in the reign of Henry VIII. by a wealthy -community of friars. From them it was afterwards wrested by that pink -of reforming monarchs, tyrants, and plunderers, and bestowed upon some -minion of the day. The buttery of their time had become the lodge now, -and was a detached building in the same fashion as the house, -projecting into the high-road, and flanked by two large iron gates, -which, to say sooth, were somewhat rusty for the want of paint. In -what state of repair the dwelling-house itself was kept, could hardly -be discerned at that distance; but no kinds of deer were seen sporting -in the park, and sheep had evidently taken their place, as affording -probably a more profitable manner of employing the land.</p> - -<p class="normal">"That seems a splendid park!" said Burrel, as his eye first lighted on -it. "Do you know what it is called?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Emberton Park," replied the young sailor briefly.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And belongs to?"----said Burrel.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sir Sidney Delaware, my father," answered the young man with so deep -a sigh that Burrel asked no further questions.</p> - -<p class="normal">After dragging the wheel, the coach ran rapidly down the descent, and -then rolling on, stopped at a neat clean house, with a small garden in -the front. At the little white gate were four fine setters, with a -servant out of livery; who instantly touched his hat to Burrel, and, -approaching the door, said, "This is the house, sir."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Very well," answered Burrel; "and now farewell Captain Delaware," he -said, turning to his companion, and, giving him his hand with as much -frank good humour as if he had addressed an old acquaintance, "I doubt -not we shall meet again."</p> - -<p class="normal">Delaware grasped his hand without reply, and the other alighted. All -his dogs sprang up to greet him with evident joy, much to the -detriment of his clothes, but not the least of his good humour, and -after gazing up and down the road for a moment as one does in a -strange place, he walked through the little gate and entered the -house, at the door of which stood a tidy old lady, evidently curtsying -to a new lodger.</p> - -<p class="normal">The coach drove on; and then again stopped at the lodge of the park, -where Captain Delaware alighted also. His portmanteau was given to the -woman at the lodge; and he himself with a quick step walked up the -path which led to the mansion.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER II.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Whether there be something inherent in the nature of things -which -renders any object that man very much desires, thenceforth very -difficult to be obtained; or whether it be, that, by a certain -perversity in man's nature, he only desires those things that <i>are</i> -difficult to be obtained, I cannot tell; but one point is very clear -in every body's experience, that whenever we fix our heart upon one -particular object, and strive for it very ardently, however easy it -might seem before, we find a thousand difficulties and obstacles start -up upon our path, and overrule our wishes. Nevertheless, as there is -nothing upon earth half so tiresome--ay, and half so useless, too--as -a disquisition upon causes and effects, we will proceed with the -events which gave rise to the above sage observation, which, by -rights, should have followed this chapter as a corollary upon it, -instead of a sort of epigraph at its head.</p> - -<p class="normal">The person who has figured before the reader during a long day's -journey in a stage-coach under the name of Burrel, entered the small -neat house we have before described; and, after having considered -attentively with his eyes all the proportions and dimensions of the -little parlour which was to be his sitting-room, he seated himself -before the antique, and somewhat obscure, mahogany table that it -contained, and addressed his servant--who had followed into the room, -together with the decent, respectable landlady--pronouncing those two -important, but somewhat laconic words, "Get dinner!"</p> - -<p class="normal">The man bowed, and left the room without reply, and Burrel proceeded, -speaking to the landlady, who was beginning to fear, from certain -symptoms that she saw, that both master and man were equally taciturn. -"Well, my good lady," he said, "my man has doubtless arranged every -thing with you, and I hope you are satisfied with the bargain he has -made?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh dear, yes, sir!" replied Widow Wilson, as the good dame was -denominated. "There was but one word to that bargain, I can assure -you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I suppose so," said Burrel dryly, "if Harding concluded it. But tell -me--that is a beautiful park opposite the window; who does it belong -to?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Bless you, sir, that is Emberton Park!" replied the landlady, looking -unutterable things at Burrel's ignorance. "You must have heard tell of -Sir Sidney Delaware, Bart. of Emberton Park, surely?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I think I have heard the name," replied Burrel. "What family has he?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, Lord bless me, sir! you came down with his own son," answered -the old lady, more and more surprised at her lodger's ignorance of -village facts, and beginning greatly to undervalue his understanding. -"Why, I saw the Captain's head as plain as possible when you got out -of the coach."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Indeed!" said Burrel, with gravity not to be shaken; "and is he an -only child?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh no, sir, no!" answered Mrs. Wilson. "Sir Sidney has a young lady, -too. Himself, his son, and his daughter--that is all of them, poor -people!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Poor people!" exclaimed Burrel; "I should think they were rich people -with such a fine estate as that?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah, sir, things that show best are not always as they look!" replied -the good woman. "They are as poor as church-mice, sir, and that's poor -enough. I wish to God they were richer--much good would they do! But I -have heard Lawyer Johnstone say, that, with all the fine estate, Sir -Sidney, when all is paid, has not four hundred a-year of his own; and -gentility without ability is like a pudding without plumbs. Then there -is the Captain's half-pay, you know; and if they could let the house -and park, it might bring something more. They tried one year, and went -and lived at a cottage down at Sidmouth--but it did not let, and the -place was going to ruin--and so they came back; for, though there are -not many of them, yet two or three in a house are better than none at -all."</p> - -<p class="normal">"That is very true," said Burrel; "very true, indeed; and now, my good -lady, see if my man has taken up the hot water to the dressing-room."</p> - -<p class="normal">The good woman took the hint and retired; and here it may be as well -to mention one or two circumstances which preceded the arrival of -Henry Burrel, Esq., at the neat little village of Emberton. These -circumstances were simply as follows:--Two days before that on which -we have thought fit to begin our tale, arrived by the coach--together -with four portmanteaus, four dogs, and a gun-case--the servant whom we -have seen waiting the traveller at the door of Mrs. Wilson's house. -After a few enquiries at the inn, all conceived in very laconic style, -he proceeded at once to Mrs. Wilson's, and, in words inexpressibly -brief, concluded a bargain for her apartments, as they were called, -for one month from that period, in the name of his master, Henry -Burrel, Esq. As soon as the important fact was generally known that a -gentleman possessing four portmanteaus, four setters, a gun-case, and -a man out of livery, was about to take up his residence for one month -in the village of Emberton, the wise may imagine the commotion that -was created. The object of his visit was evidently to shoot, otherwise -what could he do with four setters and a gun-case; but there were -various other matters to be ascertained by the young and old ladies of -the village; first and foremost, whether the shooter might not be shot -by Cupid's shaft--next, whether he were rich--next, whether he were -young or old--next, whether he were a bachelor or a widower--and next, -whether he had ever been in India. All these points, with the various -branches into which they spread, were matters of consideration to the -three classes of ladies that inhabit a small country town; namely, -those who will not, or cannot, marry at all, or any more--those who -will marry when it suits them--and those who, at any time, will marry -any thing, or anybody. However, not to enter into disagreeable -particulars, the surgeon and apothecary, well knowing the importance -of the case, the immense increase of influence he might acquire by -learning the whole facts and all the concomitant advantages which -might thence accrue, was the first to watch the servant out of the -house, after the rumour had spread, and--accosting him in an easy and -familiar way--to propound to him what the law people call leading -questions. But the servant was as taciturn and as guarded as a thrice -convicted Old Bailey witness <i>is</i>, or the ambassador's private -secretary's valet-de-chambre <i>should</i> be; and nothing could the doctor -make of him. The lawyer tried him next, and then the innkeeper, but -all equally failed; and the consequence was, that at the hour the -coach was expected to arrive on the two subsequent days, all Emberton -was in a flutter. There were the Misses this and the Misses that, as -fine as--but there is no word for it--all taking their afternoon walk -along the line of road--and there was Mrs. the-other-thing, the fair -young widow, in such becoming weeds--buying some grey silk at the -mercer's opposite, which she found it necessary to examine by the -broader light of the street-door---just as the wheels came rattling -down the hill. The coach at length was seen to stop; and Burrel, who -had noticed no one on the face of the earth but his own servant at the -door of Mrs. Wilson's, walked into the house as we have before -described, while the fact spread like lightning through the place that -the gentleman at Mrs. Wilson's was young, handsome, dark, tall, and -exquisite, and undoubtedly unmarried--for, by a peculiar test, or sort -of instinct, which heaven has bestowed upon womankind, amongst their -many other excellences, the fair sex have an extraordinary gift of -discovering whether any male thing be married or single at the -distance of a hundred yards.</p> - -<p class="normal">There was but one subject of conversation throughout Emberton during -the course of that evening. The old topic--the unhappy poverty of the -people at the Park, and the absurd pride which prevented them from -giving tea-parties, because they could not give dinners, with all the -little malice and tittle-tattle thereunto attached--was forgotten for -the time, and nothing was spoken of but Mrs. Wilson's lodger and his -silent manservant. Indeed, the latter, with his extraordinary and -unaccountable taciturnity, divided with his master the anxious -curiosity of the two tea-parties given that evening; and one lady even -went so far, as not to doubt that he was a foreigner, and could not -speak English, in proof of which she adduced his heavy black brows and -egregious whiskers--an argument which, combined with the man's -reserve, left one-half of her hearers nearly convinced.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the meanwhile, however, Henry Burrel sat down to his dinner, which -he concluded with an excellent appetite, and in perfect silence, -totally unconscious of the restless moments he was giving to the -tongues of Emberton. This state of meditation continued unbroken till -the cloth disappeared, and the silent servant, placing the inviolate -bottle of comet claret before him--a supply of which, by the way, had -been sent down to the coach-office ten days before, arguing, the -lawyers would infer, a predetermination to lodge at Emberton--was -about to retire, when he was arrested by his master's voice.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Have you yet," demanded Burrel, musing, "made the enquiries I -directed you, Harding?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, sir," replied the man, and was again silent.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Where does he live, then, this Mr. Tims?" asked his master. "How far -is it from the village?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"About a mile and a half, sir," answered Harding, "down a back lane at -the end of the park--a very retired place, but easily found."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And what else did you discover?" continued his master, "I mean, in -regard to the Delawares?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"They visit no one, sir--in the village, at least," replied the man, -"and receive no one."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do any of the family shoot?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"None, sir,--and they have often given leave to gentlemen staying at -the inn, for the mere asking."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Very well," answered his master.--"Now, bring me my writing-desk, and -some books from the library--the greatest trash you can find."</p> - -<p class="normal">The man disappeared, and returned with the desk, from which, while he -was again absent bringing the trash in quest of which his master had -despatched him, Burrel took out some notes and accounts, and -apparently went over the latter with the accurate attention of a man -of business. He then wrote a brief note, which he folded and sealed, -and, giving it to Harding on his return, bade him deliver it the next -morning early, and wait an answer. All this being completed, he took -up the first volume that had been brought him, cast himself back in -his chair, and skimmed the pages till bed-time.</p> - -<p class="normal">The breakfast-table was laid out by the neat hands of Mrs. Wilson, -exactly at eight o'clock the next morning--the white table-cloth, the -jug of rich yellow cream, the two smooth rolls, somewhat browner than -the same article of food in London, but doubtless much more the -children of the corn--all bespoke a comfortable country breakfast; and -when, in about half an hour after, Burrel descended in shooting guise, -he looked round with that air of satisfaction which a man feels, after -a long London season, on waking and finding himself really in the -country. The hot water, not in the accursed lukewarm urn, but in a -kettle hissing hot from the fire, was brought in by Mrs. Wilson; but -in about ten minutes Harding himself appeared, and, with his usual -silence, presented his master with an answer to his note of the -evening before. It ran as follows, and explains both itself and the -one to which it replied:--</p> -<br> - -<p style="text-indent:5%">"<i>Emberton Park, Wednesday Morning</i>.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sir Sidney Delaware is happy to have the power of affording -Mr. -Burrel any gratification; and begs to say, that he is perfectly at -liberty to shoot over any part of his property, with the exception of -the grounds in the immediate vicinity of the house, the game on which -he wishes to preserve."</p> -<br> - -<p class="normal">"Hum!" said Burrel, shaking his head as he read the note; -"Whom did -you see, Harding?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"A maid-servant, sir," replied the man, "and the old gentleman -himself."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Did he say nothing about calling on me?" demanded Burrel; "or being -happy to see me?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nothing, sir," replied the man; and, with an injunction to get his -gun ready, and see that the old lady did not give the dogs any thing -to eat before they went out, his master dismissed him. "We must find -some means," said Burrel to himself when the servant was gone; "but I -am afraid it will be more difficult than I thought----But the young -man will call of course."</p> - -<p class="normal">Now, though it would be very easy to look into the mind of Henry -Burrel, Esq. as he there stands pondering, with his hand leaning on -the table, yet it may be better to pursue him a little farther ere we -take such a liberty, and see him set forth upon his shooting -expedition, in the course of which he approached as near to the -mansion of Emberton Park as he decently could. His expedition was -solitary, however; and if he expected or hoped to meet any of the -family, he was disappointed. No one did he see but an occasional -shepherd, and a hedger and ditcher; and at three o'clock he returned -home, with nothing to repay his walk but ten brace of birds.</p> - -<p class="normal">The following morning it was no better; but Burrel seemed resolved -upon another line of conduct, and, at the risk of seeming to intrude, -he called at the house itself as he passed, and, on finding that its -owner was from home, left a card with his compliments and thanks for -the permission which had been granted him. "They will perhaps think me -a presuming coxcomb," he thought; "but I care not." The next day, in -crossing the fields with his dogs and his gun as usual, he suddenly -met his stage-coach companion, Captain Delaware, with a young lady -leaning upon his arm, whom, from a certain family likeness, he at once -concluded to be the sister of his acquaintance. Her dress was as plain -as possible; but the model was good, and no one could have doubted -that she was a lady, though it is probable that the walking-dress of -the mercer's daughter at Emberton, was beyond comparison more -fashionable--in price. Her figure was extremely good, though heaven be -praised not at all sylphlike; and all that Burrel remarked was, that -she was a very pretty girl, and had a very pretty foot. Her brother -stopped for a moment; and with a countenance, in which various -emotions, strangely mingled, of pleasure and pain, called up an -eloquent glow, he hoped that Burrel had met with good sport, -introduced him to his sister Miss Delaware, and then, in a manner -somewhat abrupt and embarrassed, bade him good-by, and turned away.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel walked on with his gun under his arm; and for a minute, as he -did so, he bit his nether lip, and his brow slightly contracted. The -moment after, however, he laughed, lightly murmuring, "Well, I must -have recourse to the old miser after all, though I hate his -instrumentality;" and, turning on his heel, he sauntered back towards -his own abode.</p> - -<p class="normal">He was suffered to enter in peace; but his Manton was scarcely laid on -the table, and his dogs given into the charge of his servant, when, to -his horror and astonishment, Mr. Tomkins, the surgeon of the village, -was announced, and a smart dapper little man, of a pale and -gentlemanly aspect, made his appearance. Burrel was cool and civil; -for it was a part of his code to be civil to every one till they were -insolent; and, after the usual symphony concerning the weather, Mr. -Tomkins proceeded to the chief motive of his visit.</p> - -<p class="normal">"He had always," he said, "proposed to call upon Mr. Burrel as soon as -his manifold occupations would permit; but he had that day been -charged with a commission, which gave so much additional pleasure to -his proposed visit, that he of course determined to pay it -immediately. The fact was," he added, "that he had that morning been -visiting Mrs. Darlington, the lady to whom that beautiful house and -those sweet grounds upon the hill belonged, and who, having heard of -Mr. Burrel's arrival in Emberton, though she could not of course call -upon him herself, had begged the identical Mr. Tomkins, then before -him, to say how much pleasure she would have to see him, if he would -do her the honour of dining with her on the following day."</p> - -<p class="normal">She was a widow lady of a certain age, Mr. Tomkins implied, who had -all her life moved in the best society, and was the most charming and -good-tempered person in the world--"draws beautifully; has a great -taste for music; sees a good deal of company at her house, where the -cookery is excellent; does a great deal of good, and takes a vast deal -of interest in every thing that is doing in the village."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What a disagreeable person!" thought Burrel. "Nevertheless, I may as -well amuse myself with her and hers, as walk about these fields from -breakfast till dinner-time, or read these idiotical romances from -dinner till bed-time." He replied, however, according to the letter of -the law of civility, "Mrs. Darlington does me a great deal of honour, -my dear sir," he said; "and I will do myself the pleasure of accepting -her invitation, which I will notify to her forthwith by my -servant--Pray, how far may be her house?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, not above five miles certainly," replied the worthy chirurgeon.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Five miles!" said Burrel; "that is a tremendous way to roll in any -thing but a cabriolet after eating. I shall certainly die of an -indigestion if I trust myself to a hack post-chaise in a state of -repletion."</p> - -<p class="normal">The man of medicines grinned at what in his ears sounded something -very like a professional joke, but assured Burrel at the same time -that his apprehensions were vain, for that Mrs. Darlington's -invitations always implied a bed at her house.</p> - -<p class="normal">"That alters the case," replied Burrel; "for I expect some horses down -to-night, and will ride over and dress before dinner."</p> - -<p class="normal">The doctor, who felt that a vast accession of dignity would accrue, if -he could expose himself to the wondering eyes of Emberton, in close -companionship with the young and fashionable stranger, proposed to -drive him over in his pony chaise; but this honour Burrel declined, -replying quietly, that he would prefer riding; and, after one or two -faint efforts towards discovery of all the hidden things appertaining -to the young traveller, the surgeon, finding that the conversation -began to fall continually to the ground, took the hint and retired; -and Burrel proceeded to change his shooting-dress for one better -suited to the town.</p> - -<p class="normal">Leaving him, however, to make this alteration, and to send off his -answer to Mrs. Darlington's invitation, we shall now beg leave to -follow home Captain Delaware and his sister, and--as every thing in a -tale like the present should be as clear as possible, without the -slightest mystery or absurd concealment--shall explain a few things -that may have hitherto appeared strange in the conduct of that family.</p> - -<p class="normal">The spot at which Burrel had that morning met his travelling -companion, was not more than a quarter of a mile from the mansion, and -the brother and sister walked on directly towards one of the smaller -doors in the park wall, and, passing through, turned their steps -homewards. They proceeded, however, in silence; for there was -something evidently in their rencontre with Burrel unpleasant to them -both, nor was that unpleasant sensation perhaps relieved by the aspect -of their paternal dwelling, or the grounds that surrounded it. Without -entering into the painful details of a family's decay, it is -sufficient to say, that the whole place bore the character--not of -neglect--but of means incompetent to ward off the constant, -unremitting, insidious assaults of time. They passed a temple in the -park, which had been built in imitation of some famous specimen of -Grecian architecture, and now came nearer still to the original by its -decay. A large mass of the frieze had fallen, and over the green and -disjointed steps the brambles were shooting their long thorny arms. -The path itself, too, which wound on towards the house, was half -overgrown with grass; and where an effort to hoe it up had been begun, -it had speedily been abandoned, from the necessity of employing the -man in some more useful service. The mansion, too, more than half -closed, had about it all--not the aspect of ruin, for it had by no -means reached that pitch--but a look of desertion and of poverty which -contrasted painfully with the splendour of the original design.</p> - -<p class="normal">To the eye of Miss Delaware and her brother, all this was customary; -but yet it struck them both, after their meeting with Burrel, perhaps -more forcibly than it had ever done before; and there was something -like a sigh escaped the lip of each, as, opening the large door, they -passed on into what had once been a splendid vestibule. The day was a -sultry one, and the door of a room, entering immediately upon the -hall, was open when Captain Delaware and his sister entered. The step -of Miss Delaware as she walked on caught the ear of some one within, -and a voice, in the tone of which there was the slightest possible -touch of impatience, was heard exclaiming "Blanche! is that you, my -love?"</p> - -<p class="normal">The young lady, followed by her brother, immediately turned her steps -into the fine old library from which the sound proceeded, and found -reading, at a small table near one of the long many-paned windows, a -person who--however contrary to rule--deserves a more particular -sketch of his mental and corporeal qualities, and of his previous -history, than we may find it convenient to give of any other person -connected with this book.</p> - -<p class="normal">Sir Sidney Delaware had set out in life a younger son. His father, Mr. -William Delaware, had been a man of great talents, and very little -common sense, who, by the help of his abilities, and considerable -family influence, had been raised to offices in the state, conferring -large revenues, which he squandered profusely. Mr. William Delaware, -however, kept up the appearance of a man of fortune; and as his uncle, -the then possessor of Emberton Park, was unmarried and advanced in -life, his prospects were admitted on all hands, even by Jews and -money-lenders, to be good. Be it remarked, nevertheless, that though -he was the direct male heir to his uncle's property, there were two -other persons who more than equally shared in his uncle's favour--his -own first cousins, and equally the nephews, (though by the female -line,) of the Sir Harcourt Delaware, who then held the lands of -Emberton. These were Lord Ashborough and his brother, the Honourable -Henry Beauchamp. However, he did not let any thing disturb him, but -continued to live splendidly and well; gave his eldest son a -commission in a crack regiment of cavalry, and sent his second son, -Sidney, to Christ Church.</p> - -<p class="normal">At Christ Church there were two or three peculiarities observed in -Sidney Delaware;--With his scholastic education we shall have nothing -to do, being no scholars ourselves. The first of these peculiarities -was an uncommon degree of accuracy in paying his bills, and living -within his income; and his elder brother was wont to say, that Sidney -was so sick of seeing nobody paid at home, that he was resolved to pay -every one to the uttermost farthing. The next trait remarked by his -fellow-collegians, was his extraordinary good nature; for was any one -in difficulty or distress, Sidney Delaware would help them to the very -utmost of his power, though in many instances he was known to hate and -contemn the very men he assisted;--and the third quality was a talent -for satire, and a faculty of vituperation, which might have been -envied by Gifford amongst the dead, and two or three we could name -amongst the living.</p> - -<p class="normal">The secret of his character, perhaps, was the combination of an -extraordinary sensibility of the absurd, with a high and severe moral -feeling. He studied for the church, however; and as he did so, many of -the injunctions of that divine book, to which his mind was naturally -turned continually, appeared so contrary to the asperity of his -sarcastic disposition, that he determined to make a powerful effort to -restrain the bitterness of speech and writing to which he had before -given way. Time and years too had their effect, and the biting satire -that used to hang upon his lip, remained hidden in silence, or only -broke forth casually, when he was off his guard. He tried to banish -from his heart that feeling of contempt and scorn which he experienced -whenever any thing mean, or false, or base, met his eyes; and perhaps -the very good-natured facility with which he could be induced to -assist any one, might spring from an apprehension lest the scorn he -felt for all that was pitiful in others, might affect his own actions, -and render him uncharitable himself. His elder brother died before he -himself was ordained; and, on the persuasion of his father, he -abandoned his purpose of entering the church, travelled for several -years, and then studied for the bar. His next step was to marry, and -he was a widower with two children at the time that his father -succeeded to Sir Harcourt Delaware. The baronet, however, in dying, -had given to his two nephews. Lord Ashborough and Mr. Beauchamp, who -had been very constant in their attentions, a far larger share of his -fortune than he left to him who was to inherit the baronetcy; and -thus, the latter, having counted largely on his future fortune, found -himself more embarrassed than relieved by the death of his uncle. The -estate that was left to him was also entailed by the will of the last -possessor; and his only resource to free himself from the most -pressing difficulties, was to engage his son to join him in raising -money upon annuity. Sidney Delaware consented with a heavy heart, and -the money was borrowed, much against his will, from his father's -cousin, Lord Ashborough, between whom and the young heir of Emberton a -quarrel had previously taken place, of a nature not likely to admit of -reconciliation. For the pitiful sum of twenty-five thousand pounds, -the estate of Emberton was charged with an annuity of two thousand per -annum; and scarcely had that sum been swallowed up by his father's -debts, when Sidney Delaware succeeded to a splendid name and a ruined -property.</p> - -<p class="normal">Griefs and disappointments had impaired his health, had broken his -spirit and crushed his energies; and, dwelling almost in solitude, he -had given himself up to the education of his children, forgetting that -a time would come when the acquaintances which he was losing every -day, would become necessary to his children in the world. In -bitterness of heart, too, he often thought that his friends were -neglecting him, when in fact he was neglecting them; and exclaiming, -"Donec eris felix, multos numerabis amicos!" he shut his doors against -the world, believing that his poverty would meet with nothing but -contempt.</p> - -<p class="normal">As time wore on, however, he found that he erred in not exerting his -abilities, in order to remove the encumbrances which his father had -incurred. His son grew up and entered the navy, and half the interest -of a small sum which had been his wife's fortune, afforded sufficient -to maintain the boy in that service. But it was when his daughter also -grew towards womanhood, that Sir Sidney Delaware felt most severely -that he had committed an error. His son, he thought, had an honourable -profession, and by his own high merits and activity was making rapid -progress. At the death of Lord Ashborough, too, the annuity which -swallowed up almost the whole rents of his estate would lapse, and his -heir would have enough. But Lord Ashborough was scarcely an older man -than himself; and when he gazed upon his daughter, and saw her growing -up with all her mother's beauty and grace, with every quality fitted -to charm and to attach, and at the same time remembered that she was -to live, cut off from society, during all those brighter days of youth -and hope which lie between sixteen and five-and-twenty, he would have -given his right hand to have recalled the years which, by active -exertion, he might have employed to remove the difficulties that held -him down. Now, however, he felt, or persuaded himself, that it was -impossible to seek society. He could not mingle with persons in his -own rank of life upon an equality, and he would not mingle with any -other class, or, with them, in any other manner. Few of these old -friends existed for him, on whose generous feelings he could -fearlessly rely, and feel certain, from a knowledge of their nature, -that no thought even would ever cross their minds, which could have -wounded him if spoken. Thus, he had no old channel of communication -with the world still open, and pride, rendered irritable by -disappointment, as well as the circumstances in which he was placed, -prevented him from seeking any new connexion with society. Could he in -any way have given his son and daughter the means of mingling with the -world, while he himself shunned it altogether, he would have snatched -eagerly at the opportunity; but that of course was out of the -question, and day went by after day, and found them all in the same -situation.</p> - -<p class="normal">Such was still the case, at the time of my present tale; and when Miss -Delaware and her brother entered the library, in which their father -was, as usual, driving away thought by reading, they found him seated -near the open window with Pope's Essays in his hand. His hair, which -had once been dark brown, was now nearly white--in fact, much whiter -than his years would warrant. Yet, though the body was in some degree -broken <i>curis et laboribus</i>, still temperance and fine air had done -much to counteract even grief. His countenance was florid, his eye was -clear, and he appeared a hale, healthy man, though six or seven years -older than he really was.</p> - -<p class="normal">Long conversations being, like love and marriage, excessively tiresome -to every one but those concerned, a summary of what followed will be -better than a chapter; and it is quite sufficient to say, that the -rencontre of the brother and sister with Mr. Burrel, soon became the -principal topic of conversation. Captain Delaware, whose loves were -very <i>first-sighty</i>, dashed at once into such an encomium of his -stage-coach companion, that an arch smile, at this pouring forth of -his well-known enthusiasm, played for a moment on the lip of Blanche -Delaware. Her father, however, looked grave, and said he was sorry -that they had met him at all. "This young man," he went on, "seems to -be a person of fortune and station, whom, in happier times, we might -have been delighted to see; but you are well aware, William, that -under our present circumstances, it is perfectly impossible to invite -a man of horses and dogs, and guns and servants, to this house.--Did -he seem so very charming to you, Blanche?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Miss Delaware replied, that her brothers acquaintance had not -appeared either quite so handsome or quite so fascinating in his -shooting-jacket as her brother had described him in his travelling -costume,--"But at all events," she added, "his appearance savoured -nothing of arrogance or presumption."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Alas! my dear Blanche," said her father, "you do not know what a man -of the world is. Every point in the situation of a poor gentleman is -painful, but none so much so, as the having to endure the compassion -of fools and puppies."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware turned to the window, and, after looking out for a -moment or two, left the room. Blanche remained, but dropped the -subject, and it was no more resumed.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER III.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">After having undergone the visit of the surgeon, Burrel, as we -have -stated, changed his dress; and, having given some directions to his -servant, strolled out alone upon an expedition, in which it may be -necessary to follow him. Crossing the bridge--upon which he paused for -a moment to gaze up the long vista of the park--he proceeded to the -extremity of the wall which formed the enclosure, and then turning -through a shady lane, formed by that boundary on one side, and a steep -bank and hedge on the other, he strolled on with an air of absent -thoughtfulness, that made more than one milkmaid, whom he met -returning with her brimful pails from the neighbouring fields, -conclude, with the true sentimentality of a Molly, that "the gentleman -must be in love!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Sad, however, to say, Burrel was not the least in love in the world; -and though of a somewhat enthusiastic and Quixotical character, he -would probably have been obliged, like the hero of La Mancha himself, -to think some time before he could possibly have discovered any one in -the sphere of his acquaintance, whom he would have considered worthy -of the honour and the trouble of falling in love with. Still more -melancholy to relate, so far from any fair image filling his mind with -dreams ambrosial, and making him stumble over the stones in his way, -he was at that moment thinking of money--base, unwholesome money. His -meditations were of Cocker; and many a sum, both of addition, -multiplication, and subtraction, together with various computations of -interest, and now and then a remote flash of vulgar fractions, passed -across his mind, in all of which he displayed a talent for accounts -somewhat more clear and accurate than that of Joseph Hume, thank -God--though not quite so neat and rapid as that of ever-lamented -Windham.</p> - -<p class="normal">Thus he walked along under the wall of the park till the park wall -ended, and then taking a narrow and overhanging road, which descended -into a sweet wild valley--through which a brook meandered on, till it -lost itself in the sands upon the sea-shore, about five miles to the -east--he proceeded on his way without doubt or question, as if he had -known the whole country from his boyhood. The opposite bank of the -valley was thickly covered with trees and shrubs; and about half a -mile from the spot where the road entered it, the summit of what -seemed a tall old-fashioned farmhouse, of cold grey stone, rose above -this sort of verdant screen. Within a few hundred yards of this -building, the road climbed the bank, and passed before the door, which -was painted of a bluish gray, like that of a French country house, and -offered an aspect of untidiness and discomfort, not often seen in an -English dwelling. No roses decorated the porch, no clematis festooned -the windows; stone walls surrounded that which was, or had been -intended for, a garden; and the gruntings and squeaks which echoed -from within that boundary, spoke the character of the domestic animals -chiefly cultivated at Ryebury.</p> - -<p class="normal">Undeterred, however, by the inhospitable appearance of the building, -or by the wailings of the beast that never chews the cud, Burrel -approached the door, and, laying his hand upon a bell, made sure that -if any one was within half a mile he must be heard; and then, turning -round to gaze upon the prospect, continued to hum "Dove sono," with -which he had been beguiling the way for the last ten minutes. While -thus employed, one of the high windows almost immediately above his -head was thrown open, and the upper part of a woman-servant, who would -have been pretty enough had she not been disguised in indescribable -filth, was protruded to reconnoitre the stranger's person. The moment -after, another head was added, almost as dirty, but neither pretty nor -young, being the dingy white superstructure of an old man's person, -who looked not at all unlike Noah, unwashed since the Flood.</p> - -<p class="normal">A long and careful examination did these two respectable persons -bestow upon him who so disturbed the quiet of their dwelling, while -Burrel, though perfectly conscious, from the groaning of the upheaved -window-frame, that he was undergoing a general inspection, continued -indefatigably to hum "Dove sono," till opining that the inquisition -had continued sufficiently long, he again applied himself to the bell, -which once more responded to his will with "most miraculous organ."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Run down, Sarah! Run down!" cried the elder phantom, "and open the -door.--Ask him who he is, and what he wants, and then come and tell -me.--But stay, I will go down with you to the parlour!"</p> - -<p class="normal">The bell was once more in Burrel's hand, when the door yawned, and -displayed to his view a great part of the person and adjuncts -dependent upon the female head which had been criticising him from -above. It is scarcely necessary to say more than that she was a slut -of the first quality, with dirt, <i>ad libitum</i>, spread over the whole -person--various triangular tears in the printed cotton that covered -her--much white lining protruding through the chasms in her shoes--and -a cap as yellow as a pair of court ruffles. Without waiting for the -categories that were to be addressed to him, Burrel at once walked -into the house; and, telling the dirty maid to inform her master that -Mr. Burrel desired to speak with him, approached the door of the -parlour, where the person he sought--not confiding in his servant's -powers of recapitulation--was listening with all his ears to the -catechism he proposed that the stranger should undergo. As soon, -however, as he caught the name of Burrel, he emerged and met that -gentleman in the passage with many a bow. His dress was clean enough, -and in style and appearance was upon a par with that of a country -attorney's of about twenty or thirty years ago--black, jet-black from -head to heel, except the worsted stockings, which were dark grey. The -whole was well and economically worn, but his face evinced small -expense of soap, and his beard that he wore out no razors--upon his -chin at least. In person he was a short thin man, of about sixty-five -or six, with a reddish tip to a long nose, set on upon a pale -many-furrowed face. He stooped a little towards the shoulders, and -there was that sort of bending droop about the knees which betokens a -decrease of vigour. His clear grey eye, however, had something in it -both eager and active, and the heavy penthouse of long black and white -hair that overhung it, gave a sort of fierce intensity to its glance.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Your name, sir, is Tims, I presume?" said Burrel, eyeing him with a -good deal of that cool nonchalance which is no doubt very -disagreeable. The other bowed to the ground, and his visiter -continued--"My name is Burrel, and Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson, my -solicitors, have doubtless written to you concerning"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"Hush! Hush!" exclaimed the other in a subdued voice, at the same time -raising his eyebrows, and opening his eyes with a stare of wondering -deprecation. "We will speak about it presently, sir, if you please. I -received theirs in due course, and expected to have heard of your -coming sooner, sir; but shall be very happy, indeed, if we can do -business together. Do me the honour, sir, to walk in. Sarah, bring -this gentleman a glass of--of--wine," he added, after a moment's -hesitation and a glance at the stranger's dress; "but perhaps you -would prefer ale, Mr. Burrel, after your walk?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I take nothing, sir," answered Burrel, evidently to the great -satisfaction of the other, "and having but a few minutes to stay, -merely wish to speak with you concerning"----</p> - -<p class="normal">But his host again cut across him, appearing to think that all matters -in which the very name of money was to be mentioned, had better be -talked of in private; and hurrying Burrel forward into the parlour, he -begged him to be seated, adding almost in the same breath--"Sad times, -indeed, sir, as you say--rate of interest falling terribly--hardly -four per cent to be got on good security,--sad times, indeed, sir, as -you say!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I do not say the times are bad at all, sir," replied Burrel gravely, -"nor that four per cent cannot be got for money on good security. You -must mistake me, I believe, for some more plaintive person. But to -the point, Mr. Tims. I think my solicitors wrote to you that I had -twenty-five thousand pounds lying uninvested, which I was willing to -lend at five or four and a half per cent. This sum they had heard you -were seeking for some gentleman in this neighbourhood who could give -good security--Sir Sidney Delaware, I think, was his name."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh but, sir, I am afraid"--answered Mr. Tims, shaking his head, "I am -afraid that business is off. It won't do, sir, I am afraid--It won't -do--Can't manage matters there, I am afraid!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"And pray why not, sir?" demanded Burrel. "I shall not feel very well -pleased if I have been brought down here by your report to examine the -matter myself, and am disappointed."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh! no fear of that, sir," replied the other; "no fear of finding -plenty of others. Besides, I should think, with submission, that you -might make Sir Sidney pay--as you say--your expenses, loss of time, -&c. &c. He gave me full powers--and as you say"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"I do not say any thing of the kind, sir," replied Burrel sternly. "Be -so good as not to put words into my mouth which I have never spoken. -Rather let me hear why, and how, the proposed arrangement cannot have -effect, and then we will consider other matters after we have fully -canvassed the first."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Quite right, sir! Quite right!" replied Mr. Tims, not in the least -discomposed by Burrel's rebuke. "Quite right, indeed! Always right to -have every thing clear by itself! Why, you must know the simple fact -is this. The property of Emberton, as you say, is burdened with an -annuity to the amount of two thousand pounds per annum on the life of -the present Lord Ashborough, the sum given for which was only -twenty-five thousand pounds--and that nearly twenty years ago, when -Lord Ashborough was about forty, and his life was worth at least -twenty years' purchase. Well, having to speak with Sir Sidney some -time ago on some road business, the transaction came up, and I asked -him why he did not pay off the annuity, by raising money on mortgage, -which he could do at five per cent. His son, the Captain, too, was -present; and, as the entail ends with the Captain, the matter would be -easily done--though it had never struck them--always provided, -nevertheless, that the annuity was redeemable. The arrangement would -save them a thousand a-year you see, sir, and so they agreed to -give"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"To give you how much, sir, for the job?" demanded Burrel.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Only a fair commission for raising the money," replied the other; -"and as Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson, your worthy and excellent -solicitors, had been making enquiries about this very estate, as it -would happen--I cannot think how or why--I wrote to them about it, -and the matter was soon arranged; but then Captain Delaware was -obliged to go to London to speak with my Lord Ashborough--an -excellent gentleman--and on his return, it was found that the annuity -deed, by some strange accident, contained no clause of redemption. -Indeed, none could have been stipulated, for I know the person who -drew it, and who is as accurate as Duval."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And pray, sir, who did draw it?" demanded Burrel.</p> - -<p class="normal">"My own nephew, sir--my own nephew--Peter Tims, Esq." replied his -companion; "Peter Tims, who succeeded me in my chambers at Clement's -Inn; and who was fortunate enough to secure the patronage and -friendship of Lord Ashborough."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ha!" replied Burrel dryly; "so then you think the annuity cannot be -redeemed?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Afraid not, sir! Afraid not!" replied the retired lawyer, or, as he -was commonly called by the villagers, the miser. "Afraid not; but as I -was saying, there are plenty of other properties susceptible of -mortgage in this neighbourhood, and some," he added, closing one eye, -and fixing the other on Burrel's face with the look of a tame raven -that has just hidden a silver spoon, "and some where there is a strong -ultimate prospect of a foreclosure and sale at excessive reduction. -There is the estate of Sir Timothy Ridout--who wants now to borrow -twenty thousand pounds--well worth an hundred. By a little management -one might get hold of it, and"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have no such views, sir," replied Burrel gravely; "and as the other -business cannot apparently be arranged, I shall invest the money in -other property. But, tell me, did Lord Ashborough refuse to redeem?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, sir! Yes, flat, downright!" replied the miser; "and very right, -too. He could not get near the interest even now. But you had better -think of the business of Sir Timothy Ridout. Such a thing is not to be -got hold of every day."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I shall never give it another thought," replied Burrel coldly; and, -rubbing his boot with his cane, unconscious of what he was about, he -remained for several minutes thinking deeply, while the miser sat upon -the edge of his chair, marvelling that any human being could let slip -the tempting bait of Sir Timothy Ridout's estate; and beginning to -entertain strong doubts as to whether Burrel was really a wealthy man, -from the indifference he showed to the prospect of increasing his -wealth. "I am sorry," he thought, "that I told that servant of his -that he might shoot over the Ryebury fields: I will write to Peter by -the next post, and make him fish out of Messrs. Steelyard and -Wilkinson whether he really has money. I might have made a cool five -hundred by that Ridout business."</p> - -<p class="normal">While he thus thought, and Burrel's meditations continued, though of a -very different nature, a sudden ring of the bell roused them both from -their reveries; and, after a short <i>reconnoissance</i> through the -window, the miser exclaimed, "It is Sir Sidney Delaware, I declare!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then you will be so good, Mr. Tims," said Burrel, in a tone -sufficiently peremptory, "not to refer or allude to me, in any shape -or way, as the person who wished to lend the money."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, certainly not! certainly not!" replied the miser with a shrewd -glance; "it is a bad speculation that--but the Ridout business, if you -will but think over it--Will you see this Sir Sidney?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have no objection," answered Burrel; and the miser bidding his -dirty maid show the gentleman in. Sir Sidney Delaware was ushered into -the parlour the moment after.</p> - -<p class="normal">As soon as he saw that there was a stranger present, the baronet -paused, and for an instant seemed as if he would have drawn back, -saying, "You are engaged, Mr. Tims; I was not aware you had any one -with you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not at all; not at all, my dear sir!" said Mr. Tims. "Sir Sidney, Mr. -Burrel--Mr. Burrel, Sir Sidney Delaware!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am happy to have an opportunity, sir," said Burrel, "of returning -you my personal thanks for the permission to shoot over your grounds, -which you were kind enough to grant me."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Where there is no obligation conferred, sir," replied the baronet -somewhat distantly, "there can be no occasion for thanks. I do not -shoot--my son has not this year taken out a license; and it is quite -as well that the game should be shot by you, who ask permission, as by -those who do not ask at all." He paused for an instant, while the -colour deepened in Burrel's cheek; but the baronet's heart instantly -reproached him for an uncourteous reply, and he added, "I hope you -have found sport."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Plenty of game," answered Burrel; "but the birds are very wild."</p> - -<p class="normal">"That is a very natural consequence," said Sir Sidney Delaware, "of -the immense number of persons whose notions of property are daily -growing more limited."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I trust, indeed, that something may soon be done," replied Burrel, -"to correct the extensive system of poaching."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Probably we shall soon have one of those beautiful pieces of -legislation on the subject," replied Sir Sidney, "which will prevent -people from committing the crime, by rendering it none in the eye of -the law--But, Mr. Tims, as I have a little business of a private -nature on which I must speak with you, I will probably call upon you -to-morrow if you are likely to be disengaged."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No delay must take place on my account," said Burrel, rising. "My -business with this gentleman is over; and therefore I will leave you."</p> - -<p class="normal">Thus saying, he turned, and, wishing the baronet good-morning, quitted -the house, ushered to the door by Mr. Tims; who, though still doubtful -as to the young stranger's wealth, followed him with many a lowly bow, -fearful of losing by any indiscretion the sums that might accrue from -the good management of the Ridout business. Burrel, in the mean time, -took his way once more through the valley, musing as he went upon his -late interview with Sir Sidney Delaware, with somewhat more deep and -curious speculation than entered into the thoughts he bestowed upon -the old miser, of whose general character he was before aware.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the manner and tone of Sir Sidney Delaware, however, there was -something that he felt to be repulsive and unpleasant, which, to -a man of Burrel's character, was extremely painful. His first -determination--if that can be called a determination which, formed -upon impulse, does not last ten minutes--was to set out for London, -and forget that such a place as Emberton, or such a person as Sir -Sidney Delaware, was upon the face of the earth. Burrel, however, to -use Sterne's expression, was a great motive-monger, but with this -peculiarity, that he was fully as fond of examining his own motives as -those of other people; and, in the present instance, the small still -voice whispered something about offended pride, which made him enquire -into his own heart a little more strictly.</p> - -<p class="normal">He found then, upon reflection, that however much he might fancy -himself perfectly indifferent, he was in fact angry, and the primary -cause of this anger was as usual mortified vanity. He--accustomed to -be courted and sought, to choose at will his acquaintances, and to -keep at arm's length all those he did not particularly like by a cool -tone of indifference, which had something in it of scorn--had come out -of his stronghold, and--as he could not but acknowledge--had gone as -far as he well could, to seek the acquaintance of Sir Sidney Delaware. -That gentleman was evidently not disposed to give it him; and though -Burrel felt in some degree the motives which might and did actuate -him, yet a knowledge of the degree of scorn which mingled with his own -coolness towards others, would not let him believe that some portion -of contempt did not also exist in the indifference with which Sir -Sidney Delaware treated his advances.</p> - -<p class="normal">It is in general the natural refuge of mortified vanity, to persuade -itself that it retorts contempt upon those that show it, and to pass -off upon itself the anger it feels for the more dignified passion of -scorn. A slight touch of this sort of feeling had been experienced by -Burrel; for there are few bosoms, of whose passions we may not say, -<i>castigata remordent</i>; but his nature was too generous to entertain -such feelings long, and, before he had reached the door of good Mrs. -Wilson in Emberton, his first angry resolution was changed, and a more -firm determination adopted, to remain in the village the time he had -at first proposed, and without seeking any more an acquaintance which -was evidently withheld intentionally, to see whether chance might not -furnish him with some opportunity of gratifying a more generous -purpose.</p> - -<p class="normal">"For the sake of that gallant lad," he thought, "I will not give it up -so easily."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER IV.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">On his return home, Burrel found that the horses which he -expected -from London had arrived in high condition, having performed the -journey by slow and careful stages. The appearance of this new -accession to his dignity was not, of course, without its effect upon -the good people of Emberton, and "Have you seen Mr. Burrel's beautiful -horses?" was a general question amongst the male part of the -inhabitants; while all the ladies of the place, of course, were not in -the least anxious to see the tall, dark, handsome, mysterious stranger -ride forth upon some one of those three steeds whose fame already -filled the town.</p> - -<p class="normal">Those who had such expectations, however, were long disappointed, for -during the whole of the following morning, Mr. Burrel never set foot -beyond his door; and it was near four o'clock when his servant, on -horseback, proceeded towards Mrs. Darlington's with a small travelling -portmanteau, thus giving notice that the master himself was soon to -follow. About half past four, or a quarter to five, a groom appeared -at the door with a splendid dark bay horse, and a moment after Burrel -himself came forth, looked at the girths, the stirrups, and the curb, -and then putting his foot in the stirrup, swung himself easily into -the saddle. The horse stood as still as marble till it felt, its -master's heel, and then, as if cut out of one piece, away went -both--without the slightest regard to high-road--straight across the -country towards Mrs. Darlington's house, which was seen crowning the -distant hill.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Happy Mrs. Darlington!"--thought the ladies of Emberton as they gazed -out, and saw the horseman clear the fence at a bound, and then canter -lightly over the sloping fields that led away towards her dwelling. -"Happy Mrs. Darlington!" and Mrs. Darlington was a happy woman;--but -as there are at least a thousand ways, in this intellectual world, of -being happy, we shall take leave to give a slight sketch of <i>Mrs. -Darlington's way</i>.</p> - -<p class="normal">Mrs. Darlington was a widow, and her happiness was farther increased -by being a widow with a large fortune. Nor was her fortune alone -derived from her ci-devant husband, for she had passed through all the -three stages of female felicity--that of co-heiress, heiress, and rich -widow with a very slight taste of the necessary purgatory preceding -the last happy climax. Who was her father matters not to this book; he -was dead, and his ancestors had him in the dust,--for as the Spectator -says, "He had ancestors just as well as you and I, if he could but -have told their names." This, however, it was supposed, from some -defect in the family memory, he could not do; but in regard to his -daughter, who was neither very handsome nor very ugly, the defect was -soon remedied. She had every sort of instruction that the known world -could produce; her father luckily died early; she had no relations to -make her vulgar; she married Mr. Darlington, a man of rank and -station--easily acquired the slang and ease of fashionable life; and -adopted boldly, and without remorse of conscience, the whole of her -husband's relations. Her husband found that his wife brought him -fortune, good luck, and no family. His affairs, to use the seaman's -term, righted, and after four years' marriage he died, leaving her out -of pure gratitude, widowhood, fortune, and his relations.</p> - -<p class="normal">Mrs. Darlington, having penetrated into the arcana, and got all she -wanted--an introduction and a station in society--determined to taste -no more of matrimony herself; though with laudable zeal she was ever -willing to promote it amongst her friends and neighbours. She was -naturally of somewhat a sentimental turn, but mingled and kept down by -so sufficient a portion of small sensualities--I mean the eating, and -drinking, and soft-lying, and, in short, the comfortable sensualities, -nothing worse--that the sentimentality never became vulgar or -troublesome. Nay, indeed, I might say, it never became apparent, and -showed itself rather as a convenient sort of tender consideration for -the wishes and feelings of young people of suitable ages and -descriptions, and likely to fall in love with each other, than as any -thing personal. In most other things, she was one of those very -ordinary persons, perfectly ladylike and at their ease, with a small -degree of taste in the fine arts--drew tolerably, liked music, and -would sometimes play on the piano--was fond of fine scenery--spoke -French well, with the exception of a slight confusion in the -genders--had an idea or two of Italian, and had sketched the Coloseum. -Added to all these high qualities, she was extremely good-natured, -very fond of her friends and of herself; quiet, in no degree -obtrusive, with a sufficient share of vanity never to fancy herself -neglected, and yet not enough to run against the vanity of any one. A -little tiresome she was, it is true, from a potent mixture of -insipidity; but who is there so splenetic as not to forgive the only -evil quality over which one can fall sound asleep, and wake without a -headach?</p> - -<p class="normal">Mrs. Darlington's common course of life was to travel during six -months of the year, accompanied by as many young marriageable friends -as she thought might do credit to her taste and kindness; and as she -had a very extensive circle of acquaintances, at whose dwellings she -was always welcome, these journeys were generally pleasant, and -sometimes fortunate. Of the other six months, two were spent in -London, where Mrs. Darlington, dressed by Carson, in the manner at -once the most splendid and the most becoming her age, figured at -dinner and evening parties, and was exceedingly useful both as a -chaperon and a fill-up; while the other four months were passed at her -estate near Emberton, with a house seldom entirely vacant, and dinner -parties renowned for the delicacy of the <i>manger</i>.</p> - -<p class="normal">Such was the lady to whose house Henry Burrel, Esq. had received an -invitation, solely upon the strength of the gossip of the village, and -a vague report, that Captain Delaware had met him at the Earl of -Ashborough's. The fact indeed was, that Mrs. Darlington's house was -completely vacant at the time, or she might have felt some scruples as -to asking a stranger, without some farther information regarding his -station in society than could be derived from the panegyric of the -doctor, whose knowledge of him went no farther than the cut of his -coat. She did, indeed, feel a little apprehensive after she had -despatched the invitation, but the appearance of Burrel's servant, who -brought her his reply, the form of the note that contained it, and the -very handwriting, all convinced her that Henry Burrel must be a -gentleman, though it was in vain that she racked her imagination to -find out which of all the Burrels it could be.</p> - -<p class="normal">When, about half-past four, Mr. Burrel's servant arrived, and -proceeded to prepare the room assigned to his master with a sort of -ceremonious accuracy, which argued the constant habit and custom -of ease and care, the footman, feeling for the anxiety of his -mistress--for footmen and lady's maids know every thing--communicated -to Mrs. Hawkins, his mistress's maid, the result of his own -observations; and Mrs. Darlington sat down, with a composed mind, to -finish a sketch of the west shrubbery walk, till Mr. Burrel should -arrive; while, of the rest of the guests she had invited, some had not -appeared, and some had retired to dress.</p> - -<p class="normal">At length her eye caught from the window the apparition of some person -on horseback approaching the house, and in a few minutes Mr. Burrel -was announced. Graceful, easy, <i>posé</i>, Burrel's whole appearance -carried its own recommendation with it. He was one of those men who, -in speaking little, say much, and in a very few minutes he was in high -favour with Mrs. Darlington.</p> - -<p class="normal">It now became necessary for him to dress, as he well knew that a lady -whose fondness for the good things of this life was so admitted as -Mrs. Darlington's, would not brook the spoiling of her dinner; and -accordingly he rang, and was shown to his room. His toilet, indeed, -was not very long; and a few minutes after six, the hour named, found -him entering the drawing-room.</p> - -<p class="normal">There were four persons already assembled, of whom Mrs. Darlington -herself was one. The face of the young lady who sat by her on the -sofa, was, he thought, familiar to him; but it cost him more than one -glance, ere he recognized in the beautiful girl he now beheld, and who -was certainly as lovely a thing as ever the female part of creation -produced--It is saying a great deal, but it is true, nevertheless--It -required more than one glance, I say, before he recognized in her, the -lady he had seen hanging upon the arm of Captain Delaware on the -preceding day.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel, however, never looked surprised; and his claim upon Miss -Delaware's acquaintance was immediately admitted with a degree of -frank and smiling kindness, which arose partly, perhaps, from the high -character her brother had drawn of his stage-coach companion, but more -still, in all probability, from feeling that her father's reserve -might have given pain and offence. While he was still speaking with -Mrs. Darlington and Miss Delaware, and was just at one of those -before-dinner pauses, in which the conversation flags, some one laid -his hand upon Burrel's arm, and turning round, he confronted a thin, -but hale elderly man, dressed in black, on whose fine gentlemanly -countenance was playing a smile, which had as much archness in its -composition as habitual gravity of expression would allow.</p> - -<p class="normal">"My dear Henry," said the clergyman--for no one could look in his face -for a moment and doubt that he was a clergyman;--"my dear Henry, what -have you been doing with yourself this many a day?"</p> - -<p class="normal">The first look had shown Burrel an old and dear friend, and he shook -his hand heartily as Dr. Wilton.--"I am still, I believe, acting as -one of what Tillotson calls '<i>fools at large</i>,'" replied the young -stranger, "and wandering about the world doing nothing."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay, nay, Henry!" replied the other, "your report of yourself was -always less favourable than you deserved. You are not one to wander -about the world doing nothing--but speak to me a moment," and he drew -his younger companion gently towards the hollow of the bay window, -where they conversed for a few moments in a low tone, while one or two -of the neighbouring gentlemen and ladies were announced and entered -the room.</p> - -<p class="normal">The dinner bell rang immediately after; and the doors being thrown -open, Burrel advanced and took in Mrs. Darlington, though he would, -perhaps, have preferred a nearer place to Miss Delaware. But Dr. -Wilton took the end of the widow's table, and laughingly secured the -younger ladies to himself; so that Burrel was obliged to content -himself with talking elaborate nonsense to Mrs. Darlington, which, to -do him all manner of justice, he executed with great gravity and -success.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I do not like this Mr. Burrel," thought a sensible middle-aged county -woman, who sat next to him on the other hand. "He's a coxcomb!" -thought a rough, shrewd, wealthy proprietor opposite. The shy young -fox-hunter, who sat a little farther down, and whose ideas were -strangely confined to horses, and dogs, and fences, and five-barred -gates, was inclined to cry with Mungo, "D---- his impudence!" and, in -short, at the end of the table at which he himself sat, Burrel most -perversely contrived to give very general dissatisfaction to every one -but Mrs. Darlington. With her he ran over the slang of cookery, and -criticism, and ton, with the most wonderful emptiness.</p> - -<p class="normal">There is certainly some strange perversity in the human heart, which -renders it so pleasant sometimes to make one's self disagreeable--ay, -and, for the express purpose of doing so, to assume a character -totally different from one's own. So, however, it is; and perhaps -Burrel was especially giving himself forth as a fop at the one end of -the table, because he very well knew that Dr. Wilton would not fail to -portray him differently at the other.</p> - -<p class="normal">Such, indeed, was the fact. Blanche Delaware was a sort of pet of the -worthy clergyman; and he used to declare that he was always the -proudest man in the county when in company with her, for that he was -the only man she ever was known to flirt with. The affectionate term, -"My dear," which he always applied to Miss Delaware, was felt by her -as he intended it; and she looked up to him as, in some degree, a -second parent. His conversation with her almost immediately turned to -Burrel, whose appearance there had evidently surprised him.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You seem an old friend of his?" said Miss Delaware, as soon as the -soup was gone, and a general buzz suffered her to ask the question -without particular notice. "Pray, is he so very admirable and charming -as he has convinced my brother he is, in a short journey of a hundred -miles?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He is something better than charming, my dear," replied Dr. Wilton. -"He is one of the noblest-hearted, finest-minded men in England."</p> - -<p class="normal">At that very moment there was one of those unhappy breaks which make -low voices loud; and Burrel was heard descanting upon the merits of -Madeira after soup. "For Heaven's sake, never think of taking sherry, -my dear madam!" he exclaimed. "After soup or maccaroni, Madeira is the -only thing bearable."</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche Delaware looked up in Dr. Wilton's face with a smile full of -playful meaning. "Do not judge him by that," replied the clergyman, -speaking to the smile's purport. "Do not judge him by that--I have -known him from his boyhood. He was my pupil as a youth, and has been -my friend as a man--and"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"And that is evidence beyond rejection that he is all that is good and -amiable?" said Miss Delaware seriously.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay, and though he can talk her own kind of nonsense to a worthy lady -like that," replied Dr. Wilton, determined to revenge himself on Miss -Delaware for her smile, "he can talk nonsense equally agreeable to -younger and fairer ladies, my dear Blanche. So take care of your -little heart, my pretty dame."</p> - -<p class="normal">Miss Delaware laughed gaily, in the full ignorant confidence of a -heart that had known no wound; and the conversation dropt as far as it -regarded Burrel. He himself prolonged the idle gossip with which he -was amusing himself for some time; but finding, or fancying, that the -elder lady who sat next to him possessed a mind that could appreciate -better things, he gradually led the conversation to matters of more -general interest than <i>pieds de cochons à la St. Menehould</i>, or the -portraiture of gravel walks.</p> - -<p class="normal">It is the most difficult manœuvre in the tactics of conversation, -and shows greater skill, when executed neatly, than any other -evolution whatever, to change at once from the flimsy and the foolish -to the substantial and the good, without deviating into the heavy--to -slide down the diapason from the high notes of commonplace chatter, -to the fine tenor of calm and sensible discourse, touching each -semitone and enharmonic difference as one goes, till the change is -scarcely felt, though the music may be richer. Burrel could do it when -he liked; but now he overdid it. From French dishes he speedily got to -France and the French people, and thence to the difference between the -French and English character, with an easy facility, that made the -alteration of the subject seem nothing strange; but then he went a -little beyond.</p> - -<p class="normal">"The French," he said, in answer to a question from his neighbour, -"have nothing of that sort of thing that we would call national -modesty. They would look upon it as <i>mauvaise honte</i> and each -Frenchman thinks himself fully justified in praising his own country -to the skies. It is they who believe it, that are foolish. They, the -French, call themselves the most civilized, well-informed people in -the world; and yet go into the provinces, and you will find a -peasantry more generally ignorant, than perhaps any other country can -show. I myself resided for many months in a part of one of the most -cultivated Departments of France, where the farmer on either hand of -the house in which I dwelt during the hunting season--each renting -many hundreds of acres of land--could neither read nor write. Where -could such a thing be found in England?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay, sir," cried the wealthy country gentleman opposite; "but -their laws, sir, their laws--their wise and equitable courts of -justice--their civil and political liberty, sir--a model for all -nations; and which I hope some day to see fully adopted in this -country."</p> - -<p class="normal">"May God forbid!" cried Burrel. "As to their political liberty, we -cannot speak of it; for a thing that has never existed for ten years -together, without deviating into anarchy on the one hand, or sinking -before tyranny on the other, is something very like a nonentity. As to -civil liberty, they have no such thing; and may heaven avert the day -when an Englishman's house will be open to domiciliary visits at the -caprice of any man or body of men, or when he cannot ride for twenty -miles without being subjected to interruption, and a demand for his -passport!"</p> - -<p class="normal">He now found that his conversation was getting too heavy, and would -fain have dropped it; but the other urged him somewhat warmly with, -"Their laws, sir--their laws! their courts of justice!" and Burrel -resolved that he should not rest even upon that.</p> - -<p class="normal">"As to their courts," he replied, "I have been in many, and never did -I see the forms of justice so completely mocked. The judge renders -himself a party, and that party the accuser. The unhappy man who is to -be tried, placed on an elevated station in face of all the court, is -himself cross-examined, and tortured by interrogations without end; -every tittle of the evidence against him is urged upon him by the -judge; he is obliged to answer and to plead to the accusation of each -witness on the adverse part, and woe be to him if he trip in the -smallest particular. If ever there was a plan invented for condemning -the innocent and the timid, and letting the guilty and the daring -escape, it is that of a French trial. The only security is in the -individual integrity and discrimination of the judges--in general most -exemplary men."</p> - -<p class="normal">"That may be all very true, sir," replied the other, who, like many of -our countrymen, had been talked into believing the French system very -fine, without ever taking the trouble of examining accurately what the -French system is, "That may be all very true; but yet their laws, -sir--their laws!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I think," replied Burrel more calmly than he had before spoken; for -the commonplace absurdity of the other's commendation of what he did -not understand, had thrown even his cool mind off its guard--"I think, -if you will take the trouble of reading the book which contains their -codes, you will find that it is confined both in scope and detail; and -to show how iniquitous as well as absurd their laws are, we have only -to look at their law of succession, which prevents a man from -disposing of his property at his death, according to his own judgment -and inclination, whether he have acquired it by his personal labour or -by inheritance."</p> - -<p class="normal">"A foolish law it is indeed," said Dr. Wilton, who had been listening -attentively; "and would be a disgrace to the common sense of any -nation under the sun."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Already," continued Burrel, "although the time since its enactment -has been so short--it is beginning to paralyze industry and commerce -in France--to degrade the higher orders, and to starve the lower."</p> - -<p class="normal">"They must repeal it!" said Dr. Wilton; "They must repeal it, if they -be sane!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"But there are some points, by dear sir, on which whole nations become -insane," replied Burrel laughing, "and none more than the French. One -thing, however, is evident. They must either repeal it, or it will -effect the most baleful change that country ever underwent. Already -one sees every where fields no bigger than a handkerchief, which in -the next generation will have to be divided again between three or -four sons. Every thing else is split in the same way; and the argument -which the French hold, that commerce and industry will remedy the -effects of this continual partition, is a vain absurdity; for the -natural tendency of the partition itself, is, by want of capital, to -ruin the commerce and paralyze the industry which they think will -remove its evils. Under its influence, the French must gradually -decline till they become a nation of beggars--universal beggary must -beget universal ignorance--and thus from a nation of beggars they must -become a nation of barbarians, with a country too small to support -their increased numbers, a fierce necessity of conquest, and the -concomitant hatred of better institutions than their own. Then woe -to Europe and the world! but beyond doubt--at least it is to be -hoped--they will change a law, the glaring absurdity of which strikes -every person of common understanding even in France."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why not let each individual control his property as he pleases?" -demanded Dr. Wilton. "Though I cannot but feel that entails are often -beneficial, let them be done away if they will but at least leave each -man to dispose of his property as he judges best in its immediate -transmission from himself to another."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay, Mr. Burrel!" cried Mrs. Darlington, seeing him about to reply, -"Nay, nay! have pity, I beseech you, upon us poor women."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I must indeed apologize," answered Burrel laughing; "but, in truth, -we live in such a scientific age, that railroads and steam-engines, -geology and legislation, now form the staple chit-chat of society; and -mathematics is the food of babes and sucklings."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The matter has become perfectly absurd," said Dr. Wilton; "and -whether from ignorance or design I know not, but those who cater for -the lower orders in these things, instead of giving them those -instructions which may be useful to them in their station, which would -make them better, wiser, and more contented, choose for them alone -that species of knowledge which may make them discontented with their -state, without aiding to raise them honestly to a better."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will not be tempted any more to grave discussions, my dear sir," -said Burrel laughing, and looking towards Mrs. Darlington; "yet I -cannot help adding, that the new-fashioned education of children is -just as ill adapted to children as the instruction forced upon -mechanics is unfitted for them. Lord deliver us from the little -pragmatical race of half-learned pedants that are springing up! I -understand that they have been obliged to dissolve one infant school -in London, because it was divided into two such furious parties of -Neptunists and Vulcanists; and the son of a cousin of my own talked to -me upon reform the other day so like Lord John Russell, that I asked -when the little legislator was to be breeched."</p> - -<p class="normal">The conversation soon became more general, though the party consisted -of ten, that most inconvenient of all numbers; and Burrel soon -regained that middle strain, half playful half serious, which was -calculated to be more generally pleasing. This continued till the -ladies rose; and the few minutes that ensued ere the gentlemen -followed them, were passed by Burrel and Dr. Wilton in calling up -remembrances of old times, when they had lived together as pupil and -preceptor.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, my dear doctor," said Burrel, "I always thought that your head -was fitted for a mitre; and I doubt not that we shall see it so -adorned erelong."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not for a world!" cried Dr. Wilton; "and you, my dear boy, do nothing -towards it, I insist. I would not change my present state, with all -the blessed sufficiency that attends it--its opportunities of doing -some good to my fellow-creatures in quiet and unassailed -obscurity--for the painful, anxious, ill-requited life of a bishop, -whom every rude, unprincipled, and vulgar churl dares to attack, -solely because he knows that the churchman can neither rail again, nor -chastise him as other men would do. I would not change it, I say, on -any account whatever. I am happy as I am here in the country, and I -want nothing more."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Now I could understand that, Dr. Wilton," said the young fox-hunter, -"if you ever mounted a red coat and followed the hounds. But you never -hunt nor shoot; and, unless your magisterial capacity afford you some -amusement, I cannot conceive how you can like the country, which, -without hunting or shooting, is dull enough."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Never dull to me!" replied Dr. Wilton; "never dull, and always -tranquil; and in it shall I be well contented to pass my life away, -saying with Seneca,</p> -<div style="font-size:smaller; margin-left:20%"> -<p class="continue"> -'Sic cum transiêrint mei<br> -Nullo cum strepitu dies<br> -Plebeius moriar senex!'"</p> -</div> - -<p class="normal">A Latin quotation was of course enough to put an end to the -session, -and the whole party rose.</p> - -<p class="normal">It would seem that the purpose of assembling to dine together, the -mere act and fact of which assimilates one to the hog--as somebody has -said before me--is solely with a view to familiarize people with each -other by the open submission to a general infirmity--teaching the most -conceited that he must gulp and guzzle like the rest, and showing the -most diffident that the brightest and the best he can meet with, is -but a beast of prey like himself. Men therefore assemble at dinner, -and then generalize best. After dinner--when the tea and the coffee, -and the various tables laid out with their various calls upon -attention, prompt people to break into smaller parties--then is the -time to choose your own little knot, and individualize.</p> - -<p class="normal">It matters very little how or why--though the arrangement was made by -the simplest process imaginable--but after dinner, Henry Burrel found -himself seated, in the far part of the room, with a sofa-table, and -innumerable books of drawings and prints upon it before him, and by -the side of Blanche Delaware. It is wonderful what stepping-stones -prints and drawings and annuals are to pleasant conversation, even -though the first be not quite so well handled as the pictures of Prout -or Stanley, and the latter contain nothing half so beautiful as -Liddell's "Lines upon the Moors."</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel had managed his approaches well, though he did it -unconsciously. He first stooped over the book of drawings that Miss -Delaware was examining, to look at one of those fair Italian scenes -where the long sunshine seems to stream forth from a spot beyond the -picture, and pour onward, till one can absolutely see its wavy -softness skip from point to point in its advance. He then spoke a few -words, in a quiet everyday tone, upon Italian scenery. Miss Delaware -said, that she had never had an opportunity of visiting Italy, but had -often heard her brother speak of it, with all his own wild rapture. -Burrel instantly took up the topic of her brother, well knowing that -it was one, round which that tender-footed thing, a woman's heart, -could play at ease; and while he spoke of Captain Delaware, he glided -quietly into the vacant place by her side, and proceeded with a -conversation which was destined to wander far and wide before it -ended.</p> - -<p class="normal">There was a kindly gentleness in Burrel's tone as he began, a sort of -dreamy enthusiasm, slightly touched by a more gay and laughing spirit -as he went on, together with a general leaven of the gentlemanly -feeling that springs from a noble heart, softening and tempering the -whole,--which united, addressed to Miss Delaware the most flattering -compliment that woman can receive, by showing that he knew her to be -worthy of very different conversation from that which he held with any -one else. Such conversation is the adulation of respect, esteem, and -admiration, expressed but not spoken.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel's words were uttered with no particular emphasis--his eyes, -fine and expressive as they were, gave no peculiar meaning to his -sentences--the vainest beauty that ever grew old and ugly, could never -have persuaded herself that he was making love to her--and yet Blanche -Delaware could not but feel that there was a charm in the manners of -Henry Burrel, which might turn the head of many a one, with a heart -less cold and indifferent than her own. A cold and indifferent heart -in a girl of nineteen! Ye gods! Such, however, she fancied it to -be--and, consequently, she talked with Henry Burrel of poetry, and -painting, and beautiful scenes, and sweet music, and noble deeds, and -generous feelings, and all those whirling spots of brightness that -dance unconnected through the sunshine of enthusiastic minds, with all -the ardour of innocence and youth, and unblighted feelings, and never -dreamed of its becoming any thing more. Mrs. Darlington, for her part, -had soon perceived that Burrel and Miss Delaware were deep in what -seemed interesting conversation. She did not pretend to divine what -might happen--she prognosticated nothing--she took no notice, and let -things take their course--but she carefully abstained from giving any -interruption; and, by a few slight but skilful turns, prevented their -little <i>tête-à-tête</i> from being broken in upon so soon as it otherwise -would have been.</p> - -<p class="normal">It was Dr. Wilton, who, in the simplicity of his heart, dissolved it -for the night; for after having been talking earnestly for a few -minutes with the little surgeon of Emberton, about some of his poor -parishioners who were sick, his eye met that of Blanche Delaware, as -she still sat beside Burrel on the sofa, and it lighted up for a -moment with a glance of gay meaning, that called the blood into her -fair cheek. Burrel marked it all; and the next two answers which Miss -Delaware made to what he was saying were sufficiently <i>à travers</i> to -show him that the conversation, on her part at least, rolled no longer -at its ease. To prolong it under such circumstances would be a crime, -as he well knew; and therefore he soon furnished her with an excuse to -join Mrs. Darlington.</p> - -<p class="normal">The evening then proceeded as such evenings usually do, partly in -music and partly in idle gossip. Some stupid people played at whist; -and at ten o'clock the carriages of those who returned home were -announced. Dr. Wilton, who lived at twelve miles distance, and Blanche -Delaware, who lived at five, remained with Mrs. Darlington and Henry -Burrel; and the worthy clergyman, who felt himself in some degree -bound to prove his former pupil as charming as he had depicted him, -took care to lead the conversation to those subjects on which he well -knew Burrel would shine.</p> - -<p class="normal">He did shine, too, but without striving to do it; and the evening wore -on, for another hour, as pleasantly as moments could fly. There is -something in the last hour of the day, if it have been itself a happy -one, which seems to concentrate all the pleasant things of the past. -It is like a fine evening sky, calm, and sweet, and full of rays, that -are all the rosier because they are the last.</p> - -<p class="normal">I do not know whether it would be fair or proper to follow Blanche -Delaware to her bedroom, and investigate what were her thoughts while -she was undressing and falling asleep; but as no such considerations -forbid with regard to Burrel, we may, for a moment, intrude upon his -privacy, first premising, that his room entered very nearly at the top -of the great staircase, the landing-place of which formed a sort of -balustraded gallery, with a corridor running to the right and left. -His first thought, as he sat down for his silent servant to pull off -his shoes and stockings, it must be allowed, was of Blanche Delaware, -and he internally pronounced her a very charming girl. "It is not her -beauty," he thought, "though she is very beautiful; but it is that -freshness of mind, that fine unsophisticated heart, whose rapid -emotions, sparkling up unchecked to that sweet face, and animating -every movement of that fair form, give a thousand graces and -lovelinesses that art could never reach. One might very well fall in -love with such a girl as that. I must take care what I am about."</p> - -<p class="normal">With this resolution to take care, Burrel would have dismissed the -subject; but still he thought of Blanche Delaware a good deal more -than was necessary; and, after having detained his servant full half -an hour longer than usual, went to bed, thinking of her still.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER V.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Although there was a good deal of noise in the house for some -time, -Burrel fell sound asleep in the midst of it. Whether he dreamed or -not, I cannot tell; but after he had been in the arms of slumber, for -a long while as it appeared to him, he awoke, and heard still some -sounds of moving to and fro, although less loud than before. -Moralizing upon that strange thing sleep, and its power of taking from -us all consciousness of time's passing, he turned himself round to -court the drowsy god again; but though the slight noises that had -roused him, ceased in a moment altogether, the charm was dissolved, -and he could not close an eye. His only resource was to think of Miss -Delaware; and although he was obliged to own that the blessing of -Heaven--in keeping her out of London and London life--had brought -forth all those natural graces and charms which he so much admired, -yet he could not but think it hard that such a flower should be born -to blush unseen; neither could he help fancying that it would be no -very unpleasant thing to transplant her to a more happy soil. Feeling -all this, and feeling that he was feeling it, Burrel saw better than -ever that it was necessary to take care what he was about; and, as the -first step, he applied himself vigorously to go to sleep again. The -night was oppressively warm, however, and it would not do. He began -also to fancy that there was a marvellous smell of wood smoke; and he -thought that, if Mrs. Darlington's housekeeper had begun already to -provide for the <i>manger</i> of the next day, Mrs. Darlington's cook must -have a hard place of it. So, stretching out his hand, he reached his -watch, struck it, and found that it was just half-past two.</p> - -<p class="normal">He now began to think the smell of smoke odd as well as disagreeable; -and, raising himself on his arm, he found that it was more potent than -he had at first perceived. There was also a sort of faint rushing -sound, as of a draught of wind through long passages, and Burrel -thought he heard a crackling noise also, which, after listening for a -moment or two, determined him to rise and make a voyage of discovery. -To guard against all contingencies, he partly dressed himself, put on -his dressing-gown, and then opened the door. A loud roaring sound, and -a still greater volume of smoke, immediately met him; but he found -that there was yet another door between him and the corridor; and, as -he was seeking for the lock, it was thrown open, by his own servant, -so violently as almost to knock him down.</p> - -<p class="normal">It wanted not the man's cry of "Sir, sir, the house is on fire!" to -show Burrel what had happened. A red fearful glare, of bright flame -shining through dense volumes of smoke, was seen below, from the edge -of the sort of gallery on which he stood, while along the cornices and -mouldings a number of detached spots of fire appeared running on -before the great body of the conflagration, like light troops thrown -forward to skirmish. The roaring and crackling too, which, as well as -the suffocating smoke, had been, in a great measure, excluded from his -bedroom by the double door, was now sufficiently distinct; and at one -glance he perceived that the whole foot of the great oak staircase, -near the top of which his apartment opened, was in flames. At the same -time, as he looked along the corridor to the left, he saw another door -open, which seemed to lead to the top of a different flight of steps; -for he could distinctly see two or three figures in every state of -dishabille running down as fast as possible, while his servant pulled -him that way, begging him to come to the stone stairs.</p> - -<p class="normal">All this was gathered in a moment, and Burrel demanded, "Have you seen -any of the family?--Mrs. Darlington"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"I saw her this moment, sir, running down with Dr. Wilton," replied -the man.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And Miss Delaware?" demanded his master.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I don't know, sir--I don't know!" replied the man, hastening away -himself. "The house will be down, sir, if you don't make haste."</p> - -<p class="normal">A good sturdy housemaid, however, hurrying away from some of the -upstair rooms, caught Miss Delaware's name, and cried out--without -stopping in her flight, however--"Oh, dear! oh, dear! poor young -lady--she will be burned to a certainty!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Which is her room?" demanded Burrel. But it was not till he had -repeated his question in a still louder tone that the woman paused to -point with her hand, exclaiming, "Up there, at the end of the -wing!--she will be burned!--Oh, dear, she will be burned!"--and off -ran the housemaid.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel ran along the corridor like light. It was evident that--as is -always the case in houses on fire--all the inhabitants had lost their -wits for the time, and no one had even thought of Miss Delaware. -Without ceremony, Burrel threw open the last door that he came to, in -the direction which the servant had pointed out, but the glare of the -flames was quite sufficient to show him that it had not been slept in -that night. He tried the next, and instantly perceived all the little -articles of a lady's toilet spread upon the table, while, by the drawn -curtains of the bed, he doubted not that the sleep of its fair tenant -had been undisturbed by the sounds which had woke himself.</p> - -<p class="normal">The violence with which he threw open the door woke Blanche Delaware -from the first sweet sleep of innocence and youth; and her voice -demanding, in alarm, "Who is there?" immediately struck his ear.</p> - -<p class="normal">He knew that not a moment was to be lost; and though he approached her -bedside with a feeling of real pain, from the shock he was about to -give her, there was but one course to be pursued; and, springing -forward, he drew back the curtains. "Forgive me!" he cried, "but the -house is on fire--not a moment is to be lost!--Your life is at stake, -and you must pardon me if I use but scanty ceremony!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Leave me! Leave me then, Mr. Burrel, and let me rise!" she exclaimed, -gazing in his face with all the wild surprise natural to one wakened -from their sleep by such tidings.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Miss Delaware, moments are life!" replied Burrel hastily. "Even while -I speak our only chance may be cut off."</p> - -<p class="normal">The gathering smoke and the rushing sound of the flames bore to his -own ear, as well as to that of the fair girl who lay pale and -trembling before him, the certainty that he spoke no more than truth; -and, without farther pause, he stooped over her, wrapped the -bedclothes round her as tenderly and delicately as a mother would wrap -her young infant from the wintry wind, and, catching her up in his -arms, he bore her out into the corridor. All before them was a scene -of mingled smoke and flame. The wainscoting of the corridor, the -balustrades, the cornices, were all charred, blackened, and catching -fire in a thousand places. The blaze was rushing up from below, -towards the skylight, which had unfortunately been left open, and gave -an additional draught. Wherever an open door presented itself, the -flames were seen rushing in, licking the door-posts and the -wainscoting; the heat was scorching; the smoke was suffocating; and -every step that Burrel took forward, he felt uncertain whether the -beams over which he trod would not give way beneath his feet. Still, -however, he strode on till he reached the spot where the flames were -rushing up the great staircase more furiously than any where else, -from the additional mass of fuel that there supplied the fire.--His -foot was on the edge of the landing, to cross over towards the stone -stairs; and he had just time--warned by a sudden crash--to draw back, -when the whole staircase and part of the corridor above it gave way, -and fell into the vestibule below. It was a fearful sight; but he was -not a man to leave any chance of safety to be snatched from him by -terror. The rest of the corridor beyond the gap appeared more sound -than that he had already past. He remembered having seen a side-door -in his own room, which he had just left behind; and retreading -his steps, he entered the chamber, drove in the door he had -remarked--which was but weakly fastened--with a single kick, and -running through a room, the tenant of which had made his escape, he -passed on into a dressing-room, and thence regained the corridor, -beyond the point where it had been connected with the great staircase.</p> - -<p class="normal">The fall of so much lime and rubbish had in a degree deadened the -fire; and, striding on, Burrel reached the door which opened on the -stone staircase. The rush of cool air and the joy of escape revived -him, almost suffocated as he was with the heat and smoke; and, bending -down his head over his fair burden, he said--the most natural thing in -the world--"Dear girl, you are safe!"--Ay, though he had only seen her -twice in all his life!</p> - -<p class="normal">Though they were now in comparative security, the fire had made -sufficient progress even there, to render haste imperative, and Burrel -lost not a moment till he reached a small door which led out upon the -lawn by some ascending steps. At about the distance of fifty or -sixty yards, were assembled the whole of the late inmates of the -dwelling--mistress, visiters, and servants, with twenty or thirty -country men and women--all engaged in the laudable occupation of -seeing the house burn.</p> - -<p class="normal">Dr. Wilton was the only one in a state of activity; and he, in his -shirt and breeches, which, with the exception of his shovel hat, were -the only articles of apparel he had saved, was endeavouring to -instigate some of the servants and peasantry to get up a ladder to the -window of Miss Delaware's room, which--what between fear, wonder, and -stupidity--they were performing with extraordinary slowness. At the -same time, one of the Molly Dusters was corroborating to the rest of -the company the assertion of Burrel's servant, who informed them that -his master had gone to fetch Miss Delaware: and the very likely -consummation that they would both be burnt together, was prophesied -manfully, just as he was making his way across the green towards them, -to prove that he did not intend to participate in such a holocaust.</p> - -<p class="normal">On seeing Burrel, and guessing what it was that he carried in his -arms, Mrs. Darlington, who was really a good-tempered woman, gave way -a great deal more to her feelings than her usual <i>bienseance</i> -permitted, and literally screamed for joy. Since her escape she had -found time to get cool in body if not in mind; and indeed the latter -part of the mixed whole, was by this time sufficiently tranquillized, -to admit the vision of a pretty little quiet romance to cross her mind -concerning Burrel and Blanche Delaware, and to suggest the propriety -of letting her house burn away in peace, while she took shelter, and -guarded against taking cold, in the cottages just below the lodge. -Thither, too, she requested Burrel, who would give up his fair burden -to no one, to follow her; and she herself led the way, with a thousand -encomiums on his heroic gallantry, mingled with thanks to heaven that -all her title-deeds were at the banker's, and manifold aspirations -concerning the fire-resisting powers of the plate-chests.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel thought of nothing but her he carried in his arms. It was not -love he felt, but it was intense interest; and I will defy any man to -carry a beautiful girl that he has already admired and liked, through -dangers such as those, pressed close to his own bosom, and with her -heart beating against his, without feeling very different towards her -from what he ever did before. He had, however, a quality which few -young men possess much of--considerable delicacy of mind; and, as soon -as he had placed Miss Delaware in safety in the cottage, he left her -with Mrs. Darlington, without any of the troublesome enquiries about -her health and comfort which some foolish people might have made.</p> - -<p class="normal">He then hastened back as fast as possible towards the house, with a -determination of doing all that he rationally could to save whatever -portion of it remained, but without the slightest intention in the -world of bringing his life into jeopardy, or enacting wonders worthy -of a demigod, either to preserve the property of a rich old widow lady -about whom he did not care a sixpence, or to astonish worthy Dr. -Wilton and half-a-dozen lackeys and cowherds who were looking on. When -he arrived at the spot, however, he found that the occupation which he -had proposed to himself, had been already seized by a stout agile -young fellow, in a sailor's jacket and trowsers, who had arrived on -the ground during his absence, and had inspired one or two of the -peasantry with some activity.</p> - -<p class="normal">The efforts of this young man were energetic, bold, and cleverly -executed; but, from being ill directed, did little comparative good, -while his own life was every moment hazarded. Indeed, personal -security seemed the last thing that he considered; and perhaps this -somewhat superabundant display of daring, might do some good, if only -by stirring up the more slothful to a tolerable degree of activity. -Burrel paused and looked on for an instant, but not from either -over-prudence or laziness. What is best to be done may be always -better considered before doing any thing than after, provided too much -time is not bestowed upon it; and, in the single moment that Burrel -gave to consideration, he perceived that the young sailor was not only -doing no good, but running himself and others into certain -destruction, by continuing to labour at the centre of the house--the -interior of which was completely consumed, and the roof of which -threatened to fall--while, by cutting off the communication between -the <i>corps de logis</i> and the wings, a considerable part of the -building might be saved. The moment his mind was made up, he entered -the principal door, and catching the young sailor by the arm, as he -stood in what had been the vestibule, he called upon him to desist.</p> - -<p class="normal">The lad, for he was scarcely a man, turned round upon him for a moment -with a countenance, which haste, heat, and impetuosity of disposition, -rendered somewhat furious at the interruption; but a few calm, -reasonable words from Burrel, at once showed him the rationality of -what he proposed, and after a single oath, escaping, as it were, by -the safety valve of his tongue, he agreed to follow. Burrel then -hastened to get out of the stifling heat and smoke; but finding that -the other still lingered, he turned again at the door. The sailor had -paused to recover a bucket, and was at the very instant taking his -first step after Burrel, when a small quantity of heated rubbish came -pattering from above, and then, with a considerable crash, a thick -beam detached itself from the roof, caught upon the ruins of the -staircase, and swung blazing for a single instant above the vestibule. -The young man sprang forward towards the door; but he was too late to -escape entirely. The beam came thundering down--it struck him, and he -fell.</p> - -<p class="normal">Something more was now at stake than the bed and table linen of an old -woman. A life is always worth the peril of a life, and Burrel at once -plunged in again, and dragged him out, though certainly at the risk of -much more than he would have hazarded to save Mrs. Darlington's abode, -or any inanimate thing it ever contained. He was scarcely clear of the -doorway when the roof fell in, and the rush and the roar, and the -subsequent silence, and the suddenly smothered flame, showed him what -he had escaped, and made him pause for an instant with a thankful -exclamation to that Being, before whose eyes, a sparrow falls not to -the ground unheeded.</p> - -<p class="normal">Henry Burrel then drew the man he had rescued forward, beyond the -influence of the heat. I say drew, because he evinced a strange -inaptitude to voluntary locomotion, from which Burrel did not augur -very favourably; and being within an inch of six feet high, with a -very tolerable proportion of sinew and muscle, he was not quite so -portable in one's arms as Blanche Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Now, my good friends," said Burrel, laying the lad down upon the -smooth turf of the lawn, and addressing those who crowded round, "if -you want really to render any assistance, get what axes, picks, crows, -and other things of the kind you can, and break down entirely yon -little gallery which lies between the house and the right wing. You -run no risk; for the fire has not yet caught the gallery, and you will -save the wing. Never mind this young man, I will attend to him. Here, -Harding," he added, speaking to his servant; "you are a cowardly -----. Take care of yourself, the next time I meet you in a house on -fire, that I do not throw you into the flames, to prevent your running -away when I want your assistance."</p> - -<p class="normal">The man replied nothing, as usual, and his master proceeded, "Have you -a penknife in your pocket?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, sir," answered the servant; but Dr. Wilton supplied the -deficiency.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Here, here is one!" he cried, groping in his breeches pocket; "What -are you going to do, my dear Harry? The poor lad seems dead."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Only stunned, I hope," replied Burrel; "but, at all events, the best -thing one can do for him is to cut the artery in the temple, and let -him bleed freely. If he be dead, it can do him no harm; if there be -any life left, it will recall it."</p> - -<p class="normal">Thus speaking, with little ceremony, he drew the penknife sharply -across the artery, much to the wonder of the bystanders, some of whom -thought him a fine, bold gentleman; some, concluded that he was but -little troubled with that civil understrapping virtue of discretion. -The effect, however, soon became visible. The blood at first hardly -flowed, but, in a moment after, it burst forth with rapid jerks. A -deep sigh followed from the hurt man, and in an instant after he -looked faintly round.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I thought I was gone!" he cried, raising himself on his hand, and -looking towards the fire. "My head's bad enough still; but I rather -think I owe you my life, sir. Well, there is an old woman down in the -village, will pray God bless you."</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel now endeavoured to stanch the blood; but, like many other -persons, he had not previously calculated all the consequences of what -he was going to do; and he might have found the undertaking somewhat -difficult, had it not fortunately happened that the flames of Mrs. -Darlington's villa had alarmed the whole of the little town and -neighbourhood of Emberton, and thus people were flocking up both on -foot and on horseback. Amongst the first that arrived, was of course -her late guest the village surgeon--one at least of the learned -professions being more peculiarly and unhappily obnoxious to -Rochefoucault's sneering assertion, that there is always something -pleasant to ourselves in the misfortunes of our friends. The surgeon -then was amongst the first of course, sparing not his horse's breath -in order to condole and sympathize, and look grave, and set a limb or -tend a bruise, or dress a burn, or, in short, perform any of those -small acts which are the sources of emolument, present or future, to a -country apothecary. His arrival happened at a fortunate moment for -Burrel's patient; and, after having ascertained that no one of more -consequence was hurt, he complimented the young stranger highly on his -prompt and skilful treatment of poor Wat Harrison, as he called him, -suffered the bleeding to continue for another moment, merely to show -how much he approved of what had been done, and then proceeded to stop -it.</p> - -<p class="normal">The adventures of the night were now soon concluded. By Burrel's -directions, and the exertions of the peasantry, stimulated at last to -some degree of activity, one wing of the house, as well as the -stabling and offices, was saved; and, from the part thus preserved, -apparel was procured sufficient to clothe the half-naked bodies of -those who were its late denizens. This apparel, indeed, was of -somewhat an anomalous description, and the metamorphoses produced were -rather strange; for though Miss Delaware came out most beautifully, as -a pretty dairymaid; and Mrs. Darlington did not look ill, as a -housekeeper; yet Dr. Wilton had a somewhat fantastic air, when a -footman's great-coat was added to his black breeches, silk stockings, -and shovel hat. Burrel himself adhered to his own dressing-gown, -though many a hole was burnt in the gay flowers that covered it, and -many a stain and scorch obscured the original colours. A general -smile, which even the serious calamity that had reduced them to that -state could not repress, played upon the lips of the whole party, as -they met in such strange attire at the door of the cottages, just as -the pale light of the morning was pouring faint and bluish through the -air. On the countenance of Blanche Delaware, however, that smile, -mingled with a flickering blush as she answered Burrel's enquiries -concerning her health; and Burrel, though he could not but think it as -beautiful a thing as ever the eyes of the morning rested on, hastened, -by quiet and easy words of deep but unceremonious respect, to remove -the glow with the embarrassment that caused it.</p> - -<p class="normal">By this time all sorts of chaises and vehicles had arrived from -Emberton, and Mrs. Darlington's own carriage and horses had been -brought up from the stables. Burrel handed the two ladies in to -proceed to the village, the inn of which place, Mrs. Darlington -declared, should be her abode for the next day or two. He declined, -however, a seat beside them; and bidding his servant take care of his -horses, and bring them down afterwards, he himself--the fire having -nearly expended itself--got into a hack chaise for Emberton, and, -accompanied by the young sailor who had been hurt, drove slowly down -into the valley.</p> - -<p class="normal">Dr. Wilton, whose living lay at a considerable distance in a different -direction, had before taken leave of him with many a pressing -invitation to the rectory, and had preceded him in departing. One by -one, the people from the town returned, and the peasantry dropped -away; and, with one man left to keep watch, the ruins of Mrs. -Darlington's house remained smouldering in silent solitude, like the -history of a battle, which, full of fire, confusion, and destruction, -while it lasts, leaves, after the lapse of a few years, nothing but -vacancy, ruin, and the faint smoke of fame.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER VI.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">It is quite wonderful what a fund of conversation one has with -one's -self, when one is left alone for a few minutes, after an hour or two -of that excitement, during which the mind at one moment has enough to -do in calculating what the body is to do the next. This conversation -is sometimes pleasant of course, and sometimes severe, according to -the circumstances of the case, and character of the person, or rather -of the persons concerned. I hold the plural to be the right number in -speaking of such conversation; for therein, more or less, the two -spirits which Araspus, and every other man felt and feels in his own -bosom, hold commune with each other; and--being two twin brothers, -who, though good and evil in their several natures, have still a bond -of kindred sympathy between them--although they wrangle and oppose -each other in the busy strife of the world, yet, when they thus calmly -meet in solitude and silence, to talk together over the past, there is -a strain of melancholy affection mingles with their intercourse, which -renders it always pleasing, though sometimes sad. The good spirit--for -it is his moment of power--rebukes his evil brother gently for every -abuse of his sway; and the evil one bows contrite, or playfully evades -the charge.</p> - -<p class="normal">All this, however, has very little to do with Henry Burrel, (some -persons may think,) who, in companionship with a hurt lad, half -peasant half sailor, was slowly winding onward, in a creaking -post-chaise, towards the small town of Emberton. Nevertheless, -notwithstanding that fact--and whether any one understands some of the -foregoing sentences or not, which probably they will not do without -reading them over twice--Nevertheless, Henry Burrel's thoughts were -suffered to flow, hardly interrupted--for the young sailor was still -in a dozy, half lethargic state--and the two spirits, though the good -one could scarcely be said to have lost its ascendency during the -hours lately passed, had full leisure for conversation in his bosom.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I must take care what I am about," thought Burrel, as soon as he had -fallen back in the chaise, after a few kindly words to his poor -companion, which remained half unanswered; "I must take care what I am -about," and it may hardly be necessary to inform the reader, that he -was thinking of Blanche Delaware. "And yet," he continued the next -moment, half smiling, "why should I take care?--whom have I to care -for but myself?"</p> - -<p class="normal">That was one point gained at least! It was settled, thenceforth and -for ever, that there was no reason on earth why he should not fall in -love with Blanche Delaware, if he liked it. By the way, men very -seldom get so far as that without being somewhat in love already. Few -people think of attacking a fort without being in the army. The next -step to be taken by a reasonable man--and Burrel was one of those -people whose natural inclination to act by impulse was so strong, that -he was very anxious, on all occasions, to give impulse a good reason, -lest she should act without one, and then laugh at him for his -pains--The next step to be taken was to find some good and legitimate -cause, altogether independent of passion, why such a cool and -considerate person as Henry Burrel looked upon Henry Burrel to be--and -which he really was by habit, though not by nature--should fall in -love with Blanche Delaware; and as it is not very easy mathematically -to find a sufficient cause for falling in love at all, Burrel was -obliged to proceed cautiously in the matter, from axiom to postulate, -and so on.</p> - -<p class="normal">He accordingly set himself to think over all he had seen of Blanche -Delaware; and he did not find it in the least difficult to imagine, to -assume, to demonstrate, that she had plenty of virtues and high -qualities, (independent of her beauty,) to make her a desirable wife -for any man. He next considered the question of marriage in the -abstract, and was naturally led to conclude, with St. Paul, as cited -by the Book of Common Prayer, that it is a state honourable among all -men. All these steps being taken, he next looked into his own -condition, and found that marriage might do him a great deal of good, -and could do him very little harm. Then putting the points already -gained in relative position with his own situation, he deduced the -following: Marriage is good and honourable in all men--marriage in his -own case was peculiarly advisable--and Blanche Delaware was peculiarly -eligible for any man as a wife.</p> - -<p class="normal">So far all was fair and prosperous, and he was like a ship with full -sails and a favourable wind, dancing over a sunny sea towards the port -of matrimony; and a very comfortable port, too, let me tell you. -However, there was still one little obstacle to be got over, which the -reader unless he be an under-graduate, will never divine. The fact is, -that no man who has been long at either of the two learned -universities, can bear the idea of falling in love. He looks upon it -as a sort of disgrace; and Burrel, who was Christ Church, would not -admit for a moment that he was the least little bit in love in the -world. At the the time, with that sort of odd perversity, which, on -some subject or another, is to be found in the breast of every one, he -had no idea of any one marrying without being in love, unless, indeed, -some point of honour or propriety required it. This latter opinion -came of course from reading novels and romances, plays, poetry, and -such trash; and, in his course through the world hitherto, these -contending principles, always in opposition to each other, had kept -him safe, sound, and unmarried, up to the respectable period of -seven-and-twenty years. His Master of Arts degree, had acted as a -shield to his heart from the many arrows which had been directed -against it; and a romantic disposition had guarded him against that -sort of abstract matrimony which is undertaken without love.</p> - -<p class="normal">"He was an odd man this Mr. Henry Burrel!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He was so, sir! Just such another bundle of contrarieties as you or -I, or any one else. We are all odd men, if you look at us closely."</p> - -<p class="normal">The simple fact of Burrel's situation at that moment was merely -this--He was not over head and ears in love with Blanche Delaware. He -had not had time, sir! A man does not fall in love by steam! No; but -he had at least advanced two or three steps in that quagmire, and he -was not very likely to get out of it in a hurry. If any one who reads -this book--and pray heaven they may be many!--have ever ridden a -thorough-bred horse over a shaking moor, he will have seen that the -animal, at the first two or three steps over the boggy ground, -trembles at every limb, and if you let him, he will sink to a -certainty. Your only way is to stick your spurs into his sides, keep a -light hand and his head up, and gallop as hard as you can till you get -upon firm ground. Now Burrel felt very much inclined to gallop. He got -a little frightened at his situation, especially when he found himself -stringing together so many reasons for marrying Blanche Delaware, and -it was even betting, whether he staid to fall in love, or got into the -ten o'clock stage, and dined in London.</p> - -<p class="normal">The way that Love got over it was as follows: Burrel began to think -about the events of the foregoing night, and the remembrance of saving -the life of Blanche Delaware; and carrying her out through the flames -in his arms, was, of course, too pleasant a little spot for memory, -not to pause upon it agreeably. The flickering blush, also, which had -risen in her cheek when she had seen him afterwards, rose up sweetly; -and his next thought was to consider whether it would be more delicate -again to apologize for entering her chamber in the middle of the -night, or to leave it in silence, and never mention it at all. That -was soon settled; but he then thought, "The story will, of course, be -told about the country--ay, and with additions and improvements, which -may very likely injure that sweet girl, and will, at all events, hurt -her feelings if she should hear them. I would not have it so for a -world--and yet what can one do to prevent it?"</p> - -<p class="normal">At that moment, connecting itself with the blush, by one of those fine -invisible links of thought, which defy all grasp, for who can</p> - -<p class="center"><span style="font-size:smaller"> -"Trace to its cloud the lightning of the mind?"--</span></p> - -<p class="continue">At that moment, the few words he had spoken, at the top of the stone -staircase, when he first found they were in safety--the outpouring of -joy which had sparkled over the lip of the cup--the "Dear girl you are -safe!"--were gathered up by memory and held up to his sight; and -Burrel, who was a gentleman, and considered the point of honour more -sacred and more delicate towards a woman than even towards a man, -believed that he had said too much, not to say more, if he found that -to say it, would not offend.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Doubtless she will forget it!" he said to himself; "Doubtless she -will never think of it more; but yet I have spoken what was either an -insult or a declaration, and for my own honour's sake I cannot quit -the country till I have pursued it farther."</p> - -<p class="normal">Well done, Maître Cupidon! Strangely well managed for a little blind -gentleman, strongly suspected of being lame in one leg! But 'tis time -to give over gossiping, for I have a long story to tell, and very -little space to tell it in; and if we stop investigating every thing -that passes in the mind of all the principal personages in this tale, -we shall never get half through all the perils, and dangers, and -hairbreadth escapes, which have not yet begun.</p> - -<p class="normal">Well, the chaise rolled on; but as, for the sake of his hurt -companion, Burrel had ordered it to roll slowly, his own thoughts -rolled a considerable deal faster, and he had got happily over the -above cogitations, and a great many more to boot, before the vehicle -entered the little town of Emberton. All the good folks in the place -were agog with the joy and excitement of a fire, and the misfortunes -of their fellow-creatures; and although it had been discovered, by the -arrival of Mrs. Darlington's carriage, that unfortunately no one had -been killed, yet every body looked out anxiously for the next comers -from the scene of action, in order to have the pleasure of hearing a -detailed account of the property destroyed. Good Lord! what a pleasure -and satisfaction it was to the ladies of Emberton to commiserate Mrs. -Darlington! There is certainly no affection of human nature half so -gratifying as commiseration! It raises us so infinitely above the -object we commiserate; and, oh! if that object have been for long -years a thing or person to be envied!--Ye gods! quit your nectar, for -it is not worth a sup, and learn to commiserate one another!</p> - -<p class="normal">"Poor Mrs. Darlington! Only think how unfortunate to have her fine -place entirely destroyed!" cried Commiseration.--"She that was so -smart and gay, and held her head so high!" observed Envy.--"No great -harm; it will lower her pride!" said Hatred.--"They say all her -title-deeds are burned, and she is likely to lose the whole estate!" -whispered Malice.--"It was ill enough got, I dare say!" added All -Uncharitableness; "for no one could tell how her father made his -money!"--And thus the matter being settled to the satisfaction of -every one who had lungs to cry out, "Poor Mrs. Darlington!" the good -people of Emberton waited anxiously for the next arrival, to see -whether it would afford them any thing equally new and pleasant to say -upon the subject.</p> - -<p class="normal">The next arrival, as we before hinted, was that of Henry Burrel, Esq., -carrying in the post-chaise along with him, "Poor Wat Harrison," as -the surgeon had called him; and this conjunction of two such very -opposite planets in one post-chaise, was wonderfully prolific of -agreeable speculations to the folks of Emberton. Some declared that -Poor Wat Hanison, or Sailor Wat, as he was called, had been detected -in plundering the house, and had been brought down in irons. Some -vowed that he had insulted Mr. Burrel, and had been knocked down by -that gentleman with a blow which had fractured his skull. One little -boy, who saw him pass with a bloody handkerchief round his head, ran -across to his father on the other side of the way, crying out, "Oh, -papa, they have brought home the widow's son, at the end of the lane, -with his throat cut! You used always to say he would be hanged!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Besides this gentle vaticination of his ultimate destiny, various were -the reports that his appearance in Burrel's post-chaise produced. -Nevertheless, the chaise rolled on, and, passing through the town, -turned up the lane leading by the park wall towards the mansion-house, -and, after proceeding about a couple of hundred yards, stopped at the -door of a neat cottage, humble and small, but clean and decked with -flowers.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Stay, and let me help you out!" said Burrel to his companion, as the -postilion opened the door.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no!" cried the lad, rousing himself from the sort of dozing state -in which he had hitherto continued. "It will frighten her.--Let me get -out myself.--She has had frights enough already."</p> - -<p class="normal">He was next the door, and he staggered down the steps with an effort; -but, before his foot touched the ground, a female figure appeared at -the entrance of the cottage. It was that of a woman of about forty -years of age, with traces of considerable beauty, less withered -apparently by time than by sorrow; for the braided hair upon her -forehead was but thinly mingled with gray, the teeth were fine and -white, the eye clear and undimmed. But there was many a line about the -mouth which seemed to hold every smile in chains, and there was an -expression of deep, habitual anxiety in the eyes, fine as they were, -that can only be fixed in them by care. They seemed always asking, -"What new sorrow now?" She was dressed in the garb of a widow--not -deep weeds--but those habiliments which might still be worn as marks -of the eternal mourning of the heart, after time and the world's -changes had banished the memory of her loss from every bosom but her -own. They were neat and clean, but plain and even coarse; and her -appearance--and it did not belie her state--was altogether that of a -person in the humbler class of life; but with a mind, and perhaps an -education, in some degree superior to those of her own station.</p> - -<p class="normal">As the young man got out of the chaise, she took two or three quick -steps forward to meet him, exclaiming, with an anxious gaze at his -face, "Oh, my boy! what has happened now?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nothing mother, nothing!" answered the young man, "A knock on the -head! That's all! Nothing at all! It will be well to-morrow;" and he -strove to pass into the house, as if to hide himself from the anxious -eyes which were scanning his pale face, dabbled as it was with blood.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel sprang out of the chaise; and, putting his right hand under the -lad's elbow, so as to support him steadily, he gently displaced his -mother's hand by taking it in his own, and leading her on with them -into the cottage, saying, as he did so, "Your son, my good lady, has -had a severe blow on the head, from the falling of a beam, as he was -aiding gallantly to extinguish the fire at Mrs. Darlington's. We have -been obliged to bleed him; but, as you see, he is much better now; and -I doubt not, with care and good medical advice, will soon be quite -well."</p> - -<p class="normal">By this time he had got the young man into the cottage, and seated him -on a wooden chair near the door; but the words of comfort that he -spoke seemed to fall meaningless on the ears of the widow, who stood -and gazed upon her son's face, with an expression of anxious care -which we must have all seen at some time or another, but which is -hardly describable. It was not only the sorrow and the anxiety of the -moment, but it was the crushed heart, prophesying many a future woe -from long experience of grief,--it was the waters of bitterness, -welling from the past, and mingling its gall with all things present -or to come.</p> - -<p class="normal">Her son was her first thought, but she marked Burrel's words, -though she answered them not; for the next moment she said, as if -speaking to herself--for distress had done away with courtesy, for the -moment--"Where am I to get good medical advice?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"That shall not be wanting, my good lady," replied Burrel kindly. -"Come, come, the matter is not so bad as you think it. Get your son to -bed, and as soon as Mr. Tomkins the surgeon returns, he shall have my -orders to give him every attention. He will soon be better, so set -your mind at ease."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh sir!" answered the widow, looking, for the first time, at the -person who spoke to her, "I have not known what a mind at ease is, for -many a long year. But you are very good, sir, and I ought to have -thanked you before."</p> - -<p class="normal">"That you ought mother," said the young man, "for he got me out of the -fire, and saved my life. God bless you, sir! I can be thankful enough -for a good turn, in spite of all that the people of this place may say -against me. They first drove me to do a wrong thing, and then gave me -a worse name for it than I ever deserved."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I believe it is too often so," answered Burrel, laying his hand with -a gentle motion upon his arm; "and many a man like you, my poor -fellow, may be driven from small faults to great ones. But it is never -too late to correct one's mistakes; and as I will bear witness to your -gallant exertions to save Mrs. Darlington's property, you will now -have a good foundation to raise a better name for yourself than you -seem to say, you have hitherto obtained. Let this make a new beginning -for you, and I will take care you shall not want encouragement."</p> - -<p class="normal">The young sailor suddenly grasped his hand, and wrung it tight in his -own. "God bless you, sir!" he said, "God bless you!" and Burrel fully -understood that the words of hope he had spoken, had found their way -straight to a heart that might have gone astray, but was not entirely -corrupted. After a few more kind words to the widow and her son, he -got into the chaise again, and returned to his lodging. His first care -was to provide medical aid for the young sailor, and he sent -immediately for Mr. Tomkins, the surgeon, who had by this time -returned. After giving full orders and authority to see the young man, -God willing, completely restored to health, with all the necessary -attendance and medicaments to be charged to his account, Burrel -learned from the apothecary the history of the young sailor, which is -as simple a one as ever was told.</p> - -<p class="normal">His father and mother had married young, principally upon the strength -of that camelion fricasee--hopes and expectations; and his father had -settled in a small shop in Emberton, became bankrupt, and died. There -is nothing wonderful in that; for oxalic--nay, prussic acid itself, -has no advantage over broken hopes, except in being a quicker poison. -If one takes up the Gazette, and looks at the names of the great -bankers and merchants that have figured in its sad list during the -last twenty years, we shall find that two out of three, have not -survived their failure three years. Well, he died; and his widow did -hope that the liberal creditors would allow her the means of carrying -on her husband's trade again, or at least supporting herself and her -child. But no. The world is a very good world, and a liberal and -generous world, <i>et cetera, et cetera, et cetera</i>; but let no one, as -they value peace, count upon its kindness or generosity for a moment. -The liberal creditors left her not a shred on the face of the earth -that they could take, and turned her and her beggar boy into the -street. To the kindness of Sir Sidney Delaware she owed the small -cottage in which she dwelt; but Sir Sidney, God help him! had hardly -enough for himself; and though many a little act of comforting -kindness was shown by the poor family of the park to the poor family -in the cottage, yet that was not enough for support, and want was -often at the door. As the boy grew up, his heart burned at his -mother's need; and in an evil hour he became connected with a gang of -poachers--plundered the preserves of Sir Timothy Ridout--was -detected--resisted. The gamekeeper was struck and injured in the -affray, and poor Wat Harrison, as he was called, was nearly finding -his way to Botany Bay; when, by some kind management, he was allowed -to go to sea, and remained in Captain Delaware's ship till she was -paid off, a few months before the time of which I now write.</p> - -<p class="normal">It has before been shown, however, that Wat Harrison had established -for himself a bad character in the little town which saw his birth. To -such a degree even had he done this, that the peculiar class of -wiseacres, who have a prepossession in favour of hanging, uniformly -agreed that poor Wat Harrison would be hanged. Such a reputation once -established, is not easily shaken off; and although, at his return, he -bore a high character from Captain Delaware, who reported him--what he -really was--a brave, active, gallant lad, somewhat rash and -headstrong, and with a disposition that, in good guidance, might be -led to every thing good and noble--still the wiseacres shook the -knowing head, and declared that all that might be very true, but that -bad company would soon make him as bad as ever.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel listened to the story with some attention; but by this time he -had resumed his impenetrability, which had been a little shaken within -the last four-and-twenty hours, and the good doctor could by no means -discover what Henry Burrel intended to do in favour of poor Wat -Harrison, or whether he intended to do any thing.</p> - -<p class="normal">It is not improbable that, as the surgeon was really a kind-hearted -man, he would have given what medical aid was required by the widow's -son, even had no pecuniary remuneration brightened with its golden -rays the horizon of a long attendance; but the unlimited order he -received to do every thing that was necessary for the youth's complete -recovery, inspired a new alacrity into all his movements; for there is -no charity which is half so active as that which is paid for. Away, -then, hied worthy Mr. Tomkins, undivided surgeon to the whole little -township of Emberton and its dependencies, to attend poor Wat -Harrison, with as much eager zeal as if the lad had been a Calender, a -king's son, instead of a poor widow's; and his prompt appearance, as -well as several mysterious "nods, and becks, and wreathed smiles," -which he joined to some mysterious words about her son having secured -a powerful protector, served greatly to soothe the heart of poor Widow -Harrison. In good truth, much did it need soothing; for her only child -had soon fallen into the same fearful drowsy state again, from which -his first arrival at her humble dwelling had roused him, and either -left her questions unanswered, or answered <i>à tort et à travers</i>. This -had terrified and alarmed her to a dreadful degree; and the assurances -of the surgeon, that her son would do well, joined to the hints he -gave, that her future prospects were brightening, brought the first -rays of the blessed daystar of joy to shine in upon her heart, which -had found their way through the casement of her cottage for many -a-year.</p> - -<p class="normal">The lad was by this time in bed, and a second bleeding relieved him; -but it was now discovered that the beam had struck his side as well as -his head, and there appeared some reason to fear inflammation from the -feverish state of his pulse. Cooling drinks and refrigerants of all -kinds were recommended; and as Mr. Burrel's orders had been dictated -in a spirit of liberality, to which the mind of the village surgeon -was averse to set bounds, yet afraid to give full course, he deemed it -best to wait upon that gentleman, and state what he thought necessary.</p> - -<p class="normal">"In regard to medicines, and every thing of that kind, my dear sir," -replied Burrel, who was found with half a dozen half-written letters -before him; "in regard to medicines, and every thing of that kind, I -must let him trust to you. As to diet, the <i>juvantia</i> and <i>lædentia</i> -must be explained to my man, who shall have full orders to provide all -that is necessary for him."</p> - -<p class="normal">The letters on the table were a sufficient hint to a man, a part of -whose profession it is to understand hints quickly; and after the -words of course, he took leave once more, and departed.</p> - -<p class="normal">A short time after, Burrel's silent servant, Harding, appeared at the -cottage, bringing with him all that could make a sick man comfortable. -He himself was active and attentive; and, considering his wonted -reserve, Master Harding might be looked upon as loquacious. He showed -none of those airs which the servants of fine gentlemen sometimes -affect, when called upon to attend the poor or sick, in any of those -cases in which their masters find it convenient to do the less -pleasant parts of charity by deputy; but, sitting down by the bed of -the sick man, he asked kindly after his health--talked over -the accident which had occasioned the injury from which he -suffered--turned up his nose at his own master, when Widow Harrison -called down blessings on Burrel's head--declared that the time was -fast coming when such men would find their right level--and hoped in -his days to see the national debt wiped away with a wet spunge, and a -reasonable limit fixed to the fortunes of private men, so that no such -unequal distribution, of things that were naturally in common, should -take place.</p> - -<p class="normal">Widow Harrison was silent from astonishment, and her son was ill, and -not logical; so that the oration of silent servant passed -unquestioned, and he returned to his master's lodging, where, to do -him all manner of justice, although he was perfectly respectful, his -lips did not overflow with any of those warm professions of attachment -and devotion which used to characterize the determined rascal in days -of old. It is to be remarked here, that the character of the -scoundrel, the pickpocket, and the thief, has changed within the last -five or six years most amazingly; and that the leaven of liberal -sentiments, of one kind or another, which has been so industriously -kneaded up with the dough-like and ductile minds of Englishmen, has -been naturally communicated in a greater proportion to the thieves, -pickpockets, cheats, and valets-de-chambre, than to any other class in -the state.</p> - -<p class="normal">Far from finding fawning and cringing in the knavish valet--far from -meeting courtesy and gentleness in the highwayman--far from being -treated with urbanity and persiflage by the swindler--the first, when -about to steal his master's silver spoons, discusses the origin of the -idea of property; the second, when he lays you prostrate with a club, -or blows your brains out with a pistol, swaggers about the rights of -the people, while the swindler is sure to cheat you under the guise of -a lecture on political economy; and the man who meditates cutting your -throat in your bed, views you with cool indifference--reads Cato -before he goes to rest--and, ere he sets to work, lies down to take an -hour or two of sleep, and dream of Brutus. Oh, ye gods, it is a goodly -world! and those who see most of the march of intellect, begin to -suspect that its progression is somewhat like that of a crab.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER VII.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">About three o the clock of the day at which we are still -pausing, the -sky began to show a strong disposition to weep. A heavy shower came -on, and if there were a spark left till then unextinguished amongst -the blackened remains of Mrs. Darlington's house, there certainly now -came down from above the wherewithal to drown it out effectually. The -whole heavens became black and gloomy, and for about an hour there was -nothing to be seen but a scanty allowance of prospect, half obscured -by the gray drizzle. Shortly after, however, a yellow break made its -appearance on the south-western edge of the horizon, and the rays of a -September sun, mingling with the falling shower, poured through the -streaks of rain, and seemed to fringe the cloud with an edging of spun -glass. Moving slowly onward, the heavy mass of vapours left room for -the evening sun to burst forth, and, while the rainbow waved its scarf -of joy in the air, the whole world sparkled up refreshed and -brightened by the past rain.</p> - -<p class="normal">It was just about the same moment that Henry Burrel, rising up from a -desk at which he had been writing, closed it, rang the bell, and, -giving two letters to his servant for the post, ordered him to bring -his hat and stick.</p> - -<p class="normal">It happened, of course, that at the very same time the whole of the -most gossiping heads in Emberton were at the windows of their several -dwellings, endeavouring to ascertain if it were going to turn out a -fine evening, and, of course, their speculations were soon confined to -Burrel, who was seen to walk slowly along the street, to stop for ten -minutes at the principal inn, either--as it was conjectured by the -spectators--for the purpose of giving some orders, or of enquiring -after the health of Mrs. Darlington, and then to proceed leisurely -across the bridge, turn the corner of the park, and approach the -widow's cottage.</p> - -<p class="normal">The cottage itself being, as I have before said, two or three hundred -yards removed from the town, in the turnings of a narrow road, was out -of sight. But there was a house, which stood at the corner of the -bridge, on the opposite side to the park, commanding a view of a -considerable part of the grounds; and---from the windows of the first -floor, a female figure having been seen walking quickly down amongst -the trees on the left, while Burrel was pausing at the inn--Miss -Mildew, the fair tenant of that story--a lady of about fifty-nine, who -had exercised millinery, and had had her heart broken several times by -the perfidy of man--put on her bonnet, and ran across the street to -tell a congenial spirit, from whom she concealed nothing, that Miss -Delaware was just going down to give the strange gentleman a meeting -at the widow's cottage. Both held up their hands, and sighed -mournfully over the depravity of the world, and the sad decline of -female modesty in this latter day.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the meanwhile Burrel pursued his way, and, entering the open door -of the cottage, knocked at that of the room in which he had before -seen the widow. Another door opposite, however, was immediately opened -by Widow Harrison, and Burrel, entering the room with that pleasant -and unpretending easiness of demeanour, which is always received as a -kindly compliment by the lower classes, found himself, to his -surprise, in the presence of Miss Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">Although her mind was too little acquainted with evil in any shape to -lead Blanche Delaware to fancy for a single instant that any one would -put a wrong construction on her actions, yet there was something, she -knew not well what, in all that had passed between Burrel and herself -since their first meeting, that called up into her check a slight -blush, unconnected with any unpleasant feelings, as soon as she beheld -him--Those blushes are great tell-tales, and will often let out the -secret of a woman's heart, before she herself knows that there is any -secret in it; but we shall have more to say of them hereafter.</p> - -<p class="normal">The blush instantly passed away, however; and, as Burrel advanced to -speak to her, it was all gone.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am delighted to see you, Miss Delaware," he said; "for I really had -hardly time to convince myself this morning that you had neither -suffered from cold nor from alarm in all the terrible adventures of -last night."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not in the least," answered Miss Delaware; "and I have to thank you, -Mr. Burrel, for life. For, certainly, had it not been for your prompt -and generous assistance, I must have perished by a miserable death. As -it was," she added with a smile, which was followed by a blush again, -"As it was, your assistance was so prompt, and I was so sound asleep, -that I had not time to be frightened till I was safe. However, I must -trust the expression of my gratitude to those who are more capable of -doing justice to it. My brother, I believe is now gone to call upon -you."</p> - -<p class="normal">Widow Harrison had stood by, listening respectfully, but there was -many a shade of care removed from her face since the morning; and as -soon as Miss Delaware had ended, and there was a pause--for Burrel, -feeling that he would a thousand times sooner be thanked by her own -lips than by those of her brother, halted at his reply--the poor woman -joined in to express her gratitude too. A degree of embarrassment, -however, as to the manner, made her do it somewhat obliquely, and she -exclaimed, addressing Blanche Delaware:--"Oh, ma'am! this gentleman is -good and kind to every one! This is the gentleman I was telling you -brought home my poor boy, and sent Doctor Tomkins and his own servant -too; and has been so kind!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche Delaware looked up in Burrel's face with one of those -sparkling smiles--as brilliant and more precious than a diamond--the -beaming approbation of a good heart, at the sight of a good action.</p> - -<p class="normal">Now, the good-natured world may say, if it list, that this chapter is -all about blushes and smiles; but let me tell it, that, rightly valued -and rightly read, there are not such beautiful or interesting things -on the earth. A dimple is fair enough on a fair face, but it means -little or nothing; but the smiles and the blushes of a fine and bright -mind, are lovely in all their shades and expressions: they are the -first touching tones of nature in her innocence--the sweet musical -language of the heart.</p> - -<p class="normal">And Blanche Delaware's smile was the sweetest that it is possible to -conceive, and none the less so because it beamed upon as fair a -countenance as the eye of man ever rested upon. Altogether, it was -like the sunshine upon a beautiful country--lovely in itself, and -lovely by that over which it played. "I thought it was the same, -Margaret," she replied to the widow; "I thought it was the same, -because--because--there was no other stranger at the fire, that I -heard of at least."</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel might well ask his heart what it was about!--though it was a -day too late; for by this time it was determined to have its own way. -However, he knew more of the world than Blanche Delaware, and the -knowledge of good and evil has always the same effect that it had at -man's first fall. "And they knew that they were naked," says the Book -of Genesis; and in that simple record, the main motive and hidden -cause of all that class of weaknesses and follies is to be found which -teach man to conceal his actions, his thoughts, and his feelings--to -shrink from public censure, or fear the opinion of the world. The -knowledge of the good and evil that is in the world, teaches even the -noblest mind to know the proneness of all nature to wickedness, and -makes it hasten to clothe itself in a seeming not its own. Burrel knew -the world and its evil, and felt that, however pleasant it might be to -stay where he was, and enjoy the conversation of Blanche Delaware for -an hour, for her sake it would be better for him to refrain; and -therefore, after visiting the young sailor, who was in bed in the next -room, and bidding his mother ask frankly for every thing that was -necessary for his comfort or recovery, he took leave of Miss Delaware, -telling her that he would bend his steps homewards, in the hope of -meeting her brother.</p> - -<p class="normal">Ere he had crossed the bridge, his hand was clasped in that of Captain -Delaware, who was, in fact, infinitely glad of an opportunity of -drawing closer the acquaintance which he formed with his stage-coach -companion. He thanked him animatedly and warmly for his gallant -conduct in saving his sister, and apologized for the fact of his -father not calling on him that night, on account of slight -indisposition, adding, however, that it was his purpose to do so on -the following morning.</p> - -<p class="normal">To the latter annunciation Burrel merely bowed; but to the first he -replied, with a smile, that he believed he owed Miss Delaware an -apology more than she owed him thanks, for having so impudently walked -into her room in the middle of the night; although, he believed, they -would have been both burned if he had paused much longer to consider -of proprieties or improprieties.</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware laughed. "Blanche," said he, "though even I, her -brother, cannot help owning that she is a very <i>witching</i> little -person in her way, when she likes it, has no great desire to pass -through such a fiery ordeal as that from which you relieved her; but -if you will come with me to Widow Harrison's cottage she will thank -you herself."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have already had the pleasure of seeing her, and have been thanked -far more than necessary," replied Burrel; "for I certainly did no more -than I would have done to serve any lady in similar circumstances; -though I cannot deny that the merit of the action was greatly -decreased by the object of it being Miss Delaware."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware paused for a moment, and then, catching his -companion's meaning, replied, smiling at his momentary dulness, "Oh! I -understand you! I understand you! But indeed, my dear sir, you must -give me notice next time you intend to leave the complimentary part of -your speech implied rather than understood; for, at first, I -understood your meaning to be, that you would rather have served any -other person than my sister."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Quite the contrary," replied Burrel. "The pleasure I felt in serving -your sister, took away all merit from the act--but compliments at all -times are very foolish things, so I will have done with them; and only -say most truly, that I was delighted to serve your sister.'"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I understand you now," said Captain Delaware; and then added, -laughing, "but you are accustomed to fine speeches, and I am not; so, -forgive my first stupidity. I take your compliment at its proper -value; and will--as the merchants tell us when we put into a strange -port--discount it to my sister at the current exchange."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do not give her less than the amount," answered Burrel; and he spoke -so seriously, that even Captain Delaware, though he was not very -quicksighted in such matters, thought it better to let the subject -drop. However, there was something in Burrel's tone, that for the -first time made him think seriously of his sister's situation, and -made him feel a pang, which he had never before felt, at the low ebb -to which his house's fortunes had been reduced. Had there been in -Burrel's conversation one tittle of presumption--had the pride of -riches or of station shown itself by a word, by a very tone--pride, -irritated by poverty, might have risen up in his bosom, and taught him -to hold the stranger at arms-length, even though he had sacrificed -what he believed would prove one of the most agreeable acquaintances -he had ever made. But, on the contrary, though every thing in Burrel's -appearance, manners, and establishment, showed habitual affluence, -such a total disregard of the idle world's prosperity in others, -evinced itself in his whole conversation--he seemed so thoughtful of -wealth of mind and manners, and so disregardful of the poorer wealth, -that Captain Delaware, feeling himself by nature, education, and -habit, that noble thing--a gentleman--would not have hesitated to have -introduced Burrel to a cottage, and said, "This is my home;" convinced -that his companion would hardly see what was around him, provided some -weak vanity on his own part did not call his attention irresistibly to -the painful spectacle of pride endeavouring to hide poverty.</p> - -<p class="normal">While such conversation had been passing between them, and such -thoughts had been busy in Captain Delaware's bosom, Burrel, without -any definite purpose, made a wheel upon the bridge; and, in a moment -after, they were walking through the town together, towards the lane -which led to the widow's cottage. Captain Delaware remained silent, as -he continued meditating for two or three minutes, till remembering -that the name of his sister--for whom he had a fund of deep love and -respect, which influenced all his actions, even without his knowing -it--had been the last upon their lips; and, feeling that some -inference of deeper moment might be drawn from his silence than he -could desire, he changed the subject, abruptly enough indeed, to make -his sudden fit of thoughtfulness more liable to remark than if it had -continued twice as long.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Your servant," he said, "is certainly a descendant, not of Œdipus, -but of his friend the Sphinx--which, by the way, our sailors, when we -were at Alexandria, used always to call the Minx. I did not think I -showed any very impertinent curiosity, but he could neither tell me -where you had gone--which way you had turned when you left the -door--when you were to be back--or, in short, any other fact -concerning your movements this evening: for, feeling deeply indebted -to you on poor Blanche's account, I wished to unload my bosom of its -thanks."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, he is a discreet and sober personage, Master Harding," answered -Burrel. "One of those men who have a great idea of not committing -themselves; and I like him infinitely better than a plausible, -fair-spoken knave that I had lately, who would not, or could not, -loose my horse's girths, if the groom were out of the way, and who -left me because I did not allow my servants Madeira."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I hope you threw him out of the window?" cried Captain Delaware, -giving way to a burst of honest indignation.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh dear, no!" answered Burrel, "I saw him depart through the usual -aperture, with a degree of coolness and fortitude he did not expect; -and after trying another, whom I <i>did</i> kick out, I was soon supplied -with the present rascal, who is useful, silent, and circumspect. He -cheats me in about the same proportion as the others, or rather less; -is so far more honest, that he never pretends to honesty; and I have -never yet discovered that he lets any other person cheat me besides -himself."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No very high character, either!" answered Captain Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I beg your pardon!" cried Burrel. "Sufficient for a prime minister, -and more than sufficient for a member of parliament.--But here we are -at the cottage; I wonder if I dare intrude again upon Miss Delaware's -presence?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware made no difficulty, and a few minutes afterwards the -whole party were observed--with Blanche hanging upon her brother's -arm, and Burrel walking by her side, his handsome head bent down to -speak and hear with the more marked attention--walking slowly along -the lane under the park wall, till they reached the small door nearest -to the mansion. There Burrel raised his hat, and took his leave; and -while Miss Delaware and her brother entered the park, he drew up his -head, threw wide his shoulders, and, resuming his usual gait, returned -to the town.</p> - -<p class="normal">The person who had observed all this, and who declared positively that -she had not walked that way on purpose, reported it all fully to the -honest folks of Emberton, who instantly prognosticated a marriage. How -desperately they were mistaken, remains to be shown.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel returned to his house, dined without the slightest symptoms of -love being discernible in the removed dishes; and ended the day by -sleeping as devotedly as if he had been a sworn votary of Somnus, -first telling his servant to see that all the fires were put out, as -he had not the slightest inclination to be woke from his rest again. A -fire on two consecutive nights, however, is not a piece of good -fortune that happens to every man; and Burrel, after having slept one -third of the round dial undisturbed, woke the next morning, and sat -down to breakfast, asking himself, what was to occur next?</p> - -<p class="normal">Every man must find that there come moments in the dull lapse of life, -when---as we feel that nothing can stand still--we are certain that -something must happen, however small and trifling in itself, to change -the monotonous course in which things are proceeding, and lead us to a -new train of events. Did you ever trace the current of a small stream, -reader, from its earliest gush out of the green swampy turf, or the -little rugged bank, to its confluence with some other water? Do! It is -amusing and instructive. At its first burst into existence, you will -find it generally rushing on in gay and bounding brightness, fretting -at all that opposes its course, and dashing over every obstacle that -would retard its progress. Gradually as one obstruction after another -meets and impedes its onward flow, slower and more slow becomes its -current, till a mere molehill will divert its course, and send it -wandering far in the most opposite direction to that which it -originally assumed. But, after all, I am stealing an image; for some -poet--I forget who--has said something very like it. Nevertheless, I -make no apology for the robbery. The illustration suits my purpose, -and I take it. Let every man steal as much as he likes; but put it in -inverted commas, and it is all according to act of parliament.</p> - -<p class="normal">It matters not that the thought be old: the figure is fully as -appropriate as if it were new; and any one who has watched the -progress of a stream, must have said in his own heart--"This is life!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Well, Burrel, as he sat down to breakfast, had just come to one of -those slow spaces in the current of existence, where he felt that some -bank, or stone, or molehill, must turn the stream; and, as I have -before said, his first thought was, What is to happen next?</p> - -<p class="normal">Oh, that curious question, which has puzzled the wisest from the -beginning of the world, and will puzzle them still, till the last day -solves it for ever! What is to happen next?</p> - -<p class="normal">It had scarcely passed, through Burrel's brain, when the door opened, -and Sir Sidney Delaware was announced. He entered the room slowly, as -was his custom; but, as he did enter, Burrel at once perceived that a -certain air of coldness--which, like the mithridate of the ancients, -defied all analysis from the multitude of ingredients that composed -it--was altogether gone, and in its room there was a frank bland -smile, as he greeted him, which unloaded the baronet's brow of the -wrinkles of full ten years.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have come to visit you, Mr. Burrel," said Sir Sidney Delaware, "at -an unusual hour, solely because I wished to see you; and, if you will -give me leave, I will take my coffee with you," Burrel rang the bell, -and the necessary additions to his breakfast-table were soon -completed, while he expressed politely, but neither coldly nor -cordially, his pleasure at the visit of Sir Sidney Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">"My first task, Mr. Burrel," said the baronet mildly and kindly, "is -to express my gratitude for the salvation of my dear child; and allow -me to say, that no one who does not love her as I do, can feel what -that gratitude is."</p> - -<p class="normal">When a poor man and a proud man condescends to pour forth his feelings -to his equal in mind and station, and his superior in more worldly -wealth, it is a compliment which deserves instant return, and -Burrel--though he had been unwilling to risk for a moment a fresh -advance, to be again repulsed--felt, from the whole tone and manner of -his companion, that the barrier was broken down between them. To have -held back would have been an insult, and he instantly replied, not in -the set form which means no more than a copy-line to a schoolboy, but -in those words and accents that conveyed fully to Sir Sidney Delaware, -that he had felt a real and personal pleasure in serving his daughter -in the manner that he had done. He spoke frankly, though guardedly, -of the charms and graces of Miss Delaware's conversation and -demeanour--he spoke more boldly and feelingly of the impression that -the blending of sailor-like candour with, gentlemanly feeling, in -Captain Delaware, had produced upon his mind--and although Burrel -alluded to these things in the tone of a man of the world, who had -found out a treasure in pure nature that he had never before -discovered, he did so without the slightest assumption of superiority; -and both his words and his manner expressed alone unfeigned pleasure -in the acquaintance he had made, and the service he had rendered.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Enough, enough!" cried Sir Sidney Delaware, interrupting him as he -was going on in his encomiums. "I came here to thank you for what you -have done for one of my children, not to hear praises of both, that -might perhaps make my old eyes overflow. But, as you speak of my son, -I must not only confess that I owe you thanks, but an apology which I -have promised him to make you, for not calling on you before. In that -voluminous catalogue of lies, which, like hackney-coaches on a stand, -are ready at the beck of every one, I might find a hundred excuses -ready made to my hand, which you would be bound to receive as current; -but my principles do not admit of my making use of them, and when I -apologize at all, it must be by telling the truth. Unfortunate -circumstances, Mr. Burrel," he added in a grave and somewhat sad tone, -"have placed a painful disparity between the fortune and the station -of my family. For myself, I do not covet wealth, neither do my -children; but we have never sought, or even admitted, the society of -any one who was likely to differ from us in our estimation of our own -situation."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Although such an apology is far more than I either deserve, or could -expect," replied Burrel; "yet I own I am glad to find that you did not -at all hate me for my own sake. As to my feelings and principles--if, -as I hope, this acquaintance stops not here--you will soon find, my -dear sir, that I am far too aristocratic in my own nature to dream -that wealth can make any addition to rank--far too liberal in my own -sentiments to dream that either wealth or rank can make any addition -to gentlemanly manners and a gentlemanly mind. Do not mistake me, Sir -Sidney Delaware," he added, seeing a slight shade come over the -baronet's countenance; "I have every reverence for the institutions of -society, and for those grades, which society can never be deprived of, -without sinking gradually into barbarism of manners, if not barbarism -of mind. All I mean to say, is, when I pay reverence to rank, it is a -tribute I render to society--when I pay reverence to the individual, -it is a tribute I offer to virtue, and that tribute will be offered to -either, under all circumstances, and at all times; but I have no idea -of bowing low to the purse in a man's pocket, or fawning upon the -bottle of Lafitte that graces his sideboard."</p> - -<p class="normal">Sir Sidney Delaware smiled. "I am afraid, then," he replied, "you are -unlike the majority of our young men at present. The worst kind of -aristocracy--because it must always be too new a garment to sit -easily--the aristocracy of wealth, is springing up each day as the -idol for worship; and I am afraid every one who may be said to have a -golden calf in their house, will find plenty of our Israelites willing -to commit idolatry, though to the worship of wealth in others may be -applied the memorable words with which Sallust stigmatizes avarice -itself--'Ea quasi veninis malis imbuta, corpus animumque virilem -effæminat, semper infinita insatiabilis est; neque copiâ, neque inopiâ -minuitur.' My own race have been too little followers of the blind -god--I mean Plutus, not Cupid--and the effects you will see, if you do -me the favour of dining in my poor house to-morrow."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If I see yourself and family there, Sir Sidney Delaware, I shall -certainly see nothing amiss, and probably nothing else; though," he -added, feeling that the subject was one which had better be led into -some other, as soon as possible, "though the house appears to be a -very perfect and beautiful specimen of the peculiar kind of -architecture to which it belongs."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is, indeed," replied the baronet, instantly mounting the hobby -that Burrel set before him; "it is, indeed, perhaps the most perfect -specimen of the architecture of the early part of Henry VIII. now in -existence. It shows the first step from the pure Gothic to the pure -Vandal, if I may so call it, which succeeded."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Without pretending to be a connoisseur," replied Burrel, "I am -certainly a great lover of architectural antiquities of all sorts; and -I must endeavour to seduce you into pointing out all the peculiar -characteristics of the place."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I shall be delighted!" exclaimed Sir Sidney Delaware. "Let me beg you -to come to-morrow early--come to breakfast--and give us your whole -day, if you can spare so much of your time, which is doubtless -valuable.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Perfectly worthless!" replied Burrel. "So, remember if you find that -I take you at your word, and bestow my whole day of tediousness upon -you, it is your own fault; for you have invited me; and I shall look -jealously for every yawn."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No fear, no fear, my dear sir!" said the baronet. "I do not know how, -Mr. Burrel, or why, but something in your aspect and manner makes me -feel as if you were an old friend."</p> - -<p class="normal">"May you always feel so!" replied Burrel, with a smile of pleasure, -which vouched that the words were more than mere form.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Even your face," continued Sir Sidney, "comes upon me like a dream of -the past, and I feel, in speaking with you, as if I had just got my -studentship at Christ Church, and were in those bright days again when -the boy, standing on the verge of manhood, grasps at the crown of -thorns before him, as if it were a diadem of stars. However, I feel -towards you like an old friend, and shall treat you as such, which -means--as one of the flippant books of the present day asserts--that I -shall give you a very bad dinner."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do! do!" cried Burrel, shaking the hand his guest held out to him as -he was about to depart. "Do! do! and I will find a way to avenge -myself without difficulty."</p> - -<p class="normal">"How do you mean?" demanded the baronet, pausing.</p> - -<p class="normal">"By coming for another very soon," answered his companion. "So, I dare -you to keep your word."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I certainly shall," rejoined Sir Sidney Delaware, "if such be the -penalty;" and they parted with feelings entirely changed on both sides -since their meeting at the house of Mr. Tims.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER VIII.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Whether the succeeding hours of the day on which Sir Sidney -Delaware -first visited Henry Burrel, did or did not pass with any degree of -impatience, felt on the part of the latter, it is difficult to say. -Burrel had an habitual dislike to the display of what he felt and -except on special occasions, where the stirred-up feelings broke -through all customary restraint, there might be many far deeper things -passing in his bosom than the eye of a casual observer could discover -from his face.</p> - -<p class="normal">The hours of that day seemed to fly in perfect tranquillity. He -visited the widow's cottage twice, and marked with pleasure that a -change for the better had taken place in her son; he called upon -Mrs. Darlington at the inn, gossiped over a thousand subjects of -tittle-tattle, and sketched out a plan for rebuilding her house--a -consideration which seemed to give the good lady so much pleasant -occupation, that Burrel could scarcely find it in his heart to regret -that her house had been burned at all. He then strolled home to write -letters, remarking with little farther comment, as he did so, that his -silent servant, Harding, was walking on the other side of the way, in -quiet conversation with the vulgar person who had been for a short -time one of his own companions in the London coach.</p> - -<p class="normal">Nothing, in short, through the whole day, or the ensuing evening, -could betray that the hours were at all weary to Henry Burrel; and the -only circumstance which led his servant--who had eyes sufficiently -inquisitive and acute--to believe that his master looked upon the -approaching visit with more than ordinary interest, was, that the next -morning, instead of sleeping soundly as usual till he was called, he -rang his bell somewhat impatiently full five minutes before his -ordinary hour of rising.</p> - -<p class="normal">Giving the necessary orders for his dressing apparatus to be brought -up to the mansion before dinner, Burrel sallied forth as soon as he -was dressed, and took his way towards the park gate. He paused upon -the bridge, however, and for a moment gazed up the long open space of -park lawn, broken by old elms and oaks, with the stream flowing calmly -on in the midst, and the swans dipping quietly into its waters, and -the whole, in the soft morning sunshine, bearing an air of peace, with -which even the gray building at the end of the vista harmonized full -well.</p> - -<p class="normal">With what other thoughts there might be in Burrel's bosom--and there -were a good many different threads that ran across the web in various -directions--we will have nothing to do here, but will follow the one -continuous line which we began to trace before, and only consider the -psychological phenomena that were passing in his heart, as far as they -related to Blanche Delaware. That Burrel had thought of her a great -deal since last he saw her, there can be no doubt; and he had thought -of his own situation too, and what he was about, with a degree of -human perversity that was quite extraordinary in a hero of romance. As -the beginnings of love must always be imaginative, and as Burrel had -got into a bad habit of laughing at most things under the sun, by -feeling that few were worth considering seriously--from the effects of -which bad habit, be it remarked, he himself, his own mind and -peculiarities, were not at all exempt--as a consequence of all this, -he had chosen, in the present case, to image the predicament in which -he stood to his own fancy, under a thousand different forms, most of -them, indeed, ludicrous or trivial. He had been now the moth -fluttering round the light--now the trout rising to the hook--but, -more frequently still, he had painted himself to himself, as the fly -upon the edge of a plate of honey, tasting and retasting the tenacious -sweets till his feet become glued to the place, and he is forced to -remain and die amidst the plundered stores of the bee. There are -several great uses in thus learning to laugh at ourselves. In the -first place, we know all that the world--the good-natured world--may, -can, might, could, would, should, or ought to say of us. In the next, -we can flatter ourselves that we have looked at the most disagreeable, -that is to say, the sneering side of things; and lastly--the story of -galloping across the swamp, comes over again, and we get over a great -deal of ground easily, which it would not do to stay and examine -seriously.</p> - -<p class="normal">Whether it was from any or all of these motives that Burrel acted, -or whether it was a mere affair of habit, does not much matter; for -when he set out on that morning to breakfast at Emberton Park, and -looked up the calm expanse towards the dwelling Blanche Delaware -inhabited--when he entered the old gates, and strolled leisurely up -amongst the shady trees--when he thought of how fair and how gentle -she was--and when he felt conscious that he was only walking up -those paths the first time out of many that fate, or love, destined -him to tread them--he perceived that the matter was somewhat more -serious--that it was too weighty to be raised upon the wings of a -light laugh, or rolled about by an idle sneer.</p> - -<p class="normal">There was something startling in the sensation; and he felt that -where the happiness of the whole of that space out of eternity, which -we are destined to pass amidst the warm relationships of earth, is -concerned, the matter is grave when rightly considered, if not solemn. -But then, as he went on thinking--even though the morning, pouring -through the dim old trees, had something serious in its very gray -tranquillity--yet the object that connected itself with every idea, -the sweet form, the bright sunshiny smile of Blanche Delaware, came -flitting across his dreams, and cast a light from itself over the -whole future prospect. Then would Burrel look around him, and weave -many a fairy project of conferring happiness; and he would twine, in -fancy, many a jewel and a wreath to bind the fair brows of the fair -girl he thought of, and would lead her through scenes of splendour, -and of beauty, and of joy, to mansions of domestic happiness and -bowers of tranquil repose.</p> - -<p class="normal">Thus went it on, till at length he woke up at the door of the -dwelling-house, and found himself as great an enthusiast at heart as -ever lived and loved. Ascending the steps from the terrace, he rang -the large bell, which was answered in a moment by the appearance of an -honest-faced country servant, who was the only male domestic in a -house which, had it been all inhabited, would have required a dozen at -least. A little to the man's surprise, Burrel, who was still thinking -of something else, and whose heart beat more than he thought proper, -walked directly forward to the door of the library, and was raising -his hand to open it too, when, recollecting himself, he paused, and -suffered the servant to announce him. His hand was cordially shaken by -Captain Delaware, almost as he entered; and there was a glow of -pleasure on the face of the young sailor, not only because he was -really glad to see a man whom he personally liked, but that what he -looked upon as a reproach to the hospitality of their house was wiped -away.</p> - -<p class="normal">Sir Sidney Delaware was at the further end of the room, which was well -furnished--for books are always furniture--and they were many and -choice. He, too, immediately rose, and advanced to welcome his guest -most cordially; for the service that Burrel had rendered his child had -completely opened his heart; and, when it was once opened, there was -room enough within, though the door had been somewhat narrowed, in -order to shut out the cold air of the world.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel's eyes ran round the library, but Blanche Delaware was not -there; and though he would have probably laughed, had any one called -him a modest man, yet he found that he could not enquire after her -with so easy an air as he might have done two or three days before, -and therefore he did not enquire after her at all, expecting every -instant to see her appear. He felt uncomfortable, however, when her -father at length proposed that they should go to the breakfast-room; -and he asked himself whether she could be absent from home.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel's mind was put at ease the moment after; for, on passing -forward to the little breakfast-room--to which he seemed to find his -way instinctively, without his host having to say, "Turn here" or -"turn there!"--the first object that presented itself was Blanche -Delaware, on hospitable thoughts intent, making the tea, and--as -probably Eve was the most beautiful creature ever created--looking as -like Eve as possible.</p> - -<p class="normal">But let us pause one moment, and expatiate upon an English -breakfast-room. There is nothing like it in all the world besides. It -is an emanation from the morning-heart of Englishmen.--It is a type of -the character of the people. Good Heaven! when one comes down on a -fine autumn morning, and finds the snowy table-cloth, the steaming urn, -the clean polished furniture, the simple meal, and all the implements -for dispensing it, shining in the morning sunshine, as if the Goddess -of Tidiness had burnished them; together with a rich English landscape -looking in at the windows, and, round the table, half a dozen smiling -faces, and fair forms, all arrayed in that undeviating neatness which -is also purely English, how the heart is opened to all that is good, -and kindly, and social--how it is strengthened, and fortified, and -guarded against the cares and labours and ills of the ensuing day!</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche looked up as Burrel entered, and there were one or two slight -circumstances which might have made him believe that his presence was -not unpleasant to her, had he been in a mood to remark any thing but -the simple fact of her being there. There was the same fitful blush, -the same sparkle of the eyes, that would not be repressed, the same -sweet smile, as he gave her the morning's greeting, which he had seen -separately before; but, what was more to the purpose, she withdrew the -tea-pot before she remembered to stop the urn, spilt the water on the -table-cloth, and got into some confusion both at her embarrassment and -at its cause. Captain Delaware smiled; and Blanche, though she knew -that her brother was not very, very learned in woman's heart, -attributed more meaning to his smile than it deserved, and would have -been more embarrassed still, had there not been a degree of warmth, -and a subdued tenderness in Burrel's manner, that was very consoling. -Now, had Blanche Delaware laid a systematic design against Burrel's -heart, and had she endeavoured to make herself appear the very wife -suited to him, from every thing she had seen of his character, she -would have taken great care not to let the urn deluge the table-cloth, -and would have believed her whole plan ruined for ever, if she had -done so; for Burrel had certainly, at Mrs. Darlington's, affected a -sort of fastidiousness--altogether in jest, but done seriously enough -to deceive--which would have rendered such a little accident fatal. -But Blanche Delaware had not the slightest idea of such a design in -the world. Burrel, it is true, was the handsomest man in person, and -the most elegant man in manners, that she had ever met with. His -character she had heard from Dr. Wilton--one she was accustomed to -reverence. His conversation had pleased, amused, and fascinated her. -At the risk of his own life he had carried her close to his heart, -through the midst of a tremendous fire. He had saved her life, and, in -the enthusiasm of doing so, had called her "Dear girl!" and had -perhaps pressed her a little closer to his bosom, when he found that -they were safe. Of the last particular, however, she was not quite -sure; but so much does the heart of man expand to those we protect and -save, that, even if he did, it was quite natural. All this had given -her different feelings towards Burrel, from those that she experienced -towards any other man; and though she kept a tight rein upon -imagination, and would not even suffer the sweet folly of -castle-building to enter her heart in this instance, yet she felt -sufficiently agitated and pleased by his presence, to become alarmed -at her own sensations, and to feel unwittingly consoled by the marked -difference between his manner to herself, and to others. She was -therefore vexed at the little accident it is true, but she was vexed -solely because she thought it might betray more agitation than she -believed that she felt; not because she feared, by a trifle, to lose a -heart for which she had set no traps, and of whose possession she was -determined not to dream at all.</p> - -<p class="normal">So much for nothings! But as nothings are the small casters on which -the great machine of the world goes lumbering along, one may pause to -remark them for a moment, without a fault.--But now to more serious -matters. Burrel soon recovered that degree of ease which he had never -lost in the eyes of any other person, although he felt the loss -himself, and the breakfast past over in that sort of light and varied -conversation, which allows all to shine in turn who are capable of -shining.</p> - -<p class="normal">It was about the time of some serious disturbances in France; and -those events naturally suggested themselves, at least to the three -gentlemen, as the most interesting topic of the day.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What think you then, Mr. Burrel," demanded Sir Sidney Delaware, "of -La ---- coming forth in his old age to renew the scenes which, in his -youth, he first excited, and then lamented?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"The great misfortune is," replied Burrel, "that his name should be -able to do so much, when he himself is unable to do any thing."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You mean that he is in his dotage," said Captain Delaware. "Is it not -so?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I mean merely," replied Burrel, "that he is in that state of mental -decrepitude where the plaudits of a mob of any kind, either of porters -or peers, would make him commit any folly for the brief moment of -popularity. With poor old La ---- it is only now the fag-end of the -great weakness of his life, vanity--that sort of gluttonous vanity, -that can gorge upon the offal of base and ignorant applause."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay, there lies the fault," replied Sir Sidney Delaware. "The man who -seeks the applause of the good, the wise, and the generous, is next in -honourable ambition to him who seeks the approbation of his God; but -he whose depraved appetite finds food in the gratulating shout of an -assemblage of the ignorant, the base, and the vicious--like--like--I -could mention many, but I will not--he, however, who does so, is a -moral swine, and only swills the filth of the public kennel in another -sense."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Papa, papa!" cried Blanche Delaware. "In pity, let me finish -breakfast before you indulge in such figures of rhetoric. William, in -mercy change the subject! Cannot you tell us some of those pretty -stories about Sicily and its beloved <i>Mongibeddo</i> with which you -charmed my ears when first you came from the Mediterranean?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not I, indeed, Blanche!" replied her brother; "for, on the faith of -those stories, you had nearly persuaded my father to go abroad, which -would not suit my views of promotion at all."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And did Miss Delaware really wish to visit foreign lands?" demanded -Burrel, "We should not easily have forgiven you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It was but to see all those things one dreams so much about!" replied -Blanche Delaware, "and to return to my own land after they were seen; -for I can assure you, I have neither hope nor wish, ever to find any -country half so fair in my eyes as our own England."</p> - -<p class="normal">"That is both just and patriotic," answered Burrel; "more than -one-half of what we like in any and every land, is association, and -if, without one classic memory of the great past, you were to visit -Italy itself, half the marvels of that land of beauties would be lost. -The Colosseum would stand a cold brown ruin, cumbering the ground; -Rome, a dull heap of ill-assorted buildings; the Capitol a molehill; -and the Tiber a ditch. But under the magic wand of association, every -thing becomes beautiful. It is not alone the memories of one age or of -one great epoch that rise up to people Italy with majestic things; but -all the acts of glory and of majesty that thronged two thousand years, -before the eye of fancy, walk in grand procession through the land, -and hang a wreath of laurels on each cold ruin as they pass. Yet it is -all association; and where can we find such associations as those -connected with our native land?"</p> - -<p class="normal">The question was tolerably general, but the tone and the manner were -to Blanche Delaware; and she replied, "It would be difficult, I am -afraid, to raise up for any country such as those you have conjured up -for Italy; but still I should never be afraid of forgetting England. -It is where I was born," she added, thinking over all her reasons for -loving it, and looking down at the pattern on the table-cloth, as she -counted them one by one; "I have spent in it so many happy hours and -happy days. Every thing in it is connected with some pleasant thought -or some dear memory; and the associations, though not so grand, would -be more sweet--though not so vast, would be more individual--would not -perhaps waken any very romantic feelings, but would come more home to -my own heart."</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel answered nothing; but when she raised her eyes, which had been -cast down while she spoke, they found his fixed upon her; and she felt -from that moment that she was beloved.</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche Delaware turned very pale, though the consciousness was any -thing but painful. It was so oppressive, however, that the agitation -made her feel faint; but her brother's voice recalled her to herself.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well spoken, my dear little patriot sister!" he said; "but if you had -been a sailor, like your brother, you would have added, that England -is not wanting in associations of glory and freedom, and noble actions -and noble endeavours; and in this view, the associations connected -with our native land are more extended than those of any other -country; for in whatever corner of the world an Englishman may be, -when he catches but a glimpse of the salt sea, the idea of the glory -of his native land rushes up upon his mind, and he sees, waving before -the eye of fancy, the flag that 'for a thousand years, has stood the -battle and the breeze.'"</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel smiled; but there was no touch of a sneer in it. "The song from -which you quote," he said, "must have been written surely under such -enthusiasm as that with which you now speak. I know scarcely so -spirit-stirring a composition in the English language. Indeed, all -Campbell's smaller poems are full of the same <i>vivida vis animi</i>."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And yet," said Sir Sidney Delaware, "you, as well as I, must have -heard fools and jolterheads say, that Campbell is no poet, because now -and then, in his longer pieces, when he gets tired of the mere -mechanism, he suffers a verse or two to become tame--out of pure -idleness I have no doubt."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Those who say he is no poet, do not know what poetry is," replied -Burrel, somewhat eagerly, "Scattered through every one of his poems -there are beauties of the first order; and almost all of his smaller -pieces stand perfectly alone in poetry. He has contrived sometimes to -compress into four or five of the very shortest lines that can be -produced, more than nine poets out of ten could cram into a long -Spenserian stanza with a thundering Alexandrine at the end."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do you know Mr. Campbell personally?" asked Miss Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I do," answered Burrel laughing; "but do not suppose my praise of him -is exaggerated from personal friendship. On the contrary, I am bound, -by all the laws and usages of the world in general, to hate him -cordially."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Indeed! and why so?" demanded Blanche, half afraid that she had -touched upon some delicate subject.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Simply because we differ on politics," answered Burrel. "Can there be -a more mortal offence given or received?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"As we are speaking of poets, however," continued Miss Delaware, "I -will ask you one more question, Mr. Burrel--Do you know Wordsworth?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am not so fortunate," answered Burrel; "for, though we should as -certainly differ as we met, upon nine points out of ten, yet I should -much like to know him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then you know and esteem his works, of course?" said Miss Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I know them well," replied Burrel; "but I do not like them so much as -you do."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay, nay!" said Blanche Delaware. "I have said nothing in their -favour. What makes you believe I admire them more than yourself?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Simply because every body of taste must esteem them highly," replied -Burrel; "and women who do esteem them, will always esteem them more -than men can do. A woman's heart and mind, Miss Delaware, by the -comparative freshness which it retains more or less through life, can -appreciate the gentle, the sweet, and the simple, better than a man's; -and thus, while the mightier and more majestic beauties of -Wordsworth's muse affect your sex equally with ours, the softer and -finer shades of feeling--the touches of artless nature and simplicity, -which appear almost weak to us, have all their full effect to you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But if you own that, and feel that," said Blanche Delaware, "why -cannot you admire the same beauties?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"For this reason," replied Burrel, "man's mental taste, like his -corporeal power of tasting, gets corrupted, or rather paralyzed, in -his progress through the world, by the various stimulants he applies -to it. He drinks his bottle of strong and heady wine, which gradually -loses its effect, and he takes more, till at length nothing will -satisfy him but cayenne pepper."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But if he appreciates gentler pleasures," said Captain Delaware, "he -must be able in some degree to enjoy them."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Of course," replied Burrel, "there are moments when the cool and -pleasant juice of a peach, or the simple refreshment of a glass of -lemonade, will be delightful; and in such moments it is, that he feels -he has stimulated away a sense, and a delightful one. Thus with -poetry, and literature in general, the mind, by reading a great many -things it would be better without, loses its relish for every thing -that does not excite and heat the imagination--which is neither more -nor less than the mental palate;--and though there are moments when -the heart, softened and at ease, finds joys in all the sweet -simplicity which would have charmed it for ever in an unsophisticated -state, yet still it returns to cayenne pepper, and only remembers the -other feelings, as of pleasures lost for ever. With regard to -Wordsworth's poetry, perhaps no one ever did him more injustice than I -did once. With a very superficial knowledge of his works, I fancied -that I despised them all; and it was only from being bored about them -by his admirers, that I determined to read them every line, that I -might hate them with the more accuracy."</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche Delaware smiled, and her father spoke, perhaps, the feelings -of both. "We have found you out, Mr. Burrel," he said; "and understand -your turn for satirizing yourself."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am not doing so now, I can assure you," replied Burrel. "What I -state is exactly the fact. I sat down to read Wordsworth's works, with -a determination to dislike them, and I succeeded in one or two poems, -which have been cried up to the skies; but, as I went on, I found so -often a majestic spirit of poetical philosophy, clothing itself in the -full sublime of simplicity, that I felt reproved and abashed, and I -read again with a better design. In doing so, though I still felt that -there was much amidst all the splendour that I could neither like nor -admire, yet I perceived how and why others might, and would, find -great beauties and infinite sweetness in that which palled upon my -taste; and I perceived, also, that the fault lay in me far more than -in the poetry. The beauties I felt more than ever, and some of the -smaller pieces, I am convinced, will live for ages, with the works of -Shakspeare and Milton."</p> - -<p class="normal">"They will, indeed," said Sir Sidney Delaware, "as long as there is -taste in man. Nevertheless, the poet--who is perhaps as great a -philosopher, too, as ever lived--has sacrificed, like many -philosophers, an immense gift of genius to a false hypothesis in -regard to his art; and has consequently systematically poured forth -more trash than perhaps any man living. His poems, collected, always -put me in mind of an account I have somewhere read of the diamond -mines of Golconda, where inestimable jewels were found mingled with -masses of soft mud. But you have long done breakfast, Mr. Burrel. -Come, Blanche, I am going to take Mr. Burrel to the terrace, and -descant most dully on all the antiquities of the house. Let us have -your company, my love; for we shall meet with so many old things, it -may be as well to have something young to relieve them!"</p> - -<p class="normal">It required but a short space of time to array Blanche Delaware for -the walk round the terrace that her father proposed. In less than a -minute she came down in the same identical cottage bonnet--the ugliest -of all things--in which Burrel had first beheld her with her brother; -but, strange to say, although on that occasion he had only thought her -a pretty country girl, so changed were now all his feelings--so many -beauties had he marked which then lay hid, that, as she descended with -a smiling and happy face to join them at the door of the hall, he -thought her the loveliest creature that he had ever beheld in any -climate, or at any time.</p> - -<p class="normal">The whole party sallied forth; and as people who like each other, and -whose ideas are not commonplace, can make an agreeable conversation -out of any thing, the walk round the old house, and the investigation -of every little turn and corner of the building, passed over most -pleasantly to all, although Blanche and her brother knew not only -every stone in the edifice, but every word almost that could be said -upon them. They were accustomed, however, to look upon their father -with so much affection and reverence; and the misfortunes under which -he laboured, had mingled so much tenderness with their love, that "an -oft told tale" from his lips lost its tediousness, being listened to, -by the ears of deep regard. Burrel, too, was all attention; and, while -Sir Sidney Delaware descanted learnedly on the buttery, and the wet -and dry larder, and the priors parlour, and the scriptorium, and -pointed out the obtuse Gothic arches described from four centres, -which characterize the architecture of Henry VIII., he filled up all -the pauses with some new and original observation on the same theme; -and though certainly not so learned on the subject as Sir Sidney -himself, yet he showed that, at all events, he possessed sufficient -information to feel an interest therein, and to furnish easily the -matter for more erudite rejoinder.</p> - -<p class="normal">By the time the examination of the house itself was over, however, Sir -Sidney Delaware felt fatigued. "I must leave Blanche and William, Mr. -Burrel," he said, "to show you some of the traces of those antique -times which we have just been talking of, that are scattered through -the park, particularly on the side farthest from the town. I myself -think them more interesting even than the house itself, and wish I -could go with you; but I am somewhat tired, and must deny myself the -pleasure."</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel assured him that he would take nothing as a worse compliment -than his putting himself to any trouble about him; and, perhaps not -unwillingly, set out accompanied only by Blanche and her brother. It -would have been as dangerous a walk as ever was taken, had he not been -in love already. There was sunshine over all the world, and the air -was soft and calm. Their way led through the deep high groves and -wilder park scenery that lay at the back of the mansion, now winding -in amongst hills and dells covered with rich short grass, now -wandering on by the bank of the stream, on whose bosom the gay-coated -kingfishers and the dark water-hens were skimming and diving in -unmolested security. In the open parts, the old hawthorns perched -themselves on the knolls, wreathing their fantastic limbs in groups of -two or three; and every now and then a decaying oak of gigantic girth, -but whose head had bowed to time, shot out its long lateral branches -across the water, over which it had bent for a thousand years.</p> - -<p class="normal">The whole party were of the class of people who have eyes--as that -delightful little book the Evenings at Home has it--and at present, -though there were busy thoughts in the bosoms, at least of two of -those present, yet perhaps they strove the more to turn their -conversation to external things, from the consciousness of the -feelings passing within. Those feelings, however, had their effect, as -they ever must have, even when the topics spoken of are the most -indifferent. They gave life, and spirit, and brightness to every -thing.</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche Delaware, hanging on the arm of her brother, and yielding to -the influence of the smiles that were upon the face of nature, gave -full way to her thoughts of external things as they arose; and, -together with spirits bright and playful, but never what may be called -<i>high</i>--with an imagination warm and brilliant, never wild--there -shone out a heart, that Burrel saw was well fitted to understand, and -to appreciate that fund of deeper feelings, that spring of enthusiasm, -tempered a little by judgment, and ennobled by a high moral sense, -which he concealed--perhaps weakly--from a world that he despised.</p> - -<p class="normal">He felt at every step that the moments near her were almost too -delightful; and, before he had got to the end of that walk, he had -reached the point where love begins to grow terrified at its own -intensity, lest the object should be lost on which the mighty stake of -happiness is cast for ever.</p> - -<p class="normal">Having proceeded thus far--which, by the way, is no small length; for -the great difficulty, as Burrel found it, was to place himself fairly -on a footing of friendship with Sir Sidney Delaware's family--we must -unwillingly abandon the expatiative; and, having more than enough to -do, leave the party on their walk, and turn to characters as -necessary, but less interesting.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER IX.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">In the house of Lord Ashborough--which is situated in -Grosvenor -Square, fronting the south--there is a large room, which in form would -be a parallelogram, did not one of the shorter sides--which, being -turned to the north, looks out upon the little rood of garden, -attached to the dwelling--bow out into the form of a bay window. The -room is lofty, and, as near as possible, twenty-eight feet in length -by twenty-four in breadth. Book-cases, well stored with tomes in -lettered calf, cover the walls, and a carpet, in which the foot sinks, -is spread over the floor. Three large tables occupy different parts of -the room. Two covered with books and prints lie open to the world in -general, but the third, on which stand inkstands and implements for -writing, shows underneath, in the carved lines of the highly polished -British oak, many a locked drawer. Each chair, so fashioned that -uneasy must be the back that would not there find rest, rolls smoothly -on noiseless casters, and the thick walls, the double doors, and -bookcases, all combine to prevent any sound from within being caught -by the most prying ear without, or any noise from without being heard -by those within, except when some devil of a cart runs away in Duke -Street, and goes clattering up that accursed back street behind.</p> - -<p class="normal">Such were the internal arrangements and appearance of the library at -Lord Ashborough's, on a morning in September of the same year, one -thousand eight hundred and something, of which we have been hitherto -speaking. The morning was fine and clear; and the sun, who takes the -liberty of looking into every place without asking permission of any -one, was shining strongly into the little rood of garden behind the -house. The languishing plants and shrubs that had been stuffed into -that small space, dusty and dry with the progress of a hot summer, and -speckled all over with small grains of soot--the morning benediction -showered down upon them from the neighbouring chimneys--no doubt -wished that the sun would let them alone; and, as through an open -passage-door they caught a sight of the conservatory filled with rich -exotics, all watered and aired with scrupulous care, one of the poor -brown lilacs might be heard grumbling to a stunted gray laburnum about -the shameful partiality of the English for foreigners and strangers.</p> - -<p class="normal">About eleven o'clock Lord Ashborough himself entered the room; and -before any one else comes in to disturb us, we may as well sit down, -and take a full-length picture of him. He was a man of about -fifty-nine or sixty, tall and well-proportioned, though somewhat thin. -His face was fine, but pale, and there was a great deal of intellect -expressed on his broad brow and forehead, which looked higher than it -really was, from being perfectly bald as far down as the sutures of -the temples. From that point some thin dark hair, grizzled with gray, -spread down, and met his whiskers, which were of the same hue, and cut -square off, about the middle of his cheeks. His eyes were dark blue -and fine, but somewhat stern, if not fierce, and in the space between -his eyebrows there was a deep wrinkle, in which a finger might have -been laid without filling up the cavity; the eyebrows themselves, -though not very long, were overhanging; the nose was well-formed and -straight, though a little too long perhaps; but his mouth was -beautifully shaped, and would have appeared the best feature in his -face, had he not frequently twisted it in a very unbecoming manner, by -gnawing his nether lip. His chin was round, and rather prominent; and -his hand small, delicate, and almost feminine.</p> - -<p class="normal">It is all nonsense that a man's dress signifies nothing. It is--if he -takes any pains about it; and if he takes none, it comes to the same -thing--It is the habitual expression of his mind or his mood; and in -the little shades of difference, which may exist with the most perfect -adherence to fashion, you will find a language much easier read than -any of those on the Rosetta stone. Lord Ashborough was dressed more -like a young than an old man, though without any extravagance. His -coat was of dark green, covering a double-breasted waistcoat, of some -harmonizing colour, while his long thin, rather tight-fitting -trowsers, displayed a well-formed leg, and were met by a neat and -highly polished boot. Round his neck he wore a black handkerchief, -exposing the smallest possible particle of white collar between his -cheek and the silk; and on one of his fingers was a single seal ring. -Taking him altogether he was a very good-looking man, rather like the -late Mr. Canning, but with a much less noble expression of -countenance.</p> - -<p class="normal">Walking forward to the table, which we have noted as being well -supplied with locks, Lord Ashborough opened one of the drawers, and, -having rang the bell, sat down and took out some papers. The door -opened; a servant appeared;--"Send in Mr. Tims!" said Lord Ashborough, -and the man glided out. After a short pause, another person appeared, -but of very different form and appearance from the servant; and -therefore we must look at him more closely. He was a short stout -bustling-looking little man, of about thirty-eight or forty, perhaps -more, habited in black, rather white at the seams and edges. His -countenance was originally full and broad; but the habit of thrusting -his nose through small and intricate affairs, had sharpened that -feature considerably; and the small black eyes that backed it, -together with several red blotches, one of which had settled itself -for life upon the tip of the eminence, did not diminish the prying and -intrusive expression of his countenance. There was impudence, too, and -cunning, written in very legible characters upon his face; but we must -leave the rest to show itself as we go on.</p> - -<p class="normal">As Mr. Peter Tims, of Clement's Inn, attorney-at-law--for such was the -respectable individual of whom we now treat--entered the library of -Lord Ashborough, he turned round and carefully closed the double door, -and then, with noiseless step, proceeded through the room till he -brought himself in face of his patron. He then made a low bow--it -would have been <i>Cow Tow</i> if it had been desired--and then advanced -another step, and made another bow.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sit down, sit down, Mr. Tims!" said Lord Ashborough, without raising -his eyes, which were running over a paper he had taken from the -drawer. "Sit down, sit down, I say!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims did sit down, and then, drawing forth, some papers from a -blue bag which he held in his hand, he began quietly to put them in -order, while Lord Ashborough read on.</p> - -<p class="normal">After a minute or two, however, his lordship ceased, saying, "Now, Mr. -Tims, have you brought the annuity deed?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Here it is, my lord!" replied the lawyer; "and I have examined it -again most carefully. There is not a chink for a fly to break through. -There is not a word about redemption from beginning to end. The money -must be paid for the term of your lordship's natural life."</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough paused, and gnawed his lip for a moment or two. "Do -you know, Mr. Tims," he said at length, "I have some idea of -permitting the redemption? I am afraid we have made a mistake in -refusing it."</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims was never astonished at any thing that a great man--<i>i. e</i>. a -rich man--did or said, unless he perceived that it was intended to -astonish him, and then he was very much astonished indeed, as in duty -bound. It was wonderful, too, with what facility he could agree in -every thing a rich man said, and exclaim, "Very like an ousel!" as -dexterously as Polonious, or a sick-nurse, though he had been -declaring the same question, "very like a whale!" the moment before. -Nor was he ever at a loss for reasons in support of the new opinion -implanted by his patrons. In short he seemed to have in his head, all -ticketed and ready for use, a store of arguments, moral, legal, and -philosophical, in favour of every thing that could be done, said, or -thought, by the wealthy or the powerful. In the present instance, he -saw that Lord Ashborough put the matter as one not quite decided in -his own mind; but he saw also that his mind had such a leaning to the -new view of the matter, as would make him very much obliged to any -one, who would push it over to that side altogether.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I think your lordship is quite right," replied Mr. Tims. "You had -every right to refuse to redeem if you thought fit; but, at the same -time, you can always permit the redemption if you like; and it might -indeed look more generous, though, as I said before, you had every -right to refuse. Yet perhaps, after all, my lord"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"Tush! Do not after all me, sir," cried Lord Ashborough, with some -degree of impatience, which led Mr. Tims to suspect that there was -some latent motive for this change of opinion, which his lordship felt -a difficulty in explaining: and which he, Mr. Tims, resolved at a -proper time to extract by the most delicate process he could devise. -"The means, sir," added Lord Ashborough; "the means are the things to -be attended to, not the pitiful balancing of one perhaps against -another."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, my lord! the means are very easy," replied Tims, rubbing his -hands. "You have nothing to do but to send word down that your -lordship is ready to accept, and any one will advance the means to -Sir"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"Pshaw!" again interrupted Lord Ashborough. "You do not understand me, -and go blundering on;" and, rising from his chair, the peer walked two -or three times up and down the room, gnawing his lip, and bending his -eyes upon the ground. "There!" he cried at length, speaking with -abrupt rudeness. "There! The matter requires consideration--take up -your papers, sir, and begone! I will send for you when I want you."</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims ventured not a word, for he saw that his patron had made -himself angry with the attempt to arrange something in his own mind -which would not be arranged; and taking up his papers, one by one as -slowly as he decently could, he deposited them in their blue bag, and -then stole quietly towards the door. Lord Ashborough was still walking -up and down, and he suffered him to pass the inner door without taking -any notice; but, as he was pushing open the red baize door beyond, the -nobleman's voice was heard exclaiming, "Stay, stay! Mr. Tims come -here!" The lawyer glided quietly back into the room, where Lord -Ashborough was still standing in the middle of the floor, gazing on -the beautiful and instructive spots on the Turkey carpet. His reverie, -however, was over in a moment, and he again pointed to the chair which -the lawyer had before occupied, bidding him sit down, while he himself -took possession of the seat on the other side of the table; and, -leaning his elbow on the oak, and his cheek upon his hand, he went on -in the attitude and manner of one who is beginning a long -conversation. The commencement, however, was precisely similar to the -former one, which had proved so short. "Do you know, Mr. Tims," he -said, "I have some idea of permitting the redemption? I am afraid that -we have made a mistake in refusing it;" but then he added, a moment -after, "--for the particular purpose I propose."</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims was as silent as a mouse, for he saw that he was near -dangerous ground; and at that moment six-and-eightpence would hardly -have induced him to say a word--at least if it went farther than, -"Exactly so, my lord!"</p> - -<p class="normal">The matter was still a difficult one for Lord Ashborough to get over; -for it is wonderful how easily men can persuade themselves, that the -evil they wish to commit, is right; and yet how troublesome they find -even the attempt to persuade another, that it is so, although they -know him to be as unscrupulous a personage as ever lived or died -unhung. Now Lord Ashborough himself had no very high idea of the rigid -morality of his friend Mr. Tims's principles, and well knew that his -interest would induce him to do any thing on earth; and yet, strange -to say, that though Lord Ashborough only desired to indulge a -gentlemanlike passion, which, under very slight modifications, or -rather disguises, is considered honourable, and is patronised by all -sorts of people, yet he did not at all like to display, even to the -eyes of Mr. Tims, the real motive that was now influencing him. As it -was necessary, however, to do so to some one, and he knew that he -could not do so to any one whose virtue was less ferocious than that -of Mr. Tims, he drew his clenched fist, on which his cheek was -resting, half over his mouth, and went on.</p> - -<p class="normal">"The fact is, you must know, Mr. Tims," he said, "this Sir Sidney -Delaware is my first cousin--but you knew that before.--Well, we were -never very great friends, though he and my brother were; and at -college it used to be his pleasure to thwart many of my views and -purposes. There is not, perhaps, a prouder man living than he is, and -that intolerable pride, added to his insolent sarcasms, kept us -greatly asunder in our youth, and therefore you see he has really no -claim upon my friendship or affection in this business."</p> - -<p class="normal">"None in the world! None in the world!" cried Tims. "Indeed, all I -wonder at is, that your lordship does not use the power you have to -annoy him!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims harped aright, and it is inexpressible what a relief Lord -Ashborough felt--one of the proudest men in Europe, by the way--at -finding that the little, contemptible, despised lawyer, whom he looked -upon, on ordinary occasions, as the dust under his feet, had, in the -present instance, got the right end of a clue, that he was ashamed or -afraid to unwind himself. Besides, the way he put it, gave Lord -Ashborough an opportunity of <i>chucking</i> fine and generous, as the -Westminster fellows have it; and he immediately replied--"No, sir, no! -I never had any wish to annoy him. My only wish has been to lower that -pride, which is ruinous to himself, and insulting to others; and I -should not have even pursued that wish so far, had it not been that a -circumstance happened which called us into immediate collision."</p> - -<p class="normal">On finding that simple personal hatred and revenge--feelings that -might have been stated in three words--were the real and sole motives -which Lord Ashborough found it so difficult to enunciate, Mr. Tims -chuckled--but mark me, I beg--it was not an open and barefaced -cachinnation--it was, on the contrary, one of those sweet internal -chuckles that gently shake the diaphragm and the parietes of the -abdomen, and cause even a gentle percussion of the ensiform cartilage, -without one muscle of the face vibrating in sympathy, or the slightest -spasm taking place in the trachea or epiglottis. There is the anatomy -of a suppressed chuckle for you! The discovery, however, was of more -service than in the simple production of such agreeable phenomena. Mr. -Tims perceiving the motive of his patron, perceived also the precise -road on which he was to lead, and instantly replied, "Whatever -circumstance called your lordship into competition with Sir Sidney -Delaware, must of course have been very advantageous to yourself, if -you chose to put forth your full powers. But that, let me be permitted -to say, is what I should suspect, from all that I have the honour of -knowing of your lordship's character, you would not do. For I am -convinced you have already shown more lenity than was very consistent -with your own interest, and perhaps more than was even beneficial to -the object;--but I humbly crave your Lordship's pardon for presuming -to"----</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough waved his hand, "Not at all, Mr. Tims! Not at all!" he -said, "Your intentions, I know, are good. But hear me. We came in -collision concerning the lady whom he afterwards married, and made a -well-bred beggar of. He had known her, and, it seems, obtained -promises from her before I became acquainted; and though a transitory -fancy for her took place in my own bosom,"--and Lord Ashborough turned -deadly pale,--"yet of course, whenever I heard of my cousins -arrangements with her, I withdrew my claims, without, as you say, -exerting power that I may flatter myself"----</p> - -<p class="normal">He left the sentence unfinished, but he bowed his head proudly, which -finished it sufficiently, and Mr. Tims immediately chimed in, "Oh, -there can be no doubt--If your lordship had chosen--Who the deuce is -Sir Sidney Delaware, compared"----&c. &c. &c. &c.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, I forgot the matter entirely," continued Lord Ashborough, in a -frank and easy tone, for it is wonderful how the lawyer's little -insignificances helped him on. "Well, I forgot the matter entirely."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But you never married any one else," thought the lawyer, "and you -remember it now." All this was thought in the lowest possible tone, so -that Satan himself could hardly hear it, but Lord Ashborough went on. -"I never, indeed, remembered the business more, till, on lending the -money to his father, I found from a letter which the late man, let me -see that the present man, had not forgiven me some little progress I -had made in the lady's affection. He said--I recollect the words very -well--He said, that he could have borne his father borrowing the money -at any rate of interest from any person but myself, who had -endeavoured to supplant him--and all the rest that you can imagine. -Well, from that moment I determined to bow that man's pride, for his -own sake, as well as other people's. I thought I had done so pretty -well too; but, on my refusing to suffer the redemption--which no one -can doubt that I had a right to do--he wrote me that letter;" and his -lordship threw across the table, to his solicitor, the letter which he -had taken out of the drawer, just as the other entered. It was in the -form of a note, and couched in the following terms:--</p> -<br> - -<p class="normal">"Sir Sidney Delaware acknowledges the receipt of Lord Ashborough's -letter, formally declining to accept the offer he made to redeem the -annuity chargeable upon the estate of Emberton. The motives, excuses, -or apologies--whichever Lord Ashborough chooses to designate the -sentences that conclude his letter--were totally unnecessary, as Sir -Sidney Delaware was too well acquainted with Lord Ashborough, in days -of old, not to appreciate fully the principles on which he acts at -present.</p> - -<p class="normal">"<span class="sc">Emberton Park</span>, 1<i>st September</i>, 18--." -<br> - -<p style="text-indent:5%">"Infamous! brutal! heinous!" cried Mr. Tims. "What does your lordship -intend to do? I hope you will, without scruple, punish this man as he -deserves. I trust that, for his own sake, you will make him feel that -such ungrateful and malignant letters as that, are not to be written -with impunity--ungrateful I may well call them! for what cause could -your lordship have to write to him at all, except to soften the -disappointment you conceived he would feel?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"You say very true, Mr. Tims," replied Lord Ashborough, with a benign -smile. "You say very true, indeed; and I do think myself, in justice -to society, bound to correct such insolence, though, perhaps, I may -not be inclined to carry the chastisement quite so far as yourself."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nothing could be too severe for such a man!" cried Mr. Tims, resolved -to give his lordship space enough to manœuvre in, "Nothing could be -too severe!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay, nay, that is saying too much," said Lord Ashborough, "We will -neither hang him, Mr. Tims, nor burn him in the hand, if you please," -and he smiled again at his own moderation.</p> - -<p class="normal">"A small touch of imprisonment, however, would do him a world of -good," said Mr. Tims, feeling his ground--Lord Ashborough smiled -benignly a third time. "But the mischief is," continued the lawyer, -"he pays the annuity so regularly that it would be difficult to catch -him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"That is the reason why I say we have done wrong in refusing to allow -the redemption," rejoined the peer. "Do you not think, Mr. Tims, some -accident might occur to stop the money which he was about to borrow -for the purpose of redeeming; and if we could but get him to give -bills payable at a certain day, we might have him arrested, in -default?"</p> - -<p class="normal">The lawyer shook his head. "I am afraid, my lord, if you had permitted -the redemption, the money would have been ready to the minute," he -said. "My uncle, I hear, was to have raised it for him; and, as he was -to have had a good commission, it would have been prepared to the tick -of the clock."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And was your uncle to have lent the money himself, sir?" demanded -Lord Ashborough, with a mysterious smile of scorn. "Did your uncle -propose to give the money out of his own strongbox?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, my lord, no!" replied Tims, eagerly, "No, no! He would not do -that without much higher interest than he was likely to have got. Had -he been the person, of course your lordship might have commanded him; -but it was to be raised from some gentleman connected with Messrs. -Steelyard and Wilkinson--a very respectable law house, indeed!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Some gentleman connected with Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson!" -repeated Lord Ashborough, curling his haughty lip; "and who do you -suppose that gentleman is, but my own nephew Harry Beauchamp?"</p> - -<p class="normal">The lawyer started off his chair with unaffected astonishment, the -expression of which was, however, instantly mastered, and down he sat -again, pondering, as fast as he could, the probable results that were -to be obtained from this very unexpected discovery. Some results he -certainly saw Lord Ashborough was prepared to deduce; and he knew that -his only plan was to wait the developement thereof, assisting as much -as in him lay, the parturition of his patron's designs. But Lord -Ashborough having spoken thus far, found very little difficulty in -proceeding.</p> - -<p class="normal">"The simple fact is this, Mr. Tims," he said; "Harry Beauchamp, full -of all the wild enthusiasm--which would have ruined his father, if we -had not got him that governorship in which he died--to my certain -knowledge has gone down to Emberton, with the full determination of -assisting these people, of whom his father was so fond. I have reason -to think even, that the coming up of that young man, the son, was at -Henry's instigation, although they affected not to know each other, -and I am told carried their dissimulation so far as to pass each other -in the hall as strangers. At all events, they went down together in a -stage-coach, and are now beyond all doubt laying out their plans for -frustrating all my purposes."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Shameful, indeed!" exclaimed Mr. Tims.</p> - -<p class="normal">"On Harry's part," replied Lord Ashborough, affecting a tone of -candour and moderation; "on Harry's part it is but a piece of boyish -enthusiasm--a touch of his father's folly. I love the boy, who, as you -know, will succeed me--when it pleases Heaven," he added piously--"to -remove me from this life. I love the boy, and I do not choose to see -him spend his splendid fortune, which will make a noble addition to -the family estates, upon a set of mean and designing beggars; and I -wish at once to punish them for their low and cunning schemes, and to -save my nephew from their snares. Can we not, Mr. Tims, do you think, -hit upon some plan by which this may be effected?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, my lord," replied Mr. Tims, hesitating slightly, for he was -totally unprepared either for the intelligence he had received, or the -demand that followed it; "why, my lord, your lordship's views are as -kind and generous as usual; and doubtless--doubtless we may soon -devise some means by which your lordship's nephew may be extricated -from this little entanglement--but it will, of course, require -thought--though perhaps your lordship's clear and perspicuous mind may -have already devised some project. Indeed, I cannot doubt it," he -added, seeing a slight but well satisfied smile cross the features of -the noble earl. "Your lordship has so much of what Burke used to call -creative talent, that I doubt not you have already discovered the -fitting means, and only require an agent in your most devoted -servant."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Something more, Mr. Tims, something more than a mere agent," replied -Lord Ashborough. "I require your legal advice. We must proceed -cautiously, and not suffer either zealous indignation, or regard for -my nephew, to lead us into any thing that is not quite lawful. A -slight scheme of the matter may, indeed, have suggested itself to my -mind, but I want you to consider it well, and legalize it for me, as -well as some of the details. Could we not, I say--could we not--it is -but a supposition you know, sir--could we not give notice to this Sir -Sidney Delaware, that we are willing to permit the redemption; and -even to give him time to pay the money, cancelling, in the mean time, -the annuity deed"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not before you have got the amount!" exclaimed the lawyer, in -unutterable astonishment.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, sir, before I have got the amount," replied Lord Ashborough, -phlegmatically, "but not before I have got bills or notes of hand, -payable within a certain time, and with an expressed stipulation, that -unless those are duly paid, the annuity itself holds in full force."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay; but if they be paid, my lord," cried Mr. Tims, "the annuity is at -an end; and then where is your lordship?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"But cannot we find means to stop their being paid, Mr. Tims?" said -Lord Ashborough, fixing his eyes steadily upon the lawyer. "In all the -intricate chambers of your brain, I say, is there no effectual way you -can discover to stop the supplies upon which this Delaware may have -been led to reckon, and render him unable to pay the sum on the day -his bills fall due? Remember, sir, your uncle is the agent, as I am -led to believe, between this person and my nephew. Harry Beauchamp, -forsooth, has too fine notions of delicacy to offer the money in his -own person; but he is the man from whom the money is to come, and it -has been for some weeks lodged in the hands of Steelyard and -Wilkinson, his solicitors, awaiting the result--that is to say, the -whole of it except ten thousand pounds in my hands, which I have -promised to sell out for him to-morrow, and pay into their office. Are -there no means, sir, for stopping the money?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Plenty, plenty, my lord!" replied the lawyer. "The only difficulty -will be the choice of them. But, first, cannot your lordship refuse to -pay the ten thousand?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"That will not do," answered the peer. "I know Harry well; and his -first act would be to sell out the necessary sum to supply the -deficiency. You must devise something else."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Let us make the bills payable at Emberton, my lord," said the -attorney, "at the house of my uncle. Mr. Beauchamp must then either -come to town for the money, or send some one to receive it; and in -either case it may be staid."</p> - -<p class="normal">"How so?" demanded Lord Ashborough. "If he come, the matter is -hopeless. He has sold out of the army too; so there is no chance of -his being called away there."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay; but there is a little process at law going on against him, my -lord," replied the attorney, of which he knows nothing as yet. "Some -time ago, he threw the valet he had then, down stairs, head foremost, -for seducing the daughter of his landlady. The fellow has since -prosecuted him for assault, and served the process upon me, whom he -employed in the affair. I am not supposed to know where he is, so that -the matter may be easily suffered to go by default; and, one way or -another, we can contrive to get him arrested for a day or two, no -doubt--especially as it is all for his own good and salvation, I may -call it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Certainly, certainly!" answered Lord Ashborough. "I should feel no -scruple in doing so; for no one could doubt that I am actuated alone -by the desire of keeping him from injuring himself. But suppose he -sends, Mr. Tims?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, that were a great deal better still!" said the lawyer. "The only -person he could send would be his servant, Harding, who owes me the -place; and who, between you and I, my lord, might find it difficult to -keep me from transporting him to Botany Bay, if I chose it. He would -doubtless be easily prevailed upon to stop the money for a time, or -altogether, if it could be shown him that he could get clear off, and -the matter would be settled for ever."</p> - -<p class="normal">There was a tone of familiarity growing upon the lawyer, as a natural -consequence of the edifying communion which he was holding with his -patron, that rather displeased and alarmed Lord Ashborough, and he -answered quickly, "You forget yourself, sir! Do you suppose that I -would instigate my nephew's servant to rob his master?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Peter Tims had perhaps forgot himself for the moment; but he was -one of those men that never forget themselves long; and, as crouching -was as natural to him as to a spaniel, he was instantly again as full -of humility and submission as he had been, previous to the exposé -which had morally sunk Lord Ashborough to a level with Mr. Tims. "No, -my lord! No!" he exclaimed eagerly, "Far be it from me to dream for -one moment that your lordship would form such an idea. All I meant -was, that this servant might easily be induced to delay the delivery -of the money, on one pretext or another, till it be too late; and if -he abscond--which perchance he might do, for his notions concerning -property, either real or personal, are not very clearly defined--your -lordship could easily intend to make it good to Mr. Beauchamp."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I do not know what you propose that I should easily <i>intend</i> Mr. -Tims," replied Lord Ashborough; "but I know that it would not sound -particularly well if this man were to abscond with the money, and -there were found upon his person any authorization from me to delay -discharging his trust to his master."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, my lord, that difficulty would be easily removed!" answered Mr. -Tims. "The law is very careful not to impute evil motives where good -ones can be made apparent. It will be easy to write a letter to this -man--what one may call a fishing letter--to see whether he will do -what we wish, but stating precisely that your lordship's sole purpose -and view is to save your nephew from squandering his fortune in a weak -and unprofitable manner. We can keep a copy, properly authenticated: -then, should he abscond and be caught with the letter on him, your -lordship will be cleared; while if, on being taken, he attempt to -justify himself at your lordship's expense, the authenticated copy -will clear you still."</p> - -<p class="normal">"That is not a bad plan," said Lord Ashborough, musing. "But what if he -draw for the money through your uncle, Mr. Tims? Do you think the old -man could be induced to detain the money, or to deny its arrival for a -day or two?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, I fear not, my lord," answered the other, shaking his head; "I -fear not--he was five-and-thirty years a lawyer, my lord, and he is -devilish cautious.--But I will tell you what I can do. I can direct -him to address all his letters, on London business, under cover to -your lordship, which will save postage--a great thing in his -opinion--and, as he holds a small share of my business still, I can -open all the answers. So that we will manage it some way."</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough paused and mused for several minutes, for though his -mind was comparatively at ease in having found his lawyer so eager and -zealous in his co-operation; yet a certain consciousness of the many -little lets and hindrances that occur in the execution of the best -laid schemes, made him still thoughtful and apprehensive. Did you ever -knit a stocking? No! nor I either--nor Lord Ashborough, I dare say, -either. Yet we all know, that in the thousand and one stitches of -which it is composed, if a single one be missed, down goes the whole -concatenation of loops, and the matter is just where it began, only -with a ravelled thread about your fingers and thumbs, which is neither -pleasant nor tidy. This consideration had some weight with the earl; -so, after thinking deeply for several minutes, he rejoined,--"The -matter seems clear enough, Mr. Tims, but I will put it to yourself -whether you can carry it through successfully or not--Hear me to an -end, sir--I will on no account agree to the redemption of the annuity, -if you are not certain of being able to bring about that which we -propose. So, do not undertake it unless you can do so. If you do -undertake it, the odds stand thus--You have five hundred pounds in -addition to your fees if you be successful, but, if you fail, you lose -my agency for ever."</p> - -<p class="normal">"My lord," replied Tims, who was not a man to suppose that cunning -could ever fail. "I will undertake the business and the risk. But, of -course, your lordship must give me all your excellent advice, and your -powerful assistance. In the first place, you must allow me to bid my -uncle send all his letters, and direct all the answers to be sent -under cover to your lordship, and, in the next place, you must allow -me to write immediately to this man Harding in your name."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not without letting me see the letter!" exclaimed Lord Ashborough. -"But that of course; and if you succeed, the five hundred pounds are -yours."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Your lordship is ever generous and kind," replied Peter Tims, "and I -will undertake to carry the matter through; but only"--and Mr. -Tims was honest for once in his life, from the fear of after -consequences--"but only I am afraid your lordship will not find the -result put this Sir Sidney Delaware so completely in your power as you -think."</p> - -<p class="normal">"How so?" demanded Lord Ashborough, turning upon him almost fiercely. -"How so, sir? How so?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, my lord," replied Mr. Tims, in a low and humble tone, "even -suppose he is arrested, depend upon it, he will very easily find some -one to lend him the money on the Emberton estates, to take up the -bills he has given."</p> - -<p class="normal">The earl's eye flashed, and the dark and bitter spirit in his heart -broke forth for the first time unrestrained. "Let me but have him in -prison!" he exclaimed, "Let me but have him once in prison, and I will -so complicate my claims upon his pitiful inheritance, and so wring his -proud heart with degradations, that the beggar who robbed me of my -bride, shall die as he has lived, in poverty and disappointment!" and -in the vehemence with which the long suppressed passion burst forth, -he struck his hand upon the table, till the ink-glasses danced in -their stand.</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims could understand envy, hatred, and malice, and all -uncharitableness; but he was cowed by such vehemence as that into -which the bare thought of seeing his detested rival in prison, had -betrayed his noble patron. Feeling, too, that he himself was not at -all the sort of spirit to rule the whirlwind and direct the storm, he -said a few quiet words about preparing every thing, and waiting on his -lordship the next morning, and slunk away without more ado.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER X.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">This chapter shall be, I think, what that delightful wight, -Washington -Irving, would call a Salmagundi, or as it should be, perhaps, a <i>Salmi -à la Gondi</i>; but having mentioned that name, Irving I dedicate this -book to you. It is long since we first met--long since we last -parted--and, it may be, long, long, ere we meet again. Nevertheless, -Heaven speed you, wherever you are, and send you forward on your -voyage, with a calm sea, and a swelling sail! In all the many that I -have known, and amongst the few that I have loved and esteemed, there -is not now a living man that can compete with you in that delightful -conversation, where the heart pours forth its tide; and where fancy -and feeling mingle together, and flow on in one ever sparkling stream. -The dim Atlantic, whose very name sounds like that of eternity, may -roll between us, till death close the eyes of one or the other; but -till the things of this world pass away, you shall not be forgotten.</p> - -<p class="normal">Although we have now brought up the events in London nearly to the -same point as the events in the country, we must still leave Henry -Burrel strolling on through Emberton Park beside Blanche Delaware, -while we turn for a moment to his silent servant, who having, on the -same morning, walked with his usual slow and quiet step to the -post-office, brought home, and deposited upon his masters table, two -or three letters, after first gleaning every possible information that -their outside or their inside could furnish. He then proceeded to -inspect the contents of another epistle, which bore his own name and -superscription. The words therein written had a considerable effect -upon him, causing more twitches and contortions of the muscles of his -countenance, than was usually visible upon that still and patient -piece of furniture. The first expression was certainly full of -pleasure; but that soon relapsed into deep thought, and then a grave -shake of the head, and close setting of the lower jaw, might be -supposed to argue a negative determination. "No, no, Mr. Tims," he -muttered, "that wont do! If one could make sure of getting clear -off--well and good. But first, there is the chance of my not being -sent for the money--then you would take good care to have me closely -watched; and then, again, I do not know whether the chance here at -Emberton may not be worth ten of the other--and I may come in for my -share of the other too. No, no, Mr. Tims, it won't do!--so I will come -the conscientious upon you." And down he sat to indite an epistle to -Mr. Peter Tims, the agent of Lord Ashborough. It was written in one of -those fair, easy, but vacillating, running-hands, which bespeak a -peculiar and inherent gift or talent for committing forgery; and was -to the following effect:--</p> -<br> - -<p style="text-indent:60%">"Emberton, <i>September</i>, 18--</p> - -<p class="normal">"<span class="sc">Sir</span>--Your honoured letter was duly received this morning; and I -hasten to reply, as in duty bound. I am very sure that such honourable -gentlemen as my lord the earl and yourself, would not undertake any -thing but upon good and reasonable grounds; but, hoping that you will -pardon my boldness in saying so much, yet I cannot imagine that I have -any other than a straightforward duty to perform--namely, when my -master sends me for any sum of money, or other valuable thing, to -hasten to give it up into his hands as soon as I have received it; -which I would certainly do, in case he should send me up to London, -although I do not think it probable he will. It is very true, -certainly, that I do think our notions of property are very confined -and wrong; and that no man should have at his disposal a -superabundance, while another man is wanting the necessaries or even -conveniences of life; and that, if things were equally distributed, a -better system must spontaneously arise. This much I have learned by -reading; and I heartily wish that the principles of regeneration, -which are at present in active existence amongst the operative -classes, may go on to complete a change of the old corrupt system. -Nevertheless, until such time as the intellect of the country in -general shall have worked such results, I can be doing no wrong in -following the laws and usages established; and shall, consequently, -abstain from acting upon the abstract principles of general utility, -until such time as the general welfare may require a physical -demonstration of popular opinion.</p> - -<p class="normal">"In regard to certain passages of my past life, to which you are -pleased to refer; although I believe that I could perfectly justify -myself upon my own fixed principles for every thing that I have done -through life; yet I am sorry that any thing should have occurred to -make you for a moment doubt the integrity of a person you strongly -recommended to Mr. Beauchamp; and I am determined to do nothing that -shall confirm any evil opinion you may have unfortunately been led to -form, or to make my master regret having listened to the -recommendation which you formerly thought fit to give your very humble -and most obedient servant,</p> -<p style="text-indent:60%">"<span class="sc">Stephen Harding</span>."</p> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Having penned this delectable epistle, and read it over more than -once, with much genuine satisfaction at the skill with which he had -endeavoured to raise his own character, while rejecting the offers of -Mr. Tims, Harding sealed it up, and hastened to put it in the post. He -then sauntered slowly through the town; and having visited the widow's -cottage, and conversed for a few minutes with her son, he proceeded to -walk on in the same direction, which we have seen Burrel pursue upon a -former occasion, shortly after his first arrival at Emberton. The -purpose of the silent servant, however, was not to visit the old miser -of Ryebury in person; and, ere he had gone a quarter of a mile upon -the road, he was joined by the same bold vulgar personage who had, -during part of the journey, occupied a place in the stage-coach which -brought his master to Emberton.</p> - -<p class="normal">They met evidently as old and familiar friends, and with that sort of -easy nonchalance which bespoke that their meeting was not unexpected. -The servant pursued his way, scarcely pausing to say the necessary -passwords of civility, and the other, turning onward upon the same -path, walked by his side, with his arms bent behind his back, -conversing, not exactly in an under voice, but rather in that -between-the-teeth sort of tone, which renders what is said more -difficult to be understood by any one not quite near, than even a -whisper.</p> - -<p class="normal">The terms in which they spoke, also, were somewhat enigmatical, and -none, probably, but the initiated, could have discovered their views -or purposes by such terms as the following.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have just been thinking last night. Master Harding," said his new -companion, "that we had better get the other job done as soon as -possible. We are wasting time, I thinks, and it seems to me as how you -are growing something squeamish."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You are a fool, Tony," replied Harding, civilly; "you are a fool for -thinking any thing of the kind. I'll tell you what, you may count -yourself extremely well off that you have fallen in with a man of -principle and education like myself, or you would have put your neck -in a noose long ago. You take no extended views of things; and, -instead of acting upon principle, which would always make you cautious -in regard to times and seasons, and means and methods, you go bolt on, -and would run your head into the stone pitcher, if I were not by to -pull you back by the heels."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, I think you're a rum covey, now!" replied the other; and was -proceeding in the same strain, when he was stopped by his companion -exclaiming--"Hush, hush! Curse your slang, it will betray you as soon -as the mark of the hot iron would. Look here, now. I am no more -squeamish than you are. I always act upon principle; and as to the job -before us, considering the sum of general utility that is to be -gained, I see no objection to doing the matter completely--I mean, -making a finish of it. You understand? But where is the hurry? Let us -go cautiously to work, learn our ground, and get every thing -prepared.--I say, where's the hurry?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"As to the matter of that," answered the other, "there mayn't be no -great hurry, to be sure. But we're both wasting our time somewhat; -and, besides, they are looking out sharp after that other job--you see -they have digged for the plate like mad--so that there is no use -staying longer nor necessary, you know?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Don't be afraid!" answered Harding, coolly, "They can make nothing of -that. Besides, look here, Smithson; if we wait four or five days -longer, there will be five-and-twenty thousand pounds down from -London."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Whew!" whistled Mr. Anthony Smithson, laying one finger on the side -of his nose. "That is a go! But are you sure?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I never say any thing without being sure," answered Harding, with -laconic pomposity. "So make yourself easy on that score. I say there -will be five-and-twenty thousand pounds down in three or four days; -and, if I know the old man right, the larger half will be in gold. -Have you tried Sally the maid?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It won't do!" answered the other, with somewhat of a rueful face. -"She has lived long enough with that old fellow, to be as cautious as -a beak."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, I suppose I must do that too!" answered the valet; "though it -is a little tiresome, Master Smithson, that all the hard work is to -fall upon me."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, how the devil can I help it, Harding?" replied the other, "If -the girl will have nothing to say to me, what can I do, you know? No, -no, when it comes to the real hard work, you never find me behind!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, well," answered his worthy coadjutor, "I must come round her -myself somehow, though she be but a dirty trapesing slut, that a man -of gentlemanly feelings will find some difficulty in making love -to--but, nevertheless, when one acts upon principle, one learns to -overcome one's repugnance to such things, from a consideration of the -mass of general utility to be obtained by a trifling sacrifice."</p> - -<p class="normal">His companion grinned, but he was too well accustomed to Mr. Harding's -method of reasoning to express any farther surprise. After a few words -more on both sides, however, as they judged it expedient to be seen -together as little as possible, those two respectable persons -separated, and, while Anthony Smithson returned to the town, Harding -pursued his way onward; and having, on the strength of the -communication he had received, determined to proceed to Ryebury, he -took the same path that Burrel had followed before him. The beauties -of nature occupied less of his thoughts than those of his master; and -while, with solemn steps and slow, he wandered on his way, his ideas -were much fuller of shillings and sixpences, and trips across the -Atlantic, than of the verdant mead and purling stream.</p> - -<p class="normal">As I believe I have before said. Master Harding was by no means an -ugly person; and the charms of his good looks, together with a -marvellous sweet voice, and a good deal more eloquence of its own -peculiar kind than any one could have suspected him to possess from -his usual taciturnity, he was what the French render, with somewhat -profligate decency, by calling the persons so gifted, <i>un homme à -bonnes fortunes</i>. His expedition against the heart of Sally, the -miser's maid, was more successful than that of his companion had been, -and he returned home flattering himself on having made more progress -than he had anticipated. In fact, he had been fortunate in finding Mr. -Tims out, and Sally at home; but as the intrigues of a slattern and a -valet form no part of the staple of this book, we shall leave the -matter as it is, without any farther elucidation.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the meanwhile, Burrel--for so we shall still call him--had -sauntered on, whiling away the golden minutes of a fair day, on the -early side of thirty, in sweet conversation beside a beautiful girl. I -have described what their conversation was like before, and I leave -every one who can remember what were the sensations he experienced, -when deep and fervent love just began to break upon his heart, to -imagine how sweet were the winged minutes as they flew. Even the -unspoken consciousness was not a burden, but a joy; and though Blanche -Delaware might be said to tremble at the feelings that were growing -upon her, yet there was a sort of vague internal conviction that those -feelings were reciprocal--that they could not thus have crept over her -heart unless some, nay, many of the signs of similar sentiments, on -his side, had been sufficiently displayed to make her feel secure that -she did not love unsought. Still there would every now and then -come a shrinking apprehension across her mind, that she might be -deceived--that it might be all, merely a courteous and engaging -manner, the same towards every one, which she in her ignorance had -vainly fancied particular to herself. But those thoughts were but for -a moment; and as Burrel walked onward by her side, there was in his -tone, in his manner, and still more in the current through which all -his thoughts appeared now to flow, a balmy influence that seemed to -soothe away every fear. She knew not well whence she derived that -balm; for had she tried, which, by the way, she did not, she could not -have found one particular word he spoke, which was more appropriate to -the vocabulary of love than to Johnson's Dictionary. It was, -perhaps--but she knew nothing about it--It was, perhaps, that pouring -forth of the soul upon every topic, which can never take place but in -conversation with one we love and esteem; for the hours of love are -like a sunshiny day in the midst of summer, and all the flowers open, -and the birds sing, and the bright things come forth through the -hearts universe. It was this, perhaps, more than ought else in -Burrel's manner, that made Blanche Delaware believe that she herself -was loved.</p> - -<p class="normal">It is sometimes a very difficult thing to get two people to -acknowledge, in any language under the sun, the feelings that are -passing in their hearts. It is more especially difficult in a book; -for no author likes to tell how he and his managed the matter -themselves--at least, if he be not an ass or a coxcomb--and any thing -that is manufactured, is almost always "flat, stale, and -unprofitable." A true story canters one easily over all such -difficulties; and it so fortunately happened, that Henry Burrel and -Blanche Delaware acknowledged it all without the slightest idea in the -world that they were doing any thing of the kind.</p> - -<p class="normal">There had been something spoken accidentally, that went too deep, and -both felt, perhaps, though almost unconsciously, that nothing more -could be said on that topic without saying more still; and as there -was a third person by, of course the matter dropt, and equally of -course, a long pause ensued, which grew unpleasant.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I thought," said Burrel at length, "that we were to meet with some -antiquities--even more interesting than the house itself--at least, -your father said so;" and conscious that he had made an awkward -speech, and very little to the purpose, Burrel looked up and smiled, -though many other men would have looked down and coloured.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You are not far from them," replied Captain Delaware--for Blanche's -eyes were fixed upon the ground, and her thoughts were--not at Nova -Zembla. "But surely you are not tired?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay, nay, any thing but tired," answered Burrel; "but your father -declared he would catechize me upon these ruins severely, and I was -only afraid that I should forget them altogether."</p> - -<p class="normal">"A piece of inattention, which Blanche or I would excuse much more -readily than my father," replied the good-humoured sailor. "But we are -close upon them. You see those two wooded banks that fall across each -other, with the stream flowing out in foam from between them? They -form the mouth of a little glen, about a hundred yards up which, -stands the Prior's Fountain, and farther still the Hermit's Chapel. In -architecture, I believe, they are unique, and there is many a curious -tradition about both."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Hush, hush, William!" cried his sister, seeing him about to proceed, -"Never tell the traditions but upon the spot. Oh, an old legend, in -these days of steam and manufactory, can never be properly told, -except under the gray stone and the ivy, where the memories of a -thousand years are carved by the chisel of time on every tottering -pinnacle and mouldering cornice, which vouch, by their unusual forms, -for the strange stories of their founders!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, let us go on, by all means!" said Burrel, smiling; "an old legend -is worthy of every accessary with which we can furnish it.--But there -it is," he added, as they turned the angle of the bank, and, entering -the little glen, had before them a small Gothic building, covered with -the richest ornaments of the most luxurious age of Norman -architecture. "That, I suppose, is the Chapel?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, that is the Prior's Fountain," answered Captain Delaware; "and -certainly the monks must have attached some peculiar importance to it, -from covering it over with so splendid a structure."</p> - -<p class="normal">Another minute brought them near it, and Burrel found, that, under a -beautiful canopy of stone-work, supported by eight cluster pillars, -was placed a small stone fountain, full of the most limpid water, -which, welling from a basin somewhat like the baptismal font of a -Gothic church, poured through a little channel in the pavement, and -thence made a small sparkling stream, which joined the larger one ere -it had run fifty yards. Attached to the basin by an iron chain, was a -cup of the same metal, of very ancient date, though, perhaps, more -modern than the fountain. This cup, as soon as they approached. -Captain Delaware dipped into the water, and, laughing gaily, held it -to Burrel.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You must drink of the Prior's Fountain, Mr. Burrel," he said; "but -listen, listen, before you do so. The monks, you know, having vowed -celibacy, found that the less they had to do with love the better; and -it being luckily discovered that the waters of this well were a -complete and everlasting cure for that malady, one of the priors -covered it over, as you see, and enjoined that, on commencing his -noviciate at Emberton, every pseudo monk should be brought hither, and -made to drink one cup of the water. It is added, that the remedy was -never known to fail, and now with this warning, Burrel, drink if you -will."</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel by this time had the cup in his hand, and for a single -instant his eyes sought those of Blanche Delaware. She was looking -down into the fountain, with one hand resting on the edge. There was -a slight smile upon her lip, but there was a scarcely perceptible -degree of agitation in her aspect, at the same time, which Burrel -understood--or, at least, hoped--might have some reference to himself, -although she might believe as little as he did in the efficacy of the -waters of the fountain.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no!" he replied at once, giving back the cup to Captain Delaware, -and laughing lightly, as people do when they have very serious -feelings at their hearts, "No, no! I dare not drink of such waters. -They are too cold in every sense of the word to drink, after such a -walk as this.--The very cup has frozen my hand!" he added, to take out -any point that he might have given to his speech.</p> - -<p class="normal">"He is actually afraid, Blanche!" cried her brother, laughing. "Come, -show him what a brave girl you are, and drain the cup to the bottom!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, indeed!" answered Blanche Delaware. "Mr. Burrel is very right. -The water is a great deal too cold;" and, as she spoke, she blushed -till the tell-tale blood spread rosy over her fair forehead, and -tingled in her small rounded ear.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Cowards both, as I live!" cried Captain Delaware, drinking off the -contents, and letting the cup drop.--"Cowards both, as I live!" and, -springing across the little streamlet, he took two or three steps -onward, towards the chapel.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Let me assist you across!" said Burrel, offering his hand. As his -fingers touched those of Blanche Delaware, to aid her in crossing -the rivulet, they clasped upon her hand with a gentle pressure of -thanks--so slight that she could not be offended, so defined that she -could not mistake. The natural impulse of surprise was to look up; -and, before she could recollect herself, she had done so, and her eyes -met Burrel's. What she saw was all kind, and gentle, and tender; but -she instantly cast down her eyes, with another blush that was painful -from its intensity, and with a single tear of agitation--and perhaps -delight.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER XI.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Sir Sidney Delaware was a peculiar character; and, if I had -time, I -would go on and make a miniature of him. But I have not time; and -therefore, though there might undoubtedly be a great deal of pleasure -in investigating all the little complex motives which made him do this -thing or that thing, which seemed quite contrary to his general -principles--a great deal of pleasure in finding out the small fine -lines that connected together actions that appeared as opposite as -light and darkness--yet, having a long journey before me, and very -little time to spare, I must refrain from taking portraits by the -roadside, leaving every pleasant gentlemen of my acquaintance to say, -"That is not natural--this is out of character!" if he like.</p> - -<p class="normal">One thing, however, I must notice, which was, that Sir Sidney Delaware -was in some degree an indolent man--there was a great deal of the <i>vis -inertiæ</i> in his constitution. His mind was naturally active enough, -but the body clogged it, and even rendered it lazy too; and the -opposition between a keen and powerful moral constitution, and an idle -physical temperament, was the cause of many a contradiction in his -conduct.</p> - -<p class="normal">Such had been the case in regard to his daughter's visits to Mrs. -Darlington. That good lady, when she first settled in the -neighbourhood, had determined upon visiting the people at the Park; -and though Sir Sidney for some time continued stiff, and cold, and -stern--ay, and even rude--Mrs. Darlington persevered, and Mrs. -Darlington carried her point.</p> - -<p class="normal">The same now became the case with Burrel. He had been once received as -an intimate in the house of the Delawares, and the door was open to -him whenever he chose. There was something to be said, it is true, -upon the score of a great service rendered, which, of course, formed a -tie between him and every member of the Delaware family, which existed -in no other case. But still there was a great deal of habit in the -matter; and Burrel, having now his purpose to carry too, took care -that the good custom should not drop.</p> - -<p class="normal">He became almost a daily visiter. Many a long-ramble he took with -Captain Delaware; many a sweet intoxicating walk beside Blanche. Many, -too, were the long and pleasant discussions he held with Sir Sidney, -upon every subject under the sun--the customs and manners of our -ancestors--the glorious works of past ages--the stores of classical -knowledge, or the beauties and perfections, follies and absurdities, -of our own and other lands.</p> - -<p class="normal">As some French writer has said, "C'est dans les petites choses que -l'on temoigne son amitié. L'amour propre a trop de part à ce qu'on -fait dans les grandes occasions;" and it is this truth that makes -small attentions always pleasant to those who receive them--great -services often painful. Burrel felt that it was so; and took infinite -care to conceal that he had the slightest thought of relieving Sir -Sidney Delaware from his difficulties; but, at the same time, by the -display of elegant manners and a polished mind, and by the constant -outbreakings of a generous and a noble heart, he rendered himself both -so agreeable and so much esteemed, that Sir Sidney learned to think, -"If I required any great service, I would ask it of Henry Burrel -sooner than of any other man I know."</p> - -<p class="normal">Very soon the worthy baronet began to look for his appearance shortly -after breakfast; and, as he had always something--perhaps of little -consequence--but still something on which he wished to speak with him, -he twice caught himself saying, when Burrel was a few minutes after -the usual hour, "I wish Mr. Burrel would come;" and then remembered, -with a sort of cynical smile, springing from very mixed feelings, that -he had no right to expect that he would come at all.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel always did come, however; and, finding that he was ever made -most welcome by the baronet, greeted with a hearty shake of the hand -by Captain Delaware, and found a bright, though timid, smile on the -sweet lips of Blanche, he did not find it very difficult to assign -motives for his each day's visit, or to discover an excuse for the -call of the next morning. Sir Sidney Delaware soon began to give him -stronger marks of his esteem; and on more than one occasion, when -accidentally alone with Burrel, referred frankly to the state of his -own affairs, and the causes which had combined to produce their -embarrassment.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel, on his part, of course found the subject difficult to converse -upon, and the more so, perhaps, from the previous knowledge, which he -did not choose to display. However, when on one occasion the baronet -directly mentioned the annuity granted to the Earl of Ashborough, he -replied--"But the interest is enormous, and the earl would, of course, -suffer you to redeem it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am sorry to say, my young friend," replied Sir Sidney, "that at the -time you met William in the coach coming from London, the poor fellow -was returning full of disappointment from an unsuccessful attempt to -persuade Lord Ashborough to permit the repayment of the original sum. -But his lordship refused in the most peremptory manner; and, on the -deed being produced, no clause of redemption was found in it, -although, in the original letter of instructions for the preparation -of that instrument, the introduction of such a clause is expressly -enjoined."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If I might advise, Sir Sidney," replied Burrel; but then breaking off -again, he added--"But perhaps I am taking too great a liberty with -you, in even offering advice upon your private affairs."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not in the least, my dear sir!" replied the baronet. "Speak, speak, -my dear sir! I have forgotten all my legal learning, and shall be very -glad of any advice upon the subject."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I know nothing of law, either," answered Burrel smiling; "but I know -a little of Lord Ashborough, and I know the character he bears in the -world. Of his faults and failings, I do not pretend to speak; but his -lordship has, of course, his share. He has, however, always maintained -a grave and dignified name, and high character in society; and it is -very generally believed that his lordship values the reputation of a -just, stern, upright peer, more than"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"The reality!" added Sir Sidney Delaware, with one of those sneers -which had made him many an enemy in his youth--Strange that a turn up -of the nostril should make men cut each other's throats!</p> - -<p class="normal">"I was not going to be quite so severe," said Burrel, somewhat -gravely; "but I was going to add, that he values that reputation more -than any part of his estate; and I should think that if your son were -to go to London once more, and were to show him the letter of -instructions for the preparation of the annuity deed, pointing out to -him that the clause has been omitted, either by the mistake or the -fraud of a lawyer, and hinting at the publicity of a court of -justice--I think, I say--indeed I feel sure, that his lordship's care -for his reputation, coming in support of what I believe to be his -natural sense of equity, would make him at once accept the -redemption."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Perhaps you are right in regard to his care for his reputation, Mr. -Burrel," replied Sir Sidney Delaware. "But I, who know him better -perhaps than you do, cannot reckon much upon his sense of equity. I -know him well--thoroughly! In early years, before these children were -born, Lord Ashborough and myself were unfortunately involved in a -dispute, which did not arise in any great demonstrations of a sense -of equity on his part; and since that time, I have reason to believe -that disappointment, added to a bitter quarrel, has caused him to -watch an opportunity of treading on the head of one, against whom Time -even--the great mollifier of all things--has not been able to abate -his rancour."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I would fain believe that you do not quite do him justice," replied -Burrel. "May not a little personal dislike on your own part, my dear -sir, influence your mind against him?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, indeed, Mr. Burrel! No, indeed!" answered Sir Sidney Delaware. "I -know him <i>intus et in cute novi</i>. He was, and is, and ever will be, -the same man. The cause of our quarrel now lies in the cold forgetful -dust, where all such dissensions cease. Besides, I was naturally the -least offended of the two, being the injured person. I also was -successful--he disappointed--notwithstanding all his arts; and -therefore the matter with me was soon forgotten, while with him it has -been, I am afraid, long remembered. Nevertheless," he added, "do not -for a moment fancy that I am saying all this because I do not intend -to follow your advice. Far from it--William shall go up. Indeed, I -should think myself very wrong, were I to leave any means untried to -remove those embarrassments which shut my children out from the -society to which by birth they are entitled."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware soon joined the conference; and, although he shook -his head at all idea of changing the determination of Lord Ashborough, -yet he undertook to try, with a readiness that the cold and haughty -demeanour which he described that nobleman to have maintained towards -him, rendered a little extraordinary. The resolution, however, once -taken, William Delaware was not a man, either by temperament or habit, -to lose a moment in putting it into execution, and his place was -instantly secured in the next morning's coach for London. Burrel -agreed to dine at the mansion, and the day passed over with that -additional drop of excitement, which renewed hope and expectation, -however faint, are still sure to let fall into the cup of life.</p> - -<p class="normal">Either it was really so, or Burrel fancied it, that Blanche Delaware -was more lovely and more fascinating than ever; and, indeed, the -feelings that had been growing upon her for several days, had added an -indescribable and sparkling charm to all the attractions of youth, and -grace, and beauty. The soul always did much in her case to increase -the loveliness that nature had bestowed upon her face and form, and -Burrel could not help imagining--even long before--that the graceful -movement of each elegant limb, and finely modelled feature, was but -the corporeal expression of a bright and generous mind within. But now -the heart, too, was called into play, and all the warm and sunny -feelings of a young and ardent bosom, sparkled irrepressibly up to the -surface, calling forth new charms, both in their accidental flash, and -in the effort to suppress them.</p> - -<p class="normal">All Burrel's enthusiasm, too--brought as he was by every circumstance -into nearer connexion with that fair being, than any other events -could possibly have produced--having been admitted to that intimate -friendship which no other man shared--having become the friend and -adviser of her father and brother, and having saved her own life--all -his own natural enthusiasm of character, therefore, unchained by any -opposing motive, broke through all the habitual restraints of the -state of life to which he had so long been accustomed; and during that -afternoon, Henry Burrel, with very little concealment of his feelings, -sat beside Blanche Delaware, full of that bright unaccountable -thing--love.</p> - -<p class="normal">The matter was so evident, and indeed had been so evident for the last -two or three days, that the eyes of Captain Delaware himself--not very -clear upon such subjects--had been fully opened; and now, as Burrel -bent over his sister's drawing-frame with a look of tenderness and -affection that would bear but one interpretation, he turned his eyes -upon his father to see whether it were really possible that he did not -perceive the feelings that were kindling up before him.</p> - -<p class="normal">No one perhaps had ever in his day felt more deep and sincere -love than Sir Sidney Delaware, yet--it is wonderful! quite -wonderful!--Burrel might almost, as the old romances term it, have -died of love at his daughter's feet, without his perceiving that any -thing was the matter. Burrel was bending over Blanche Delaware with a -look, and a tone, and a manner, that all declared, "Never, in the many -mingled scenes which I have trod, did I meet with any thing so -beautiful, so gentle, so graceful as yourself!" Captain Delaware, as I -have said, turned his eyes upon his father; but Sir Sidney, with his -fine head a little thrown back, a pair of tortoiseshell spectacles -upon his nose, and his face to the bookcases, was walking quietly -along, looking earnestly for Pliny.</p> - -<p class="normal">Oh, had you not forgotten all your lessons in the natural history of -the heart, you might have marked much. Sir Sidney Delaware, that would -have given you more to study than could be found in Pliny, ay, or -Plato either!</p> - -<p class="normal">"I must look to it myself," thought Captain Delaware. "Poor Blanche! -It would not do to have the dear girl's affections trifled with.--Yet, -I do not think he is one to play such a part either--Oh, no!--yet I -must speak to him!"</p> - -<p class="normal">With this doughty resolution, and a thousand thoughts and difficulties -in regard to what he was to say when he did begin, Captain Delaware -sat down to dinner, somewhat absent and pensive; and after Blanche had -left them, and Sir Sidney had retired to his dressing-room to indulge -in a somewhat usual nap after dinner, the gallant officer invited his -friend to ramble through the park till tea-time, fully prepared to do -a great deal that a man of the world would never have thought of doing -at all. Burrel saw that something was weighing upon his companion's -mind; but as his own determinations in regard to Blanche were -completely formed, and he feared no questions upon the subject, he did -not anticipate any. He left Captain Delaware, however, to bring forth -his own thoughts at leisure, and walked on by his side as silent as -himself, though not quite so much embarrassed.</p> - -<p class="normal">At length. Captain Delaware began--"I have wished," he said, "Mr. -Burrel"----</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel started, for the epithet <i>Mister</i> had long been dropped towards -him by his companion, and he evidently perceived that something very -formal was working its way through his friend's mind.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have wished, Burrel," repeated Captain Delaware, correcting himself -on seeing the surprise expressed by the other's countenance--"I have -wished to speak with you about my sister;" and, as he mentioned that -dear name, a sense of deep affection for her made him proceed more -boldly, though his face glowed warmly as he spoke. "You have been much -with her of late, and perhaps may be so for some time longer. Now--do -not misunderstand me, Burrel--do not think 1 doubt you, or seek to -question you: but I wish first to put you in mind that she sees very -few persons besides yourself, and next to tell you--as most men of -station and fortune expect to receive some portion with their -wives--to tell you that the greater part even of the small sum which -Blanche and I inherited from our mother, is engaged to support as far -as possible, and that is little enough, our father's station in -society."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And did you, my dear Delaware, suppose for a moment"--said Burrel, in -reply, "did you imagine, from what you have hitherto seen of my -conduct and sentiments, that so long as I had enough myself to offer -any woman I might love, I would consider her fortune for an instant?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no! I did not suppose you would," replied Captain Delaware, -hesitating in some degree how to proceed. "But the truth is, Burrel, I -have heard that women's hearts are delicate things, and as easily -wounded as the wing of a butterfly. However, let us say no more of it. -I begin to think that I have got out of my depth, and meddled with -matters I had better have left to themselves."</p> - -<p class="normal">For some reason, or reasons--from some simple or complex motive, which -I do not know, and shall not stop to discover--men, however fully -their minds may be made up in such matters as that on which I write, -never like to be questioned upon the subject till they choose to -explain themselves; and, although Burrel was fully determined to offer -his hand to Blanche Delaware, as soon as he had convinced himself that -not a shadow of hesitation on her part would hurt his pride; and -though he completely understood Captain Delaware's feelings upon the -subject, and was amused at his straightforwardness, yet some internal -little devil of perversity made him feel almost offended at the -sentences we have just recorded. He resisted, however, and the devil -fled from him.</p> - -<p class="normal">"My dear Delaware," he said, after a moment's pause, which he employed -in clearing his bosom of the enemy, "although no man likes to make a -declaration, except at his own choice and convenience, yet, situated -as you are, I can enter into all your feelings for your sister. Set -your mind at rest then," he added, laying his hand frankly and kindly -on his companion's arm. "Set your mind at rest then, as far as I am -concerned. It is my intention, as soon as I can entertain any hope of -success, to offer my hand to your sister. If she refuse me, it is not -my fault you know; but this much you will, I am sure, take upon my -word, that I would not presume for one moment to solicit the hand of a -daughter of Sir Sidney Delaware, unless in rank I could aspire to that -honour, and in fortune could maintain her in that circle which she is -calculated to adorn. Let us say no more upon the subject, if you can -trust me."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware grasped his hand warmly, "You have made me very -happy," he said.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, then, keep my secret," added Burrel with a smile, "and let your -sister decide the rest."</p> - -<p class="normal">William Delaware could well have told, at least he thought so, what -his sister's decision would be; but delicacy prevented him from -speaking his belief; and with a lightened heart he changed the -subject, and returned with Burrel to the mansion.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER XII.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">William Delaware set out from Emberton, and arrived in London. -His -next step was to send a note to Lord Ashborough, informing him of his -being in town, and requesting an interview the following morning; and -in answer he received a very polite though somewhat formal billet, -inviting him to breakfast in Grosvenor Square, and promising as long -an audience after that meal as he might think necessary.</p> - -<p class="normal">At the appointed hour--for Captain Delaware never considered that -appointed hours mean nothing--he approached Lord Ashborough's house, -and was ushered up stairs, where he found housemaids and empty -drawing-rooms enow; and, planting himself at a window that looked out -into the square, he gazed forth with somewhat unpleasant anticipations -occupying his mind, and rendering his eye sightless as to all that was -passing before it.</p> - -<p class="normal">In a few minutes the housemaids withdrew from the farther rooms, and -the whole suit became vacant for some time, till a light step caught -Captain Delaware's ear, and, turning round, he beheld a young lady -whom he had seen there before, when last he had visited London. At -that time he had found her surrounded by a whole bevy of strangers, -whose gay appearance and supercilious manner had somewhat repelled the -young sailor, although Miss Beauchamp herself. Lord Ashborough's -niece, had spoken to him with frank kindness, and claimed relationship -with him at once.</p> - -<p class="normal">Miss Beauchamp now advanced towards him, while he acknowledged her -approach by a bow, which was stiff though not awkward. The young lady, -however, held out her hand with a gay smile, and, as he took it, -added, in a tone of playful sharpness, "Tell me, sir, are you my -cousin, or are you not?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I believe I have some right to claim that honour," replied Captain -Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, then," continued the young lady, "lay aside, immediately, all -that stiff, chilly reserve, or I will disown you henceforth and for -ever." Captain Delaware smiled, and she continued. "I know that this -house has a very icy atmosphere; but that does not extend to my part -of it, and while my noble and stately uncle may be as frigid as -the north pole in his peculiar territories, the library and the -dining-room, I must have a pleasanter climate in my domains, the -drawing-rooms and breakfast-room."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Your own presence must always produce such an atmosphere," replied -Captain Delaware. "But you must remember. Miss Beauchamp, that I have -been but a short time within its influence, so that I have scarcely -had leisure to get thawed."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, I must unfreeze you quite, erelong, my good cousin," replied Miss -Beauchamp, laughing. "But now, listen to me for five minutes, for I -have a great deal more to say to you than you know any thing about. -Calculating that you would come early, when I heard that my uncle had -asked you to breakfast, I determined to rise a full hour sooner than -usual, on purpose to give you your lesson for the day."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware expressed his thanks as warmly as possible, -acknowledging, however, that his gratitude was somewhat mingled with -surprise, to find that his fair cousin was prepared to be interested -in behalf of one, who, though akin by blood, was nearly a stranger as -far as acquaintance went.</p> - -<p class="normal">"That would be a severe reproach to my forwardness, William Delaware," -replied the young lady, "if I had not a good motive <i>in petto</i>. -Besides, I find, that in days of yore, when we were all children, and -my good father was alive, that you and I and Blanche, and my brother -Henry, have had many a rude game of play amongst the old trees of -Emberton Park. But, let us speak to the point, as we may have little -time to speak at all--An old friend of yours and mine, good Dr. -Wilton, has written to me a long letter, two or three days ago, giving -me an account of all this unfortunate business between your father and -my uncle, and desiring me, if you ever came to town again, to do my -best to forward your views. Now, the truth is, I have no more -influence with Lord Ashborough than that screen."</p> - -<p class="normal">"With a thousand thanks for your kind interest," replied Captain -Delaware; "I should still be sorry to owe, even to your influence, -what I could not obtain from justice."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Pride! Pride!" cried Miss Beauchamp, "the fault of men and angels! -But let me tell you, my dear cousin, that no man or men have any right -to be proud in a woman's presence; for ye are a mere race of bullies -at the best, and bow like the veriest slaves whenever we chose to -tyrannize over you. But to the point.--Listen to my sage advice. I was -saying, that I had no more influence with my Lord Ashborough than that -screen.--I am a mere piece of household furniture; and, I dare say, -that I am to be found, written down in the inventory thus:--'Front -drawing-room--Three tables, four-and-twenty chairs, four sofas, three -chaises longues, <i>a niece</i>.'--I do believe, my uncle, when I refused -the Honourable Mr. What's-his-name, the other day, which mortally -offended his lordship, thought of having me transferred to the -schedule of <i>fixtures</i> forthwith. But, nevertheless, as I am a hearing -and seeing piece of furniture, I have learned that the only way to -manage the Earl of Ashborough, is to be firm, steady, somewhat -haughty, and a good deal stern. Remember all this, my dearly beloved -cousin, and make use of the hint. But I hear his lordship's morning -step, when the neat boot is first, for that day, fitted on to the neat -foot. So I will to the breakfast-room; and do not forget, when you -meet me, to wish me good-morrow in set form, and civil terms, and take -care that you do not look conscious."</p> - -<p class="normal">Thus saying, the gay girl ran lightly through the long suite of rooms, -leaving Captain Delaware standing nearly where she had found him, with -a good deal of admiration at her beauty, and a good deal of surprise -at the mingling of kindness both with levity, and with the slightest -possible spice of coquetry, which she had displayed in their brief -conversation.</p> - -<p class="normal">Ere she was well out of sight, the step that had been heard above, -might be distinguished descending the stairs. There is not a little -character in a step, and the sound of Lord Ashborough's was peculiar. -Perhaps the enfeebling power of time--which, what with one aid or -another, was not very apparent in his person--marked its progress more -decidedly in his step than in any thing else. There was a certain -degree of creaking feebleness in it, especially at an early hour of -the morning, when he was just out of bed, which, joined with a slow -precision of fall, indicated a declension in the firm and sturdy -manhood. His lordship felt it, and in society he covered the slight -falling off by an affectation of grave and thoughtful dignity of -movement,--but his valet-de-chambre knew better.</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware, however, did not; and as the earl entered the room, -with a roll of papers in his hand, like Talma in Sylla--he acted a -good deal, by the way--his young relative thought him a very grave and -reverend signor; and would rather have lain for an hour along side an -enemy's frigate, yard-arm to yard-arm, than have grappled with so -stern and thoughtful a personage, on so disagreeable a business as -that which he came to discuss. He had undertaken it resolutely, -however, and he was not a man to flinch before any coward -apprehensions, moral or physical.</p> - -<p class="normal">The first expression of his lordship's countenance, when his eyes fell -upon his visiter, was not certainly of a nature greatly to encourage -him. For a moment--a single instant--nature got the better, and a -slight shade of that loathing dislike, with which one regards some -poisonous reptile, or the object of some peculiar antipathy, passed -over Lord Ashborough's features. It was gone as quickly; and with a -much more condescending and agreeable smile than he had bestowed upon -him on his former visit, the earl advanced, and welcomed him to -London.</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware was of course very well disposed to welcome any show -of kindness; and he said a few words in regard to his regret at having -to trouble Lord Ashborough again.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh! we will speak of all that after breakfast," said the earl. "When -last I saw you I was hurried and fretted by a thousand things, and had -no opportunity of showing you any attention. Indeed, I have but little -leisure now, the duties of my office--he held a sinecure post, which -required him to sign his name twice a-year--the duties of my office -claiming great part of my time. But you must really, as long as you -remain in London, spend your days here; and my niece, Maria, who has -nothing to do, will show you all over the world, under the fair excuse -of your cousinship. But let us to breakfast. Maria will not be down -for this hour; but I never wait for that lazy girl."</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough was not a little surprised to find his niece in the -breakfast-room, and praised her ironically on her habits of early -rising; but Miss Beauchamp answered at once, "Oh! I had a reason for -getting up soon to-day, otherwise I should certainly not have done so. -To contemplate my dear uncle for an hour, with one foot crossed over -the other, letting his coffee get cold, and reading the newspaper, is -too great a treat to be indulged in every morning."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And pray, my fair niece," demanded Lord Ashborough, smiling at a -picture of himself, which was not without the cold sort of importance -he chose to assume; "and pray, my fair niece, what was the particular -cause of your infringing your ancient and beloved habits this -morning?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"First and foremost, of course," replied Miss Beauchamp, with a -graceful bend of the head to her cousin, "to see Captain Delaware, -whose visit you yesterday evening led me to expect; but, in the next -place, my full resolution and determination was to take possession of -your lordship during breakfast, and tease you in every sort of way, -till you agree to leave this horrid place London, now that you are -positively the last gentleman remaining in it, except the men in -red-coats that walk up and down St. James's Street, and look -disconsolate from June till January. But they are forced to stay, poor -fellows! You are not."</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is no use of going out of town, Maria, to come up again the -next day," replied Lord Ashborough. "Parliament will certainly sit for -a few days this month, and I must be present. But, in regard to your -cousin, I intend to make him over to you for the whole day, as I have -some business to transact; and, therefore, you see you would not have -been deprived of his visit."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sad experience making me doubtful," replied Miss Beauchamp laughing, -"in regard to how far your lordship's civility might extend to your -kindred, I did not know whether I might ever see Captain Delaware -again."</p> - -<p class="normal">She spoke in jest, but it cut home, and Lord Ashborough, reddening, -took his coffee and the newspaper, and left his cousin and his niece -to entertain themselves, while he soon became immersed in the idle -gossip of the day. After breakfast, he led the way to the library with -renewed complacence, and, begging Captain Delaware to be seated, he -listened to him calmly and good humouredly, while he spoke of the -cause of his coming. He then read attentively the first instructions -for the annuity deed, and returning the paper, fell--or affected to -fall--into deep thought.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, this certainly does make a great difference," he replied at -length; "and I am sure, Captain Delaware, you will exculpate me from -any desire to take advantage either of an accident or a misfortune. My -plan through life has been to do clear and simple justice to all, and -never to fall into the absurd error of mingling all the feelings of -private life with matters of business. Matters of business should be -transacted as matters of business, and without the slightest regard to -whether you be my cousin or a perfect stranger. I can be generous when -it is necessary, as well as other men; but you applied to me not on a -point of generosity, but on a point of right and of justice, and -therefore in that light did I consider and decline your last proposal. -In the same light do I consider your present statement; but the paper -you have produced, according to my present views, so far alters the -question, that without returning you any direct answer at present, I -will, in going out, call upon my solicitor, consult with him, and, if -you will see him to-morrow at eleven o'clock, he shall tell you my -final views, and, depend upon it, they shall be those of substantial -justice."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware was somewhat disappointed; for, from the first -impression which the production of the paper he had shown Lord -Ashborough, had made upon that nobleman, he had concluded that the -matter would be settled at once. He saw, however, that it would be -useless to press the subject farther at the time; and, after promising -to spend his days, though not his nights, at the house of his noble -kinsman, during his stay in London, he left him in possession of the -library.</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough almost immediately after mounted his horse, and rode -slowly on down all those filthy streets and long, which conduct to -Clement's Inn; in one of the dark and dusty staircases of which, -stinking of parchment and red tape, he met the identical Mr. Peter -Tims, of whom he was in search, and who led him instantly into the -penetralia. Their conversation was keen and long, but a few sentences -of it will be sufficient here. After relating Captain Delaware's -visit, the earl demanded eagerly, "Now, Mr. Tims, can the matter be -done? Have you seen to it?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have, my lord, and it can be done," replied the lawyer. "I have -this morning been at the house of Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson. -Both partners are out of town, but their head clerk was there, and I -have made the following arrangement with him"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"You have not compromised my name, I hope," interrupted the earl.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not in the least, my lord," replied the other. "I explained -to the clerk that you would sell out at this moment to a great -disadvantage--that fourteen days would in all probability alter the -position of affairs--and that therefore your lordship would give a -bill at that date for the ten thousand pounds which you were to pay -them for Mr. Beauchamp.</p> - -<p class="normal">"But how will that forward the matter?" demanded the earl. "It will -seem as if I were shuffling with my nephew concerning his money -matters, and not promote the other purpose."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Your pardon, my lord--your pardon!" cried the lawyer. "You shall -demand of Sir Sidney Delaware to give you bills for the whole sum at a -fortnight's date, and give him up the annuity deed at once, and we -will arrange it so that you shall be out of town when the draft on you -becomes due, so as to stop the ten thousand pounds at the very nick."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay, but Harry will write up to know whether it be paid!" said the -earl.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will write to him as soon as you have given the bill, my lord, -telling him that the money is paid," answered the lawyer; "and I will -direct the letter to his house in John Street, to be forwarded. I have -a good excuse for writing, in regard to this business of the valet he -kicked down stairs--so there will be no suspicion."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You know that he is a good man of business, Mr. Tims," replied the -earl, doubtingly. "Do you think he will take your word without writing -to enquire?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh yes, my lord!" answered the lawyer boldly. "You know your own -plans, and therefore think he may suspect them. That is the way with -all gentlemen, when they first do any little business of this kind. -They always fancy that other people know that we are wanting to keep -them in the dark. Remember Mr. Beauchamp has no suspicion.--He does -not know that you know where he is.--He is not aware that you have -heard he is going to squander away his money at all; still less, that -you are good enough to take such pains to prevent him. He will believe -it at once, that the money is paid, and will simply give a draft for -it on Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson when the money is wanted. -Besides, from all I can learn, although he be in general a good man of -business enough, I hear he has got hold of one of those pieces of -business that put every thing else out of a man's head altogether."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What do you mean, sir?" demanded the earl, in a strong tone of -aristocratical pride; for there was a sort of sneer upon the -countenance of Mr. Tims, which he did not at all admire, coupled with -the mention of his rich nephew--and here, be it remarked, that it made -a great difference in Lord Ashborough's estimation, whether the person -spoken of was a rich or a poor nephew. He had a sort of indescribable -loathing towards poverty, or rather towards poor people, which was -only increased by their being his relations. He hated poverty--he -could not bear it--in his eyes it was a disease--a pestilence--a vice; -and therefore--although, had his nephew been poor, Mr. Tims might have -sneered at him to all eternity--as he was rich, Lord Ashborough felt -very indignant at the least want of reverence towards him. The tone in -which he demanded, "What do you mean, sir?" frightened Mr. Tims, who -hastened to reply, that he had heard from his respected and -respectable relative in the country, that the Mr. Burrel who had -proposed to lend the money to Sir Sidney Delaware, was now continually -at Emberton Park; and that it was very well understood in the country -that he was to be married immediately to Miss Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough gazed in the face of the lawyer, with that mingled -look of vacancy and horror, which we may picture to ourselves on the -countenance of a person suddenly blinded by lightning. When he had -collected his senses, it was but to give way to a more violent burst -of rage, and, with clenched hands and teeth, he stamped about the -office of the attorney, till the clerks in the outer room began to -think that he was breaking the hard head of their master against -the floor. A few words, however, served to give vocal vent to -his fury. "The hypocritical, artful, despicable race of beggarly -fortune-hunters!" he exclaimed; and, turning out of Mr. Tims's office, -impelled by the sole impetus of passion, he was standing by his horse -almost ere the attorney knew he was gone. The groom held the stirrup -tight, and Lord Ashborough had his foot on the iron, when cooler -thoughts returned, and, walking back to the chambers, he again entered -the lawyer's room.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do all that you proposed, Mr. Tims," he said; "get the bills--retard -the payment--arrest the old reptile--manage it so that he may not get -bail; and the day you lodge him in the King's Bench--if it can be -done--you receive a draft for a thousand pounds.--They must be -crushed, Mr. Tims," he continued, grasping him tight by the arm; "they -must be crushed--ground down into the earth--till their very name -be forgotten;--but mark me," he added, speaking through his set -teeth--"mark me--if you let them escape, my whole agency and business -goes to another for ever."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh! no fear, my lord, no fear!" replied Mr. Tims, in a sharp, -secure tone, rubbing his little, fat, red hands, with some degree of -glee. "No fear, if your lordship will consent to leave it to my -guidance.--But I will send for a bill stamp, and we will draw up the -bill directly, send it to Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson, and then I -will give due notice to Mr. Beauchamp that the money is paid--which, -indeed, it may be said to be, when your lordship has given your bill -for it--you know."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I care not, sir!" exclaimed Lord Ashborough, vehemently, "whether it -may be said to be so or not. My nephew must be saved from this cursed -entanglement, by any means or all means. I will do my part--see that -you do yours. Crush these mean-spirited vipers, somehow or another, -and that as soon as may be;--but mind," he added more quietly, "mind, -you are to do nothing beyond the law!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will take care to do nothing that the law can take hold of," -replied the lawyer. "But you cannot think, my lord, how many things -may be done lawfully when they are done cautiously, which might treat -one with a sight of New South Wales, if they were to be undertaken -without due consideration--but I will send for the bill, my lord."</p> - -<p class="normal">The bill was accordingly sent for, drawn, and signed by Lord -Ashborough; and the attorney, after having despatched it to Mr. -Beauchamp's solicitor, wrote to that gentleman himself a letter, upon -the business to which he had referred, while speaking to Lord -Ashborough; and in a postscript, mentioned that he had handed over to -his agents a note for ten thousand pounds, on behalf of Lord -Ashborough. That nobleman stood by while all this proceeding was -taking place, and marked, with a well pleased smile, the double -language of the lawyer, and the quiet and careless manner in which he -contrived to offer a false impression in regard to the payment of the -money. When all was concluded, he paced slowly to the vacant park, -calmed his disturbed feelings by a quiet ride round its dusty roads, -and then returned with renewed self-command, to shower upon William -Delaware civilities, in proportion to his increased detestation.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER XIII.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Oh, if people would but take as much pains to do good as they -take to -do evil--if even the well-disposed were as zealous in beneficence, as -the wicked are energetic in wrong--what a pleasant little clod this -earth of ours would be, for us human crickets to go chirping about -from morning till night!</p> - -<p class="normal">The Right Honourable the Earl of Ashborough could think of but one -thing; and what between the active working of his own brain, and the -unceasing exertion of the pineal gland of Peter Tims, Esq., following -keenly the plans and purposes which we have seen them communicating to -each other, the scheme for ruining the family at Emberton was brought -to that degree of perfection which rendered its success almost -certain. Mr. Tims, indeed, did wonder that the noble earl had -forgotten to propose to him any plan for detaining Sir Sidney Delaware -in prison after his arrest, and for consummating the persecution so -happily begun. He concluded that it had slipped his lordship's memory; -but, as he foresaw that, of course, Mr. Beauchamp would immediately -come forward to liberate the baronet, and clear him of his -embarrassments, Mr. Tims revolved a thousand schemes for entangling -him still more deeply, in order to be found prepared as soon as his -noble patron should apply to him for assistance on this new occasion.</p> - -<p class="normal">In truth, however, Lord Ashborough had calculated all; and from what -he had formerly known of Sir Sidney Delaware, as well as from what he -had lately heard of his impaired constitution, he felt assured that -even three or four days of imprisonment for debt would terminate -either life or reason, and thus leave his vengeance and his hatred -sated to the full.</p> - -<p class="normal">It must not be always supposed that the motives and the feelings which -are here stated, in what is vulgarly called black and white, appeared -in their original nakedness before the minds of the various actors in -this my little drama. On the contrary, they came before their master's -eyes, like poor players on the stage, robed in gorgeous apparel that -little belonged to them. Revenge flaunted away before the eyes of Lord -Ashborough, clothed in princely purple, and calling itself noble -indignation. Mortified vanity, and mean delight in wealth, tricked out -in silks and satins, called themselves honest scorn for deceivers, and -careful consideration for his nephew's interest, "and so they played -their part;" while deadly enmity, which would have acted murder, had -it dared, now mocked the Deity, and impiously assumed the name of -retributive justice.</p> - -<p class="normal">Nevertheless, there was in the bosom of Lord Ashborough at least so -much consciousness that all this was but a pageant, that he found it -necessary to redouble the careful guard he had put upon his feelings -towards Captain Delaware; and though he came back to dinner meditating -the destruction of his race and family, he showered on the young -sailors head civilities which might have raised doubts had he dealt -with one of the suspicious. Captain Delaware, however, was not one of -the suspicious. He had not acquired the quality of suspiciousness in -any of the three ways by which it reaches the human heart--neither by -the consciousness of evil designs in his own breast, by experience of -the world's baseness, or by the exhortations of others. He was -susceptible indeed, and easily perceived when a slight was intended, -or when the least approach to scorn was felt towards him or his; but -deeper and blacker feelings escaped his observation, if covered by -even a slight disguise. In the present instance he was completely -deceived. His drive out with his fair cousin in the morning had proved -so delightful, that he began to doubt the efficacy of the water of the -prior's fountain, and to feel that many such drives might make him -either very happy, or very much the contrary. But the kind attention -of Lord Ashborough, his changed demeanour, and the hopes to which it -gave rise, were all sources of unmixed pleasure. The evening passed -away in delight; and when, on visiting Mr. Tims next morning, he found -that he was prepared to concede every thing that he desired, on the -simple formality of his father giving a bill at a few days' date for -the money, his satisfaction was complete. Nor was it the less so, that -the necessity of awaiting an answer to his letter, communicating these -tidings, and of obtaining his father's signature to the bill, obliged -him, whether he would or not, to enjoy the society of Maria Beauchamp -for at least two days longer.</p> - -<p class="normal">On the part of that young lady herself, no dislike was felt to her -cousin's society--every one else was out of town--she had no one with -whom she could dance, or flirt, or talk, and still less any one to -whom she could communicate any of the deeper and better feelings which -formed the warp of her character, and across which the threads of a -sparkling sort of levity were intimately woven. With Captain Delaware -she did all but the first, and probably she would have danced too, had -minuets still been in vogue. She laughed, she talked, she jested; and -there was a sort of simple candour about his nature, together with -fine feelings and gentlemanly habits, preserved, fresh and -unadulterated, by a life spent either on the green waters or in the -green fields--which altogether wooed forth those points in her own -character, which as things most estimable, lay hid in the deeper -casket of her heart.</p> - -<p class="normal">In short, the two days that followed were two very pleasant days -indeed; and it was almost with a sigh that Captain Delaware opened his -father's letter, which arrived at the end of them, and found the bills -duly signed. Mr. Tims had before told him, that he had made the money -payable at Emberton, in order to save him or his father the trouble of -coming or sending again to London. That excuse, therefore, for either -prolonging his stay or returning, was not to be had; and, even if it -had still been ready, the lawyer also informed him gratuitously, that -Lord Ashborough's motive for settling the matter in the manner -proposed, was in order to spare himself all correspondence in the -country, to which he was immediately about to retire for the remainder -of the year. The simple fact was, that Mr. Tims--with the same over -anxiety of which he had accused Lord Ashborough to remove all -suspicion of a latent motive--had assigned these causes for his noble -patron's conduct, simply to account reasonably for his having demanded -a bill for the money, payable at Emberton, instead of following the -usual legal routine in such cases, accepting the redemption money when -ready, and then cancelling the deed. But Captain Delaware, with -constitutional susceptibility, instantly concluded that the whole was -intended as a hint to him, that any farther intimacy was not desired.</p> - -<p class="normal">He could not feel indignant, because he felt that he had no right to -demand a continuance of the communication which had been accidentally -created between himself and the family of his wealthy cousin; but he -determined at once to show that there was no necessity for such -warnings; and, after having pleaded other engagements, in order to -absent himself from his cousin's house during the rest of his stay in -London, he took his place in the identical stage which had whirled him -down to Emberton on the preceding occasion. He did not, however, in -that sort of burning at the heart which people feel on such occasions, -neglect to take all those steps which, to the best of his judgment, -were necessary to secure his father, and to conclude the business on -which he had come to London. On the contrary, he demanded and -received, by the hands of Mr. Tims, an acknowledgement, on the part of -Lord Ashborough, that a promissory-note had been given by Sir Sidney -Delaware for the sum of twenty-five thousand pounds, which, when duly -taken up, would be received as a full and due redemption of the -annuity chargeable upon the Emberton estate.</p> - -<p class="normal">When all this was concluded, and he had eaten in melancholy wise of -the dinner which the people of the pseudo hotel at which he lodged, -set before him, in that den of congregated discomforts, a public -coffee-room--when he had done this, and taken an idle walk round the -black thing that spits water by table-spoonfuls nearly opposite to -Devonshire House, for the purpose of digesting his dinner and his -vexation, he could not refrain; but returning home--or rather to the -place of his dwelling for the time--he dressed and walked to Grosvenor -Square.</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough was in his library; Miss Beauchamp was -alone--somewhat in low spirits, too, and looking none the worse for -being so. She was in one of those moods in which a man may make a -great deal of a woman in a short time--if he knows how--but, -unhappily, Captain Delaware did not know how. He talked sentimentally, -and she talked sentimentally; and they made tea between them, and -poured it out and drank it--but it all came to nothing--otherwise -Maria Beauchamp might, perhaps, have been William Delaware's wife -before the end of the volume. Never did a man who was bred and born a -sailor miss stays so completely as Captain Delaware did; and just -when, towards the close of the evening, he was making up his mind to -say something sensible and pertinent, in came Lord Ashborough, and the -whole went to the--budget.</p> - -<p class="normal">Within half an hour after, William Delaware was on his way to his -hotel, and in the yellow of the next morning, he was once more rolling -away, to join the coach for Emberton. His journey was as dull as it -well could be. Two quaker ladies occupied one seat, and a deaf man -shared the other. Therefore--as it is a very laudable object to wind -up all sorts of matters here, in such a manner as to enable the -courteous reader to have done with the book at the end of this volume, -and to imagine, if he like, that the story is finished, when in fact -it is not begun--we shall give one paragraph to Mr. Tims, while -Captain Delaware rolls on.</p> - -<p class="normal">The worthy and beneficent lawyer, full of zeal in the service of his -patron, set boldly to work to accomplish the object in view, and added -so many thoughtful means and contrivances to support those which we -have already seen him propose, that, at the end of eight days, there -was hardly a human possibility of his prey escaping him. As, in some -instances, he thought fit to prepare engines which went a little -beyond the clear limit of the law, he took good care to add a safety -valve for himself, by cautiously mingling Lord Ashborough's name with -all those particular matters which were most delicate and dangerous, -and thus insuring the whole power and influence of that nobleman's -rank and fortune to shield him, even if the blame itself did not fall -solely on the earl. He wrote, too, to his uncle, Mr. Tims, at Ryebury, -directing him on no account to advance money to the gentleman calling -himself Mr. Burrel, who was, in fact, Lord Ashborough's nephew; and he -added many a hint and caution, calculated to make the miser of Ryebury -throw every impediment in the way of a liquidation of the debts on Sir -Sidney Delaware's estate. At the same time, a vague threat of Lord -Ashborough's displeasure, in case of recusancy, was held out; and by -the end of the week, Mr. Tims, as we have said, sat down perfectly -certain of having drawn those spider toils round the family of -Emberton, which it would be impossible for them to evade.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the mean time, William Delaware arrived at Emberton Park, and -found every thing precisely as he had left it. Burrel's visits were -still continuing daily. Indeed--during his son's absence, which -occasioned a sort of gap in the things to which Sir Sidney Delaware -was accustomed--the baronet had more than ever sought the presence of -Mr. Burrel to supply the want.</p> - -<p class="normal">The affection of Burrel for Blanche Delaware, seemed exactly the -same--if any thing, there was perhaps an additional shade of -tenderness in his manner, towards her, which for a moment caused -Captain Delaware to believe, that his sister had been made acquainted -with her lover's feelings. But it was not so. On the contrary, during -her brother's stay in London, Blanche had lost many of those pleasant -hours which she had before spent in Burrel's society. Her long rambles -with him through the park and the neighbouring country, were of course -at an end for the time; and, although Mrs. Darlington took a house in -the immediate vicinity, and pressed Miss Delaware to join her there -for a few days--though Blanche, perhaps, might feel that there she -could, with propriety, hold freer intercourse with one who had -obtained so strong a hold of her affection, yet filial duty overcame -even the wish, and she refused to leave her father during her -brother's absence.</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware's return, therefore, was a matter of joy and delight -to every one; and immediately after having heard all those <i>viva voce</i> -particulars, which a letter could not convey, Sir Sidney Delaware -visited Mr. Tims, who assured him that the money would be ready full -twenty-four hours before the stipulated time, and instantly began to -prepare the mortgage which was to secure the sum to the lender. The -tidings were, of course, communicated to Blanche, whose young heart -beat high, to think of even a part of the dark cloud which had so long -overshadowed her dear father's fate, being blown away for ever. If, -too, a thought crossed her mind, in regard to her own situation, and -the improvement of her relative position towards him by whom she was -beloved, who shall say a word of blame? It was but nature; and perhaps -that thought might take away the only thorn that she saw encumbering -the fate before her. All eyes sparkled--all hearts beat high at -Emberton. The news insensibly was spread abroad--The prospects of the -Ruined Family seemed brightening--Those to whom they had been kind, -even in their adversity, blessed the day that saw their changing -fortune--and those who had despised their poverty, began to bow down -and worship, now that the storms no longer hung above them.</p> - -<p class="normal">Sir Sidney Delaware walked with a firmer step. His son felt that -one-half of the load of life was gone, and Blanche raised her eyes -timidly to meet those of Burrel, as if there had been some secret -voice which told her, that--how, or why, she knew not--all the -happiness that was growing up around them, was of his planting.</p> - -<p class="normal">Oh, deceitful Fortune! why wilt thou often smile so sweetly, while -opening thy store of evils to pour upon the devoted head!</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> - -<h3>END OF VOLUME FIRST.</h3> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>EDINBURGH:</h4> -<h5>M. AITKEN, 1, ST. JAMES'S SQUARE.</h5> -<br> -<br> -<br> - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Delaware;, by -G. P. 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