well known Lord Drelincourt lived up to his income, and his estate being all entailed on his son, he supposed the daughters might go whistle for what they would have,” with this elegant illustration Lord Dunderton dismissed his family to bed, and we will have the humanity to give our, perhaps, yet more wearied readers, a temporary rest from the labour of perusing these pages.

VOL. I.

E

CHAP

CHAP. V.

"Here freedom reign'd without the least alloy,
Nor gossip's tale nor ancient maiden's gall;
Nor saintly spleen didst murmur at our joy,
And with envenom'd tongue our pleasures pall;
And why? There was but one great rule for all,
To wit, that each should work his own desire,
And eat, drink, study, sleep, as it may fall,
Or melt the time in love, or wake the lyre,
And carol what unbid, the muses might inspire.

THOMPSON.

WHEN Edmund entered the breakfast room the next morning, he found so large a party assembled there, that he began to think the revels of the preceding evening were to be continued. through the next day.

Lady Harriett Parkhurst was of course now considered as an inmate; Lady Maud and Lady Bertha had been prevailed on to emerge from the retirement of Courtney Lodge, in compliment to their be

loved nephew's return; and the family circle had received the addition of Captain Clayton, who was the acknowledged lover of Lady Rosamond; Miss Clayton, his sister; Mr. Fletcher, who was a frequent and valued guest; and a Mr. Breresford, a young man of remarkably gentle manners, who paid his addresses to Lady Maria.

The Earl's hospitality and benevolence were gratified, by seeing so large an assemblage round him, and he gaily declared, that he would challenge the country to produce a finer breakfast scene. After it was over, the whole party were requested to consult only their own inclinations in the disposal of their time until five o'clock, which was the dinner hour.

Miss Clayton said that she should visit the stables, as she always saw her favorite Highflyer dressed over before she rode out. Lady Maud lifted up her hands and eyes in silence! The elder ladies retired

to the working-room, the, younger to music, and the gentlemen to the library, with the exception of Mr. Breresford, who followed the young ladies, to whom he could be useful in a thousand ways, as he could turn over the leaves of their music books, excelled in winding silks, was unequalled for skill in varnishing, and was extremely expert in making flowers.

The gentlemen passed two or three hours very agreeably in the library, which presented to them learning in its most pleasing forms; the room was splendidly fitted up with busts of eminent authors, ancient and modern, whose works were all to be found in the noble collection of books, which the Earl's taste and love of reading encreased every year. Science had here every aid, and study every advantage; the windows looked only towards the thickest part of the wood, and a waterfall sometimes dashed over a rocky bed with noisy velocity, and sometimes dropped at regular intervals, or softly murmured

murmured in a gentle stream. Over the door of this elegant retreat, Lord Drelincourt had placed the celebrated Cardan's motto, " Tempus ager meus." * It was indeed an estate of which he knew the inestimable value, and which he cultivated with unwearied assiduity. Captain Clayton, unlike the generality of military men, appeared in his element in this place, where most of his brethren would have felt very awkwardly situated. This gentleman had a pale, clear complexion, fine teeth, animated hazle eyes, and an aquiline nose, particularly calculated to express contempt, to the language of which it appeared to be accustomed; his countenance was interesting, although there was in it an air of discontent, and an expression of melancholy almost amounting to peevishness, which rendered it unpleasing to the superficial observer; but when animated by the happy elucidation