Lady Castlewood again looked at Esmond, as she stooped down and kissed Frank. Do not tell those silly stories, child,' she said: 'do not drink much wine, sir; Harry never loved to drink wine.' And she went away, too, in her black robes, looking back on the young man with her fair, fond face.

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Egad! it's true,' says Frank, sipping his wine with the air of a lord. What think you of this Lisbon-real Collares? 'Tis better than your heady port: we got it out of one of the Spanish ships that came from Vigo last year : my mother bought it at Southampton, as the ship was lying there the Rose, Captain Hawkins.'

'Why, I came home in that ship,' says Harry.

'And it brought home a good fellow and good wine,' says my lord. 'I say, Harry, I wish thou hadst not that cursed bar sinister.'

And why not the bar sinister?' asks the other.

'Suppose I go to the army and am killed-every gentleman goes to the army-who is to take care of the women ? 'Trix will never stop at home; mother's in love with you,yes, I think mother's in love with you. She was always praising you, and always talking about you; and when she went to Southampton, to see the ship, I found her out. But you see it is impossible: we are of the oldest blood in England; we came in with the Conqueror; we were only baronets, but what then? we were forced into that. James the First forced our great-grandfather. We are above titles; we old English gentry don't want 'em; the queen can make a duke any day. Look at Blandford's father, Duke Churchill, and Duchess Jennings, what were they, Harry? Damn it, sir, what are they, to turn up their noses at us? Where were they, when our ancestor rode with King Henry at Agincourt, and filled up the French king's cup after Poictiers? 'Fore George, sir, why shouldn't Blandford marry Beatrix? By G! he shall marry Beatrix, or tell me the reason why. We'll marry with the best blood of England, and none but the best blood of England. You are an Esmond, and you can't help your birth, my boy. Let's have another bottle. What! more? I've drunk three parts of this myself. I had many a night with my father; you stood to him like a man, Harry. You backed your blood; you can't help your misfortune, you know,—no man can help that.'

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The elder said he would go in to his mistress's tea-table. The young lad, with a heightened colour and voice, began singing a snatch of a song, and marched out of the room. Esmond heard him presently calling his dogs about him, and cheering and talking to them; and by a hundred of his looks and gestures, tricks of voice and gait, was reminded of the dead lord, Frank's father.

And so, the Sylvester Night passed away; the family parted long before midnight, Lady Castlewood remembering, no doubt, former New-Year's Eves, when healths were drunk, and laughter went round in the company of him to whom years, past, and present, and future, were to be as one; and so cared not to sit with her children and hear the cathedral bells ringing the birth of the year 1703. Esmond heard the chimes as he sat in his own chamber, ruminating by the blazing fire there, and listened to the last notes of them, looking out from his window towards the city, and the great grey towers of the cathedral lying under the frosty sky, with the keen stars shining above.

The sight of these brilliant orbs no doubt made him think of other luminaries. And so her eyes have already done execution,' thought Esmond-' on whom ?-who can tell me?' Luckily his kinsman was by, and Esmond knew he would have no difficulty in finding out Mistress Beatrix's history from the simple talk of the boy.

CHAPTER VIII

FAMILY TALK

WHAT Harry admired and submitted to in the pretty lad, his kinsman, was (for why should he resist it ?) the calmness of patronage which my young lord assumed, as if to command was his undoubted right, and all the world (below his degree) ought to bow down to Viscount Castlewood.

I know my place, Harry,' he said. 'I'm not proudthe boys at Winchester College say I'm proud: but I'm not proud. I am simply Francis James Viscount Castlewood in the peerage of Ireland. I might have been (do you know that?) Francis James Marquis and Earl of Esmond in that of England. The late lord refused the title which was

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offered to him by my godfather, his late Majesty. You should know that you are of our family, you know-you cannot help your bar sinister, Harry, my dear fellow; and you belong to one of the best families in England, in spite of that; and you stood by my father, and by G-! I'll stand by you. You shall never want a friend, Harry, while Francis James Viscount Castlewood has a shilling. It's now 1703-I shall come of age in 1709. I shall go back to Castlewood; I shall live at Castlewood; I shall build up the house. My property will be pretty well restored by then. The late viscount mismanaged my property, and left it in a very bad state. My mother is living close, as you see, and keeps me in a way hardly befitting a peer of these realms; for I have but a pair of horses, a governor, and a man that is valet and groom. But when I am of age, these things will be set right, Harry. Our house will be as it should be. You'll always come to Castlewood, won't you? You shall always have your two rooms in the court kept for you; and if anybody slights you, dthem! let them have a care of me. I shall marry early'Trix will be a duchess by that time, most likely; for a cannon-ball may knock over his grace any day, you know.'

'How?' says Harry.

Hush, my dear!' says my lord viscount. 'You are of the family-you are faithful to us, by George, and I tell you everything. Blandford will marry her-or and here he put his little hand on his sword-' you understand the rest. Blandford knows which of us two is the best weapon. At small-sword, or back-sword, or sword and dagger, if he likes: I can beat him. I have tried him, Harry; and begad, he knows I am a man not to be trifled with.'

But you do not mean,' says Harry, concealing his laughter, but not his wonder,' that you can force my Lord Blandford, the son of the first man of this kingdom, to marry your sister at sword's point?'

I mean to say that we are cousins by the mother's side, though that's nothing to boast of. I mean to say that an Esmond is as good as a Churchill; and when the king comes back, the Marquis of Esmond's sister may be a match for any nobleman's daughter in the kingdom. There are but two marquises in all England, William Herbert, Marquis of

Powis, and Francis James, Marquis of Esmond; and hark you, Harry, now swear you'll never mention this. Give me your honour as a gentleman, for you are a gentleman, though you are a

Well, well,' says Harry, a little impatient.

Well, then, when after my late viscount's misfortune, my mother went up with us to London, to ask for justice against you all (as for Mohun, I'll have his blood, as sure as my name is Francis Viscount Esmond), we went to stay with our cousin my Lady Marlborough, with whom we had quarrelled for ever so long. But when misfortune came, she stood by her blood :-so did the dowager viscountess stand by her blood,-so did you. Well, sir, whilst my mother was petitioning the late Prince of Orange-for I will never call him king-and while you were in prison, we lived at my Lord Marlborough's house, who was only a little there, being away with the army in Holland. And then... I say, Harry, you won't tell, now?'

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Harry again made a vow of secrecy.

Well, there used to be all sorts of fun, you know my Lady Marlborough was very fond of us, and she said I was to be her page; and she got 'Trix to be a maid of honour, and while she was up in her room crying, we used to be always having fun, you know; and the duchess used to kiss me, and so did her daughters, and Blandford fell tremendous in love with "Trix, and she liked him; and one day he-he kissed her behind a door-he did though, and the duchess caught him, and she banged such a box of the ear both to 'Trix and Blandford-you should have seen it! And then she said that we must leave directly, and abused my mamma, who was cognizant of the business; but she wasn't-never thinking about anything but father. And so we came down to Walcote. Blandford being locked up, and not allowed to see 'Trix. But I got at him. I climbed along the gutter, and in through the window, where he was crying.

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"Marquis," says I, when he had opened it and helped me in, you know I wear a sword," for I had brought it. Oh, viscount," says he-" oh, my dearest Frank!" and he threw himself into my arms and burst out a-crying. "I do love Mistress Beatrix so, that I shall die if I don't have her."

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My dear Blandford," says I," you are young to think

of marrying;" for he was but fifteen, and a young fellow of that age can scarce do so, you know.

"But I'll wait twenty years, if she'll have me," says he. “I'll never marry-no never, never, never, marry anybody but her. No, not a princess, though they would have me do it ever so. If Beatrix will wait for me, her Blandford swears he will be faithful." And he wrote a paper (it wasn't spelt right, for he wrote: "I'm ready to sine with my blode", which you know, Harry, isn't the way of spelling it), and vowing that he would marry none other but the Honourable Mistress Gertrude Beatrix Esmond, only sister of his dearest friend Francis James, fourth Viscount Esmond. And so I gave him a locket of her hair.’

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"A locket of her hair!' cries Esmond.

Yes. 'Trix gave me one after the fight with the duchess that very day. I am sure I didn't want it; and so I gave it him, and we kissed at parting, and said-" Good-bye, brother. And I got back through the gutter; and we set off home that very evening. And he went to King's College, in Cambridge, and I'm going to Cambridge soon; and if he doesn't stand to his promise (for he's only wrote once), he knows I wear a sword, Harry. Come along, and let's go see the cocking-match at Winchester.

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.. But I say,' he added laughing, after a pause, 'I don't think 'Trix will break her heart about him. bless you! Whenever she sees a man, she makes eyes at him; and young Sir Wilmot Crawley of Queen's Crawley, and Anthony Henley of Alresford, were at swords drawn about her, at the Winchester Assembly, a month ago.'

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That night Mr. Harry's sleep was by no means so pleasant or sweet as it had been on the first two evenings after his arrival at Walcote. So the bright eyes have been already shining on another,' thought he, and the pretty lips, or the cheeks at any rate, have begun the work which they were made for. Here's a girl not sixteen, and one young gentleman is already whimpering over a lock of her hair, and two country squires are ready to cut each other's throats that they may have the honour of a dance with her. What a fool am I to be dallying about this passion, and singeing my wings in this foolish flame. Wings!-why not say crutches? There is but eight years' difference between us, to be sure; but in life I am thirty years older. How could I ever hope to please such a sweet creature as that, with my rough ways