place, fir William's bailiff begged his Honor's leave to tell him something that made him unhappy. It was, that he had twice feen a very fine gentle man whif pering with Mrs. Bridget in Ellis's temple, in the dark hour. The groom, he added, feemed to know fomething about it, for he laughed, and faid Bridget had got a London fweetheart; but Roger fomehow thought, though he knew that fecond-handed gentlemen in London dressed as fine as their mafters, that this looked to be another guise kind of body. Sir William thanked Roger for his fidelity, fhook his head, and obferved that the world grew worfe and worse every hour; to which obfervation Roger, who was of the fame age with his master, cordially agreed.

Previous to these communications of faithful Roger, fir William had felt a confiderable fhare of uneafinefs, He recol

H 5.

Powercourt was

ence gradually introduce; but Age might remember the fentim gratives of it once felt.

their unreThe above obfervation, thored their de foundly true in general, is, I in chariots irrelevant to the cafe before ud footmen, William Powerfcourt had ex

fame opinion of love at the t treating of, as he had forty

cries; and

confidered

fore; and Mrs. Evans was of

equal de

of Mother

dine re

eith had

efe fto

lar a tafte, and had fo thorou tempt for a "fet of features plexion," that, like Defdemor her husband's "features in 1 for when the felected Mr. E had no perfonal graces to b not only encountered embai cumstances, but difpleafed he by rejecting a rich and hand abandoned admirer.

A few days after the eve in my preceding Chapter

153

William's bailiff begged his
kave to tell him fomething tha
onhappy. It was, that he had
a very fine gentleman wi
Mrs. Bridget in Ellis's tem
rk hour. The groom, he
to know fomething about
bed, and faid Bridger had
fweetheart; but Roge
at, though he knew mat
gentlemen in London
their mafters, that s

er guife kind of boy
d Roger for his fice-

d, and obferved 2

le and wore e rvation Row with his mate

communications Of

Ted the col

rt, and ex

elligent obidence, un

houfand unrous, grate

e was open, though they ; his figure eemed quite to the beft poffefs very out the perGeraldine

profoundly

was beft world he he feemed,

to be not

d into its

Deafine is

iam had ftit 2 He

lected that lady Powerfcourt was very fond of relating long narratives of refitlefs beauties, who, by their unrelenting cruelty, had compelled their de sperate lovers to carry them off in chariots and fix, furrounded by armed footmen, maugre all their tears and cries; and though fir William had always confidered thefe tales to be entitled to an equal degree of credibility with thofe of Mother Goose, his anxiety for Geraldine reminded him, that if lord Monteith had ever happened to hear any of these stories, they might have put fomething in his head which he would not otherwise have thought of. He determined therefore to inform Henry Powerfcourt of his defigns in his favour, and to confign his daughter to a husband's protection fome years fooner than he had intended.

That

That young gentleman paffed the college vacations at Powerscourt, and ex• cited the esteem of every intelligent obferver by his ingenuous diffidence, unaffected gentleness, and a thousand unequivocal proofs of a generous, grateful heart. His countenance was open, and his features agreeable, though they had no pretenfions to beauty; his figure was naturally good, but he feemed quite at a lofs how to manage it to the best advantage. He was faid to poffefs very refpectable literary talents, but the perpetual raillery of the lively Geraldine against pedants, made him profoundly

filent

upon topics which he was beft qualified to difcufs. Of the world he was totally ignorant; and he seemed, like his refpectable kinfman, to be not very anxious to be initiated into its myfteries. Afraid of being abfurd, he never ventured to trifle; ignorant of

H 6

the