her lord hourly made a deeper impreffion; and her disapprobation of what The thought cavalier behaviour increased her indifference for the fociety of Lucy and her lover. Real esteem could not be weakened; but affection fenfibly declined, at least fo far as to make her wish them married and happily settled at Powerscourt.

Geraldine's estrangement from her once-loved friends could not be attributed to Mr. Fitzofborne's juggeftions. However poignantly his feelings might be wounded, he was too generous to complain; and refpect for the relation of his fair friend withheld him from answering his perfecutor as molt gentlemen would do. As fome of his own notions had a tendency to democracy, he could not confiftently hint the humble fituation of Henry's father, as a reafon why his fon was unfit to mix

with men of rank. Befide, he recollected that he had paffed through the purifying ordeal of a college education, which always confumes every particle of plebeian infection; and that he could not caft an oblique cenfure on his origin without involving the reputation of the high-feated Powerfcourt ancestry. He therefore never uttered a farcasm of the kind; nay he even once attempted to foften Geraldine's displeasure, who confeffed herself to be a little hurt at her coufin's behaviour, by obferving, that Mr. Powerfcourt's early connections might not have led him into very polifhed fociety, and that habit was an irresistible enemy to that amenity of manners which marked the gentleman.

But though thus cautious with refpect to the countess, the daring genius of Fitzofborne winged a bolder flight with her credulous lord. He too retained but a H 6 faint

faint remembrance of the merit of the felf-denying, accommodating rival, who had refigned the girl he loved to his happier vows. He forgot the dejection and fubfequent illness which spoke the anguish of the facrifice; and no longer finding, that the poffeffion of that bleffing which the generous Henry reluctantly refigned had confirmed his own happiness, he was prepared to look upon him as he would upon any other gueft, and to regulate his behaviour to him, not by a sense of gratitude or efteem, but by the present amusement he received from his converfation. I have fufficiently explained lord Monteith's character for my readers to anticipate my confeffion, that his powers of discrimination were very limited. In fact, hating controverfy, which he not unaptly called quarrelling, if he could not contrive, by playing with his dogs

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or his children, to make fufficient noise to prevent himself from hearing the dif pute, he rang the bell for his horfes and took a ride.

He had pursued this method twice before the hint was understood, a fufficient excufe for the total lofs of patience which followed. Deceived by his own impetuofity, and fome infinuations of Fitzofborne, he mistook the part which the countess acted upon these occafions, which was generally that of a mediatrix ; for, though inclination led her to join, with Edward, especially when he more nicely affected the plaufible, yet if Henry, by preffing his arguments close, furprised his opponent into the avowal of fome bold tenets, Geraldine could not refrain from expreffing her approbation of the champion of steady principle. Lord Monteith once entered the room, when every tongue was loud

in declaiming against fome pofitions which Fitzofborne had juft attempted to maintain on the subject of education. They were, that as it is prefumptuous to affert, that obedience to parents is any thing more than the preference of reafon enforced by affection, the child ought to lead its own ftudies, and the parent or inftructor follow; for youth should enjoy perfect liberty, and be led to knowledge not by authority, but by inclination. His lordship had no difpofition to give himself the trouble of understanding the debate. He heard fomething of the cruelty of debarring innocent infants of the liberty with which nature had endowed them, and he faw every one united in condemning Fitzofborne. He was an advocate for children enjoying themselves, and he never either reftrained or corrected his own, except when they interrupted his particular

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