there was war between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent:-that Herries, certain of my animosity, the moment I should come into possession of the family property, chose to take the initiative and protect his interests. I confess I had once remarked in his presence that, the strict entail of the Danby estates rendering it impossible for me to do anything material for Mrs. Walsingham, I considered my brother's daughter entitled to a share of her grandfather's personalty; but little imagined that this casual remark would in the end lead to the sequestration of the poor old man's property, or his degradation from the scale of intellectual beings.

For the commission was in progress. The gripe of Chancery, potent as the protection of the wolf over the lamb, had plunged its talons into his person and estates. He was tabooed. He was under the guardianship of a superior court. A jury was about to assemble,—a jury de lunatico inquirendo!-What a climax to the domestic scandals of Hanover Square!

Herries had instituted himself next friend to the lunatic. Herries had caused "a proper person" to be placed about him for his better security; and no one else was to approach him, on pretence that conversation aggravated his mental disturbance.-Poor old man!-placed under the tyranny of a keeper for the simple act of bestowing a portion of his superfluous wealth on the orphan of a beloved son !—

I can scarcely venture to depict the height to which my choler was excited by this very unnecessary exposure of our family affairs.-I was too indignant to find words for addressing Herries, but attempted a letter of remonstrance to Julia. Julia had been once kind, merciful, equitable. Julia had been the fond and fondly loved sister of poor Danby. I appealed to her in his name to reflect upon the injury she was about to inflict upon Jane.—She replied, mildly and rationally, but declining interference.

"She had exercised no influence," she said,

"over Mr. Herries's proceedings in the business, and could presume to exercise none.”

But by the expression" Mr. Herries," which my sister was not wont to use, I perceived that her heart was with us; and that it was only a wife-like sense of duty that prevented her avowing her indignation at this dirty fellow's interested barbarity.—

From the moment this atrocious business was agitated, it will readily be supposed that I shrank from the observation of society.-Little, Heaven knows, as the infirmities of the poor old man involved me in their inheritance, they involved me in their dishonour ;-for though the object of Herries was simply to show Lord Ormington's incompetency to the management of his worldly affairs, it would perhaps be necessary to exhibit proofs of weaknesses and deviations from propriety, placing me before the world, if not as the son of a lunatic, at least as the son of a drivelling idiot.—I own I was sometimes obliged to remind myself that

it was indispensable to appear conscious of shame as the son of Lord Ormington, as well as indignant as a sympathizing fellow creature; and instead of shining forth in my usual glory in the beloved bay-window, or eating my lobster-sallad at Crockey's, I became as domestic as a barn-door fowl.

I even abstained from Lord Ashby's. But Lady Phoebe sent me so many kind messages by Arthur Cornwallis,-Lady Phoebe assured me that in any family trouble the society of our best friends was so natural a resource, that I had not the heart to stay away.-Old Ashby grew more and more brutal.-But who could wonder!-To have his only daughter preferring a man frisant la cinquantaine, while a dukedom and the handsomest young fellow in England attached to it, lay disregarded at her feet!—

One Sunday, Lady Phoebe having whispered to me a request to meet her and her father at the Zoological Gardens, I found it impossible to refuse; and having found Arthur Cornwallis

at the gate, took his arm to go in search of Lord Ashby whose phaeton was in waiting.We soon joined the party; and had I addressed my observations touching the leader of that morning's Examiner to one of the bears in the pit, instead of to the surly Earl, the growl that answered me might have possessed more suavity.-For Phoebe's sake, however, I persevered; and with the more virtue, that while I was talking about Irish municipalities to the father, the daughter was prattling about water-parties with Arthur. At the hazy extremity of life to which I have now attained, it often strikes me that the sum total of time lost by a professed coxcomb in the propitiation of duennas, fathers, and husbands, deducts a cruel per centage from his small account of mortal existence !

We were sauntering on from bird to beast and beast to bird, the Earl snapping at me in monosyllables, while the roucoucoucoulement of Arthur and his fair companion served as a