hourly and daily realities of life, all arising out of the same sources, parental neglect and selfishness, and vanity let loose, like so many vicious, unbridled brutes, enacting the part of wild horses to that doomed Mazeppa, their possessor's fate. One thing this work convinces me of," continued Lady de Clifford, "namely, that the writer is a perfect Æneas of a son, though no doubt that discriminating, multiplied individual, the world, will vote him a parricide, and his book an autobiography. Actions being of no import whatever, thanks to the omnipotence of the press, therefore, in order to attain the reputation of great morality, people have only to write books filled with such claptraps as benevolence, virtue, morals, civil and religious liberty, &c., &c., &c., and thickly interlard it with the greatest happiness of the greatest numbers, which, being interpreted, means a total and most immoral disregard to the happiness and well-being of any and every individual. In short, to succeed in this enlightened age, when the march of intellect has billeted even every subaltern mind on that Marquis de Carabas of our social system, public opinion, to seem is everything; to be, nothing. Therefore, let all who would propitiate this autocrat follow the example of Glaucus, and forthwith exchange the golden arms of reality for Diomede's brazen ones of assumption."

"All you say is too true," replied Fanny, and she sighed as she said it; for, by the flush upon Julia's cheek, and the unusual brightness of her eyes, she could not but see how deeply she had been drawing from and referring to her own individual misfortunes.

"Do not go on reading that book, dearest," said she; "it would make you miserable if you were not already so. Here is Mrs. Armytage, which, like everything of Mrs. Gore's, is clever and delightful; but in this she really outdoes herself, for I think the conception almost Shakspearean."

Julia was about to reply, when the dowager entered, and with her usual vulpine smile, began with,

"My dear madam, I fear you will find the little gurl very troublesome just at present; but you see, as you did not approve of her, De Clifford made it a pint to part with momselle on that account, and-and-"

"On account of her conduct with Count Campobello, I suppose," interrupted Lady de Clifford, somewhat haughtily.

CHAPTER VII.

"Waltz, the comet, whiskers, and the new government illuminated heaven and earth, in all their glory, much about the same time; of these, the comet only has disappeared; the other three continue to astonish us still!"-Note by Printer's Devil to Lord · Byron's "Waltz."

"Most men are slaves, because they cannot pronounce the monosyllable 'No.'"-LORD CLARENDON.

"Lord Bath passed for one of the wisest men in England. When one is in opposition,' said he, it is very easy indeed to know what to say; but when one is minister, it is difficult to know what not to say.'

DR. JOHNSON has observed, “that all the performances of the human heart, at which we look with praise cr wonder, are instances of the resistless force of perseverance. It is by this that the quarry becomes a pyramid, and that distant countries are united with canals. If a man were to compare the effect of a single stroke of the pickaxe, or of one impression of the spade, with the general design and last result, he would be overwhelmed by the sense of their disproportion; yet these petty operations, incessantly continued, in time surmount the greatest difficulties, and mountains are levelled and oceans bounded by the slender force of human beings."

Lord Melford was apparently of the same opinion; for, upon Cheveley's arrival at the Clarendon, he found a note from the premier, requesting him to call upon him at his house in street at his earliest convenience. "That would be never," said Lord Cheveley, as he tossed the note aside; but this Lord Melford could not hear, and, if he had, he would not have heeded it; for he was at the time in a dilemma, from which it was necessary to extricate himself and his colleagues coute qu'il coute, and in doing so, if he could at the same time make a powerful proselyte in the person of Lord Cheveley, his position would be strengthened and his triumph be complete. Lord Denham, whose head was to the full as long and somewhat deeper than the premier's, and who was, moreover,

the cynosure of the radical party, had, as we have before stated, immediately returned from the North on the demise of the king, and calculating upon his influence with a royal and illustrious lady, thought, as far as office went, that he would only have to choose and to accept; but, as two suns cannot shine in one hemisphere, neither can two paramount ambitions run amicably abreast in the same political race; consequently, while Lord Denham's great object was to remain at home and about court, it was equally Lord Melford's object to prevent his doing so. Something must be done; but what? ay, there was the rub; but possessing, as he did, an abundance of prompt decision and courage, which in itself amounts to genius, and nine times out of ten makes to attempt and to succeed synonymous; and having, in his political game, first played the knave and then led the queen, a little more finessing was an easy and natural result, by which he might hope to secure all the honours to himself. Lord Denham's wish had been to succeed Lord Protocol as minister for foreign affairs; but Lord Protocol had no idea of being succeeded, nor in this instance was it Lord Melford's desire that he should; there were the colonies going begging; if he could but get Lord Cheveley to accept of the governor-generalship, it would be a great point gained, because this would be so publicly coalescing with the Whigs; and Lord Denham, in the event of Lord Cheveley's being brought round, must be got back to St. Petersburgh, Vienna, or even sent to Ireland, as a pis aller; but, unfortunately, Lord Cheveley, for reasons best known to himself, delayed so long in his journey from Venice, that he did not reach England till the middle of December,

Rebellions, like time and tide, wait for no man, and republican patriots like Lord Denham are equally impatient of any delay that thwarts their ambition-I beg pardon, their patriotic views. The colonial disturbances were daily increasing, and Lord Denham was hourly giving the Melford administration unequivocal and alarming proofs of how deeply he felt and how much he resented their want of good faith and hollow conduct towards him; in short, a crisis had arrived, and it was necessary to meet it, which Lord Melford did by going to Lord Denham, and saying it was her majesty's personal wish that he should accept the colo

nies, as there was no one else in whose zeal and abilities her majesty or her majesty's ministers could place sufficient confidence to trust with so important and arduous a mission.

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Thank God, this at least is settled," thought Lord Melford, as he finished the complimentary peroration; he was therefore not a little taken aback when Lord Denham drew himself up to his full height, his saturnine face growing still darker, his determined mouth becoming more rigid, and his penetrating, flashing eyes piercing with a microscopic power into those of Lord Melford, as he coldly replied,

"Then, my lord, if it's her majesty's personal wish, it is worth asking as a personal favour."

"Oh, yes, certainly, of course," stammered Lord Melford; "only it was to save time that I intimated her majesty's wishes," laying great emphasis on the last word; but," added he, looking at his watch, that grand resource of even prime ministers when they are in a dilemma, "I am going down to Windsor now; may I convey to her majesty your consent to her wishes ?"

"I can give but one answer," replied Lord Denham, haughtily, as he placed his hand upon the bell, as soon as her majesty is graciously pleased to make known to me what are her wishes."

"Spoken like yourself, my lord," said Lord Melford, shaking his hand, apparently with the warmest friendship, as he hurried from the room to regain his carriage. "To Windsor," said he, flinging himself into the farther corner of it. Crack went the whips, and on flew the horses, but they did not fly half as fast as Lord Melford's thoughts. "D-n those Lucifer spirits," muttered the poco curante premier, pulling his under lip; they give one more trouble than all the rest of the world put together. I wish the fellow was not so rich and independent; however, we are not troubled with many of the same genus, for most of our colleagues are such poor devils, both in purse and spirit, that they will take anything-but offence." Now the cause of his lordship's present embarras arose not so much from Lord Denham's restiffness, as from an anxiety touching the best method of making her majesty's wishes known to herself; and, when known, of getting her to convey them to Lord Denham; but as no one knew better than the gallant premier that "faint heart never won a fair

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lady," by the time he arrived at Windsor he was as brave as a lion. Being immediately admitted to the presence, he lost no time in illustrating Hobbes's definition of eloquence, viz., "the putting together of passionate words, and applying them to the passions and interests of the hearer;" and so well did he succeed, that in less than half an hour he had convinced her majesty that Lord Denham's acceptance of the colonies was not only one of her principal wishes, but that it was requisite for the salvation of that part of her majesty's dominions; the next step was easy, and the youthful sovereign consented in her "most sweet voice" to write an autograph letter to Lord Denham, begging his acceptance of the mission, and flatteringly wording the request as a personal favour. A courier being despatched with this consummation" that Lord Melford had so "devoutly wished," his lordship remained to dinner, for he was of the same opinion as Epictetus, that "a table without music is little better than a manger; for music at meals is like a carbuncle set in gold, or the signet of an emerald highly burnished." And in these our degenerate days, where is music at meals to be had except at the tables of majesty? Alas! for the best organized human plans, they have still so much of the Hydra in them, that no sooner do we lop off one fitful head, than lo! another appears, and so it was in the present instance; for Lord Denham, not content with receiving her majesty's personal request, and being made acquainted with her wishes, which, as he loyally and gallantly assured her, "to know was to obey," must needs, in his turn, demand a favour, that of being allowed to furnish the whole frais of the expedition from his own privy purse; the depth and subtilty of the request, which left Lord Denham perfectly unfettered as to any appointments he might in his turn make, was a source of much annoyance and embarrassment to Lord Melford at the time, but still more so at a subsequent period, when he found it expedient solemnly to deny all knowledge of the appointments of some most disreputable persons whom Lord Denham had enrolled among his suite at Lord Melford's especial solicitation. He nevertheless was 66 an honourable man, so are they all honourable men."

Now when Cheveley arrived in England, Lord Denham was in the thick of his preparations for his voyage