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embarrassing nature of the interview I was about to seek. To force myself into the presence of a man, more than doul le my own age, and, from all I had seen or heard of him, one of the last people in the world to take a liberty with, for the purpose of informing him that his nephew, the only creature on earth that he was supposed to love, was a low swindler, the associate of gamblers and blacklegs, did not appear a line of conduct exactly calculated to induce him, at my request, to give up a scheme on which he had set his heart, or to look with a favourable eye on my pretensions. to the hand of his ward. Still there was no help for it; the happiness of her I loved was at stake, and, had it been to face a fiend, instead of a man, I should not have hesitated.

My meditations were here interrupted by a cock-pheasant, which, alarmed at my approach, rose immediately under my horse's rose; an unexpected incident, which caused that brute to shy violently, and turn short round, thereby nearly unseating me. Having by this manœuvre got his head towards home, he not only refused to turn back again, but showed very unmistakeable symptoms of a desire to run away. Fortunately, however, since the days of "Mad Bess," my arms had grown considerably stronger, and, by dint of pulling and sawing the creature's apology for a mouth with the bit, I was enabled to frustrate his benevolent intentions, and even succeeded in turning him round again; but here my power ceased

-for in the direction of the Priory by no possibility could I induce him to move a step. I whipped and spurred, but in vain; the only result was a series of kicks and plunges, accompanied by a retrograde movement, and a shake of the head, as if he were saying, No! I next attempted the soothing system, and lavished sundry caresses and endearing expressions upon him, of which he was utterly undeserving; but my attentions were quite thrown away, and might as well, for any good they produced, have been bestowed upon a rocking-horse. At length, after a final struggle, in which we were both within an ace of falling into a water-course, which crossed the park in that direction, I gave the matter up as hopeless; and with a sigh (for I love not to be foiled in anything I have attempted, and moreover I could not help looking upon it as an unlucky omen) dismounted, and leading my rebellious steed by the rein, advanced on foot towards the house. As I did so, a figure abruptly turned the corner of a shrubbery walk, which ran at right angles to the road, and I found myself face to face with Richard Cumberland !

For a moment he remained staring at me, as if he scarcely recognised me, or was unwilling to trust the evidence of his senses, so confounded was he at my unexpected apparition; but as I met his gaze with a cold stern look, he seemed to doubt no longer, and advancing a step towards me, said, in a tone of ironical politeness, "Is it possible that I have the pleasure of seeing Mr. Fairleigh ?"

"None other, Mr. Cumberland," returned I, "though I could hardly have flattered myself that my appearance would have recalled any very pleasurable associations, considering the last two occasions on which we met."

"Ah! you refer to that unfortunate affair with Wilford," replied Cumberland, purposely misunderstanding my allusion to Dr. Mildman's. "I had hoped to have been able to prevent the mischief which occurred, but I was misinformed as to the time of the meeting-I trust our friend Oaklands feels no ill effects from his wound."

“Mr. Oaklands, I am sorry to say, recovers but slowly; the wound was a very severe one," returned I coldly.

"Well, I will not detain you any longer, it is a lovely morning for a ride," resumed Cumberland; 66 can I be of any assistance in directing you? the lanes in this neighbourhood are somewhat intricate,—you are not perhaps aware that the road you are now following is a private one."

"Scarcely so private that those who have business with Mr. Vernor may not make use of it, I presume," rejoined I.

He

"Oh! of course not," was the reply—“I did not know that you were acquainted with my uncle; though now I come to think of it, I do recollect his saying that he had met you somewhere. seldom receives visitors in the morning;-in fact, when I came out, I left him particularly engaged. Perhaps I can save you the trouble of going up to the house; is there any message I can deliver for you?"

"I thank you," replied I, "but I do not think the business which has brought me here could be well transacted through a third person; at all events, I will take my chance of being admitted:"—I paused, but could not refrain from adding, "besides, if my memory fails not, you were a somewhat heedless messenger in days of yore."

This allusion to his embezzlement of Oaklands' letter stung him to the quick he turned as white as ashes, and asked, in a voice that trembled with passion, "Whether I meant to insult him?”

"I spoke heedlessly, and without deliberate intention," I replied; "but perhaps it is only fair to tell you, that for the future there can be no friendly communication between us; we must either avoid each other altogether, which would be the most desirable arrangement, or meet as strangers. The disgraceful conduct of the boy I could have forgiven and forgotten, had not its memory been revived by the evil deeds of the man. Richard Cumberland, I KNOW you thoroughly; it is needless for me to add more."

As I spoke, his cheek flushed, then grew pale again with shame and anger, while he bit his under lip so severely, that a red line remained where his teeth had pressed it. When I concluded, he advanced towards me with a threatening gesture, but, unable to meet the steadfast look with which I confronted him, he turned abruptly on his heel, and muttering, "You shall repent this," disappeared among the shrubs.

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"Is your master-is Mr. Vernor at home?" inquired I of the grim-visaged old servant, who looked, if possible, taller and more wooden than when I had last seen him.

"Well, I suppose not, Sir!" was the somewhat odd reply.

"You suppose!" repeated I; "if you have any doubt, had you not better go and see?"

"That won't be of no manner of use, Sir," was the rejoinder; "I should not be none the wiser."

It was clear that the old man was a complete original; but his affection for Clara was a virtue which in my eyes would have atoned for any amount of eccentricity; and, as I was anxious to stand well in his good graces, I determined to fall in with his humour; accordingly I replied with a smile, "How do you make out that did you never hear that seeing is believing?"

"Not always, Sir," he answered, "for if I'd a trusted to my eyesight-and it ain't so bad neither for a man that's no great way off sixty-I should have fancied Muster Wernor was a sitting in the liber-rary; but he told me he was not at home hisself, and he ought to know best."

"Tell him I won't detain him long," returned I, "but that I am come on business of importance."

""Tain't of no manner of use, young gentleman," was the reply; "he told me he wasn't at home, and he said it uncommon cross too, as if he meant it, and if I was to go to him twenty times he'd only say the same thing."

"What's your name, my good friend?" inquired I.

"Peter Barnett, at your service, Sir," was the answer.

"Well, then, Peter, we must contrive to understand one another a little better. You have known your young mistress from a child, and have a sincere regard for her-is it not so?"

"What, Miss Clara, God bless her!--why, I love her as if she was my own flesh and blood; I should be a brute if I didn't, poor lamb."

"Well, then, when I tell you that her happiness is very nearly connected with the object of my visit-when I say, that it is to prevent her from being obliged to do something of which she has the greatest abhorrence, that I am anxious to meet Mr. Vernor—I am sure you will contrive that I shall see him."

As I concluded, the old man, muttering to himself, "That's it, is it ?" began to examine me from top to toe with a critical glance, as if I had been some animal he was about to purchase; and when he reached my face, gazed at me long and fixedly, as though striving to read my character. Apparently the result of his scrutiny was favourable, for after again saying in a low tone, "Well, I likes the looks of him," he added, "This way, young gentleman-you shall see him if that's what you want-it ain't a hanging matter, after all." As he spoke, he threw open the door of the library, saying, "Gentleman says his business is werry partickler, so I thought you'd better see him yourself."

Mr. Vernor, who was seated at a table writing, rose on my entrance, bowed stiffly to me, and, casting a withering glance on Peter Barnett, signed to him to shut the door. As soon as that worthy had obeyed the command, he resumed his seat, and, addressing me with the same frigid politeness which he had shown on the occasion of my first visit to him, said, "I am somewhat occupied this morning, and must therefore be excused for inquiring at once what very particular business Mr. Fairlegh can have with me.”

His tone and manner, as he spoke, were such as to render me fully aware of the pleasant nature of the task before me; namely, to make the most disagreeable communication possible, to the most disagreeable person to whom such a communication could be made. Still, I was regularly in for it; there was nothing left for me but to "go a-head;" and, as I thought of Clara and her sorrows, the task seemed to lose half its difficulty. However, it was not without some hesitation that I began :

66 When you learn the object of my visit, Sir, you

will perceive

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