upon to indulge him with the least mark of maternal regard. On
the contrary, her original disgust degenerated into such inveteracy
of hatred, that she left no stone unturned to alienate the commodore's
affection for this her innocent child, and even practised the most
malicious defamation to accomplish her purpose. Every day, did she abuse
her husband's ear with some forged instance of Peregrine's ingratitude
to his uncle, well knowing that it would reach the commodore's knowledge
at night.

Accordingly Mr. Pickle used to tell him at the club, that his hopeful
favourite had ridiculed him in such a company, and aspersed his spouse
on another occasion; and thus retail the little scandalous issue of his
own wife's invention. Luckily for Peregrine, the commodore paid no
great regard to the authority of his informer, because he knew from what
channel the intelligence flowed; besides, the youth had a staunch friend
in Mr. Hatchway, who never failed to vindicate him when he was thus
unjustly accused, and always found argument enough to confute the
assertions of his enemies. But, though Trunnion had been dubious of
the young gentleman's principles, and deaf to the remonstrances of the
lieutenant, Perry was provided with a bulwark strong enough to defend
him from all such assaults. This was no other than his aunt, whose
regard for him was perceived to increase in the same proportion as his
own mother's diminished; and, indeed, the augmentation of the one was,
in all probability, owing to the decrease of the other; for the
two ladies, with great civility, performed all the duties of good
neighbourhood, and hated each other most piously in their hearts.

Mrs. Pickle, having been disobliged at the splendour of her sister's
new equipage, had, ever since that time, in the course of her visiting,
endeavoured to make people merry with satirical jokes on the poor lady's
infirmities; and Mrs. Trunnion seized the very first opportunity of
making reprisals, by inveighing against her unnatural behaviour to her
own child; so that Peregrine, as on the one hand he was abhorred, so
on the other was he caressed, in consequence of this contention; and I
firmly believe that the most effectual method of destroying his interest
at the garrison, would have been the show of countenancing him at
his father's house; but, whether this conjecture be reasonable or
chimerical, certain it is the experiment was never tried, and therefore
Mr. Peregrine ran n