makes me quite happy to see you
here again. Suppose we take a glass of wine."

The softer heart and more susceptible spirit of Egremont were well
calculated to respond to this ebullition of feeling, however slight; and
truly it was for many reasons not without considerable emotion, that
he found himself once more at Marney. He sate by the side of his gentle
sister-in-law, who seemed pleased by the unwonted cordiality of her
husband, and anxious by many kind offices to second every indication of
good feeling on his part. Captain Grouse was extremely assiduous: the
vicar was of the deferential breed, agreed with Lady Marney on the
importance of infant schools, but recalled his opinion when Lord Marney
expressed his imperious hope that no infant schools would ever be found
in his neighbourhood. Sir Vavasour was more than middle aged, comely,
very gentlemanlike, but with an air occasionally of absence which hardly
agreed with his frank and somewhat hearty idiosyncracy; his clear brow,
florid complexion, and blue eye. But Lord Marney talked a good deal,
though chiefly dogmatical or argumentative. It was rather difficult for
him to find a sufficient stock of opposition, but he laid in wait and
seized every opening with wonderful alacrity. Even Captain Grouse could
not escape him; if driven to extremity Lord Marney would even question
his principles on fly-making. Captain Grouse gave up, but not too soon;
he was well aware that his noble friend's passion for controversy was
equal to his love of conquest. As for Lady Marney, it was evident
that with no inconsiderable talents, and with an intelligence richly
cultivated, the controversial genius of her husband had completely cowed
her conversational charms. She never advanced a proposition that he did
not immediately bristle up, and she could only evade the encounter by a
graceful submission. As for the vicar, a frequent guest, he would fain
have taken refuge in silence, but the earl, especially when alone, would
what he called "draw him out," and the game once unearthed, with so
skilled a pack there was but little fear of a bad run. When all were
reduced to silence, Lord Marney relinquishing controversy, assumed the
positive. He eulogized the new poor law, which he declared would be the
salvation of the country, provided it was "carried out" in the spirit in
which it was developed in the Marney Union; but then he would add
that there was no district except their union in which i