train of thought, without noticing that Miss
O'Donoghue was intent on speech herself:

"You have not seen him, I believe, since he was quite a lad. You would
have some difficulty in recognising him, though he bears, like the
rest of us, what you call the unmistakable Landale stamp. His portrait
is here, by the way--duly installed in its correct position. That,"
with a laugh, "was one of his freaks. It was his duty to keep up the
family traditions, he said--and there you will approve of him, no
doubt; but hardly, perhaps, of the manner in which he has had that
laudable intention carried out. My own portrait was, of course,
deposed (like the original)," added Mr. Landale, with something of a
sneer; "and now hangs meekly in some bedroom or other--in that, if I
mistake not, at present hallowed by my fair cousins' presence. Well,
it is good for the soul of man to be humbled, as we are taught to
believe from our earliest years!"

Tanty was fumbling for her eye-glasses. She was glad to hear that
Adrian had remembered some of his obligations (she observed,
sententiously, as she hauled herself stiffly out of her chair to
approach the chimney-piece); it was certainly a sign that he was more
mindful of his duties as head of the house than one would expect from
a person hardly responsible, such as Rupert had represented him to be,
and ...

Here, the glasses being adjusted and focussed upon the portrait, Miss
O'Donoghue halted abruptly with a dropping jaw.

"There is a curious inscription underneath the escutcheon," said Mr.
Landale composedly, "which latter, by the way, you may notice is the
only one in the line which has no room for an impaled coat (Adrian's
way of indicating not only that he is single, but means to remain
such); Adrian composed it himself and indeed attached a marked
importance to it. Let me read it for you, dear Tanty, the picture
hangs a little high and those curveting letters are hard to decipher.
It runs thus:

_Sir Adrian William Hugh Landale, Lord of Pulwick and Scarthey in the
County Palatine of Lancaster, eighth Baronet, born March 12th, 1775.
Succeeded to the title and estate on the 10th February 1799, whilst
abroad. Iniquitously pressed into the King's service on the day of his
return home, January 2nd, 1801. Twice flogged for alleged
insubordination, and only released at last by the help of a friend
after five years of slavery. Died_ [Here a space for the date.] It is
a record with a vengeance,