n George and his daughter: but now he
read Madam Esmond's words, they gave him but small encouragement.

"Bah!" says George. "I shall have three hundred pounds for my tragedy. I
can easily write a play a year; and if the worst comes to the worst, we
can live on that."

"On that and your patrimony," says Theo's father.

George now had to explain, with some hesitation, that what with paying
bills for his mother, and Harry's commission and debts, and his own
ransom--George's patrimony proper was well-nigh spent.

Mr. Lambert's countenance looked graver still at this announcement, but
he saw his girl's eyes turned towards him with an alarm so tender, that
he took her in his arms and vowed that, let the worst come to the worst,
his darling should not be balked of her wish.

About the going back to Virginia, George frankly owned that he little
liked the notion of returning to be entirely dependent on his mother.
He gave General Lambert an idea of his life at home, and explained how
little to his taste that slavery was. No. Why should he not stay in
England, write more tragedies, study for the bar, get a place, perhaps?
Why, indeed? He straightway began to form a plan for another tragedy.
He brought portions of his work, from time to time, to Miss Theo and her
sister: Hetty yawned over the work, but Theo pronounced it to be still
more beautiful and admirable than the last, which was perfect.

The engagement of our young friends was made known to the members of
their respective families, and announced to Sir Miles Warrington, in
a ceremonious letter from his nephew. For a while Sir Miles saw no
particular objection to the marriage; though, to be sure, considering
his name and prospects, Mr. Warrington might have looked higher. The
truth was, that Sir Miles imagined that Madam Esmond had made some
considerable settlement on her son, and that his circumstances were more
than easy. But when he heard that George was entirely dependent on his
mother, and that his own small patrimony was dissipated, as Harry's had
been before, Sir Miles's indignation at his nephew's imprudence knew no
bounds; he could not find words to express his horror and anger at the
want of principle exhibited by both these unhappy young men: he thought
it his duty to speak his mind about them, and wrote his opinion to his
sister Esmond in Virginia. As for General and Mrs. Lambert, who passed
for respectable persons, was it to be borne that such people shou