ld
inveigle a penniless young man into a marriage with their penniless
daughter? Regarding them, and George's behaviour, Sir Miles fully
explained his views to Madam Esmond, gave half a finger to George
whenever his nephew called on him in town, and did not even invite him
to partake of the famous family small-beer. Towards Harry his uncle
somewhat unbent; Harry had done his duty in the campaign, and was
mentioned with praise in high quarters. He had sown his wild oats,--he
at least was endeavouring to amend; but George was a young prodigal,
fast careering to ruin, and his name was only mentioned in the family
with a groan. Are there any poor fellows nowadays, I wonder, whose
polite families fall on them and persecute them; groan over them
and stone them, and hand stones to their neighbours that they may do
likewise? All the patrimony spent! Gracious heavens! Sir Miles turned
pale when he saw his nephew coming. Lady Warrington prayed for him as a
dangerous reprobate; and, in the meantime, George was walking the town,
quite unconscious that he was occasioning so much wrath and so much
devotion. He took little Miley to the play and brought him back again.
He sent tickets to his aunt and cousins which they could not refuse, you
know; it would look too marked were they to break altogether. So they
not only took the tickets, but whenever country constituents came to
town they asked for more, taking care to give the very worst motives
to George's intimacy with the theatre, and to suppose that he and the
actresses were on terms of the most disgraceful intimacy. An august
personage having been to the theatre, and expressed his approbation
of Mr. Warrington's drama to Sir Miles, when he attended his R-y-l
H-ghn-ss's levee at Saville House, Sir Miles, to be sure, modified his
opinion regarding the piece, and spoke henceforth more respectfully of
it. Meanwhile, as we have said, George was passing his life entirely
careless of the opinion of all the uncles, aunts, and cousins in the
world.

Most of the Esmond cousins were at least more polite and cordial than
George's kinsfolk of the Warrington side. In spite of his behaviour over
the cards, Lord Castlewood, George always maintained, had a liking for
our Virginians, and George was pleased enough to be in his company. He
was a far abler man than many who succeeded in life. He had a good name,
and somehow only stained it; a considerable wit, and nobody trusted it;
and a very shrewd