and then return it to your lordship. As my mother
in Virginia has had her papers burned, she will be put out of much
anxiety by having this assignment safely lodged."

"What, have Madam Esmond's papers been burned? When the deuce was that?"
asks my lord.

"My lord, I wish you a very good afternoon. Come, Sampson, you and I
will go and dine at the Three Castles." And I turned on my heel, making
a bow to Lord R------, and from that day to this I have never set my
foot within the halls of my ancestors.

Shall I ever see the old mother again, I wonder? She lives in Richmond,
never having rebuilt her house in the country. When Hal was in England,
we sent her pictures of both her sons, painted by the admirable Sir
Joshua Reynolds. We sate to him, the last year Mr. Johnson was alive, I
remember. And the Doctor, peering about the studio, and seeing the image
of Hal in his uniform (the appearance of it caused no little excitement
in those days), asked who was this? and was informed that it was the
famous American General--General Warrington, Sir George's brother.
"General Who?" cries the Doctor, "General Where? Pooh! I don't know such
a service!" and he turned his back and walked out of the premises. My
worship is painted in scarlet, and we have replicas of both performances
at home. But the picture which Captain Miles and the girls declare to be
most like is a family sketch by my ingenious neighbour, Mr. Bunbury, who
has drawn me and my lady with Monsieur Gumbo following us, and written
under the piece, "SIR GEORGE, MY LADY, AND THEIR MASTER."

Here my master comes; he has poked out all the house-fires, has looked
to all the bolts, has ordered the whole male and female crew to their
chambers; and begins to blow my candles out, and says, "Time, Sir
George, to go to bed! Twelve o'clock!"

"Bless me! So indeed it is." And I close my book, and go to my rest,
with a blessing on those now around me asleep.

THE END

End of Project Gutenberg's The Virginians, by William Makepeace Thackeray

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