bearer of his offered heart! I like this, now. Is there
a more contemptible, a more ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous ass
than myself? Fear not for its delivery, most religiously shall it be
consigned to the hand of its owner. The fellow has paid a compliment to
my honour or my simplicity: I fear the last, and really I feel rather
proud. But away with these feelings! Have I not seen her in his arms?
Pah! Thank God! I spoke. At least, I die in a blaze. Even Annesley does
not think me quite a fool. O, May Dacre, May Dacre! if you were but
mine, I should be the happiest fellow that ever breathed!'

He breakfasted, and then took his way to the Dragon with Two Tails. The
morning was bright, and fresh, and beautiful, even in London. Joy came
upon his heart, in spite of all his loneliness, and he was glad and
sanguine. He arrived just in time. The coach was about to start. The
faithful ostler was there with his great-coat, and the Duke found that
he had three fellow-passengers. They were lawyers, and talked for the
first two hours of nothing but the case respecting which they were
going down into the country. At Woburn, a despatch arrived with the
newspapers. All purchased one, and the Duke among the rest. He was
well reported, and could now sympathise with, instead of smile at, the
anxiety of Lord Darrell.

'The young Duke of St. James seems to have distinguished himself very
much,' said the first lawyer.

'So I observe,' said the second one. 'The leading article calls our
attention to his speech as the most brilliant delivered.'

'I am surprised,' said the third. 'I thought he was quite a different
sort of person.'

'By no means,' said the first: 'I have always had a high opinion of him.
I am not one of those who think the worse of a young man because he is a
little wild.'

'Nor I,' said the second. 'Young blood, you know, is young blood.'

'A very intimate friend of mine, who knows the Duke of St. James well,
once told me,' rejoined the first, 'that I was quite mistaken about him;
that he was a person of no common talents; well read, quite a man of the
world, and a good deal of wit, too; and let me tell you that in these
days wit is no common thing.'

'Certainly not,' said the third. 'We have no wit now.'

'And a kind-hearted, generous fellow,' continued the first, 'and _very_
unaffected.'

'I can't bear an affected man,' said the second, without looking off his
paper. 'He seems to have made a very fine speech in