far back for an example. It is enough for a Hazeldean that his father
and his grandfather and his great-grandfather all farmed before him;
and a devilish deal better, I take it, than any of those musty old
Athenians, no offence to them. But I'll tell you one thing, Parson, a
man to farm well, and live in the country, should have a wife; it is
half the battle."

"As to a battle, a man who is married is pretty sure of half, though
not always the better half, of it," answered the parson, who seemed
peculiarly facetious that day. "Ah, Squire, I wish I could think
Mrs. Hazeldean right in her conjecture!--you would have the prettiest
daughter-in-law in the three kingdoms. And I do believe that, if I could
have a good talk with the young lady apart from her father, we could
remove the only objection I know to the marriage. Those Popish errors--"

"Ah, very true!" cried the squire; "that Pope sticks hard in my gizzard.
I could excuse her being a foreigner, and not having, I suppose, a
shilling in her pocket--bless her handsome face!--but to be worshipping
images in her room instead of going to the parish church, that will
never do. But you think you could talk her out of the Pope, and into the
family pew?"

"Why, I could have talked her father out of the Pope, only, when he had
not a word to say for himself, he bolted out of the window. Youth is
more ingenuous in confessing its errors."

"I own," said the squire, "that both Harry and I had a favourite notion
of ours till this Italian girl got into our heads. Do you know we
both took a great fancy to Randal's little sister,--pretty, blushing,
English-faced girl as ever you saw. And it went to Harry's good heart
to see her so neglected by that silly, fidgety mother of hers, her hair
hanging about her ears; and I thought it would be a fine way to bring
Randal and Frank more together, and enable me to do something for Randal
himself,--a good boy with Hazeldean blood in his veins. But Violante is
so handsome, that I don't wonder at the boy's choice; and then it is our
fault,--we let them see so much of each other as children. However, I
should be very angry if Rickeybockey had been playing sly, and running
away from the Casino in order to give Frank an opportunity to carry on a
clandestine intercourse with his daughter."

"I don't think that would be like Riccabocca; more like him to run
away in order to deprive Frank of the best of all occasions to court
Violante, if he so de