wn home,
and Evelyn had now been some weeks at Mrs. Merton's. As was natural,
she had grown in some measure reconciled and resigned to her change of
abode. In fact, no sooner did she pass Mrs. Merton's threshold, than,
for the first time, she was made aware of her consequence in life.

The Rev. Mr. Merton was a man of the nicest perception in all things
appertaining to worldly consideration. The second son of a very wealthy
baronet (who was the first commoner of his county) and of the daughter
of a rich and highly-descended peer, Mr. Merton had been brought near
enough to rank and power to appreciate all their advantages. In early
life he had been something of a "tuft-hunter;" but as his understanding
was good and his passions not very strong, he had soon perceived that
that vessel of clay, a young man with a moderate fortune, cannot long
sail down the same stream with the metal vessels of rich earls and
extravagant dandies. Besides, he was destined for the Church--because
there was one of the finest livings in England in the family. He
therefore took orders at six and twenty; married Mrs. Leslie's daughter,
who had thirty thousand pounds: and settled at the rectory of Merton,
within a mile of the family seat. He became a very respectable and
extremely popular man. He was singularly hospitable, and built a new
wing--containing a large dining-room and six capital bed-rooms--to the
rectory, which had now much more the appearance of a country villa
than a country parsonage. His brother, succeeding to the estates, and
residing chiefly in the neighbourhood, became, like his father before
him, member for the county, and was one of the country gentlemen most
looked up to in the House of Commons. A sensible and frequent, though
uncommonly prosy speaker, singularly independent (for he had a clear
fourteen thousand pounds a year, and did not desire office), and valuing
himself on not being a party man, so that his vote on critical questions
was often a matter of great doubt, and, therefore, of great moment, Sir
John Merton gave considerable importance to the Rev. Charles Merton. The
latter kept up all the more select of his old London acquaintances; and
few country houses, at certain seasons of the year, were filled more
aristocratically than the pleasant rectory-house. Mr. Merton,
indeed, contrived to make the Hall a reservoir for the parsonage, and
periodically drafted off the _elite_ of the visitors at the former to
spend a fe