his clients were exhausted, their counsel summed up the whole
affair, and said three words which seemed suddenly to remove all
doubts, and to solve all difficulties. In all the business of life, Lord
Eskdale, though he appreciated their native ability, and respected
their considerable acquirements, which he did not share, looked upon his
cousins as two children, and managed them as children; but he was really
attached to them, and the sincere attachment of such a character is
often worth more than the most passionate devotion. The last great
domestic embarrassment at Montacute had been the affair of the cooks.
Lord Eskdale had taken this upon his own shoulders, and, writing to
Daubuz, had sent down Leander and his friends to open the minds and
charm the palates of the north.

Lord Valentine and his noble parents, and their daughter, Lady
Florentina, who was a great horsewoman, also arrived. The countess, who
had once been a beauty with the reputation of a wit, and now set up for
being a wit on the reputation of having been a beauty, was the lady of
fashion of the party, and scarcely knew anybody present, though there
were many who were her equals and some her superiors in rank. Her way
was to be a little fine, always smiling and condescendingly amiable;
when alone with her husband shrugging her shoulders somewhat, and vowing
that she was delighted that Lord Eskdale was there, as she had somebody
to speak to. It was what she called 'quite a relief.' A relief, perhaps,
from Lord and Lady Mountjoy, whom she had been avoiding all her life;
unfortunate people, who, with a large fortune, lived in a wrong square,
and asked to their house everybody who was nobody; besides, Lord
Mountjoy was vulgar, and laughed too loud, and Lady Mountjoy called you
'my dear,' and showed her teeth. A relief, perhaps, too, from the Hon.
and Rev. Montacute Mountjoy, who, with Lady Eleanor, four daughters
and two sons, had been invited to celebrate the majority of the future
chieftain of their house. The countess had what is called 'a horror of
those Mountjoys, and those Montacute Mountjoys,' and what added to her
annoyance was, that Lord Valentine was always flirting with the Misses
Montacute Mountjoy.

The countess could find no companions in the Duke and Duchess of
Clanronald, because, as she told her husband, as they could not speak
English and she could not speak Scotch, it was impossible to exchange
ideas. The bishop of the diocese was ther