rd, quite naturally addressed the gentleman as my Lord
Castlewood, my lady viscountess's son.

The secretary of the night previous was now the viscount; the viscount
wore the secretary's grey frock; and John Lockwood was instructed to hint
to the world below stairs that my lord being a Papist, and very devout in
that religion, his attendant might be no other than his chaplain from
Bruxelles; hence, if he took his meals in my lord's company there was
little reason for surprise. Frank was further cautioned to speak English
with a foreign accent, which task he performed indifferently well, and
this caution was the more necessary because the prince himself scarce
spoke our language like a native of the island; and John Lockwood laughed
with the folks below stairs at the manner in which my lord, after five
years abroad, sometimes forgot his own tongue and spoke it like a
Frenchman. "I warrant," says he, "that with the English beef and beer, his
lordship will soon get back the proper use of his mouth;" and, to do his
new lordship justice, he took to beer and beef very kindly.

The prince drank so much, and was so loud and imprudent in his talk after
his drink, that Esmond often trembled for him. His meals were served as
much as possible in his own chamber, though frequently he made his
appearance in Lady Castlewood's parlour and drawing-room, calling Beatrix
"sister", and her ladyship "mother", or "madam", before the servants. And,
choosing to act entirely up to the part of brother and son, the prince
sometimes saluted Mrs. Beatrix and Lady Castlewood with a freedom which
his secretary did not like, and which, for his part, set Colonel Esmond
tearing with rage.

The guests had not been three days in the house when poor Jack Lockwood
came with a rueful countenance to his master, and said: "My lord, that
is--the gentleman, has been tampering with Mrs. Lucy" (Jack's sweetheart),
"and given her guineas and a kiss." I fear that Colonel Esmond's mind was
rather relieved than otherwise, when he found that the ancillary beauty
was the one whom the prince had selected. His royal tastes were known to
lie that way, and continued so in after-life. The heir of one of the
greatest names, of the greatest kingdoms, and of the greatest misfortunes
in Europe, was often content to lay the dignity of his birth and grief at
the wooden shoes of a French chambermaid, and to repent afterwards (for he
was very devout) in ashes taken from the dustpan