bent on inhaling health at every pore.

Nothing in his appearance indicates the invalid; every gesture, as he
moves, rather displays a conscious sense of health and vigour. Somewhat
above the middle size, compactly but not heavily built, it is very
difficult to guess his years; for though his hair and the large whiskers
which meet beneath his chin are perfectly white, his clear blue eyes and
regular teeth show no signs of age. Singularly enough, it is his dress
that gives the clue to this mystery. His tightly-fitting frock, his
bell-shaped hat, and his shapely trousers, all tell of a fashion
antecedent to our loosely-hanging vestments and uncared-for garments;
for the Viscount Lackington was a lord in waiting to the "First
Gentleman" in Europe at a time when Paletots were unknown, and Jim Crows
had not been imagined.

Early as was the hour, his dress was perfect in all its details, and the
accurate folds of his immaculate cravat, and the spotless brilliancy
of his boots, would have done credit to Bond-street in days when
Bond-street cherished such glories. Let our modern critics sneer as they
will at the dandyism of that day, the gentleman of the time was a very
distinctive individual, and, in the subdued colour of his habiliments,
their studious simplicity, and, above all, their unvarying uniformity,
utterly defied all the attempts of spurious imitators.

Our story opens only a few years back, and Lord Lackington was then
one of the very few who perpetuated the traditions in costume of that
celebrated period; but he did so with such unerring accuracy, that men
actually wondered where those marvellously shaped hats were made, or how
those creaseless coats were ever fashioned. Even to the perfume of
his handkerchief, the faintest and most evanescent of odours, all were
mysteries that none could penetrate.

As he surveyed the landscape through his double eye-glass, he smiled
graciously and blandly, and gently inclined his head, as though to say,
"Very prettily done, water and mountains. I'm quite satisfied with you,
trees; you please me very much indeed! Trickle away little fountain--the
picture is the better for it." His Lordship had soon, however, other
objects to engage his attention than the inanimate constituents of the
scene. The spot which he had selected for his point of view was usually
traversed, in their morning walks, by the other residents of the "Cure,"
and this circumstance permitted him to receive the h