mished descents must have ennobled my mother, if her veins had been
filled with printer's ink."

"For God's sake, Hector," replied his anxious sister, "take care of
yourself! a single expression of that kind, repeated to my uncle by an
indiscreet or interested eavesdropper, would lose you his favour for
ever, and destroy all chance of your succeeding to his estate."

"Be it so," answered the heedless young man; "I am one of a profession
which the world has never been able to do without, and will far less
endure to want for half a century to come; and my good old uncle may
tack his good estate and his plebeian name to your apron-string if he
pleases, Mary, and you may wed this new favourite of his if you please,
and you may both of you live quiet, peaceable, well-regulated lives,
if it pleases Heaven. My part is taken--I'll fawn on no man for an
inheritance which should be mine by birth."

Miss M'Intyre laid her hand on her brother's arm, and entreated him to
suppress his vehemence. "Who," she said, "injures or seeks to injure
you, but your own hasty temper?--what dangers are you defying, but those
you have yourself conjured up?--Our uncle has hitherto been all that is
kind and paternal in his conduct to us, and why should you suppose he
will in future be otherwise than what he has ever been, since we were
left as orphans to his care?"

"He is an excellent old gentleman, I must own," replied M'Intyre, "and
I am enraged at myself when I chance to offend him; but then his eternal
harangues upon topics not worth the spark of a flint--his investigations
about invalided pots and pans and tobacco-stoppers past service--all
these things put me out of patience. I have something of Hotspur in me,
sister, I must confess."

"Too much, too much, my dear brother! Into how many risks, and, forgive
me for saying, some of them little creditable, has this absolute and
violent temper led you! Do not let such clouds darken the time you are
now to pass in our neighbourhood, but let our old benefactor see
his kinsman as he is--generous, kind, and lively, without being rude,
headstrong, and impetuous."

"Well," answered Captain M'Intyre, "I am schooled--good-manners be my
speed! I'll do the civil thing by your new friend--I'll have some talk
with this Mr. Lovel."

With this determination, in which he was for the time perfectly
sincere, he joined the party who were walking before them. The treble
disquisition was by this time ended; an