to conceal, to a certain degree, his sentiments,
temporising with the old gentlemen, with whom, notwithstanding his many
irregularities, he was a great favourite, and at whose death he expected
to come into a yet greater property than that which he inherited from his
parents.

Such is a brief account of Francis Ardry--of my friend Francis Ardry; for
the acquaintance, commenced in the singular manner with which the reader
is acquainted, speedily ripened into a friendship which endured through
many long years of separation, and which still endures certainly on my
part, and on his--if he lives; but it is many years since I have heard
from Francis Ardry.

And yet many people would have thought it impossible for our friendship
to have lasted a week--for in many respects no two people could be more
dissimilar. He was an Irishman--I, an Englishman;--he, fiery,
enthusiastic, and open-hearted; I, neither fiery, enthusiastic, nor
open-hearted;--he, fond of pleasure and dissipation; I, of study and
reflection. Yet it is of such dissimilar elements that the most lasting
friendships are formed: we do not like counterparts of ourselves. 'Two
great talkers will not travel far together,' is a Spanish saying; I will
add, 'Nor two silent people'; we naturally love our opposites.

So Francis Ardry came to see me, and right glad I was to see him, for I
had just flung my books and papers aside, and was wishing for a little
social converse; and when we had conversed for some little time together,
Francis Ardry proposed that we should go to the play to see Kean; so we
went to the play, and saw--not Kean, who at that time was ashamed to show
himself, but--a man who was not ashamed to show himself, and who people
said was a much better man than Kean--as I have no doubt he was--though
whether he was a better actor I cannot say, for I never saw Kean.

Two or three evenings after Francis Ardry came to see me again, and again
we went out together, and Francis Ardry took me to--shall I say?--why
not?--a gaming-house, where I saw people playing, and where I saw Francis
Ardry play and lose five guineas, and where I lost nothing, because I did
not play, though I felt somewhat inclined; for a man with a white hat and
a sparkling eye held up a box which contained something which rattled,
and asked me to fling the bones. 'There is nothing like flinging the
bones!' said he, and then I thought I should like to know what kind of
thing flinging the bon