t, and arranging it on the oak table, under
the directing eye of his master, the officers in the mess-room were
forming their opinions of the appearance of the newcomer, with the
balmy assistance, in this mental effort, of strong military cigars.
His age was nearly twenty-one years, and he looked perhaps older. His
figure was tall, slight, and graceful, more formed than is usual in
early youth, and bespeaking strength and activity. His face was almost
beautiful in feature and form when silent, but as he spoke, a certain
thinness of the lips betrayed itself, and somewhat marred its singular
attractiveness. Dark brown hair, high clear forehead, teeth perfect,
in regularity and whiteness, oval outline, head and neck shapely, and
well set on--in short altogether such a person as one rarely sees,
either in a regiment, or elsewhere.

As the "who is he?" is always a most important point of English
introduction, and I would fain hope that you may take some interest in
this person as we proceed, you should be told, that he is the second
son of the only brother of a bachelor squire of very large estate in
Yorkshire; his father, a profligate and spendthrift living at
Boulogne, while he and his brother are adopted by the uncle. His poor
broken-hearted mother has slept sweetly for many years near the
village church where she was wed.

Eton received him when very young; he there lost his Yorkshire
manners, learnt to row and swim, and acquired a certain precocious
knowledge of the world, and proficiency in tying a white neckcloth.
The labours of the classics and science were alike distasteful to him;
study of any kind he abhorred; yet so acquisitive was his intellect,
retentive his memory, and powerful his ability, that when he left Eton
at eighteen, few youths presented a more showy surface of information.
He had had one or two narrow escapes from expulsion for offences, in
which the vices of maturer years were mixed up with boyish turbulence;
but a certain element of depth and caution, even in these outbreaks,
saved him from incurring their usual penalties. He was admirable in
all active exercises, had a magnificent voice, and singular taste and
talent for music and painting. As a social companion, he was
brilliant when he thought fit to exert himself; at other times he was
silent and rather thoughtful, perhaps too thoughtful for his years.
Though he always lived with the most dissipated and uproarious set, in
his vices there was