hundred pursuits of his own,
which made his time pass very comfortably. He had all the Lectures at
the British Institution; he had the Geographical Society, the Asiatic
Society, and the Political Economy Club; and though he talked year after
year of going to visit his relations in Scotland, the months and seasons
passed away, and his feet still beat the London pavement.

In spite of the cold reception his brothers gave him, duty was duty,
and Colonel Newcome still proposed, or hoped to be well with the female
members of the Newcome family; and having, as we have said, plenty of
time on his hands, and living at no very great distance from either of
his brothers' town houses, when their wives were in London, the elder
Newcome was for paying them pretty constant visits. But after the
good gentleman had called twice or thrice upon his sister-in-law in
Bryanstone Square--bringing, as was his wont, a present for this little
niece, or a book for that--Mrs. Newcome, with her usual virtue, gave him
to understand that the occupation of an English matron, who, besides her
multifarious family duties, had her own intellectual culture to mind,
would not allow her to pass the mornings in idle gossips: and of course
took great credit to herself for having so rebuked him. "I am not above
instruction of any age," says she, thanking Heaven (or complimenting it,
rather, for having created a being so virtuous and humble-minded). "When
Professor Schroff comes, I sit with my children, and take lessons in
German,--and I say my verbs with Maria and Tommy in the same class!"
Yes, with curtsies and fine speeches she actually bowed her brother
out of doors; and the honest gentleman meekly left her, though with
bewilderment, as he thought of the different hospitality to which he had
been accustomed in the East, where no friend's house was ever closed
to him, where no neighbour was so busy but he had time to make Thomas
Newcome welcome.

When Hobson Newcome's boys came home for the holidays, their kind uncle
was for treating them to the sights of the town, but here Virtue again
interposed and laid its interdict upon pleasure. "Thank you, very much,
my dear Colonel," says Virtue, "there never was surely such a kind,
affectionate, unselfish creature as you are, and so indulgent for
children, but my boys and yours are brought up on a very different
plan. Excuse me for saying that I do not think it is advisable that they
should even see too much of ea