shore, where the waves will afford you room for meditation, with your mind, by no means unproductive. Till then, adieu."

At this, delivering me over to the attentions of Simcoe, whom he summoned by a bell which generally stood on the table, I left him, under the charge of that civil domestic, hoping on my return to find his reflections had turned to profit.

CHAPTER XIII.

GREAT THINGS FROM SMALL CAUSES. THE EFFECTS OF VUL GAR IMPERTINENCE ON A HIGH MIND. THE MARQUESS YIELDS TO PERSUASION, OF WHICH I REAP THE BENEFIT. -I RETURN TO LONDON, WHERE, WITH MORE AND MORE PROSPECT OF ADVANCEMENT, I AM ONLY MORE DESPOND)ING ON THE SUBJECT OF BERTHA.

What your wisdom could not discover, these shallow fools have brought to light. SHAKSPEARE.-Much Ado about Nothing.

Thou art in a parlous state, shepherd.

As You Like It.

AFTER we had passed the sort of esplanade that lies before Belford Tower, I began to explore, under the guidance. of the faithful Simcoe, a winding path, changing often into steps cut in the rock, leading to the sea.

During the descent, it was evident that my guide paused at particular turnings, in the hope of gaining information respecting the recent interview between his lord and the worthies who had just made their exit. "I never knew my lord

so loud in all his life," said Mr. Simcoe.

Finding this produced no comment, at another resting-place, he said he feared that something very queer had happened; for Mr. Juniper had pressed his hand, much affected, and said, "I am afraid, Mr. Simcoe, I shall never drink a glass of your warm punch in your warm room again.' Something

extraordinary must have happened," continued the butler, "for this to be; but provided it takes my lord to town, or even only to Beaulieu, I shall not care. May I be so bold, Sir, as to ask what has happened? for lawyer Parrot seemed on excessive high ropes, and swore that my lord would repent the affront he had put upon him the longest day he had to live. If not too free, Sir, may I take the liberty of asking what was the affront? for thongh I have known my lord, once or twice in the course of his life, knock a man down when in a passion, I never knew him affront any person whatever."

"His lordship," said I, "certainly did not give this proof to Mr. Parrot of abstaining from affronting him; but he dismissed him from his service, not more gently than he deserved."

"I dare say," returned the butler; "for though Mr. Parrot carries himself civil enough towards us, I have known him very pear in speaking of and to his shooperiors, which I tell him is always wrong, especially as he lives by them. In this case, too, if he has talked to my lord's face what he has sometimes said of him behind his back, he deserves banging; for my lord, though not so rich as he was, is still as generous as a prince. More's the pity; as, far from thanking him, such people as Parrot, while they pocket his money, say it is all to shew off as it were, and make the world think he is not ruined, when he is; God forbid! I suppose, however, from what has passed, we shall never see Mr. Parrot again."

suppose so," replied I ; and having by this time reached the strand, on which a fiue rough flood tide was foaming in billows, I allowed Mr. Simcoe to climb home again, meditating on his way the important news I had communicated to him, while the sea roared me into a sort of solemnity of thought.

For my own part, though there was nothing but what was perfectly respectful to his master in what Simcoe had said, I did not approve his allowing himself to talk of him as he did. to me, a comparative stranger; and, from the conduct of the vulgar Parrot, which made me recollect the maxim of that accomplished woman, Lady Hungerford, that all vulgarity had something selfish in it, I made a resolution for my future guidance, never to put myself in the power of an inferior,

whether in station or mind, or trust him with any thing I wished not to have published to the world.

These thoughts and some others, which seldom left me, occupied my solitary walk on the solitary strand that led to Belford. The others may be guessed; for I had counted upon receiving that morning, in a letter from Granville (which never came), an answer to mine, from York, requesting information on the mysterious visit by Prince Adolphus to Foljambe Park.

All thought, however, was at length lost in the contemplation of the magnificent billows, white with foam, and thundering as they approached nearer and nearer, devouring, as it were, the strand on which I stood, and covering me at times with their spray. They seemed the stupendous majesty of nature (for it had begun almost to blow a storm), and engaged me till the sound of the great bell of the castle, floating upon the wind, told me the bour of dinner was rear. This, in conformity with Lord Rochfort's new habits, was three o'clock; and I made haste to rejoin him, not a little anxious. to know the result of his self-examination. As the dinner was, however, going on the table, this could not be till that repast was concluded; which, being little like the London banquets where I had formerly met him, did not take long.

Though we sat in full view of Apemantus's Grace, our dinner was by no means confined to roots, as A pemantus recommended. The fisheries on the coast supplied the freshest herrings; Berwick sent exquisite kipper; and the moors, which looked so bleak and dreary, besides well-flavoured mutton, gave us excellent and savoury wild fowl. The cellars also in Grosvenor Square had not been permitted to retain the whole of their treasures.

When I complimented my noble host upon all this, he said, Though I fled from man, I did not think myself bound to fly from what was meant for the use of man. This is a part of the philosophy of retirement which I neither did, nor wished to understand; and though I admired and approved Apemantus's Grace, it was always with the exception of the intimation, I eat root.' Indeed, so little was I a convert to that part of it, that, to the shame of all hermits be it spoken,

* Dried salmon,

I endeavoured to seduce my French cook, Monsieur Dumain, to stay with me here; but after surveying the place, aud bestowing many sacristies upon it, he demanded his conge, though I offered to raise his wages. I was glad of it; for my seclusion, and dinners like this, soon taught me that a French cook, that requisite of fashion, was, like fashion itself, only another humbug among the many that deceive the world."

"But, now," said his lordship, after a slight pause-" now for your mission. I have taken my resolution upon it, though

a little ashamed of the main reason that has led to it. In a word, I do not like to think that an alarm to my pride, and a disgust at impertinence, have effected more in removing, if not my prejudices themselves, at least their consequences, than sober reason. This morning I had resolved only to send my proxy to Lord Castleton, and to remain here myself. I now see that to remain here, with the jackanapes I have dismissed for a companion (to say nothing of the danger of confiding in him as a law adviser), is impossible; and as there is no alternative, I am ready to return to town. To do so, shorn of my beams as I must be, has, I own, been my stumblingblock; but the real philosophy which my solitude, by making me better acquainted with myself, has generated, has overcome that. I think with you, that a peer, not yet in the decline of his age, has no right to renounce his duty by retiring, especially if he retire in a pet, which perhaps I did. The worst is, that, in all probability, it is a pet that sends me back again but thus are we governed; such is human nature: it was a pet, you know, that enabled Troy to hold out so many years; it was a pet that produced the Iliad."

"Pet, or sober reflection," replied 1, overjoyed, "I hail the decision as the best thing that could happen for the country; and I am sure Lord Castleton will, as far as he is concerned, give you carte blanche."

"Hold," said he; "not a word of that. It will spoil all the grace of the thing, if there can be any thing of grace in only doing what we think is right. I approve of Lord Castleton's measures, and I will support them because I approve; but I will not be paid for it. I am not paid by the nation for doing its business in the House of Lords; I will not be paid by Lord Castleton for there doing the business of the nation.

It cannot be concealed that

There is a still stronger reason. my fortune is hurt. If it was not by others, it would be revealed by the officious blockhead I have dismissed. It shall never be said that I took office to retrieve my affairs. Tell this to Castleton, who, I know, will understand my conduct, though no one else may."

I was really so overcome with this noble frankness, this generosity of spirit, that it was some time before I could reply.

It is unnecessary to relate the consequent steps taken before I left the castle. I will only add upon the subject, that the marquess acted up to his professions; realizing all expectations; and, from his persevering disinterestedness, depriving even party calumny of a pretext to impute a sordid motive to him. Sourkrout attempted it by putting the world upon their guard, exclaiming weekly, "We shall see, we shall see❞— "the mare's nest will be found out" old birds not to be caught with chaff"-" all is not gold that glitters ;"—and other like elegant phrases, all denoting the chaste and delicate style of this champion of liberty and regulator of the public taste.

But, unhappily, he was disappointed, for the marquess continued a powerful support to the government, without office; which so enraged the patriotic and virtuous editor, that he hinted pretty broadly, that he had good reason to believe the marquess enjoyed in secret a very considerable pension, either out of the secret service or the privy purse.

It may be supposed that I wrote a precise detail of all my operations at Belford Tower to Lord Castleton; and the whole scene of that romantic place, the varied interests it presented in viewing the turns of Lord Rochfort's vehement but noble character, together with its crowning event, made my visit to it the most pleasing as well as exciting occurrence of my public life.

To return to my narrative: I was gratified before I left Northumberland, by the most unqualified approbation of all my proceedings, accompanied with a prospect held out to me which would have left little in the way of fortune to desire. For as yet I had been only private secretary to my patron; but the death of Mr. Mansfield, the chief secretary, having made a vacancy not only in that office, but a considerable

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