348 beneath these flowers of rhetoric. Neither was Edgar entirely up to the tendency of his discourse; yet he thought that the young nobleinan was wrong, and was thinking how he might best reply to him, when Henry got up, and whilst settling his hat on his head, was asked by Edgar what he was about? "Are you tired of being here, young stargazer ?" said Wellings. "I am going home," replied Henry. "What now," exclaimed Wellings; "are you sick, man?" "Never was better in my life," returned Henry. Affronted then?" asked Wellings. 66 No, not at all; why should I?" replied Henry. 'But I am going home, to go to-bed." "Stop, stop!" exclaimed Edgar, seizing his friend's arm; "there is something in this which I do not understand.-What are you about? What do you talk of going to-bed for ?" 66 Only that I may be there till candle-light,” answered Henry. "I see I have been living in error all my life; I am resolved to do better henceforward-let me go." "You shall not go till you have explained yourself," said Edgar. Wellings and Lord F with the young lady, gathered eagerly round him. "What do you all look grave for?" said Henry. "I am only convinced, I say, that I have been doing wrong all my life. Here have I been walking about by the light of the sun ever since I could use my feet—and using that light to help myself in a thousand ways; and yet to this moment I do not know what the nature of the sun is, nor so much as what worlds it shines upon, or even how strong its beams descend upon the moon. Now I do know something more of the nature of a tallow candle; therefore henceforward, I will serve myself of the light of a candle, and walk no more by daylight, unless any of you gentlemen can assist me in explaining the true nature of the sun.” Then shaking himself from the hands of Edgar, he added, "Mr. Bonville, I shall leave a note for you at the Malvern turnpike on the Worcester road, from which you may hear farther of me;" and immediately bounded down the steep with a degree of activity which rendered it dangerous for any one to follow him. It would not be very easy to describe the looks of Wellings and Lord F at the moment in which Henry Milner left them. Neither of them attempted to speak; but Miss Wellings, who but half comprehended Henry's aim, could not refrain from laughing aloud at the stare of perplexity and confusion which her brother fixed upon the young nobleman. "What, Frank," she said, "has the little fool, as you pleased to call him just now, posed you both ?-Excuse me, my Lord, but I cannot help laughing at Frank, he looks so stupid with wonder." "And well he may,” replied Lord F-; "who would have expected such a turn upon us, though it is all a quibble, and does not bear upon the argument.-But look at Bonville, he is laughing in his sleeve.-By-the-bye, Miss Wellings, can you inform me what makes the gentlemen in these days so much less afraid of the ladies than they were (it is said) in the time of our grandmothers ?" plied. 66 Really, my Lord, I cannot tell," she re Why," replied Lord F-, " because they see how much easier it now is to creep up a lady's sleeve than it was formerly." Thus the giddy young man endeavoured to laugh away his sense of shame, and to forget the serious lesson which Henry had given him, in the expression of new, but, as it happened, more harmless follies. CHAP. XVIII. One good turn deserves another. Two hours were hardly passed when Edgar Bonville and Mr. Wellings arriving at the turnpike, found a note addressed to Edgar from Henry, appointing him to meet him in the valley of the Calthra Palustris. "Just like Milner that," said Wellings, as Mr. Bonville handed the letter to him; "he never does any thing like other people. He will be a queer fish when he is a man—a regular quiz. I doubt not but that we shall find him lying under the shade of some elm or oak, composing sonnets to his uncle's wig; though, by-the-bye, old square-toes wears his own grey hair, if I remember him right." And then Wellings, with a full mouth and strong emphasis, commenced : Tityre, tu patuli recubans sub tegmine fagi. But I am confounded angry with him, never theless, to make us look like fools, as he did just now. Do you know he made the young Lord blush the very first time he ever was known to blush in his life-and my sister present too. Do you know, Mr. Bonville, though she is a wild girl enough, she is always angry when I say any thing which cuts up the Bible. This very morning she gave me such a whack on the shoulders upon the hill, just for saying something of the sort, that she had nigh tilted me over the path; and it was just to spite her that I set F off. I knew he would go finely when once set on his wheels, and that made it the more provoking of Milner to play us off as he did. But I will be even with him, and I have thought how." "Don't depend on me to help you," replied Edgar. "Milner and I belong to one clan, and I shall stand by him-you may depend upon it." Wheugh! wheugh!" exclaimed Wellings, finishing off with a whistle; adding, "I am glad you have told me as much-right glad it's half the battle to know the enemy; but, after all,Milner is a fine lad, and I think I will be merciful. I will pardon-forgive-overlook-absolve, or, as the doctor says, exonerate. Yes, I will exonerate; but Henry will be as mad as a bear be |