He liked to be looked up to, he liked to feel his consequence, and he liked his family. Of them he was really proud, quite as proud as the fondest fathers are. They did not resemble each other generally; and some of them were so opposite, that it might have been difficult to an unprejudiced person to have accounted for the accommodating taste that found something admirable in each. Sir James did find that something. They all had a good share of handsomeness, which he valued as highly, quite as highly, as it deserved. He was particularly proud of the beauty of his eldest son, Adelmar Fitzelm. He was willing to see as much ability and cleverness in his heir, as it is natural that man should be who views in him the perpetuator of his own name and family, a sort of revival of himself. But even paternal partiality could not be impenetrable to repeated experience, and painful facts. His idleness, his total want of ability, his inclination to mischief, his thorough stupidity, his contempt of all

authority, had induced the master of the capital school in which Adelmar was first placed, to request Sir James to remove his son immediately. This was done, and Adelmar Fitzelm remained at home, listless, unoccupied, and invariably calm, until Sir James began to feel, that the constant sight of his heir did him no good; that it annoyed him excessively. Adelmar was not careful in walking over the grounds; he trod on new beds, and gathered from the greenhouses the flowers of the rarest and most costly plants. The gardener complained bitterly; and to a man of Sir James's habits and preferences, his gardener was of much more consequence than his son, as far as his own immediate happiness was concerned. Moreover, Adelmar was scarcely a less unpleasant person in the drawing-room than in the greenhouse and shrubbery. He was inclined, either by nature or habit, or both, to be very silent. Nothing could be more opposite than the general manner of himself and the other members

of the family. He had no power of seeming interested in those trifles which were of real importance to the others. It was felt, that Adelmar was a sort of being with whom it was impossible to be quite comfortable. He neither sought nor accepted those little confidences which are continually occurring between persons so nearly connected. He did not appear to enjoy that pleasure in trifling mysteries, which it is so natural that very young and inexperienced people should feel. He was a bad country companion in every respect. He never attended to the repetition of any anecdote. He gave himself the trouble of understanding, and perhaps of commenting on it at first, but afterwards he always looked as if he thought it ought, and of course must, be done with. He was often sarcastic in his remarks; and the frequent bitter expression of his eye was particularly disagreeable to those who felt reproved by it, even whilst they were thoroughly aware of his stupidity, and wondered,

and argued with themselves, for permitting so very untractable a boy to influence their happiness or comfort in any way. The gardener said plainly, that Mr. Fitzelm was a person a person he would like much better at a distance; an opinion in which Sir James very cordially concurred, and which gained also the perfect approbation of Lady Fitzelm and the rest of the family. Accordingly, Adelmar was sent to college, with a handsome allowance. There he was quiet, just quiet, and no more; tranquil, not distinguished, mediocre, and consequently obscure. This was but a negative satisfaction, but it was at any rate better than the positive disapprobation he had drawn on himself elsewhere. He re

mained at college some time after he was of age. He did not even visit Fitzelm Park, to join in the gala given on that occasion. It is true, he suffered himself to be expected, and they waited for him until the very last minute, until the impatience of the young people to begin

dancing, seemed to establish a sort of certainty that Mr. Fitzelm would not come at all. When Adelmar left college, his family did not find him more agreeable than before. He was very tall, very thin, very pale; and even Sir James, who prided himself on his fine family, was obliged to agree, that Adelmar had certainly lost his good looks. He remained with them just long enough to make them heartily tired of him; and precisely when they found they could best spare him, that he was a positive inconvenience and restraint, he set off for the continent.

After the death of Mr. Bodell, the communication between Sir James Fitzelm and his brother had been exceedingly unfrequent. The distance, the uncertainty of conveyance, long separation, and consequent diminution of affection, different habits, new attachments, fresh feelings, all were against it. Sometimes there arrived at the Park scarce Indian preserved fruits, and other rarities, which