will hold fast by the best—that is, the
most natural: in the mean time, do you, my dear
young friends, come and admire her as an inimitable
actress. Then, Mr. Percy, I have for you three
temptations—a man of letters, a man of
science, and a man of sense. And, for the climax
of my eloquence, I have reserved,” continued
she turning to Mrs. Percy, “my appeal to the
mother’s feelings. Know, then, that my son,
my eldest hope, my colonel, has arrived from the continent—landed
last night—I expect him home in a few days,
and you must come and flatter me that he is prodigiously
improved by the service he has seen, and the wounds
which he can show, and assure me that, next to your
own Godfrey, you would name my Gustavus, of all the
officers in the army, as most deserving to be our
commander-in-chief.”
An invitation, which there were so many good and kind
reasons for accepting, could not be refused.
But before we go to Hungerford Castle, and before
we see Colonel Hungerford—upon whom, doubtless,
many a one at this instant, as well as Rosamond Percy,
has formed designs or prognostics in favour of Caroline—we
must read the following letter, and bring up the affairs
of Alfred and Erasmus.
“My Dear Mother,
“I am shocked by your story of Kate Robinson.
I agree with you in rejoicing that Caroline had sufficient
penetration to see the faults of Buckhurst Falconer’s
character, and steadiness enough, notwithstanding his
agreeable talents, never to give him any encouragement.
I agree with you, also, that it was fortunate that
her last letter to him was written and sent before
this affair came to her knowledge. It was much
better that she should abide by her objection to his
general principles than to have had explanations and
discussions on a subject into which she could not enter
with propriety.
“I will, as you desire, keep Buckhurst’s
secret. Indeed, in a worldly point of view, it
behoves him that it should be carefully kept, because
Bishop Clay, the prelate, who gave him his present
living, though he tolerates gormandizing to excess,
is extremely strict with his clergy in other matters;
and, as I once heard Buckhurst say,
’Compounds for sins he is inclin’d
to,
By damning those he has no mind to.’
“Buckhurst had, I believe, hopes that Caroline
would have relented, in consequence of his last overture;
he was thrown into despair by her answer, containing,
as he told me, such a calm and civil repetition of
her refusal—that he swears he will never
trouble her again. For a fortnight after, he
protests he was ready to hang himself. About that
time, I suppose, when he heard of Kate Robinson’s
death, he shut himself up in his rooms for several
days—said he was not well, and could not
see any body. When he came out again, he looked
wretchedly ill, and unhappy: I pitied him—I
felt the truth of what Rosamond said, ’that there
is such a mixture of good and bad in his character,
as makes me change my opinion of him every half hour.’
