owed by his groom.

His lordship, though he had a drowsy way with him, was esteemed rather
an active man of business, being really, I'm afraid, only what is termed
a fidget: and the fact is, his business would have been better done if
he had looked after it himself a good deal less.

He was just going down to the town to see whether Dangerfield had
arrived, and slackened his pace to allow the doctor to join him, for he
could ride with him more comfortably than with parsons generally, the
doctor being well descended, and having married, besides, into a good
family. He stared, as he passed, at the old house listlessly and
peevishly. He had heard of Mervyn's doings there, and did not like them.

'Yes, Sir, he's a very pretty young, man, and very well dressed,' said
his lordship, with manifest dissatisfaction: 'but I don't like meeting
him, you know. 'Tis not his fault; but one can't help thinking of--of
things! and I'd be glad his friends would advise him not to dress in
velvets, you know--particularly black velvets you can understand. I
could not help thinking, at the time, of a pall, somehow. I'm
not--no--not pleasant near him. No--I--I can't--his face is so pale--you
don't often, see so pale a face--no--it looks like a reflection from one
that's still paler--you understand--and in short, even in his perfumes
there's a taint of--of--you know--a taint of blood, Sir. Then there was
a pause, during which he kept slapping his boot peevishly with his
little riding-whip. 'One can't, of course, but be kind,' he recommenced.
'I can't do much--I can't make him acceptable, you know--but I pity him,
Dr. Walsingham, and I've tried to be kind to him, _you_ know that; for
ten years I had all the trouble, Sir, of a guardian without the
authority of one. Yes, of course we're kind; but body o' me! Sir, he'd
be better any where else than here, and without occupation, you know,
quite idle, and so conspicuous. I promise you there are more than I who
think it. And he has commenced fitting up that vile old house--that vile
house, Sir. It is ready to tumble down--upon my life they say so; Nutter
says so, and Sturk--Dr. Sturk, of the Artillery here--an uncommon
sensible man, you know, says so too. 'Tis a vile house, and ready to
tumble down, and you know the trouble I was put to by that corporation
fellow--a--what's his name--about it; and he can't let it--people's
servants won't stay in it, you know, the people tell such stories about
it, I'