h an atrocious character!

"You've met Mr Marvale before?" I said to Sibylla, as I took her into
the dining-room.

"Oh, yes--at my cousin Jane's, in Russell Square--a wonderful man--a
perfect genius!"

"I hope to Heaven he's no worse," said I, "though that's bad enough."

"Bad enough! Oh, I doat on men of genius! Did you never hear of him? He
is quite a celebrity. Cousin Jane always has him at her literary
parties, for she does not know Bulwer or Dickens; and he's so handsome,
too--such a wild expression."

"Wild enough to get him two months of the tread-mill, if your father
lays hands on him."

But when I saw the glance of profound admiration darted by Sibylla at
the interesting stranger, I felt sure she would only like him the more
if he were found out to be a murderer in reality; for there is a certain
school of young ladies who do not stand upon trifles in the way of their
flirtations, but extract fresh reasons for glorifying the object of
their preference, from facts which the unwary lay before them by way of
warnings. If he is a spendthrift, it is so noble to be free and
generous; if he is a gambler, he is of such a fine unsuspecting
disposition, he is only the dupe of the designing. In short, whatever
you say to put them on their guard, only makes them expose themselves
the more; and, therefore, I made no further attempt to open the eyes of
Miss Sibylla Smith. All passed off very well at dinner. Every one was
kind to Frank, and, for his sake, were abundantly civil to his friend;
but that individual seemed to care very little whether we were civil to
him or not. He talked more than all the rest of us put together--
corrected Old Smith on points of law--and put me right on the routine of
crops; proved to old Lambert's own satisfaction that he knew nothing of
stall-feeding, and so belaboured us with great people, with their whole
birth, parentage, and connexions, that we might have fancied he was Mr
Debrett. Sibylla evidently believed he was the most delightful of men;
and certainly the looks she darted at _him_, and the looks he darted at
_her_, were the most extraordinary phenomena of the look kind I ever
happened to see. It was quite evident that the daughter's feelings were
not shared by Old Smith; and I made little doubt he would have been
delighted to give him seven years of the hulks, if he could have found
out any act of Parliament making it penal for a good-looking young
fellow to encourage a silly y