said his mother, in a
reproachful tone, the moment he entered; 'I am much obliged to you for
your company last night.'

'Good morning to you, Colambre,' said his father, in a more jocose tone
of reproach; 'I am obliged to you for your good company last night.'

'Good morning to you, Lord Colambre,' said Miss Nugent; and though she
endeavoured to throw all reproach from her looks, and to let none be
heard in her voice, yet there was a slight tremulous motion in that
voice which struck our hero to the heart.

'I thank you, ma'am, for missing me,' said he, addressing himself to his
mother; 'I stayed away but half an hour; I accompanied my father to St.
James's Street, and when I returned I found that every one had retired
to rest.'

'Oh, was that the case?' said Lady Clonbrony; 'I own I thought it very
unlike you to leave me in that sort of way.'

'And, lest you should be jealous of that half-hour when he was
accompanying me,' said Lord Clonbrony, 'I must remark, that, though I
had his body with me, I had none of his mind; that he left at home with
you ladies, or with some fair one across the water, for the deuce of two
words did he bestow upon me, with all his pretence of accompanying me.'

'Lord Colambre seems to have a fair chance of a pleasant breakfast,'
said Miss Nugent, smiling; 'reproaches on all sides.'

'I have heard none on your side, Grace,' said Lord Clonbrony; 'and
that's the reason, I suppose, he wisely takes his seat beside you. But,
come, we will not badger you any more, my dear boy. We have given him as
fine a complexion amongst us as if he had been out hunting these three
hours; have not we, Grace?'

'When Colambre has been a season or two more in Lon'on, he'll not be
so easily put out of countenance,' said Lady Clonbrony; 'you don't see
young men of fashion here blushing about nothing.'

'No, nor about anything, my dear,' said Lord Clonbrony; 'but that's no
proof they do nothing they ought to blush for.'

'What they do, there's no occasion for ladies to inquire,' said Lady
Clonbrony; 'but this I know, that it's a great disadvantage to a young
man of a certain rank to blush; for no people, who live in a certain
set, ever do; and it is the most opposite thing possible to a certain
air, which, I own, I think Colambre wants; and now that he has done
travelling in Ireland, which is no use in PINT of giving a gentleman
a travelled air, or anything of that sort, I hope he will put himself
under my