n name. "He must be in the house, and I dare say would be
happy to obey your wishes."

"I hope he is well, sir--fine young gentleman--honour to the name, sir."

"Quite true, Sir Wycherly; and an honour to the _nation_, too."

"Didn't know Virginia was a _nation_--so much the better--fine young
_Virginian_, sir."

"Of your _family_, no doubt, Sir Wycherly, as well as of your name,"
added the admiral, who secretly suspected the young sailor of being a
son of the baronet, notwithstanding all he had heard to the contrary.
"An exceedingly fine young man, and an honour to any house in England!"

"I suppose they _have_ houses in Virginia--bad climate; houses
necessary. No relative, sir;--probably a _nullus_. Many
Wychecombes, _nulluses_. Tom, a _nullus_--this young gentleman, a
_nullus_--Wychecombes of Surrey, all _nulluses_--Sir Reginald no
_nullus_; but a _half_--Thomas, James, Charles, and Gregory, all
_whole_. My brother, Baron Wychecombe, told me--before died."

"_Whole what_, Sir Wycherly?" asked the admiral, a little vexed at the
obscurity of the other's language.

"Blood--_whole blood_, sir. Capital law, Sir Gervaise; had it from the
baron--first hand."

Now, one of the peculiarities of England is, that, in the division of
labour, few know any thing material about the law, except the
professional men. Even their knowledge is divided and sub-divided, in a
way that makes a very fair division of profit. Thus the conveyancer is
not a barrister; the barrister is not an attorney; and the chancery
practitioner would be an unsafe adviser for one of the purely law
courts. That particular provision of the common law, which Baron
Wychecombe had mentioned to his brother, as the rule of the
_half-blood_, has been set aside, or modified, by statute, within the
last ten years; but few English laymen would be at all likely to know of
such a law of descent even when it existed; for while it did violence to
every natural sentiment of right, it lay hidden in the secrets of the
profession. Were a case stated to a thousand intelligent Englishmen, who
had not read law, in which it was laid down that brothers, by different
mothers, though equally sons of the founder of the estate, could not
take from each other, unless by devise or entail, the probability is
that quite nine in ten would deny the existence of any rule so absurd;
and this, too, under the influence of feelings that were creditable to
their sense of natural justice. Nev