irginian? What is he good for? I always thought he was good for
nothing but to cultivate tobacco and my grandmother," says my lord,
laughing.

She struck her hand upon the table with an energy that made the glasses
dance. "I say he was the best of you all. There never was one of the
male Esmonds that had more brains than a goose, except him. He was not
fit for this wicked, selfish old world of ours, and he was right to go
and live out of it. Where would your father have been, young people, but
for him?"

"Was he particularly kind to our papa?" says Lady Maria.

"Old stories, my dear Maria!" cries the Countess. "I am sure my dear
Earl was very kind to him in giving him that great estate in Virginia."

"Since his brother's death, the lad who has been here to-day is heir to
that. Mr. Draper told me so! Peste! I don't know why my father gave up
such a property."

"Who has been here to-day?" asked the Baroness, highly excited.

"Harry Esmond Warrington, of Virginia," my lord answered: "a lad whom
Will nearly pitched into the river, and whom I pressed my lady the
Countess to invite to stay here."

"You mean that one of the Virginian boys has been to Castlewood, and has
not been asked to stay here?"

"There is but one of them, my dear creature," interposes the Earl. "The
other, you know, has just been----"

"For shame, for shame!"

"Oh! it ain't pleasant, I confess, to be se----"

"Do you mean that a grandson of Henry Esmond, the master of this house,
has been here, and none of you have offered him hospitality?"

"Since we didn't know it, and he is staying at the Castles?" interposes
Will.

"That he is staying at the Inn, and you are sitting there!" cries the
old lady. "This is too bad--call somebody to me. Get me my hood--I'll go
to the boy myself. Come with me this instant, my Lord Castlewood."

The young man rose up, evidently in wrath. "Madame the Baroness of
Bernstein," he said, "your ladyship is welcome to go; but as for me, I
don't choose to have such words as 'shameful' applied to my conduct. I
won't go and fetch the young gentleman from Virginia, and I propose to
sit here and finish this bowl of punch. Eugene! Don't Eugene me, madam.
I know her ladyship has a great deal of money, which you are desirous
should remain in our amiable family. You want it more than I do. Cringe
for it--I won't." And he sank back in his chair.

The Baroness looked at the family, who held their heads down, and then
at my l