ruel; and he might have been
brought back to much better feelings, had time been given to him to
bring his repentance to a lasting reform.

As my lord and his friend Lord Mohun were such close companions,
Mistress Beatrix chose to be jealous of the latter; and the two
gentlemen often entertained each other by laughing, in their rude
boisterous way, at the child's freaks of anger and show of dislike.
"When thou art old enough, thou shalt marry Lord Mohun," Beatrix's
father would say: on which the girl would pout and say, "I would rather
marry Tom Tusher." And because the Lord Mohun always showed an extreme
gallantry to my Lady Castlewood, whom he professed to admire devotedly,
one day, in answer to this old joke of her father's, Beatrix said, "I
think my lord would rather marry mamma than marry me; and is waiting
till you die to ask her."

The words were said lightly and pertly by the girl one night before
supper, as the family party were assembled near the great fire. The two
lords, who were at cards, both gave a start; my lady turned as red as
scarlet, and bade Mistress Beatrix go to her own chamber; whereupon the
girl, putting on, as her wont was, the most innocent air, said, "I am
sure I meant no wrong; I am sure mamma talks a great deal more to Harry
Esmond than she does to papa--and she cried when Harry went away, and
she never does when papa goes away! and last night she talked to Lord
Mohun for ever so long, and sent us out of the room, and cried when we
came back, and--"

"D--n!" cried out my Lord Castlewood, out of all patience. "Go out of
the room, you little viper!" and he started up and flung down his cards.

"Ask Lord Mohun what I said to him, Francis," her ladyship said, rising
up with a scared face, but yet with a great and touching dignity and
candor in her look and voice. "Come away with me, Beatrix." Beatrix
sprung up too; she was in tears now.

"Dearest mamma, what have I done?" she asked. "Sure I meant no harm."
And she clung to her mother, and the pair went out sobbing together.

"I will tell you what your wife said to me, Frank," my Lord Mohun cried.
"Parson Harry may hear it; and, as I hope for heaven, every word I say
is true. Last night, with tears in her eyes, your wife implored me to
play no more with you at dice or at cards, and you know best whether
what she asked was not for your good."

"Of course, it was, Mohun," says my lord in a dry hard voice. "Of course
you are a model of a ma