rites of her ladyship's dress were performed, and the
backgammon-box locked up with a rap on Mrs. Tusher's fingers when she
played ill, or the game was going the wrong way.

Blessed be the king who introduced cards, and the kind inventors
of piquet and cribbage, for they employed six hours at least of her
ladyship's day, during which her family was pretty easy. Without this
occupation my lady frequently declared she should die. Her dependants
one after another relieved guard--'twas rather a dangerous post to play
with her ladyship--and took the cards turn about. Mr. Holt would sit
with her at piquet during hours together, at which time she behaved
herself properly; and as for Dr. Tusher, I believe he would have left a
parishioner's dying bed, if summoned to play a rubber with his patroness
at Castlewood. Sometimes, when they were pretty comfortable together,
my lord took a hand. Besides these my lady had her faithful poor Tusher,
and one, two, three gentlewomen whom Harry Esmond could recollect in
his time. They could not bear that genteel service very long; one after
another tried and failed at it. These and the housekeeper, and little
Harry Esmond, had a table of their own. Poor ladies their life was far
harder than the page's. He was sound asleep, tucked up in his little
bed, whilst they were sitting by her ladyship reading her to sleep, with
the "News Letter" or the "Grand Cyrus." My lady used to have boxes of
new plays from London, and Harry was forbidden, under the pain of a
whipping, to look into them. I am afraid he deserved the penalty pretty
often, and got it sometimes. Father Holt applied it twice or thrice,
when he caught the young scapegrace with a delightful wicked comedy of
Mr. Shadwell's or Mr. Wycherley's under his pillow.

These, when he took any, were my lord's favorite reading. But he
was averse to much study, and, as his little page fancied, to much
occupation of any sort.

It always seemed to young Harry Esmond that my lord treated him with
more kindness when his lady was not present, and Lord Castlewood would
take the lad sometimes on his little journeys a-hunting or a-birding;
he loved to play at cards and tric-trac with him, which games the boy
learned to pleasure his lord: and was growing to like him better daily,
showing a special pleasure if Father Holt gave a good report of him,
patting him on the head, and promising that he would provide for the
boy. However, in my lady's presence, my lor