Colonel Noir" took that hint as a command
accordingly, and seldom intruded his black face upon the convivial hours
of this august young prisoner. Except for those few persons of whom the
porter had the list, Lord Castlewood was denied to all friends of the
house who waited on his lordship. The wound he had received had broke
out again from his journey on horseback, so the world and the domestics
were informed. And Doctor A----,* his physician (I shall not mention his
name, but he was physician to the Queen, of the Scots nation, and a man
remarkable for his benevolence as well as his wit), gave orders that he
should be kept perfectly quiet until the wound should heal. With this
gentleman, who was one of the most active and influential of our party,
and the others before spoken of, the whole secret lay; and it was kept
with so much faithfulness, and the story we told so simple and natural,
that there was no likelihood of a discovery except from the imprudence
of the Prince himself, and an adventurous levity that we had the
greatest difficulty to control. As for Lady Castlewood, although she
scarce spoke a word, 'twas easy to gather from her demeanor, and one
or two hints she dropped, how deep her mortification was at finding the
hero whom she had chosen to worship all her life (and whose restoration
had formed almost the most sacred part of her prayers), no more than
a man, and not a good one. She thought misfortune might have chastened
him; but that instructress had rather rendered him callous than humble.
His devotion, which was quite real, kept him from no sin he had a mind
to. His talk showed good-humor, gayety, even wit enough; but there was
a levity in his acts and words that he had brought from among those
libertine devotees with whom he had been bred, and that shocked the
simplicity and purity of the English lady, whose guest he was. Esmond
spoke his mind to Beatrix pretty freely about the Prince, getting her
brother to put in a word of warning. Beatrix was entirely of their
opinion; she thought he was very light, very light and reckless; she
could not even see the good looks Colonel Esmond had spoken of. The
Prince had bad teeth, and a decided squint. How could we say he did not
squint? His eyes were fine, but there was certainly a cast in them. She
rallied him at table with wonderful wit; she spoke of him invariably as
of a mere boy; she was more fond of Esmond than ever, praised him to her
brother, praised him to