ey are soon parted," muttered the ungracious Mark;
though in reality he was glad to embrace his brother's offer. No ties of
paternal love bound him to the motherless child he had so cruelly
neglected; and the father and son parted with mutual satisfaction,
secretly hoping that they never might behold each other again.

"We have got rid of that pest, Grenard!" exclaimed the hard-hearted man,
as he watched his brother lift the little Anthony into his saddle, and
carefully dispose the folds of his cloak around the child to hide his
rags from public observation. "If the child were not his own, would he
take such care of him?"

"You cannot believe that," said the gaunt Cerberus. "You know that it is
impossible."

"You may think so--perhaps you are right--but, Grenard, you were never
married; never had any experience of the subtlety of woman. I have my
own thoughts on the subject--I hate women--I have had cause to hate
them--and I detest that boy for the likeness which he bears to my
brother."

"Tush!" said the living skeleton, with more feeling of humanity than his
niggardly patron. "Whose fault is it that you rob a woman of her love,
and then accuse her of inconstancy because your son resembles the man
that was the object of her thoughts? Is that reasonable, or like your
good sense?"

How delightful was that first journey to the young pilgrim of hope; and
he so lately the child of want and sorrow, whose eyes were ever bent to
earth, his cheeks ever wet with tears!--he now laughed and carolled
aloud in the redundant joy of his heart. "Oh, he was so happy, so
happy." He had never been a mile from home--had never ridden on a horse;
and now he was told he was to have a horse of his own--a home of his
own--a dear little cousin to play with, and a nice bed to sleep upon at
night, not a bundle of filthy straw.

This was too much for his full heart to bear; it ran over, it was
brimful of gladness and expectation, and the excited child sobbed
himself to sleep in his good uncle's arms.

Poor old Shock was trotting beside the horse, and Anthony had been too
much engrossed with his own marvellous change of fortune to notice
Shock; but Shock did not forget him, and though he could not see--for
the animal was blind--he often pricked up his ears, and raised his head
to the horse and its double burden, to be sure that his young master was
there.

It was a spaniel that Algernon had left a pup with Elinor when he went
to India. Th