ir temples to its
worship. Quant a moi, I shall henceforth only speak of it as the primum
mobile of whatever we venerate and admire, and shall think it the
highest compliment I can pay to a man, to tell him he is eminently
vain."

"I incline to your opinion," cried Vincent, laughing. "The reason we
dislike vanity in others, is because it is perpetually hurting our own.
Of all passions (if for the moment I may call it such) it is the most
indiscreet; it is for ever blabbing out its own secrets. If it would but
keep its counsel, it would be as graciously received in society, as
any other well-dressed and well-bred intruder of quality. Its garrulity
makes it despised. But in truth it must be clear, that vanity in itself
is neither a vice nor a virtue, any more than this knife, in itself,
is dangerous or useful; the person who employs gives it its qualities;
thus, for instance, a great mind desires to shine, or is vain, in
great actions; a frivolous one, in frivolities: and so on through the
varieties of the human intellect. But I cannot agree with Mr Clarendon,
that my admiration of Algernon Sidney (Cato I never did admire) would
be at all lessened by the discovery, that his resistance to tyranny in
a great measure originated in vanity, or that the same vanity consoled
him, when he fell a victim to that resistance; for what does it prove
but this, that, among the various feelings of his soul, indignation
at oppression, (so common to all men)--enthusiasm for liberty, (so
predominant in him)--the love of benefiting others--the noble pride
of being, in death, consistent with himself; among all these feelings,
among a crowd of others equally honourable and pure--there was also one,
and perhaps no inconsiderable feeling of desire, that his life and
death should be hereafter appreciated justly--contemptu famoe, contemni
virtutem--contempt of fame, is the contempt of virtue? Never consider
that vanity an offence, which limits itself to wishing for the praise of
good men for good actions: next to our own esteem, says the best of the
Roman philosophers, 'it is a virtue to desire the esteem of others.'"

"By your emphasis on the word esteem," said Lady Roseville, "I suppose
you attach some peculiar importance to the word?"

"I do," answered Vincent. "I use it in contradistinction to admiration.
We may covet general admiration for a bad action--(for many bad actions
have the clinquant, which passes for real gold)--but one can expec