nly did not show
it. He made her a very low and formal bow when he kissed her hand; and,
when I held out mine, put both his hands behind his back, stared me full
in the face, and bent his head, saying, 'Mr. Barry Lyndon, I believe;'
turned on his heel, and began talking about the state of the weather to
his mother, whom he always styled 'Your Ladyship.' She was angry at this
pert bearing, and, when they were alone, rebuked him sharply for not
shaking hands with his father.

'My father, madam?' said he; 'surely you mistake. My father was the
Right Honourable Sir Charles Lyndon. _I_ at least have not forgotten
him, if others have.' It was a declaration of war to me, as I saw at
once; though I declare I was willing enough to have received the boy
well on his coming amongst us, and to have lived with him on terms of
friendliness. But as men serve me I serve them. Who can blame me for my
after-quarrels with this young reprobate, or lay upon my shoulders
the evils which afterwards befell? Perhaps I lost my temper, and my
subsequent treatment of him WAS hard. But it was he began the quarrel,
and not I; and the evil consequences which ensued were entirely of his
creating.

As it is best to nip vice in the bud, and for a master of a family to
exercise his authority in such a manner as that there may be no question
about it, I took the earliest opportunity of coming to close quarters
with Master Bullingdon; and the day after his arrival among us, upon
his refusal to perform some duty which I requested of him, I had him
conveyed to my study, and thrashed him soundly. This process, I confess,
at first agitated me a good deal, for I had never laid a whip on a lord
before; but I got speedily used to the practice, and his back and my
whip became so well acquainted, that I warrant there was very little
CEREMONY between us after a while.

If I were to repeat all the instances of the insubordination and brutal
conduct of young Bullingdon, I should weary the reader. His perseverance
in resistance was, I think, even greater than mine in correcting him:
for a man, be he ever so much resolved to do his duty as a parent, can't
be flogging his children all day, or for every fault they commit: and
though I got the character of being so cruel a stepfather to him, I
pledge my word I spared him correction when he merited it many more
times than I administered it. Besides, there were eight clear months
in the year when he was quit of me, during