the time of my presence in
London, at my place in Parliament, and at the Court of my Sovereign.

At this period I made no difficulty to allow him to profit by the
Latin and Greek of the old rector; who had christened him, and had a
considerable influence over the wayward lad. After a scene or a quarrel
between us, it was generally to the rectory-house that the young rebel
would fly for refuge and counsel; and I must own that the parson was a
pretty just umpire between us in our disputes. Once he led the boy
back to Hackton by the hand, and actually brought him into my presence,
although he had vowed never to enter the doors in my lifetime again, and
said, 'He had brought his Lordship to acknowledge his error, and submit
to any punishment I might think proper to inflict.' Upon which I caned
him in the presence of two or three friends of mine, with whom I was
sitting drinking at the time; and to do him justice, he bore a pretty
severe punishment without wincing or crying in the least. This will
show that I was not too severe in my treatment of the lad, as I had the
authority of the clergyman himself for inflicting the correction which I
thought proper.

Twice or thrice, Lavender, Bryan's governor, attempted to punish my
Lord Bullingdon; but I promise you the rogue was too strong for HIM,
and levelled the Oxford man to the ground with a chair: greatly to the
delight of little Byran, who cried out, 'Bravo, Bully! thump him, thump
him!' And Bully certainly did, to the governor's heart's content; who
never attempted personal chastisement afterwards; but contented himself
by bringing the tales of his Lordship's misdoings to me, his natural
protector and guardian.

With the child, Bullingdon was, strange to say, pretty tractable. He
took a liking for the little fellow,--as, indeed, everybody who saw that
darling boy did,--liked him the more, he said, because he was 'half
a Lyndon.' And well he might like him, for many a time, at the dear
angel's intercession of 'Papa, don't flog Bully to-day!' I have held my
hand, and saved him a horsing, which he richly deserved.

With his mother, at first, he would scarcely deign to have any
communication. He said she was no longer one of the family. Why should
he love her, as she had never been a mother to him? But it will give
the reader an idea of the dogged obstinacy and surliness of the lad's
character, when I mention one trait regarding him. It has been made
a matter of complaint ag