his superior; that the woman who
does his bidding, and submits to his humour, should be his lord; that she
can think a thousand things beyond the power of his muddled brains; and
that in yonder head, on the pillow opposite to him, lie a thousand
feelings, mysteries of thought, latent scorns and rebellions, whereof he
only dimly perceives the existence as they look out furtively from her
eyes: treasures of love doomed to perish without a hand to gather them;
sweet fancies and images of beauty that would grow and unfold themselves
into flower; bright wit that would shine like diamonds could it be brought
into the sun: and the tyrant in possession crushes the outbreak of all
these, drives them back like slaves into the dungeon and darkness, and
chafes without that his prisoner is rebellious, and his sworn subject
undutiful and refractory. So the lamp was out in Castlewood Hall, and the
lord and lady there saw each other as they were. With her illness and
altered beauty my lord's fire for his wife disappeared; with his
selfishness and faithlessness her foolish fiction of love and reverence
was rent away. Love!--who is to love what is base and unlovely?
Respect!--who is to respect what is gross and sensual? Not all the marriage
oaths sworn before all the parsons, cardinals, ministers, muftis, and
rabbins in the world, can bind to that monstrous allegiance. This couple
was living apart then; the woman happy to be allowed to love and tend her
children (who were never of her own goodwill away from her) and thankful
to have saved such treasures as these out of the wreck in which the better
part of her heart went down.

These young ones had had no instructors save their mother, and Doctor
Tusher for their theology occasionally, and had made more progress than
might have been expected under a tutor so indulgent and fond as Lady
Castlewood. Beatrix could sing and dance like a nymph. Her voice was her
father's delight after dinner. She ruled over the house with little
imperial ways, which her parents coaxed and laughed at. She had long
learned the value of her bright eyes, and tried experiments in coquetry,
_in corpore vili_, upon rustics and country squires, until she should
prepare to conquer the world and the fashion. She put on a new ribbon to
welcome Harry Esmond, made eyes at him, and directed her young smiles at
him, not a little to the amusement of the young man, and the joy of her
father, who laughed his great laugh, and en