mely, who
had been so kind to Harry when Captain Westbury's troop had been quartered
at Castlewood more than seven years before. Dick the Scholar was no longer
Dick the Trooper now, but Captain Steele of Lucas's Fusiliers, and
secretary to my Lord Cutts, that famous officer of King William's, the
bravest and most beloved man of the English army. The two jolly prisoners
had been drinking with a party of friends (for our cellar and that of the
keepers of Newgate, too, were supplied with endless hampers of burgundy
and champagne that the friends of the colonels sent in); and Harry, having
no wish for their drink or their conversation, being too feeble in health
for the one and too sad in spirits for the other, was sitting apart in his
little room, reading such books as he had, one evening, when honest
Colonel Westbury, flushed with liquor, and always good-humoured in and out
of his cups, came laughing into Harry's closet, and said, "Ho, young
Killjoy! here's a friend come to see thee; he'll pray with thee, or he'll
drink with thee; or he'll drink and pray turn about. Dick, my Christian
hero, here's the little scholar of Castlewood."

Dick came up and kissed Esmond on both cheeks, imparting a strong perfume
of burnt sack along with his caress to the young man.

"What! is this the little man that used to talk Latin and fetch our bowls?
How tall thou art grown! I protest I should have known thee anywhere. And
so you have turned ruffian and fighter; and wanted to measure swords with
Mohun, did you? I protest that Mohun said at the Guard dinner yesterday,
where there was a pretty company of us, that the young fellow wanted to
fight him, and was the better man of the two."

"I wish we could have tried and proved it, Mr. Steele," says Esmond,
thinking of his dead benefactor, and his eyes filling with tears.

With the exception of that one cruel letter which he had from his
mistress, Mr. Esmond heard nothing from her, and she seemed determined to
execute her resolve of parting from him and disowning him. But he had news
of her, such as it was, which Mr. Steele assiduously brought him from the
prince's and princesses' Court, where our honest captain had been advanced
to the post of gentleman waiter. When off duty there, Captain Dick often
came to console his friends in captivity; a good nature and a friendly
disposition towards all who were in ill fortune no doubt prompting him to
make his visits, and good fellowship and good win