ure even from Lord Bolingbroke's
office, without any personal application to the secretary. Lockwood, his
faithful servant, he took with him to Castlewood, and left behind there:
giving out ere he left London that he himself was sick, and gone to
Hampshire for country air, and so departed as silently as might be upon
his business.

As Frank Castlewood's aid was indispensable for Mr. Esmond's scheme, his
first visit was to Bruxelles (passing by way of Antwerp, where the Duke of
Marlborough was in exile), and in the first-named place Harry found his
dear young Benedict, the married man, who appeared to be rather out of
humour with his matrimonial chain, and clogged with the obstinate embraces
which Clotilda kept round his neck. Colonel Esmond was not presented to
her; but Monsieur Simon was, a gentleman of the Royal Cravat (Esmond
bethought him of the regiment of his honest Irishman, whom he had seen
that day after Malplaquet, when he first set eyes on the young king); and
Monsieur Simon was introduced to the Viscountess Castlewood, _nee_
Comptesse Wertheim; to the numerous counts, the Lady Clotilda's tall
brothers; to her father the chamberlain; and to the lady his wife, Frank's
mother-in-law, a tall and majestic person of large proportions, such as
became the mother of such a company of grenadiers as her warlike sons
formed. The whole race were at free quarters in the little castle nigh to
Bruxelles which Frank had taken; rode his horses; drank his wine; and
lived easily at the poor lad's charges. Mr. Esmond had always maintained a
perfect fluency in the French, which was his mother tongue; and if this
family (that spoke French with the twang which the Flemings use)
discovered any inaccuracy in Mr. Simon's pronunciation, 'twas to be
attributed to the latter's long residence in England, where he had married
and remained ever since he was taken prisoner at Blenheim. His story was
perfectly pat; there were none there to doubt it save honest Frank, and he
was charmed with his kinsman's scheme, when he became acquainted with it;
and, in truth, always admired Colonel Esmond with an affectionate
fidelity, and thought his cousin the wisest and best of all cousins and
men. Frank entered heart and soul into the plan, and liked it the better
as it was to take him to Paris, out of reach of his brothers, his father,
and his mother-in-law, whose attentions rather fatigued him.

Castlewood, I have said, was born in the same year as th