natural that he should be. The life which he had led, the companions
with whom he had associated, the disappointments which he had
experienced, his foolish marriage, the disgraceful conduct of his silly
countess, the taunts and reproaches of his opulent relative, the
weariness and disgust that he felt in having nothing to do, and the
annoyance of an empty title, which merely mocked him with the epithet of
right honourable, all these things combined to render him almost
disgusted with, and weary of life. His solitude was soon invaded by a
visit from the Rev. Marmaduke Sprout, rector of Trimmerstone, who was
rather fanatical in his theology, and finical in attire and address. He
could presently render himself agreeable to any person of exalted rank
by his very courteous and conciliating demeanour; and he possessed a
peculiar softness and gentleness of manner, with which indeed the Earl
of Trimmerstone would, in his past days of cock-fighting, horse-racing,
and boxing, have been thoroughly disgusted. But his lordship was quite
an altered man. Formerly, the lowest pursuits under the name of sport or
fancy had been agreeable to his lordship; and every species of religious
sentiment he had regarded with the profoundest contempt and the most
unmingled abhorrence. But now he was sick, and weary of all these things!
and because one extreme was purely offensive and wearisome, he took
it for granted that the opposite must be truly delightful and highly
consistent, and so under the tuition of Mr. Sprout, he changed and
reversed all his habits, good, bad, and indifferent. From staking
thousands at a horse-race, he turned up his eyes at the grievous
abomination of half-crown whist; and, indeed, had he been disposed to
card-playing, he could not have indulged himself at Trimmerstone, for
Mr. Sprout had banished almost all card-playing from the place, so
that there was not a pack of cards in the parish, except two or three
mutilated well-thumbed packs of quadrille-cards, which were still used
by a knot of antiquated spinsters worthy of the good old days of
Sacheverel and High Church. Quadrille-cards will not do for whist,
for all the eights, nines, and tens are thrown out. Formerly, Lord
Trimmerstone used to be proud of giving some of his acquaintance a
sumptuous dinner; but now he had changed all that, and he only kept one
female cook, who could just manage to make a comfortable and snug little
dish or two for his lordship's own self,