ressingly symptomatic of
poverty and decay than ever. I crossed the noble quadrangle, which was
overgrown with grass, and betook myself to the great dark-wainscoted old
library, utterly disgusted at the folly or extravagance of my ancestors,
in having reduced me to such a condition. I began to think that my
father was not so much to blame in lamenting our fallen state as
before;--and that night I fell asleep, wondering if Lucy Ashton's father
was a governor of the Bank of England, or if she was as poor and
portionless a being as myself.

CHAPTER II.

Next day I walked down to the parsonage. It was in Rayleigh village, and
the living had once belonged to our family, but among the diminishing
possessions was the first to be disposed of. It was held by Mr Dobble,
to whom I was hardly known except by sight--and the reverend gentleman
was no little astonished when my name was announced. He was a little
short man, about fifty years of age, very polite and very talkative; but
who seemed always to recollect something or other in the middle of a
speech, and end on quite a different subject from what he had begun.

"My dear sir," he began, "I am truly glad to see you. By the by, I don't
think I have ever seen you in the parsonage before."

"I have lived very retired--we never move from home--my father sees no
company."

"Ah, very true--the more's the pity! I shall always be delighted if you
will come in at any time. By the by, are you fond of fishing?"

"Yes, I sometimes fish."

"Your father keeps you a great deal too much boxed up for a young man of
your time of life. You should be forming a stock of friends just now, to
last you your lifetime. By the by, are you a judge of wine?"

"No, I never taste it."

"No?--for I was going to observe that a young man should act like a
young housekeeper--lay in his friends as the other does his cellar; and
always keep up the stock--particularly pleasant men and port-wine. They
improve"----

"My stock is certainly very limited," I said.

"You should enlarge it at once. By the by, there are a great many new
residents in this parish since I was inducted."

"So I believe."

"Ah, just so!--never called on them, of course--By the by, will you have
any lunch?"

"No, I thank you. I have never called on any of the new-comers. I don't
even know their names."

"That's odd! But it isn't of so much consequence now, for they are all
getting bought out. By the by, would you like to se