l that she had to bestow with her hand,
how was it probable that it could be disposed aright?

The black sheep came, and found young Thoresby and some dozen other
strangers in the house. He smiled upon them all, and before the first
evening was over had made himself the popular man of the house. Sir
Harry, like a fool as he was, had given his cousin only two fingers,
and had looked black at their first meeting. Nothing could be gained
by conduct such as that with such a guest. Before the gentlemen left
the dinner-table on the first day even he had smiled and joked and
had asked questions about "Altringham's mountains." "The worst of you
fellows who go to Scotland is that you care nothing for real sport
when you come down south afterwards." All this conversation about
Lord Altringham's grouse and the Scotch mountains helped George
Hotspur, so that when he went into the drawing-room he was in the
ascendant. Many men have learned the value of such ascendancy, and
most men have known the want of it.

Poor Lady Elizabeth had not a chance with Cousin George. She
succumbed to him at once, not knowing why, but feeling that she
herself became bright, amusing, and happy when talking to him. She
was a woman not given to familiarities; but she did become familiar
with him, allowing him little liberties of expression which no other
man would take with her, and putting them all down to the score of
cousinhood. He might be a black sheep. She feared there could be but
little doubt that he was one. But, from her worsted-work up to the
demerits of her dearest friend, he did know how to talk better than
any other young man she knew. To Emily, on that first evening, he
said very little. When he first met her he had pressed her hand, and
looked into her eyes, and smiled on her with a smile so sweet that
it was as though a god had smiled on her. She had made up her mind
that he should be nothing to her,--nothing beyond a dear cousin;
nevertheless, her eye had watched him during the whole hour of
dinner, and, not knowing that it was so, she had waited for his
coming to them in the evening. Heavens and earth! what an oaf was
that young Thoresby as the two stood together near the door! She did
not want her cousin to come and talk to her, but she listened and
laughed within herself as she saw how pleased was her mother by the
attentions of the black sheep.

One word Cousin George did say to Emily Hotspur that night, just as
the ladies were l