es a subject. Mr. Warrington finished a
man, and lays his cuts neat and regular, straight down the back, and
drawing blood every line;" at which dreadful metaphor, Mrs. Shandon
said, "Law, Charles, how can you talk so! I always thought Mr.
Warrington very high, but a kind gentleman; and I'm sure he was most
kind to the children." Upon which Shandon said, "yes; he's kind to the
children; but he's savage to the men; and to be sure, my dear, you don't
understand a word about what I'm saying; and it's best you shouldn't;
for it's little good comes out of writing for newspapers; and it's
better here, living easy at Boulogne, where the wine's plenty, and the
brandy costs but two francs a bottle. Mix us another tumbler, Mary, my
dear; we'll go back into harness soon. 'Cras ingens iterabimus aequor'
bad luck to it."

In a word, Warrington went to work with all his might, in place of his
prostrate friend, and did Pen's portion of the Pall Mall Gazette "with a
vengeance," as the saying is. He wrote occasional articles and
literary criticisms; he attended theatres and musical performances, and
discoursed about them with his usual savage energy. His hand was too
strong for such small subjects, and it pleased him to tell Arthur's
mother, and uncle, and Laura, that there was no hand in all the band
of penmen more graceful and light, more pleasant and more elegant, than
Arthur's. "The people in this country, ma'am, don't understand what
style is, or they would see the merits of our young one," he said to
Mrs. Pendennis. "I call him ours, ma'am, for I bred him; and I am as
proud of him as you are; and, bating a little wilfulness, and a little
selfishness, and a little dandification, I don't know a more honest,
or loyal, or gentle creature. His pen is wicked sometimes, but he is as
kind as a young lady--as Miss Laura here--and I believe he would not do
any living mortal harm."

At this, Helen, though she heaved a deep, deep sigh, and Laura, though
she, too, was sadly wounded, nevertheless were most thankful for
Warrington's good opinion of Arthur, and loved him for being so attached
to their Pen. And Major Pendennis was loud in his praises of Mr.
Warrington,--more loud and enthusiastic than it was the Major's wont to
be. "He is a gentleman, my dear creature," he said to Helen, "every inch
a gentleman, my good madam--the Suffolk Warringtons--Charles the
First's baronets:--what could he be but a gentleman, come out of that
family?--fath