persuade myself that they are now all forgotten, or
rather, all lavished upon another.

But I do not blame her: may she be happier with him than she could have
been with me! and that hope shall whisper peace to regrets which I have
been foolish to indulge so long, and it is perhaps well for me that they
are about to be rendered forever unavailing.

I am staying at an inn, without books, companions, or anything to
beguile time and thought, but this pen, ink, and paper. You will see,
therefore, a reason and an excuse for my scribbling on to you, till my
two sheets are filled, and the hour of ten (one can't well go to bed
earlier) arrived.

You remember having often heard me speak of a very extraordinary man
whom I met in Italy, and with whom I became intimate. He returned to
England some months ago; and on hearing it my desire of renewing our
acquaintance was so great that I wrote to invite myself to his house.
He gave me what is termed a very obliging answer, and left the choice of
time to myself. You see now, most noble Festus, the reason of my journey
hitherwards.

His house, a fine old mansion, is situated about five or six miles from
this town: and as I arrived here late in the evening, and knew that his
habits were reserved and peculiar, I thought it better to take "mine
ease in my inn" for this night, and defer my visit to Mordaunt Court
till to-morrow morning. In truth, I was not averse to renewing an
old acquaintance,--not, as you in your malice would suspect, with my
hostess, but with her house. Some years ago, when I was eighteen, I
first made a slight acquaintance with Mordaunt at this very inn, and
now, at twenty-six, I am glad to have one evening to myself on the same
spot, and retrace here all that has since happened to me.

Now do not be alarmed: I am not going to inflict upon you the unquiet
retrospect with which I have just been vexing myself; no, I will rather
speak to you of my acquaintance and host to be. I have said that I first
met Mordaunt some years since at this inn,--an accident, for which his
horse was to blame, brought us acquainted,--I spent a day at his house,
and was much interested in his conversation; since then, we did not meet
till about two years and a half ago, when we were in Italy together.
During the intermediate interval Mordaunt had married; lost his property
by a lawsuit; disappeared from the world (whither none knew) for some
years; recovered the estate he had lost by the