e deuce you never learned Italian," said the Marquis.

"We never were taught," said Lord George.

"No;--nobody in England ever is taught anything but Latin and
Greek,--with this singular result, that after ten or a dozen years of
learning not one in twenty knows a word of either language. That is our
English idea of education. In after life a little French may be picked
up, from necessity; but it is French of the very worst kind. My wonder
is that Englishman can hold their own in the world at all."

"They do," said Lord George,--to whom all this was ear-piercing
blasphemy. The national conviction that an Englishman could thrash
three foreigners, and if necessary eat them, was strong with him.

"Yes; there is a ludicrous strength even in their pig-headedness. But
I always think that Frenchmen, Italians, and Prussians must in dealing
with us, be filled with infinite disgust. They must ever be saying,
'pig, pig, pig,' beneath their breath, at every turn."

"They don't dare to say it out loud," said Lord George.

"They are too courteous, my dear fellow." Then he said a few words to
his wife in Italian, upon which she left the room, again shaking hands
with her brother-in-law, and again smiling.

Then the Marquis rushed at once into the middle of his affairs.

"Don't you think George that you are an infernal fool to quarrel with
me."

"You have quarrelled with me. I haven't quarrelled with you."

"Oh no;--not at all! When you send lawyer's clerks all over Italy to
try to prove my boy to be a bastard, and that is not quarrelling with
me! When you accuse my wife of bigamy that is not quarrelling with me!
When you conspire to make my house in the country too hot to hold me,
that is not quarrelling with me!"

"How have I conspired? with whom have I conspired?"

"When I explained my wishes about the house at Cross Hall, why did you
encourage those foolish old maids to run counter to me. You must have
understood pretty well that it would not suit either of us to be near
the other, and yet you chose to stick up for legal rights."

"We thought it better for my mother."

"My mother would have consented to anything that I proposed. Do you
think I don't know how the land lies? Well; what have you learned in
Italy?" Lord George was silent. "Of course, I know. I'm not such a fool
as not to keep my ears and eyes open. As far as your enquiries have
gone yet, are you justified in calling Popenjoy a bastard?"

"I have never