Scenes and Characters | Page 5

rid of your nephew and his concerns.'
'You idle boy!' returned Mr. Mohun, 'you do not mean to have the
impertinence to come of age next year.'
'As much as having been born on the 30th of July, 1825, can make me.'
'But what good will your coming of age do us?' said Lilias, 'you will be
in London or Brighton, or some such stupid place.'
'Do not be senseless, Lily,' returned her cousin. 'Devereux Castle is to

be in splendour--Hetherington in amazement--the county's hair shall
stand on end--illuminations, bonfires, feasts, balls, colours flying,
bands playing, tenants dining, fireworks--'
'Hurrah! jolly! jolly!' shouted Reginald, dancing on the ottoman, 'and
mind there are lots of squibs.'
'And that Master Reginald Mohun has a new cap and bells for the
occasion,' said Lord Rotherwood.
'Let me make some fireworks,' said Maurice.
'You will begin like a noble baron of the hospitable olden time,' said
Lily.
'It will be like the old days, when every birthday of yours was a happy
day for the people at Hetherington,' said Emily.
'Ah! those were happy old days,' said Lord Rotherwood, in a graver
tone.
'These are happy days, are not they?' said Lily, smiling.
Her cousin answered with a sigh, 'Yes, but you do not remember the
old ones, Lily;' then, after a pause, he added, 'It was a grievous mistake
to shut up the castle all these years. We have lost sight of everybody. I
do not even know what has become of the Aylmers.'
'They went to live in London,' said Emily, 'Aunt Robert used to write to
them there.'
'I know, I know, but where are they now?'
'In London, I should think,' said Emily. 'Some one said Miss Aylmer
was gone out as a governess.'
'Indeed! I wish I could hear more! Poor Mr. Aylmer! He was the first
man who tried to teach me Latin. I wonder what has become of that
mad fellow Edward, and Devereux, my father's godson! Was not Mrs.
Aylmer badly off? I cannot bear that people should be forgotten!'
'It is not so very long that we have lost sight of them,' said Emily.
'Eight years,' said Lord Rotherwood. 'He died six weeks after my father.
Well! I have made my mother promise to come home.'
'Really?' said Lilias, 'she has been coming so often.'
'Aye--but she is coming this time. She is to spend the winter at the
castle, and make acquaintance with all the neighbourhood.'
'His lordship is romancing,' said Claude to Lily in a confidential tone.
'I'll punish you for suspecting me of talking hyperborean language--
hyperbolical, I mean,' cried Lord Rotherwood; 'I'll make you dance the

Polka with all the beauty and fashion.'
'Then I shall stay at Oxford till it is over,' said Claude.
'You do not know what a treasure you will be,' said the Marquis, 'ladies
like nothing so well as dancing with a fellow twice the height he should
be.'
'Beware of putting me forward,' said Claude, rising, and, as he leant
against the chimney-piece, looking down from his height of six feet
three, with a patronising air upon his cousin, 'I shall be taken for the
hero, and you for my little brother.'
'I wish I was,' said Lord Rotherwood, 'it would be much better fun. I
should escape the speechifying, the worst part of it.'
'Yes,' said Claude, 'for one whose speeches will be scraps of three
words each, strung together with the burthen of the apprentices' song,
Radara tadara, tandore.'
'Radaratade,' said the Marquis, laughing. 'By the bye, if Eleanor and
Frank Hawkesworth manage well, they may be here in time.'
'Because they are so devoted to gaiety?' said Claude. 'You will say next
that William is coming from Canada, on purpose.'
'That tall captain!' said Lord Rotherwood. 'He used to be a very awful
person.'
'Ah! he used to keep the spoilt Marquis in order,' said Claude.
'To say nothing of the spoilt Claude,' returned Lord Rotherwood.
'Claude never was spoilt,' said Lily.
'It was not Eleanor's way,' said Emily.
'At least she cannot be accused of spoiling me,' said Lord Rotherwood.
'I shall never dare to write at that round table again-- her figure will
occupy the chair like Banquo's ghost, and wave me off with a knitting
needle.'
'Ah! that stain of ink was a worse blot on your character than on the
new table cover,' said Claude.
'She was rigidly impartial,' said Lord Rotherwood.
'No,' said Claude, 'she made exceptions in favour of Ada and me. She
left the spoiling of the rest to Emily.'
'And well Emily will perform it! A pretty state you will be in by the
30th of July, 1846,' said Lord Rotherwood.
'Why should not Emily make as good a duenna as Eleanor?' said Lily.
'Why should