Sir Brook Fossbrooke, Volume I.

rracks of Dublin, he found the following letter, which the post had just del

-Traf

r less than as much more; nor are we yet done with demands from various quarters. It is not, however, of these that I desire to speak. Your kind offer to take him into your own regiment, and exercise the watchful supervision of a parent, has relieved us of much anxiety, and his own sincere affection for you is the strongest assurance we can have that the step has been a wise one. Our present uneasiness has however a deeper source than mere pecuniary embarrassment. The boy-he is very little more than a boy in years-has fallen in love, and gravely writes to his father for consent that he

elded in any respect. You will see, therefore, what a change any day may accomplish in Lionel's prospects, and how doubly important it is that he should contract no ties inconsistent with a station of no mean importance. Not that these considerations would weigh with Lionel in the least: he was always headstrong, rash, and self-willed; and if he were, or fancied that he were, bound in honor to do a thing, I know well that all persuasions would be unavailing to prevent him. I cannot believe, however, that matters can have gone so far here. This acquaintanceship must be of the very shortest; and however designin

write myself, or are they in that rank in life which would enable us to make some sort of compromise? Again, could you in anyway obtain L.'s confidence, and make him open his heart to you first? This is the more essential, because the moment he hea

ee these people, to reason with them, to explain to them the fruitle

ration I felt that a meeting between them might be the thing of all others to be a

trust, however, there is enough of this sad case before you to enable you to counsel me, or, what is much better, act for me. I wish I could send you L.'s letter, but Sir Hugh has put it away, and I cannot lay my hand on it. Its purport, however, was to obtain authority from us to approach this

ything secret or confidential, enclose it as a separate slip. Was it not unfortunate that we refused that Indian appointment for him? All this misery mi

e future and life. To defy his father is to disinherit himself; and it is not impossible that this m

y cousin Cornwallis married that dreadful creature who is now su

is company, but he wrote a few lines to Cox's last night-to what purport I

evidently during the short leave he had granted that this acquaintanceship had been formed; and Fossbrooke's companionship was the very last thing in the world to deter

t for the adjutant. "Whe

erday, sir. He's gone down to that f

im at once-telegraph. No-let us

at ten he wa

, to give some color to his agitated manner. "But it is bett

longer term; he wants a fortnight, I t

It will breed discontent in the regiment to see a young fellow who

rd, there would be plenty of grum

has been taught selfishness by the over-estimate others have formed of him.

e stop to think what might come of it. It smacked, to his

bsent,-he did not add where,-nothing could be done till he should see him. "To-morrow-next day at farthest-I

iting further instructions; "on second thoughts, do telegraph