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use his own limbs in moving from place to place, rather than those of a horse."

"What!" said Mrs. Bonville,

learn to ride ?"

66 and never

"I have no doubt," remarked Lord H"that my friend Henry can ride as well as ever it will be necessary for him to do, unless Mr. Dalben thinks of bringing him up in the jockeying line. By-the-bye, Mr. Dalben, my gamekeeper is getting very infirm-shall I keep the place open for Henry? A few years in that situation would just fit him for a country curacy."

"Fie! Lord H-, fie!" said Mrs. Bonville; "I hate a sporting parson above all things in the world."

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A sporting parson is quite as good as a jockey parson surely, Mrs. Bonville," remarked Lord H

"Oh! don't speak of such a monster as a jockey parson; the very idea is worse than the nightmare, my lord," replied the lady. " But surely a gentleman may know how to sit a horse without being a jockey.”

"Assuredly, madam," replied Lord H. "Whatever is to be done ought to be done gracefully, by every one who aspires to the character of gentleman; but there is, (as you must have observed,

so strong a tendency in most young men and boys towards the love of dogs, horses, guns, and fishing-tackle, that I think every prudent person should be careful of awakening an interest in these things, if haply it does not awake of itself."

"I agree entirely with Lord H-," said Mr. Dalben," and therefore it is a great satisfaction to me that Henry Milner has not yet elicited a taste for objects of this nature."

Mrs. Bonville did not follow this argument any longer; and soon after this, Henry was called by Mr. Dalben to walk out with himself and Lord H

The remainder of the day was spent as delightfully as might be expected in a society in which all were of one mind, with the exception of one; and Henry, happy as he was in being restored to his beloved uncle, was truly sorry when the moment came, early the next morning, in which he was to bid adieu to the excellent nobleman and his amiable lady. But Mrs. Bonville was to remain another week at Mr. Dalben's, and Henry felt that he should not be quite at home till she had taken her departure; although, after the conversation which I have related as taking place at breakfast, she was much more guarded in uttering her sentiments before Mr. Dalben; and in consequence,

her conversation lost much of its freedom, and consisted of little else than expressions of perfect acquiescence with all Mr. Dalben did and said.

CHAP. III.

The Weasel.

THE day after Lord H-- left Worcestershire was Sunday; and as Mr. Dalben had gone through much fatigue during the week, he was obliged to lie by, and keep himself perfectly quiet during the day of rest. In consequence, Mrs. Bonville had no one to accompany her to church but Henry; and although he had rather have gone there by himself, yet he had always been accustomed from a child to be civil. So when Mrs. Bonville said at breakfast, "You must be my beau to-day, Henry," he did not think he ought to object, though he would rather have had Mrs. Judy Meakin for his companion-for there are no people in the world more unpleasant to boys than elderly ladies like Mrs. Bonville, who talk nonsense to them, and require them to ape the ways of grown men.

Henry Milner was, however, naturally polite:

some boys are so, and others are as much the contrary. And he had been taught that civility was due to every person, and especially to females; he was therefore ready when the widow stood at the bottom of the stairs in a very smart bonnet and cloak, calling loudly for her little beau; but he took care, when he got out into the lane, to walk as far from her as politeness would permit; however, she would not allow of this, but made him come to her side; and because she chose to think him shorter than herself, she would have had him take her arm, but he contrived to avoid this-though he continued to walk by her side. I shall not say in what direction they went to the village church, nor how far they had to go, nor what was the name of the clergyman, nor whether the church had a tower or a spire-there are some things which I do not choose to tell; and I do not see what right my reader has to be inquisitive on these subjects; but this I will say, that Henry never before thought the way between his uncle's house and the church so long. And I have great reason also to fear, that Mrs. Bonville thought it long too; for say what she would, she got very little out of her companion but " Yes, ma'am," and "No, ma'am," because the more Henry tried to converse, the more he felt himself

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