too much good taste to wise into any
society. In the opinion of all the shire, no
society had more reason to consider itself select
than that which met at every full moon in the
Hamley assembly-room, an excrescence built on
to the principal inn in the town by the joint
subscription of all the county families. Into
those choice and mysterious precincts no towns-
person was ever allowed to enter; no professional
man might set his foot therein; no infantry-
officer saw the interior of that ball, or that card-
room. The old original subscribers would fain
have had a man prove his sixteen quarterings
before he might make his bow to the queen of
the night; but the old original founders of the
Hamley assemblies were dropping off; minuets
had vanished with them, country dances had
died away; quadrilles were in high vogue— nay,
one or two of the high magnates of —— shire
were trying to introduce waltzing, as the had
seen it in London, where it had come in with the
visit of the allied sovereigns, when Edward
Wilkins made his debut on these boards. He
had been at many splendid assemblies abroad,
but still the little old ball-room attached to the
George Inn in his native town was to him a
place grander and more awful than the most
magnificent saloons he had seen in Paris or
Rome. He laughed at himself for this
unreasonable feeling of awe; but there it was
notwithstanding. He had been dining at the house
of one of the lesser gentry, who was under
considerable obligations to his father, and who was
the parent of eight "muckle-mou'ed" daughters,
so hardly likely to oppose much aristocratic
resistance to the elder Mr. Wilkins's clearly
implied wish that Edward should be presented at
the Hamley assembly-rooms. But many a squire
glowered and looked black at the introduction of
Wilkins the attorney's son into the sacred
precincts; and perhaps there would have been
much more mortification than pleasure in this
assembly to the young man had it not been for
an incident that occurred pretty late in the
evening. The lord-lieutenant of the county
usually came with a large party to the Hamley
assemblies once in a season; and this night he
was expected, and with him a fashionable duchess
and her daughters. But time wore on, and they
did not make their appearance. At last, there
was a rustling and a bustling, and in sailed the
superb party. For a few minutes dancing was
stopped; the earl led the duchess to a sofa;
some of their acquaintances came up to speak to
them; and then the quadrilles were finished in
rather a flat manner. A country dance followed,
in which none of the lord-lieutenant's party
joined; then there was a consultation, a request,
an inspection of the dancers, a message to the
orchestra, and the band struck up a waltz; the
duchess's daughters flew off to the music, and
some more young ladies seemed ready to follow,
but, alas! there was a lack of gentlemen acquainted
with the new-fashioned dance. One of the
stewards bethought him of young Wilkins, only
just returned from the Continent. Edward was
a beautiful dancer, and waltzed to admiration.
For his next partner he had one of the Lady
—— s; for the duchess, to whom the—— shire
squires and their little county politics and
contempts were alike unknown, saw no reason why
her lovely Lady Sophy should not have a good
partner, whatever his pedigree might be, and
begged the stewards to introduce Mr. Wilkins to
her. After this night, his fortune was made with
the young ladies of the Hamley assemblies. He was
not unpopular with the mammas; but the heavy
squires still looked at him askance, and the heirs
(whom he had licked at Eton) called him an
upstart behind his back.

CHAPTER II

It was not a satisfactory situation. Mr.
Wilkins had given his son an education and
tastes beyond his position. He could not
associate with either profit or pleasure with the doctor
or the brewer of Hamley; the vicar was old and
deaf, the curate a raw young man, half frightened
at the sound of his own voice. Then, as to
matrimony; for the idea of his marriage was
hardly more present in Edward's mind than in
that of his father's — he could hardly fancy bringing
home any one of the young ladies of Hamley
to the elegant mansion, so full of suggestion and
association to an educated person, so inappropriate
a dwelling for an ignorant, uncouth, ill-
brought-up girl. Yet Edward was fully aware,
if his fond father was not, that of all the young
ladies who were glad enough of him as a partner
at the Hamley assemblies, there was not one of
them but would have considered herself affronted
by an offer of marriage from an attorney, the son
and grandson of attorneys. The young man had
perhaps received many a slight and mortification
pretty quietly during these years, which yet told
upon his character in after life. Even at this
very time they were having their effect. He was
of too sweet a disposition to show resentment,
as many men would have done. But nevertheless
he took a secret pleasure in the power which his
father's money gave him. He would buy an
expensive horse after five minutes' conversation as
to the price, about which a needy heir of one of
the proud county families had been haggling for
three weeks. His dogs were from the best
kennels in England., no matter at what price;
his guns were the newest and most improved
make; and all these were expenses on objects
which were among the objects of daily envy to
the squires and squires' sons around. They did
not much care for the treasures of art, which
report said were being accumulated in Mr.
Wilkins's house. But they did covet the horses
and hounds he possessed, and the young man
knew that they coveted, and rejoiced in it.

By-and-by he formed a marriage, which went
as near as marriages ever do towards pleasing
everybody. He was desperately in love with
Miss Lamotte, so he was delighted when she
consented to be his wife. His father was