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Boys, in places of education, are too apt to look for presents from all who visit them; and they often, by carelessness and extravagance, force themselves to depend on the gifts of their friends. If, therefore, you would continue to be above this meanness, endeavour to be careful and economical, and remember that no fortune is sufficient to supply the wants of an extravagant person."

Lord H's conversation did not indeed treat of things so deep as Mr. Dalben's; but it was all good of its kind and Henry felt so much gratitude and affection for his kindness, that he dreaded the thoughts of parting from him.

It was about five in the afternoon when Lord H-'s carriage entered Clent Green, a spacious common, situated among fields; at one end of which, in a conspicuous situation, stood the school-house; and on the opposite side of the high road, which cut the green into two parts, was a small village, a respectable inn, the village church, and clergyman's house, and a shop, wherein every thing was to be had necessary to country life.

The school-house had evidently known more magnificent days, for it was built round three sides of a square court, the fourth side being filled up with a wall and gateway; while the style of the building indicated that some attention had been paid to ornament, though those ornaments were of a somewhat rude and Gothic kind. Two gable ends of the building, the one on the right, the other on the left of the walls and gateway, faced the green; and there had originally been several windows in that direction, all of which were bricked up, giving an appearance of patchwork to those ends of the mansion. On a nearer approach, it also appeared that most of the windows in the roof had been blocked up.

As the carriage drove into the court, Henry looked for his future companions, not one of whom was visible without doors, but, on looking to certain windows which opened on his left, he saw a number of heads ranged thickly together, at the higher panes, the lower ones having been rendered impervious to any thing but light, by being painted white.

"There are your school-fellows, Henry," said Lord H-, "big and little, all eager to see their new companion. Well! I trust you will find some among them whom you will like."

"I don't know," replied Henry, sorrowfully, "I hope I shall."

The carriage now stopped at the hall-door, which was opened by a servant-maid, who, on being asked if Dr. Matthews was at home, answered she did not know, but her mistress was, and would be glad to see them.

Lord H- and Henry were then asked into a large, low brick hall, lighted by two casement windows at the farther end, and hung around with coats, hats, umbrellas, clogs, horsewhips, riding-cloaks, fishing-rods, nets, and all manner of goods and chattels of the same description; so that it was scarcely possible to discern certain old portraits, in white painted frames, which were fixed to the wall in various parts of the wide apartment.

As there were many doors opening from the hall, it was necessary for Lord Hand Henry to wait the direction of the maid-servant, before they could proceed any further. But, as she had been stopped in her progress by an old woman with cakes, who had ascended the steps at the same time that Lord H——'s carriage had drawn up, it was necessary for the visiters to stand still, till the affairs of the cake-woman were settled, and while they were thus standing, a swinging door at the right of the hall was pushed half-open, and Henry saw several heads, and heard these words-" Go, and speak to him, Wellings, I say; don't be ashamed of him -is his name Mawkin, do you say?-Master Henry Mawkin!" The swinging door was slammed to again, and the heads had disappeared the next moment; while distant peals of laughter, with the sounds of scuffling and running, next succeeded; after which all was still. Lord H- looked at Henry on seeing and hearing this; and then smiling, asked the servant if she would show him to her mistress.

"Dear me," she answered pertly, "if I had not forgotten you!-but those unlucky boys have stopped the cake-woman, and taken all the best out of the basket. There is no keeping any thing for them; but I beg your pardon, sir, for keeping you so long. This way, if you please" and she went forward to a door at another end of the hall, which she threw open with a flourish, saying at the same time, “A gentleman, maʼam—if you please."

The violence with which the door had been thrown open seemed to have startled the company within,

which consisted of an elderly lady, dressed in black and exceedingly stout, who was no other than Mrs. Matthews herself; a thin and spare person of the same age, who was sitting somewhat withdrawn from the rest of the party, having before her a huge basket of stockings, it being her special business to repair the injuries done by the young gentlemen to these very useful articles of clothing; and two young ladies, daughters of Mr. Matthews, who seemed to make it their business to show as much indifference as they possibly could throw into their manners, to all those persons who came to their parents' house on the business of the school; whereby they wished to intimate that their papa merely kept the school for his own pleasure, and that they never could nor never would have any thing to do with it. When Lord H- announced his name and title, which he did with as little parade as possible, they seemed however to recollect themselves a little, hastened to set chairs for the visiters, and asked some such questions as are always thought of when strangers first meet, while Mrs. Matthews asked the strangers to partake of the refreshment of tea, which would soon be ready.

Lord Hvery civilly accepted the invitation, and as he sat considering the persons whom he happened to be associated with, the following reflections presented themselves to his mind.

"These persons are evidently ordinary characters; they have neither the appearance of intellectual or artificial refinement. Was this wife of Dr. Matthews, or were his children incapable of improvement, or is the world under a mistake respecting him? And is he himself incapable of awakening the intellects of those with whom he associates? What am I to suppose? But I should certainly like to see better specimens than these of the good doctor's skill in cultivating the mind."

In the mean time, while Lord H--'s thoughts were employed in one way, and his tongue in another-for he contrived to make polite and appropriate answers to all that was said to him by Mrs. Matthews and her daughters, poor Henry's eyes had wandered round the room in search of something which might divert his thoughts from his present situation, but nothing met his eyes excepting a tarnished wainscoted wall, with a few pieces of embroidery hanging here and there against it; a second immense basket of stockings in a corner, and a

table covered with slips of muslin, which the young ladies had been hemming, to add to those inexhaustible stores of hemmed muslin which ladies of the present day always possess.

At length the boy, being no longer able to restrain himself, uttered a deep sigh: on which Lord Hsaid, "I fear, my little friend, you are fatigued; perhaps a dish of Mrs. Matthews's tea will refresh you."

On this hint the tea-things were ordered in haste, and during the fervour of preparation excited by the stocking-mending lady, who added to her first occupation that of tea-maker in general, Dr. Matthews himself entered the room, and if his presence did not console Henry, it brought some relief to Lord H

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Dr. Matthews was in his appearance not, indeed a modern, but an old-fashioned gentleman. He had been a handsome man; but might now be thought somewhat too corpulent. His features were good, but his countenance wanted illumination; and if he possessed learning (which could not be questioned), Lord Hposed that he had chiefly given his attention to such verbal niceties as may be useful in a public examination, but have little influence in opening the mind, improving the heart, or illuminating the understanding. We do not presume to dispute the usefulness of these minutiæ; but we venture to remark, that teachers whose attention is only paid to them too often fail in rendering their pupils reading men; for, never having presented the attractions of literature to their eyes, they rationally shrink, when left at liberty, from that which has only excited weariness and disgust.

Dr. Matthews was followed into the room by the rector of the parish, to whom we shall give the name of James and it seems that this worthy pair had been deeply engaged in a dispute concerning a line of Homer, to which both insisted on giving a different construction, when the appearance of Lord H and Henry Milner put a sudden period to the contest, which had commenced immediately after the doctor's dinner, and continued to the present moment; the scene of action having first been in the area between the book-shelves of the doctor's study, and the contest having been carried on in a kind of running fight, the whole length of an extensive passage, and across the wide hall. How ever, as I before said, a period was put to it, at least

for a time, by the appearance of Lord H-, whom Dr. Matthews acknowledged, and welcomed in such a manner as proved that he was no stranger to the courtesies of polite life.

"And how did you leave the excellent Mr. Dalben, my lord ?" asked the doctor; a question which almost threw poor Henry off his equilibrium : he however filled his mouth with tea, and nearly choked himself in endeavouring to swallow the liquor and his feelings at the same time.

During tea-time the conversation was general: the young ladies asked his lordship some questions about his intended tour, which led to a discussion on the climate of the south of France, with other matters of the same kind; but the tea-equipage being removed, the gentlemen fell into conversation somewhat apart from the ladies, the youngest Miss Matthews having produced a portfolio of drawings for the amusement of Henry. Though, bythe-by, there is not a more decided proof of the dearth of all enlivening matters than the appearance of a collection of drawings in Indian ink, and copies of rosebuds and carnations.

Henry Milner was not, however, unacquainted with good manners; he therefore turned the drawings over slowly and carefully, and seemed to be occupied by them, while in fact he was all attention to what he could gather of the gentlemen's conversation.

"Well grounded, you say," said Dr. Matthews, "well grounded, my lord-that was what I did not expect from such a tutor. A clever man indeed-an ingenious man -no dunce-but singular, my lord-acknowledged to be so."

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Singularly good, correct, and interesting, Dr. Matthews," returned Lord H- -; "and if I might venture to give my opinion, a man of deep erudition."

The next few sentences were lost by Henry; at length, he heard these words. "Too much fancy in all that, my lord; I am for more rational expositions of Scripture more sound interpretations; but all will be set right when the boy mixes with others of his age." "Perhaps," returned Lord H, "there may be more danger of his acquiring some false principles, than of his amending those he already has. Where there are many together, it can't be expected but that there will be evil as well as good."

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