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344 dispute about the earldom. The Barony, of course, is safe; goes with the Irish estates, and most of the English—and goes (don't you know?)—to Sir James Vipont, the last person who ought to have it: the quietest, stupidest creature; not brought up to the sort of thing—a mere gentleman farmer on a small estate in Devonshire."

"He is not here .'"

"No. Lord Montfort does not like him. Very natural. Nobody does like his heir, if not his own child, and some people don't even like their own eldest sons! Shocking; but so it is. Montfort is the kindest, most tractable being that ever was, ex- cept where he takes a dislike He dislikes two or three people very much."

"True; how he did dislike poor Mrs. Lyndsay!" said one of the listeners, smiling.

"Mrs. Lyndsay, yes—dear Lady Montfort's mother. I can't say I pitied her, the ugh I was sorry for Lady Montfort. How Mrs. Lyndsay ever took in Montfort for Caroline I can't con- ceive! How she had the face to think of it! He, a mere youth at the time! Kept secret from all his family—even from his grandmother—the darkest transaction. I don't wonder that he never forgave it."

FIRST LISTENER. "Caroline has beauty enough to—"

Lady Selina (interrupting). "Beauty, of course—no one can deny that. But not at all suited to such a position; not brought up to the sort of thing. Poor Montfort! he should have mar- ried a different kind of woman altogether—a woman like his grandmother, the last Lady Montfort. Caroline does nothing for the House—nothing—has not even a child—most unfortu- nate affair."

SECOND LISTENER. "Mrs. Lyndsay was very poor, was she not .- Caroline, I suppose, had no opportunity of forming those tastes and habits which are necessary for—for—"

Lady Selina (helping the listener). "For such a position and such a fortune. You are quite right, my dear. People brought up in one way cannot accommodate themselves to another; and it is odd, but I have observed that people brought up poor can accommodate themselves less to being very rich than people brought up rich to accommodate themselves to being very poor. As Carr says, in his pointed way, ' it is easier to stoop than to climb.' Yes; Mrs. Lyndsay was, you know, a daughter of Seymour Vipont, who was for so many years in the Administration, with a fair income from his salary, and nothing out of it. She married one of the Scotch Lyndsays—good