Ravenshoe. By Henry Kingsley.

RANFORD. 27
mortify the flesh with its affections, does not propose seeing you
again, but asks for- Charley. The candor of that dear old lady
increases with her age. You seem to have been making your
court too, father; she speaks of your smile in the most unqualified terms."
-" Her ladyship must do me the honor to quiz me," said Mackworth. "If it is possible to judge by her eye, she must like me
about as well as a mad dog."
"For my part, father," said Cuthbert, curling up the corners
of his thin lips sardonically, " I shall be highly content to leave
my dear aunt in the peaceable enjoyment of her favorite society
of grooms, horse-jockeys, blacklegs, dissenting ministers, and such
like. A month in that house, my dear Charley, will qualify you
for a billiard-marker; and, after a course of six weeks, you will
befit to take the situation of croupier in a low hell on a racecourse. How you will enjoy yourself, my dear! "
"Steady, Cuthbert, steady," said his father; "I can't allow
you to talk like that about your cousin's house. It is a great
house for field sports, but there is not a better conducted house in
the kingdom."
Cuthbert lay over on the sofa to fondle a cat, and then continued, speaking very deliberately, in a slightly louder voice:" I will allow my aunt to be the most polite, intellectual, delicate-minded old lady in creation, my dearest father, if you wish
it; only, not having been born (I beg her pardon, dropped) in a
racing-stable, as she was herself, I can hardly appreciate her conversation always. As for my cousin, I consider him a splendid
sample of an hereditary legislator. Charley, dear, you won't go
to church on Sunday afternoon at Ranford; you will go into the
croft with your cousin Ascot to see the chickens fed. Ascot is
very curious in his poultry, particularly on Sunday afternoon.
Father, why does he cut all the cocks' tails square?"
" Pooh, pooh! " said Densil, s" what matter? many do it besides
him. Don't you be squeamish, Cuthbert,- though, mind you, I
don't defend cock-fighting on Sunday."
Cuthbert laughed and departed, taking his cat with him.
Charles had a long coach-journey of one day, and then an
awful and wonderful journey on the Great Western Railway as
far as Twyford, - alighting at which place, he was accosted by a
pleasant-looking, fresh-colored boy, dressed in close-fitting cord
trousers, a blue handkerchief,'spotted with white, and a Scotch
cap; who said:" Oh! I'm your cousin Welter. I'm the same age as you, and
I'm going to Eton next half. I've brought you over Tiger,
because Punch is lame, and the station-master will look after
your things; so we can come at once."