THE MANSE AND ITS INMATES. 23 



not altogether unmixed with surprise. She wondered that she had 

 never felt like a stranger, that she had been enabled, not only during 

 the evening but even at dinner, to answer without embarrassment all 

 the observations and questions of the company; but she soon recol- 

 lected how easy this had been, and understood the benevolent polite- 

 ness vvhicli had led the conversation upon subjects connected with 

 her journey and other little matters easily discussed, as well as the 

 value of that good breeding which secured to her, as a female, how- 

 ever humble in herself, at the table of Sir Kenneth Maitland the 

 respect and attention of gentlemen of rank and high birth. 



Ruth had lived more than four years with people of intelligence 

 n rid. knowledge of the world, and many of her pupils at Erlsburgh 

 House were the daughters of noblemen; but it was the first time in 

 the domestic circle that she had come into actual contact with nobility, 

 and without any vulgar admiration of rank, or still more vulgar affec- 

 tation of despising it, she had imagined it to be something more aw- 

 ful than she found it. From the contemplation of herself her thoughts 

 passed to the individuals of the party. The gentle softness of Lady 

 Maitland had a winning charm which went to the heart of Ruth ; 

 the unchecked but not boisterous hilarity of Flora and Diana, the high 

 spirits] of Sir Kenneth and the duke, the chess-board of the two earls, 

 and the political discussion of the admiral and marquis, all interested 

 her in some degree, and she closed her eyes at last with confused 

 images of the whole floating in her imagination. 



Her happiness continued, and before she had resided at Larch 

 Hills a fortnight she wrote to Mrs. Somerive for her instrument and 

 the rest of poor Miss Crofts' valuable and useful legacy, which, with 

 many articles of her own acquisition, had remained at Erlsburgh 

 House, owing to her scanty accommodations at Lincoln's Inn Fields. 



It was here that, after a domestication of two months, Ruth first 

 saw her future husband, the Rev. David M'Neil, as the tutor of Mr. 

 John Maitland (the only surviving son of Sir Kenneth), and already 

 nominated to the church of Kirkfillan, whenever the present aged in- 

 cumbent should be gathered to his fathers. 



Sir Kenneth and Lady Maitland had been the parents of another 

 and an elder son., to whom Mr. M'Neil had many years conscien- 

 tiously performed the duties of a tutor; but painful in the extreme 

 was the return he met with; a lo\e of low company and vulgar dis- 

 sipation led to habits of early depravity, in the wretched gratifica- 

 tions of which health and respectability were equally sacrificed, and 

 a brief and degraded existence was suddenly and distressingly termi- 

 nated while travelling on the continent with Mr. M'Neil. 



There were not wanting people who thought to flatter and console 

 the -afflicted parents by imputing the vices and their consequences 

 to neglect or incapacity on the part of the tutor; but Sir Kenneth and 

 Lady Maitland knew better, and they effectually silenced the calum- 

 niators by the course they pursued. The body of Edward Maitland 

 was brought home and interred in the family vault, his brother John 

 took his place as the pupil of Mr. M'Neil, to whom the reversion 

 of the church of Kirkfillan was secured. 



The improvement in Ruth's mode of life was soon abundantly 



