478 PORTRAIT-GALLERY OF OLD BACHELORS. 



admirer went straight to the point, without any nonsensical dilly 

 dally, and was soon a " thriving wooer." He missed no opportunity 

 of whispering his tale of love, stuck close to her side, and was at 

 length admitted to the freedom of an accepted lover; no slight 

 favour, for she was a magnificent girl. An unlucky incident, how- 

 ever, marred his prospects. A trifling dispute arose between him 

 and one of her brothers, a weakly, delicate lad, in her presence; and 

 Charles was so provoked, and so forgetful, that he inflicted a most 

 severe thrashing upon him. The lady, as high-spirited and impetuous 

 as himself, interfered vigorously her mother came to her aid, and 

 her father was witness of his intended son-in-law's ungovernable 

 passion. Charles was unceremoniously bundled out of the house, 

 before his paroxysm had subsided, and never saw her again as she 

 resolutely refused to listen to his exculpation. He thought himself 

 hardly used we think differently. He returned to his friends in the 

 country in a grievous bad temper; and they all sided with his 

 opinion, as he was generally esteemed a good-humoured young man, 

 though a little passionate. 



His next matrimonial failure is the only one we ever heard him 

 regret. Sarah Dalton was a meek, still tempered girl, a near 

 neighbour's daughter, and with her he fell in love, and went regu- 

 larly *' a-courtin^;" when her soft blue eye, and gentle voice, never 

 failed to welcome him. " I tell you," he has often said to us, *' I 

 regret I did not marry Sarah, for I believe my violence broke the 

 quiet creature's heart, and hurried her to an untimely grave. Hah ! 

 those were bright days when I visited Sarah. The old folks knew 

 how to conduct matters: they always retired when I went, and left 

 us alone. It was a luxury to have her polished arm round my neck, 

 and her downy cheek laid to mine, and a luxury to hear her silver 

 voice tell me how dear I was to her. Well ! I have been always 

 sorry for my violence to the old man, and should have recollected he 

 was her father but they knew my temper, and should have passed it 

 over." Now this very venial violence was turning the old man, his 

 aged wife, and their beautiful daughter, out of the house they had 

 inhabited for half a century and for why ? simply because he was 

 their landlord, and Mr. Dalton did something that offended him, 

 although he well knew the offence was of his own seeking. The 

 shock was too much for Sarah : her affections had become linked to 

 Charles ; and long before he was roused to a proper sense of his 

 conduct, she was drooping like a bruised lily, and died soon after- 

 wards broken-hearted. He made all the amends in his power : but 

 the blow was struck, and the poisoned arrow had done its work ; and 

 though he was kind and even affectionate to the bereaved parents, 



" He could not bid their daughter live again, 

 That was impossible." 



Charles, nothing daunted, tried a third venture. This was with 

 a widow, whom we well knew, and in her anxiety for a second 

 husband we anticipated no break-down of his hopes: indeed, we 

 have often heard her say, as she was no stranger to his failures, that 

 he might beat her black and blue before marriage, if such were his 



