THE SIX OF SPADES. 127 



story), having scampered away from the carriage- 

 road, alarmed at the unusual sound of Lord Evelyn's 

 merry laugh, had turned, and were still gazing in 

 astonishment at the phaeton going up the park, when 

 another equipage reached the entrance gates, contain- 

 ing two occupants, almost as upright, and quite as 

 cold, as the pillars through which they passed. 

 These were our noble marquis and a friend of his 

 (" The Viscount," as he was afterwards called by us ; 

 Lord Evelyn's friend being known as "The Captain "), 

 very much resembling himself, both in the pallor of 

 his countenance and in the haughty reserve of his 

 demeanour. There they sat, straight and gloomy as 

 a brace of Irish yews, which could not raise a berry 

 that is, a smile between them. 



I was reading the other day, in one of the books 

 belonging to our " village library," * for which we are 

 mainly indebted to his reverence in the corner, 

 how that the demeanour of King Philip II. of 

 Spain, which was almost sepulchral, was ascribed 

 partly to a natural haughtiness, and partly to 

 habitual pains in the stomach, occasioned by an 

 inordinate love of pastry. If the marquis and his 

 friend were similarly affected, they must have recently 

 paid a visit to the confectioner's, and stayed there 

 until they had cleared the counter. 



This solemnity of expression had probably been 

 increased by the fact, which I afterwards heard from 

 the postillions, that Lord Evelyn with his pair, had 

 passed the marquis with his four, in jubilant derision 



* Motley's " History of the Dutch Republic," vol. i. 



