UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 105 



and cottage, and, indeed, with all his family. 

 He lives on the borders of the forest, as well as 

 my uncle, but at a distance of several miles 

 from this place. My uncle gave us a little 

 sketch of his history in the evening, as nearly in 

 his own words as he could ; and he was so kind 

 as to permit me to tell it to you, because he 

 thinks you once knew this gentleman yourself. 

 I have never heard his name, se I do not know 

 what to call him ; and I will try to write it just 

 as my uncle repeated it to us : 



" At the period that you knew me," said he, 

 tl I was moving in the most fashionable circles, 

 occupied by the world, and all its silly amuse- 

 ments, and without any other object than to 

 amuse away my idle life. I travelled on the 

 continent I afterwards went into the army ; but 

 at home or abroad, I was pursued by that ennui 

 which is always the consequence of idleness. I 

 need not recount to you, sir, all the extravagant 

 follies I committed in search of pleasure, that 

 brilliant, but deceitful phantasm, which leads us 

 into error, and betrays us to disappointment. 



" From the time that I was a schoolboy, 

 pleasure had been my only object; the mistaken 

 indulgence of my parents increased the fault, and 

 diminished the enjoyment ; for it left me no diffi- 

 culties to overcome no efforts to make. My 

 father was rich, and profusely generous to me ; 

 and though I was the second son, I knew that 



