30 A VIRGINIAN. 



tliat he possessed intellect in an unusual degree would 

 hardly be doubted, but the perusal of his features sug- 

 gested more than a doubt as to whether that intellect 

 were not hard, and keen, and dry, as well as subtle 

 and pervading, whether it would not in all probability 

 lean rather to the stern realities of necessity and na- 

 ture, than to "the soft side of the heart" in " which 

 the affections are." Certainly he was not the man to 

 whom an innocent child would come up spontaneously 

 to seek acquaintance ; or on whose knee a dog would 

 be likely to lay its head, craving a caress, uninvited. 

 Still, when he smiled, the whole of the dark, gloomy 

 face lighted up, as if by magic, for that smile was no 

 less benignant than it was ineffably bright, imagina- 

 tive and cheery. 



In short, grave and animated, he was two different 

 beings. In his fits of gloom and abstraction you 

 might have taken him for the gloomy and jealous Lu- 

 cifer of Paradise Lost. Animated and joyous, you 

 might have deemed him a seraph of love and mercy. 



At the moment of our glancing at him for the first 

 time, however, there was nothing especially seraphic 

 either in his aspect or employment ; for he was loung- 

 ing on the divan which we have described, completely 

 dressed, in a close-fitting waistcoat and very tight 

 trousers of black cloth, setting gaiter-wise over a pair 

 of patent-leather boots, the whole turn out a good deal 

 too elaborate for the English idea of a gentleman's 

 morning garb, in the country more especially. He 

 had a voluminous black silk scarf fastened with two 

 large pearl pins about his neck ; a rich brocade dress- 

 ing-gown, and an Algerine fez to answer the purpose 

 of a smoking cap upon his head. 



Thus got up, as we have said, rather too extensively 

 for Melton Mowbray, he had lounged for nearly an 

 hour, languidly and carelessly inhaling the fumes of a 

 great chibouque, the bowl of which rested on the car- 



