daughters all of the same age, yet not the least like twins; brothers
and fathers were kept in marching order, ready to be dispatched to make
poor Frank's acquaintance the moment he took possession. I also, though
unendowed with any possession so valuable as either daughter, or sister,
or niece, kept myself prepared to welcome my old friend's son, whenever
he arrived.

The day of majority came at last--the third of June. The tenants of the
Bandvale farms had a dinner at the Rose and Crown, and one of the
managing attorneys proposed the young landlord's health in a speech full
of amazing eloquence, but with a countenance that would have been more
appropriate to a funeral oration than a toast; and it was, in fact, the
funeral oration over his stewardship, as he gave notice that it was Mr
Edwards's intention to take the management into his own hands--a piece
of information that gave great satisfaction to every one except the firm
of Goody and Fripp. But in spite of this announcement, young Frank never
made his appearance--the walks continued overgrown with grass--the
wounded Atlas looked proudly to heaven from his deathbed of fame-and the
young ladies remained on the tiptoe of expectation.

"What can be the matter with the boy?" thought I; "has he no regard for
his father's neighbours, and his own birthplace?"

"What can be the matter with the boy?" thought Miss Sibylla Smith, and
all the maidens young, old, and middle aged. "Has he fallen in love with
his tutor's daughter, or got engaged to his guardian's niece?" for our
young people had studied life so zealously in three-volume novels, that
they never doubted for a moment that Frank Edwards's tutor (if he had a
tutor) had a daughter, or that his guardian (and they knew he had a
guardian) had a niece. But in spite of all our thoughts Bandvale Hall