dull, stingy, pompous, insolent, cringing, ill-tempered a little
creature as ever was known.

With such qualities you may fancy that he was generally admired in
society and by his country. So he was: and I never knew a man so
endowed whose way through life was not safe--who had fewer pangs of
conscience--more positive enjoyments--more respect shown to
him--more favours granted to him, than such a one as my friend the
General.

Her Ladyship was just suited to him, and they did in reality admire
each other hugely. Previously to her marriage with the baronet,
many love-passages had passed between her and William Pitt Scully,
Esquire, the attorney; and there was especially one story, a propos
of certain syllabubs and Sally-Lunn cakes, which seemed to show that
matters had gone very far. Be this as it may, no sooner did the
General (Major Gorgon he was then) cast an eye on her, than Scully's
five years' fabric of love was instantly dashed to the ground. She
cut him pitilessly, cut Sally Scully, his sister, her dearest friend
and confidante, and bestowed her big person upon the little
aide-de-camp at the end of a fortnight's wooing. In the course of
time their mutual fathers died; the Gorgon estates were
unencumbered: patron of both the seats in the borough of
Oldborough, and occupant of one, Sir George Grimsby Gorgon, Baronet,
was a personage of no small importance.

He was, it scarcely need to be said, a Tory; and this was the reason
why William Pitt Scully, Esquire, of the firm of Perkins and Scully,
deserted those principles in which he had been bred and christened;
deserted that church which he had frequented, for he could not bear