The spectacle of a state of excitement without a show of feeling was
novel to Patrick. He began to see that he was not implicated in a wrath
that referred to some great offender, and Mr. Adister soon confirmed his
view by saying: 'You are no disgrace to your begetting, sir!'

With that he quitted his chair, and hospitably proposed to conduct his
guest over the house and grounds.




CHAPTER III

CAROLINE

Men of the Adister family having taken to themselves brides of a very
dusty pedigree from the Principality, there were curious rough heirlooms
to be seen about the house, shields on the armoury walls and hunting-
horns, and drinking-horns, and spears, and chain-belts bearing clasps of
heads of beasts; old gold ornaments, torques, blue-stone necklaces, under
glass-cases, were in the library; huge rings that must have given the
wearers fearful fists; a shirt of coarse linen with a pale brown spot on
the breast, like a fallen beech-leaf; and many sealed parchment-skins,
very precious, for an inspection of which, as Patrick was bidden to
understand, History humbly knocked at the Earlsfont hall-doors; and the
proud muse made her transcripts of them kneeling. He would have been
affected by these wonders had any relic of Adiante appeased his thirst.
Or had there been one mention of her, it would have disengaged him from
the incessant speculations regarding the daughter of the house, of whom