his bushy beard; but upright in his carriage, active, and quick
in his step, who dressed well, and was clearly determined to make
the most he could of what remained to him of the advantages of youth.
Colonel Osborne was always so dressed that no one ever observed
the nature of his garments, being no doubt well aware that no man
after twenty-five can afford to call special attention to his coat,
his hat, his cravat, or his trousers; but nevertheless the matter
was one to which he paid much attention, and he was by no means
lax in ascertaining what his tailor did for him. He always rode a
pretty horse, and mounted his groom on one at any rate as pretty.
He was known to have an excellent stud down in the shires, and had
the reputation of going well with hounds. Poor Sir Marmaduke could
not have ridden a hunt to save either his government or his credit.
When, therefore, Mrs Trevelyan declared to her sister that Colonel
Osborne was a man whom she was entitled to regard with semi-parental
feelings of veneration because he was older than her father, she
made a comparison which was more true in the letter than in the
spirit. And when she asserted that Colonel Osborne had known her
since she was a baby, she fell again into the same mistake. Colonel
Osborne had indeed known her when she was a baby, and had in old
days been the very intimate friend of her father; but of herself
he had seen little or nothing since those baby days, till he had
met her just as she was about to become Mrs Trevelyan; and though
it was natural that so old a friend should come to her and congratulate
her and renew his friendship, nevertheless it was not true that
he made his appearance in her husband's house in the guise of the
useful old family friend, who gives silver cups to the children and
kisses the little girls for the sake of the old affection which he
has borne for the parents. We all know the appearance of that old
gentleman, how pleasant and dear a fellow he is, how welcome is his