flattery upon the beauties of Beaumont Park, and upon the judicious
improvements that were making, had been made, and would, no doubt, be
very soon made. Mrs. Beaumont, at last, relieved his or her own
impatience by commissioning Mr. Twigg to walk round the improvements
by himself. By himself she insisted it should be, that she might have
his unbiassed judgment upon the two lines which had been marked for
the new belt or screen; and he was also to decide whether they should
call it a belt or a screen.--Honoured with this commission, he struck
off into the walk to which Mrs. Beaumont pointed, and began his
solitary progress.

Mr. Beaumont then urged his mother to go on with her explanation. Mrs.
Beaumont thought that she could not hazard much by flattering the vanity
of a man on that subject on which perhaps it is most easily flattered;
therefore, after sufficient delicacy of circumlocution, she informed her
son that there was a young lady who was actually dying for love of him;
whose extreme fondness would make her live but in him; and who, besides
having a natural ductility of character, and softness of temper, was
perfectly free from any formidable superiority of intellect, and had the
most exalted opinion of his capacity, as well as of his character and
accomplishments; in short, such an enthusiastic adoration, as would
induce that belief in the infallibility of a husband, which must secure
to him the fullest enjoyment of domestic peace, power, and pre-eminence.

Mr. Beaumont seemed less moved than his mother had calculated that the
vanity of man must be, by such a declaration--discovery it could not be
called. "If I am to take all this seriously, madam," replied he,
laughing, "and if, _au pied de la lettre_ my vanity is to believe that
this damsel is dying for love; yet, still I have so little chivalry in
my nature, that I cannot understand how it would add to my happiness to