 had proved him wrong
upon a matter of fact. Beauchamp came from Africa rather worn by the climate,
and immediately obtained the command of the Ariadne corvette, which had been
some time in commission in the Mediterranean, whither he departed, without
visiting Steynham; allowing Rosamund to think him tenacious of his wrath as well
as of love. Mr. Romfrey considered him to be insatiable for service. Beauchamp,
during his absence, had shown himself awake to the affairs of his country once
only, in an urgent supplication he had forwarded for all his uncle's influence
to be used to get him appointed to the first vacancy in Robert Hall's naval
brigade, then forming a part of our handful in insurgent India. The fate of that
chivalrous English-man, that born sailor-warrior, that truest of heroes,
imperishable in the memory of those who knew him, and in our annals, young
though he was when death took him, had wrung from Nevil Beauchamp such a letter
of tears as to make Mr. Romfrey believe the naval crown of glory his highest
ambition. Who on earth could have guessed him to be bothering his head about
politics all the while! Or was the whole stupid business a freak of the moment?
    It became necessary for Mr. Romfrey to contemplate his eccentric nephew in
the light of a mannikin once more. Consequently he called to mind, and bade
Rosamund Culling remember, that he had foreseen and had predicted the mounting
of Nevil Beauchamp on his political horse one day or another; and perhaps the
earlier the better. And a donkey could have sworn that when he did mount he
would come galloping in among the Radical rough-riders. Letters were pouring
upon Steynham from men and women of Romfrey blood and relationship concerning
the positive tone of Radicalism in the commander's address. Everard laughed at
them. As a practical man, his objection lay against the poor fool's choice of
the peccant borough of Bevisham. Still, in view of the needfulness of his
learning wisdom, and rapidly, the disbursement of a lot of his money, certain to
be required by Bevisham's electors, seemed to be the surest method for
quickening his wits. Thus would he be acting as his own chirurgeon, gaily
practising phlebotomy on his person to cure him of his fever. Too much money was
not the origin of the fever in Nevil's case, but he had too small a sense of the
value of what he possessed, and the diminishing stock would be likely to cry out
shrilly.
    To this effect, never complaining that Nevil Beauchamp had not come to
