Saturday, and Sunday-not a line from either father At length, on Monday, came a letter to this

or son.

effect :

"MY DEAR MR. SMYTH,-Here I am, have been, and am likely to be. My father I have never seen, and all that I can hear of him is, that instead of dining with me on Wednesday last, he passed through Guildford on his way to town, with four horses and lamps, about 12. I have written to him letter after letter to beg he will send me his orders, and at all events some money, for I have only a few shillings, having paid the turnpikes faithfully, and I am so bored and wearied out with waiting here, and seeing neither father nor money, nor anything but the stable and the street, that I almost begin to wish myself with you and the books again.-Your dutiful pupil,

"T. S."

It must at any rate have been some relief to Mr. Smyth's mind to have read a note acknowledging his pupil's whereabouts; but what must have been the state of nervous anxiety in which he was kept for the next ten or twelve weeks, during which he had to pace the beach at Bognor, hoping that every succeeding day might bring with it some solution to this strange enigma? At length came a frank from Sheridan, enclosing an epistle from Tom, which, in some measure, threw a light upon the mysterious occurrences which had naturally excited such singular conduct both from father and son. He learned from it the step, which he characterises as one of extreme folly and vanity on both sides, which Sheridan and Miss Ogle were about to take. He could find some excuse for the lady, who was doubtless

dazzled by the reputation and fascinated by the conversation of the man, but none for one who had arrived at a period of life when prudence, if he ever possessed any, was called for, and the exertion of his intellect for more useful purposes in life. The answer was to this effect :

"MY DEAR MR. SMYTH,-It is not I that am to be married, nor you. Set your heart at rest, it is my father himself; the lady, a Miss Ogle, who lives at Winchester; and that is the history of the Guildford business. About my own age-better me to marry her, you will say. I am not of that opinion. My father talked to me two hours last night, and made out to me that it was the most sensible thing he could do. Was not this very clever of him? Well, my dear Mr. S- -, you should have been tutor to him, you see. I am incomparably the most rational of the two, and now and ever, yours very truly and affectionately,

T. S."

Sheridan, who wanted Wanstead "for his hymeneal doves," was desirous to drive thence his volatile son and his amiable tutor, and determined that they should go to Cambridge. Mr. Smyth, who had received for his attention to Tom nothing in the shape of salary, and who saw that, though treated personally with the greatest respect and attention, he was left on every occasion to shift for himself, wrote a strong letter to Sheridan; receiving no answer, he posted to town, determined to tender his resignation. "Never did minister," says he, "enter a royal apartment more full of rage and indignation at the abominable behaviour of his sovereign master than I did the drawing-room of Mr. Sheridan. I have since often thought

;

of the interview that passed, of the skill with which Sheridan conducted himself, the patience with which he listened to my complaints, and the concern which he seemed to express by his countenance when I intimated to him that though I had rather serve him for nothing than the best nobleman in the land for the best salary he could give me, still that my family were in ruin about me, and that it was impossibleand that he had used me, since his intended marriage, so unceremoniously, and outraged me in a variety of ways so intolerably, that neither with proper prudence nor proper pride could I continue with him any longer; nor would I sanction, by staying with his son, any measure so contrary to my opinion and so pregnant with ruin, as the one now resolved upon, his going to Cambridge." Sheridan listened with great attention, offering little or no resistance. At last he began: "All this ruin and folly, which I entirely confess," said he, "originates in this one source, this marriage of mine with Miss Ogle; but you know, my dear Smyth," patting him on the shoulder, "no one is very wise on such subjects. I have no place to put her in but Wanstead. I did not consult you about Tom's going to Cambridge, for I knew you would be quite against it. The boy is totally ruined if you do not accompany him. It will be impossible for any one else to have any chance with him, nor should I be satisfied with any one else. I cannot put him in the army, as you suppose; the ministers really make such blundering expeditions. To crown all, the theatre is out of order; our last new piece, the 'Iron Chest,' that should have been a golden one, is really iron. And the result of my folly-my madness, if you please-is that I am

worried and tormented to death; and if you, at this moment, desert me and join this general combination of circumstances against me, I know not what is to become of me; and, in short, you must give me further trial, and let me see if I cannot redeem myself and make you some amends for your kindness and consideration for me. I do not deserve it, I fully admit."

It may well be imagined that a young and confiding spirit, such as that possessed by Mr. Smyth, was soon soothed and flattered by similar expressions of confidence and regard from a man whose genius had been his charm and delight, and who was looked to, even then, with all his faults, as one of the greatest men of the day. He gradually yielded, and, “at last, like the month of March in the calendar," says he, "I came into the room like a lion, and went out like a lamb. I recovered myself," continues he, "a little as I went downstairs. What a clever fellow this is, I thought to myself as I went out of the door; and, after a few paces down the street I made one discovery more what fool am I!" But the most characteristic incident occurred just at the conclusion of the interview. "I wrote you a letter," said Smyth; "it was but an angry one; you will be so good as to think no more of it." "Oh, certainly not, my dear Smyth !" replied Sheridan; "I shall never think of what you have said in it, be assured." Putting his hand in his pocket, "Here it is," giving it up to Smyth, who was glad enough to get hold of it, and throw it into the fire. "Lo and behold, I saw that it had never been opened!" The attachment of Sheridan to his son was of the most affectionate character; his anxiety was constantly

shown at school and whilst he was under the tuition of Mr. Smyth. On one occasion Sheridan sent for him in the greatest haste from Warwickshire, where he was under the tuition of Dr. Parr, having dreamt that he had seen Tom fall from a high tree, the consequence of which had been a broken neck. It is singular that a man of so much common sense should have been so superstitious, but to his dreams he was wont to give implicit confidence; and another curious fact is that he would neither travel on a Friday nor allow a new play to be brought out upon that, which he considered an unlucky day. If Tom was upon the ice on a frosty day, if he were out shooting, if he were doing anything that Sheridan considered to be attended with danger, there was no peace until he had abandoned it. So much tenderness seems hardly reconcilable with the general conduct of Sheridan; such, however, was it that it could not but tend to render Mr. Smyth's charge by no means a pleasant one. Attached, however, to the public character of the father, and pleased with the frank, genuine disposition of the son, he seems to have borne, with true philosophy, the awkward position in which he was placed, until no longer human nature could endure it. The younger Sheridan seems to have possessed social qualities of a high order, and to have been endowed with many excellent intellectual qualifications. He had naturally a good voice and a taste for music. Though he returned his father's affection, he was not blind to his faults. He used frequently to lament his indolence and want of regularity, and at times, though proud of his great abilities, was unable to refrain from indulging in sarcasm at his father's expense.