That was a lie, and his lordship knew it to be a lie. And his lordship was also perplexed for want of some device by means of which he might carry on his designs against Penelope. There appeared not to be any very definite indications, either favorable or otherwise, if we except, as above mentioned, that there was greater ease and cheerfulness in the young lady’s manner than had been recently manifested. All this his lordship’s vanity placed to his own account; and he took his leave of Mr Primrose and Penelope with great courtesy and remarkable self-satisfaction. CHAPTER III. The Right Honorable Lord Spoonbill we will leave to travel to London and a hundred miles farther, even down to the newly-purchased borough, where we will leave him to make his insulting and hypocritical bows to the poor, mean-spirited, bought and sold, place-hunting, booby-praising, supple, transferable, soulless dolts, who, being taught to fetch and carry, to stand on their hind legs, and feed out of a great man’s trough, and to yelp loyalty or sedition, as the case may be and their purchasers may dictate, suffer themselves to be called “free and independent” without having spirit enough to kick the right honorable cubs that call them so. Colonel Crop remained at Smatterton, under a strict charge from Lord Spoonbill to keep an eye on the young lady, and to use his best endeavours to forward the designs of his lordship. This gallant officer undertook his commission with great hopes of success, and with perfect confidence in his own wisdom; and, in pursuance of his precious scheme, made an early call on Sir George Aimwell on the morning on which Lord Spoonbill took his departure from town. Sir George and the colonel were very good friends. They had many points of sympathy. They were both of them great admirers of good cookery. They had both a great abhorrence of unnecessary trouble. They both thought that the only use for a gentleman to make of books was to stick them on a shelf, or lock them in a closet. They both thought that the common people were very vulgar, insolent, low-lived creatures, and almost wondered that nature had not formed them to go on four legs. With many other sympathies of this nature the gallant colonel and the worthy magistrate were mightily well pleased with each other. When therefore the colonel made his second visit to Neverden, the baronet was delighted with the attention, and anticipated with much satisfaction sufficient talk to keep him awake till dinner time. “So, colonel,” said the unpaid one, “you have the compassion to come and see me now the shooting season is quite over. This I call really an act of friendship. But did you actually know that yesterday was the last day of the season?” “’Pon honor, Sir George,” replied the half-paid one, “I never thought about it; but if I had it would have made no difference.” “You are very polite, colonel, and honest withal, and that cannot be said of every one.”