Inasmuch, also, as Lord Spoonbill thought that Miss Primrose had rejected his first overtures because, and only because, she had anticipated a renewal of the acquaintance with Robert Darnley; now his lordship apprehended that, as, according to the information which he had received, this acquaintance was altogether at an end, Penelope would be more disposed to accept of his offers. His lordship therefore suffered the negociation to proceed according to the proposal of Sir George Aimwell, imagining that, if Colonel Crop could persuade Penelope to accompany him to London, there would be very little difficulty in making any arrangement which his lordship might then see proper to suggest. Upon these very agreeable reflections and anticipations, Lord Spoonbill was proud that he could triumph over the assumed wisdom and sagacity of his friend Erpingham. And, as soon as his lordship returned from his important excursion to his newly purchased borough, he called on his worthy Epicurean friend. Erpingham was miserably changed in aspect and in manner since Lord Spoonbill had seen him last. There had not been between this and the previous visit an interval of many months; but in the short period which had passed there had been a mighty change. The brightness of his look was dimmed, the confidence of his manner was abated, and the general air of his apartment seemed changed from comfort to negligence. When Lord Spoonbill entered the apartment, he found his friend as usual with a book before him; but he did not appear to be much occupied with the book. There also lay on his table a newspaper, which was an unusual sight, for Erpingham had been accustomed to avoid everything which might in any degree awake unpleasant sympathies, and he used to observe that newspapers were the repository of most disgusting and distressing information. There was another manifest symptom of alteration in the Epicurean’s habits and feelings, and that was a phial containing laudanum. Now Erpingham had always expressed an abhorrence of all manner of drugs, and had carefully avoided artificial stimulants, fancying that they tended to greater evil by the lassitude which followed their effects, than good by the temporary excitement which they produced.