Erpingham, being now relieved from the vapour which had oppressed him, began to talk freely and even cheerfully to his puzzled friend Lord Spoonbill. The hereditary legislator could not by any means, or by any effort of judgment, or any struggle of penetration, divine what could have produced so great and so melancholy a change in his formerly cheerful and light-hearted friend. There had not been one individual in all Lord Spoonbill’s extensive range of acquaintance who seemed to be so happily independent and so independently happy as Erpingham. Now, if Colonel Crop had taken to drinking laudanum, Lord Spoonbill would not have been very greatly surprised; for the colonel did appear to require a stimulus, seeing that he was for the most part grievously dull and prodigiously flat. But Erpingham was a man of judgment and reflection, of humour and knowledge; and he had to all appearance studied so thoroughly the art of happiness and enjoyment, that sometimes Lord Spoonbill almost envied him. And he must have been a very happy and a very obviously happy man for Lord Spoonbill to envy him; for Lord Spoonbill had a very considerable opinion of himself, of his own greatness both in possession and reversion. Lord Spoonbill also regarded with peculiar and unspeakable delight the circumstance of his being born of a noble family, and being destined to bear the title of Earl of Smatterton; he thought that to be noble was to be the envy and admiration of mankind. It must therefore have been something very extraordinary that could lead his lordship to regard any one with a feeling at all approaching to envy. With such feeling, however, he certainly had regarded his friend Erpingham; and now to see that same man sunk, from no apparent or assignable cause whatever, into a state of miserable dejection, and depending for temporary excitement on an artificial stimulant, puzzled and perplexed his lordship beyond measure. Under this impression Lord Spoonbill could not avoid expressing his feeling of astonishment: “Upon my word, Erpingham, you quite surprise me. I always used to think you one of the happiest men living.” “I have been too happy,” replied Erpingham. Lord Spoonbill was puzzled again, and thought that his friend was absolutely mad. His lordship shewed symptoms of his suspicion, and Erpingham divined his thoughts. “You think me more than half mad, and perhaps I am. I am not mad however by the excitement of my daily dose of laudanum. It is that which brings me to my senses, and I only know that I am not mad because I am sure that I am so.”