THE GUARDS. CHAPTER I. NEWS FROM THE CONTINENT.-LADY PANAMAR'S INVITATION,-CHARACTERS. "In spring, though pleasant Zephyrus had fruitful Earth inspir'd, And Nature hath each bush, each branch, with blossoms brave attir'd; Yet fruits, and flowers, and buds, and blossoms full quickly wither'd be, When stormy winter comes to kill the summer's jollity. By time are got, by time are lost All things in which we pleasure most." From the Paradise of Dainty Devyses, in the 16th century. THE false appearances in the square were of a very splendid nature, but always tinged by melancholy, or traversed by care: the splendour and lustre of the night brought racking reflections in the morning; credit was slack; the shifting and manoeuvring to procure the luxuries and extravagancies of life were so many and so painful, that they took away all the enjoyment of them when obtained. After the loss of his mother he felt alone in the world; like Hotspur, deserted by his allies, he was still ready for the fight; proud and self-sufficient, yet weakened and disabled. In his retreat from society, induced by melancholy and filial feeling, he had no philosophising equanimity to bear him out; and he speedily gave his habits, not his heart, to a round of dissipation again. The non-intercourse with his father hurt him exceedingly, but he had been too long the dupe of fashion to acknowledge those best feelings which honour humanity, and which are common to the prince and peasant: he, therefore, on his return to dissipation, used to joke about the obduracy of the old gentleman, and affect to be as gay as ever. He had countless engagements, depending on the fatigues of fa |