He was exceedingly fair, and smooth complexion'd, and
appeared to me no more than twenty at most, tho' he was three
years older than what my conjectures gave him; but then he
ow'd this favourable mistake to a habit of fatness, which
spread through a short, squab stature, and a round, plump,
fresh-coloured face gave him greatly the look of a Bacchus,
had not an air of austerity, not to say sternness, very un-
suitable even to his shape of face, dash'd that character of
joy, necessary to complete the resemblance. His dress was
extremely neat, but plain, and far inferior to the ample for-
tune he was in full possession of; this too was a taste in
him, and not avarice.
As soon as Mrs. Cole was gone, he seated me near him,
when now his face changed upon me into an expression of the
most pleasing sweetness and good humour, the more remarkable
for its sudden shift from the other extreme, which, I found
afterwards, when I knew more of his character, was owing to
a habitual state of conflict with, and dislike of himself,
for being enslaved to so peculiar a gust, by the fatality of
a constitutional ascendant, that render'd him incapable of
receiving any pleasure till he submitted to these extraordi-
nary means of procuring it at the hands of pain, whilst the
constancy of this repining consciousness stamp'd at length
that cast of sourness and severity on his features: which
was, in fact, very foreign to the natural sweetness of his
temper.
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