The Honorable General Denbigh was the youngest of three sons. His seniors,
Francis and George, were yet bachelors. The death of a cousin had made
Francis a duke while yet a child, and both he and his favorite brother
George, had decided on lives of inactivity and sluggishness.
"When I die, brother," the oldest would say, "you will succeed me, and
Frederick can provide heirs for the name hereafter."
This arrangement had been closely adhered to, and the two elder brothers
reached the ages of fifty-five and fifty-six, without altering their
condition. In the mean time, Frederick married a young woman of rank and
fortune; the fruits of their union being the two young candidates for the
hand of Isabel Howell.
Francis Denbigh, the eldest son of the general, was naturally diffident,
a
