He was early left under the tuition of his mother, a woman of narrow capacity, and who had no other child.

The only remaining member of the family it may be necessary to notice was Miss Emily Melville, the orphan daughter of Mr.Tyrrel's paternal aunt; who now resided in the family mansion, and was wholly dependent on the benevolence of its proprietors.
Mrs.Tyrrel appeared to think that there was nothing in the world so precious as her hopeful Barnabas.

Every thing must give way to his accommodation and advantage; every one must yield the most servile obedience to his commands.

He must not be teased or restricted by any forms of instruction; and of consequence his proficiency, even in the arts of writing and reading, was extremely slender.

From his birth he was muscular and sturdy; and, confined to the _ruelle_ of his mother, he made much such a figure as the whelp-lion that a barbarian might have given for a lap-dog to his mistress.
But he soon broke loose from these trammels, and formed an acquaintance with the groom and the game-keeper.