the relations which exist between our friends
and myself, you might unconsciously speak of
me in terms which this knowledge would, perhaps,
modify— at least, you would speak without the
consciousness that you were addressing
unwilling hearers. You now know the ties that
bind us, and your words will have that significance
which you intend they should bear.

"Remember, and remember distinctly, I disclaim
all pretension, as I do all wish, to conciliate
your favour as regards this matter; first, because
I believe I do not need it; and secondly,
that if I asked for, I should be unworthy of
it. I scarcely know how, after our last meeting,
I stand in your estimation, but I am ready to
own that if you would only suffer yourself to be
half as good as your nature had intended you,
and your faculties might make you, you would
be conferring a great honour on being the friend
of yours truly,

                                            "JOSEPH LOYD."

"What a cant these fellows acquire!" said
Calvert, as he read the letter, and threw it from
him. " What mock humility! what downright
and palpable pretension to superiority
through every line of it! The sum of it ail
being, I can't deny that you are cleverer,
stronger, more active, and more manly than
me; but, somehow, I don't exactly see why, or
how, but I'm your better! Well, I'll write an
answer to this one of these days, and such an
answer as I flatter myself he'll not read aloud
to the company who sit round the fire at the
vicarage. And so, Mademoiselle Florence, this
was your anxiety, and this the reason for all that
interest about our quarrel which I was silly
enough to ascribe to a feeling for myself. How
invariably it is so! How certain it is that a
woman, the weakest, the least experienced, the
most common-place, is more than a match in
astuteness for a man, in a question where her
affections are concerned. The feminine nature
has strange contradictions. They can summon
the courage of a tigress to defend their young,
and the spirit of a Machiavelli to protect a
lover. She must have had some misgiving,
however, that, to prefer a fellow like this to me
would be felt by me as an outrage. And then
the cunning stroke of implying that her sister
was not indisposed to listen to me. The perfidy
of that!"

Several days after Loyd's departure, Calvert
was lounging near the lake, when he jumped up,
exclaiming, " Here comes the postman! I see he
makes a sign to me. What can this be about?
Surely, my attached friend has not written to
me again. No, this is a hand that I do not
recognise. Let us see what it contains." He
opened and read as follows:

"Sir,— I have received your letter. None
but a scoundrel could have written it! As all
prospect of connexion with your family is now
over, you cannot have a pretext for not affording
me such a satisfaction as, had you been a
gentleman in feeling as you are in station, it
would never have been necessary for me to demand
from you. I leave this, to-morrow, for
the Continent, and will be at Basle by Monday
next. I will remain there for a week at your
orders, and hope that there may be no difficulty
to their speedy fulfilment.

"I am, your obedient and faithful servant,
"WENTWORTH GORDON GRAHAM."

"The style is better than yours, Master
Loyd, just because it means something. The
man is in an honest passion and wants a fight.
The other fellow was angry, and begged me not
to notice it. And so, Sophy, I have spoiled the
wedding favours, and scattered the bridesmaids!
What a heavy lesson for an impertinent note.
Poor thing! why did she trust herself with a
pen? Why did she not know that the most
fatal of all bottles is the ink bottle? Precious
rage old Uncle Geoffrey must be in. I'd like to
have one peep at the general discomfiture— the
deserted dinner-table, and the empty drawing-room.
They deserve it all; they banished me,
and much good have they got of it. Well,
Mr. Wentworth Gordon Graham must have
his wicked way. The only difficulty will be to
find what is so absurdly misnamed as a friend.
I must have a friend; I'll run up to Milan and
search the hotels; I'll surely find some one who
will like the cheap heroism of seeing another man
shot at. This is the season when all the fellows
who have no money for Baden come across the
Alps. I'm certain to chance upon one to suit
me."

Having despatched a short note, very politely
worded, to Mr. Graham, to the post-office,
Basle, he ordered a carriage, and set out for
Milan.

The city was in full festivity when he arrived,
overjoyed at its new-born independence, and
proud of the presence of its king. The streets
were crowded with a holiday population, and
from all the balconies and windows hung costly
tapestries, or gay-coloured carpets. Military
music resounded on all sides, and so dense was
the throng of people and carriages, that Calvert
could only proceed at a walking pace, none
feeling any especial care to make way for a
dusty traveller, seated in one of the commonest
of country conveyances.

As he moved slowly and with difficulty forwards,
he suddenly heard his name called; he
looked up, and saw a well-known face, that of
a brother-officer, who had left India on a sick
leave along with himself.

"I say, old fellow! " cried Barnard, " this is
your ground; draw into that large gate to your
right, and come up here."

In a few seconds, Calvert, escorted by a
waiter, was shown to his friend's apartment.

"I never dreamed of meeting you here,
Calvert,"

"Nor I of finding you lodged so sumptuously,"
said Calvert, as his eyes ranged over the splendid
room, whose massive hangings of silk, and richly
gilt ceiling, gave that air of a palace one so often
sees in Italian hotels