there were cogent and honorable reasons why I did not charge home.

You see I happened to be behind a blue lilac-bush (and was turning a rhyme — heaven help us! — in which death was only to part me and Elizabeth) when I saw Baker's face surge over the chair-back. I rush forward as he cries" by Jove." Had Miss Prior cried out on her part, the strength of twenty Heenans, I know, would have nerved this arm; but all she did was to turn pale, and say, "Oh, mercy! Captain Baker! pity me!"

66

Do

What! you remember me, Bessy Bellenden, do you?” asks the Captain, advancing.

"Oh, not that name! please, not that name!" cries Bessy. "I thought I knew you yesterday," says Baker. "Only, gad, you see, I had so much claret on board, I did not much know what was what. And oh! Bessy, I have got such a splitter of a headache."

"Oh! please—please, my name is Miss Prior. Pray! pray, sir, don't—

You've got handsomer - doosid deal handsomer.

you now well, your spectacles off. You come in here

Know teach

my nephew and niece, humbug my sister, make love to the sh-Oh! you uncommon sly little toad!"

"Captain Baker! I beg-I implore you," says Bessy, or something of the sort: for the white hands assumed an attitude of supplication.

"Pooh! don't gammon me!" says the rickety Captain (or words to that effect), and seizes those two firm white hands in his moist, trembling palms.

Now do you understand why I paused? When the dandy came grinning forward, with looks and gestures of familiar recognition: when the pale Elizabeth implored him to spare her: a keen arrow of jealousy shot whizzing through my heart, and caused me wellnigh to fall backwards as I ran forwards. I bumped up against a bronze group in the garden. The group represented a lion stung by a serpent. I was a lion stung by a serpent too. Even Baker could have knocked me down. Fiends and anguish! he had known her before. Academy, the life she had led, the wretched old tipsy ineffective guardian of a father — all these antecedents in poor Bessy's history passed through my mind. And I had offered my heart and troth to this woman! Now, my dear sir, I appeal to you. What would you have done? Would you have liked to have such a sudden suspicion thrown over the being of your affec

The

to

tion? "Oh! spare me spare me!" I heard her say, in cleartoo clear - pathetic tones. And then there came rather a shrill Ah!" and then the lion was up in my breast again; and I give you my honor, just as I was going to step forward step? - to rush forward from behind the urn where I had stood for a moment with thumping heart, Bessy's "Ah!" or little cry was followed by a whack, which I heard as clear as anything I ever heard in my life; —and I saw the little Captain spin back, topple over a chair heels up, and in this posture heard him begin to scream and curse in shrill tones. .

Not for long, for as the Captain and the chair tumble down, a door springs open; - a man rushes in, who pounces like a panther upon the prostrate Captain, pitches into his nose and eyes, and chokes his bad language by sending a fist down his naughty throat.

Oh! thank you, Bedford! — please leave him, Bedford! that's enough. There, don't hurt him any more!" says Bessy, laughing — laughing, upon my word.

"Ah! will you?" says Bedford. "Lie still, you little beggar, or I'll knock your head off. Look here, Miss Prior! — Elizabeth - dear - dear Elizabeth! I love you with all my

heart, and soul, and strength — I do.”

"O Bedford! Bedford!" warbles Elizabeth.

66

'I do! I can't help it. I must say it!

Ever since Rome, I do. Lie still, you drunken little beast! It's no use. But I adore you, O Elizabeth! Elizabeth!" And there was Dick, who was always following Miss P. about, and poking his head into keyholes to spy her, actually making love to her over the prostrate body of the Captain.

Now, what was I to do? Wasn't I in a most confoundedly awkward situation? A lady had been attacked · -a lady? the lady, and I hadn't rescued her. Her insolent enemy was overthrown, and I hadn't done it. A champion, three inches shorter than myself, had come in and dealt the blow. I was in such a rage of mortification, that I should have liked to thrash the Captain and Bedford too. The first I know I could have matched the second was a tough little hero. And it was he In a strait so

who rescued the damsel, whilst I stood by! odious, sudden, and humiliating, what should I, what could I, what did I do?

Behind the lion and snake there is a brick wall and marble balustrade, built for no particular reason, but flanking three steps and a grassy terrace, which then rises up on a level to the house-windows. Beyond the balustrade is a shrubbery of more

lilacs and so forth, by which you can walk round into another path, which also leads up to the house. So as I had not charged ah! woe is me!-as the battle was over, I—I just went round that shrubbery into the other path, and so entered the house, arriving like Fortinbras in "Hamlet," when everybody is dead and sprawling, you know, and the whole business is done.

And was there to be no end to my shame, or to Bedford's laurels? In that brief interval, whilst I was walking round the bypath (just to give myself a pretext for entering coolly into the premises), this fortunate fellow had absolutely engaged another and larger champion. This was no other than Bulkeley, my Lady B.'s first-class attendant. When the Captain fell, amidst his screams and curses, he called for Bulkeley: and that individual made his appearance, with a little Scotch cap perched on his powdered head.

"Hullo! what's the row year?" says Goliath, entering. "Kill that blackguard! Hang him, kill him!" screams Captain Blacksheep, rising with bleeding nose.

I say, what's the row year?" asks the grenadier.

"Off with your cap, sir, before a lady!" calls out Bedford. "Hoff with my cap! you be blo—”

But he said no more, for little Bedford jumped some two feet from the ground, and knocked the cap off, so that a cloud of ambrosial powder filled the room with violet odors. The immense frame of the giant shook at this insult: “I will be the death on you, you little beggar!" he grunted out; and was advancing to destroy Dick, just as I entered in the cloud which his head had raised.

"I'll knock the brains as well as the powder out of your ugly head!" says Bedford, springing at the poker. At which juncture I entered.

"What what is this disturbance?" I say, advancing with an air of mingled surprise and resolution.

"You git out of the way till I knock his 'ead off!" roars Bulkeley.

"Take up your cap, sir, and leave the room," I say, still with the same elegant firmness.

Put down that there poker, you coward!" bellows the monster on board wages.

"Miss Prior!" I say (like a dignified hypocrite, as I own I was), “I hope no one has offered you a rudeness? And I glare round, first at the knight of the bleeding nose, and then at his squire.