He was

felt sufficiently sure of his footing to write, either. not a man (no, no; knew a trick worth two of that),—he was not a man to commit himself, until he was sure; but he was prepared to wait, since there was nothing else for it.

The moment he was summoned, he came; and he was met on the threshold by Lady Olivia and Miss Newbattle with all the empressement due to their friend, who had come on their invitation. That was enough; his assurance returned full tilt, and never again left him.

Kate was not in the drawing-room until just before dinner; and it was with considerably raised expectations, derived from divers long and confidential interviews wherein this hero had figured, that she at length turned the handle of the door.

At first no stranger was visible.

There was her father, there was Alice, and there was Lady Olivia-oh! Behind Lady Olivia's ample draperies was a short, broad, little, bow-legged man.

Her entrance made all the party turn their heads; and she became aware that "another daughter" was being named, and that her hand was being eagerly taken by a hand not so very much larger itself; and it needed barely a whole minute's reflection to make her aware that she must prepare quickly for being asked what she thought of Mr Pollaxfen? If taken at unawares, she would assuredly betray her shock.

This, come what might, was the very last thing which must happen.

What! Hurt poor Alice in such a matter? Wound her in the tenderest point? Oh, not now-now, when she too well knew what those words meant, should thoughtlessness betray her into cruelty. Something, somewhere, somehow, must be found to his advantage. She must find out that he was pleasant, amiable, clever, if she could not say fine-looking nor distinguished. She must discover good-humour, or at least common-sense, if every other quest proved a failure. But what a mean little figure it was! What attitudes, what legs! Do what she would, she could not keep herself from criticising the new-comer from top to toe; and in every survey was found fresh cause for marvel. Was this the man who had been the central point of her sister's elysium? Had the best of Alice's joys and hopes indeed circled around that little, ordinary, fidgeting puppet? Could that unmelodious

voice, issuing through its teeth, in endless "Don't you knows?" and "That sort of things," ever have been softened to a tender tone, and been hearkened to with charmed ear? Impossible, incredible!

He was nearly buried in his chair, twirling round his heavy watch-chain as he sat. Was that the style in which he usually made love?

Certainly he was talking to her sister, and certainly at the moment he could do no more than barely talk; but there are ways of doing everything. For instance, where were his eyes all the time? As often as not, she caught them leering round to where she herself was stationed. If not on her, they were on the wall, the chimney-piece, the ceiling, anywhere and everywhere, but always wearing the same air of restless curiosity and vulgar interest.

And Alice had seen Rupert,-knew his look, his smile, his voice.

Not as Kate did, not as it had been hers to behold and listen to watch beside him among mountain-torrents, to blush beneath his gaze under the murky sky, to sob upon his bosom in the ocean cave, those memories were all her own; but still- Well, she would not be too hard on Mr Pollaxfen. It was certainly not his fault that he was neither tall nor handsome; that instead of being gifted with Evelyn's towering shoulders, square chin, and fine expressive eyes, he should slope downwards from the neck, have little, wandering, light-coloured orbs of vision, and should tuck his incipient beard into his cravat as though he were ashamed of it.

She was ashamed of herself for noting such unfortunate defects; for to be sure, who would affirm that the soul of an intellectual giant has not many a time been found in a pigmy frame, and he might have much knowledge, even although his catchword were "Don't you know?"

It was certain that he could not smile, but he might be able to laugh.

When Rupert smiled and laughed at once, it was a look of mischief, diablerie, what not? Ah, such a look! A look that poor Kate had learned to watch for and tingle beneath.

Now it haunted her.

Never since their parting had he seemed more present to her than on this particular night: try as she might, she

Unheeding the

could not drive him from her thoughts. vacant nothings which passed, unmindful of Alice's request that she would bear her part in all, more and more silent she grew,—until, wrapped in contemplations, which caused her to start and change colour if addressed, the babble and chatter on every side fell, at length, like empty noises far in the distance, upon her inattentive ear.

“Kate, my love, Mr Pollaxfen has spoken to you three times!"

Kate was very sorry and very red.

It is

"She is such an absent creature," explained Lady Olivia, pleasantly, "that she often misses what is going on. no ill compliment to you, Mr Pollaxfen."

"I only came to inquire whether I might remove this table," said Pollaxfen. "Miss Newbattle would like to put her work-basket upon it. If it is not wanted

"Oh no."

"You do not work yourself?'

"Not very much. A little."

"You are fond of music, I daresay?

"Ye-es.

But I don't often hear it."

Well; but you will give us some, won't you?"

"I? Oh no. Alice," said Kate, hastily-" Alice sings, but I don't."

"Kate is our bookworm, Mr Pollaxfen," chimed in Lady Olivia, picking him up as it were, and putting him on the right rails. "Kate is our student. She is longing at this moment, I am sure," laughing-"to run away from us all and shut herself up in the library."

"Indeed?” replied the gentleman, rather at a loss. (A bookworm, was she, this sister-in-law to be? By Jove, he had never seen such red and white anywhere! He would not have minded having her at the Brighton assemblies, to take turns with her sister for him. But a "bookworm,' eh? He did not see that, quite.)

"Well, a library's always a comfortable room in a house," proceeded he, after the momentary pause required for the above reflections. "You can get it well warmed, don't you know? And it shuts in snugly at night, with green curtains and shaded lamps, and that sort of thing. We have rather a good library at one of my places in Lincolnshire; but at the other one,-at Grayfield Hall,—it is much too large. A library should not be too large, you know,

should it?" to Lady Olivia, whom he knew by experience would always listen to him on the subject of his "places."

Formerly, it will be remembered, she had encouraged Mr Newbattle on the same tack; and it is probable that the defunct Evelyn had been likewise drawn out, and smiled upon. It was one of the provoking idiosyncrasies of her son, that having as good a "place" as anybody, he never mentioned Evelyn Towers.

"I am so glad you are fond of your library, Mr Pollaxfen. My son is different."

"Oh, well, I don't know about being fond of it, Lady Olivia. I tell them to keep it up."

"That is just what Rupert will not do. No one is allowed to enter his. Indeed, all the best rooms are shut up from one year to another."

"Are they? Oh!" said Pollaxfen, with his old awe strong upon him. "It's the best way, no doubt. Captain Evelyn can't be expected to stick close to a humdrum old country house; he is safe to be asked about a lot." Already he felt a pride in saying it; and the sentiment being to her mind, Lady Olivia would not cavil at the expression.

"But still," she said, plaintively, "when a young man has large estates, he ought not to absent himself from them altogether. Although Rupert is my own son, I must condemn him. Now, he has actually rejoined in London without being once at the Towers!"

("Rejoined. I did not know that," said Kate to herself. "I am so glad I stayed up and heard this. But what shall I do, or say, if they ever speak to me about him? How shall I ever meet him as a stranger,-I who know him so well-so well. But rejoined? That means I am safe yet a while; and it means-it means

-")

"Really, Kate, you foolish girl, I must speak to you again. You are worse than ever to-night, my love."

There was real annoyance in Lady Olivia's tone. ("Mr Pollaxfen will take her for a fool," she thought, "sitting like that, with her hands on her lap, staring into the fire. She had better go to bed, and then I can make up some sort of excuse for her.")

The suggestion was followed only too gladly.

"And I hope you won't be so tired to-morrow," said Pollaxfen, as he lit her candle and wished her good night, staring hard all the time. (And again he thought within

himself, "Dash it, she would have made a figure in the Rooms, that she would!")

Every day now there was something or other going on; some picnic or riding-party was formed for the afternoons, and people came to dinner in the evenings. Every day Lady Olivia thought Pollaxfen would speak out, and Alice felt almost shy if left by chance alone with him.

Why did he not?

He was satisfied with everything. The connection was as desirable from every point of view as he had considered it to be at first. Lady Olivia was as complete a woman of fashion, Captain Evelyn as valuable an ally, Carnochan all that he had been led to expect it.

But the wretch had something which he called his heart, and which was now giving him warning of its presence every hour; for it said loudly, "Here's an ugly mess! I came here to marry Alice, and I have fallen in love with Kate."

CHAPTER XX.

THE MAN WOULD NOT LET HER ALONE.

"Fear to do base, unworthy things is valour;
If they be done to us, to suffer them

Is valour too."

-BEN JONSON.

Kate was the only one of the family to find out what had happened.

It was not that she was ineffably penetrating, nor that they were the reverse, it was simply because Pollaxfen, bent on running no risks, and resolved not to lose an actual for the sake of a possible good, continued to play in public the part of a suitor to the Miss Newbattle on whose account it was understood he had come, while in secret losing no opportunity which chance and Alice's sisterly injunctions threw in his way, of insinuating himself into the good graces of the one who had in all innocence stolen his affections. One or other of them he certainly would have.

When Kate came in, looking glorious, after a stroll round