revealed was that of rabid and vulgar animosity. As to the matter contained in the letter, I emphatically believed and trusted that it had no foundation save in the unscrupulously malicious invention of the writer. I lost no time, however, in communicating with my father, to whom I sent the letter, with a full account of the manner in which it had been received, and a request for his assistance and advice. He replied, after rather more delay than I had expected, saying that he had received my letter, also the enclosure, and would consult, "in the proper quarter," as to what had best be done in the matter. He told me that I need feel no uneasiness on the "Proba

important subject of birth.

my

bly," he wrote, "the scamp has got hold of an old story, which you have heard yourself, about my running away with your

mother; and if so, he knows that you are young, and means, first to work upon your fears, and then to try and extort money. If you happen to clap hands on him, well and good; but, pray, don't let anything come before the public, unless you are absolutely compelled. I wish heartily that we could have had the benefit of poor Sutcliffe's advice. He would have assisted with the greatest goodwill possible, and would have perhaps discovered what puzzles me completely-viz., who your anonymous correspondent can be. Have not you any notion whatever yourself? There must be many men in the regiment, I mean private soldiers, who may have picked up something about our affairs; and one of them may owe you a grudge for some punishment you gave him. We will have a good talk about all this when you come home again.”

I was not altogether satisfied with this letter. I had expected him to be more indignant at the insult offered to our family; and I had certainly looked for a rather more emphatic denial of the odious allegation which had been made. On the whole, however, I did feel reassured. I had heard, though I was only now reminded of the fact, that my parents had been married in an unusual manner-at Gretna Green, or elsewhere in the first instance, but that they had also been more formally united shortly afterwards. One phrase, moreover, that my father used in his letter, nearly made amends for all that he omitted; for he spoke of "consulting in the proper quarter," and I knew by this that he intended to confer with his brother, my uncle Thomas, than whom he had no better friend or adviser.

I will now return to other matters. My arrest-my incarceration in the hotel-was not of long duration. Those subalterns, including myself, who were prisoners for the part they had taken in the midnight fray, were speedily reprimanded and set at liberty. Captain Solomon I saw no more; and an announcement to the effect that he had resigned his commission appeared shortly afterwards in the 'Gazette.' As to the sad truth that he was first systematically made to drink, and then deliberately permitted to disgrace himself, it merely illustrates the scandalous and unworthy shifts to which gentlemen are sometimes reduced, when they find thrust into their society persons with whom they would never associate, and whom they would certainly never molest, could they be given any choice or any voice in the matter.

I shall not devote much further space to my experiences in the militia. As the period of our training drew to a close, I realised that I should soon have to revert from the dignity of manhood to the sunken condition of a schoolboy; in other words, that I should have to return to Mr Skelton. I then began to see some advantages in abandoning the army altogether so as to follow some nominal occupation, such as that of a briefless barrister. Ascough, the surgeon, urged me not to forsake the militia, in which he declared I was excellently fitted for a career. Besides," said he, "who knows where we may find ourselves in this San Juan affair? And, pray, what is the Government going to do about China?" Several others asked me why I could not be content with the life of a country gentleman. But that question might have been

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