Part 11 (1/2)

IV

The revulsion of feeling experienced by Bottles as he hurried back to the Albany to dress for dinner--for he was to dine with his brother at one of his clubs that night--was so extraordinary and overwhels As yet hisaccusto passion of his life, could not quite grasp his luck That he should, after all, have won back his lost Madeline seeood to be true

As it happened, Sir Eustace had asked one or two st the to prepare for a severe cross-examination in the House upon South African affairs, had juhly acquainted with the subject But the expectant Under-Secretary was destined to rievous disappoint For thewhen directly addressed, and then answering so much at random that the Under-Secretary quickly came to the conclusion that Sir Eustace's brother was either a fool or that he had drunk too much

Sir Eustace himself saw that his brother's taciturnity had spoilt his little dinner, and his temper was not improved thereby He was not accustomed to have his dinners spoiled, and felt that, so far as the Under-Secretary was concerned, he had put hie,” he said in a tone of bland exasperation when they had got back to the Albany, ”I wonder what can be the h that you would be able to post hihly about all this Bechuana et a word out of you”

His brother absently filled his pipe before he answered:

”The Bechuanas? Oh, yes, I know all about the them for a year”

”Then why on earth didn't you tell him what you knew? You put me in rather a false position”

”I ao and see hi to hi of soated hi,” he went on slowly, ”about Mad--about Lady Croston”

”Oh!”

”I went to see her this afternoon, and I think, I hope, that I areat neould be received by his elder brother as such news ought to be received--with congratulatory rejoicing--he was destined to be disappointed

”Good heavens!” ejaculated Sir Eustace shortly, letting his eyeglass drop

”Why do you say that, Eustace?” Bottles asked uneasily

”Because--because,” answered his brother in the ee, ”you ”

”Whyman, with all your life before you, deliberately propose to tie yourself up to a ed and _passee_ woht, let , and is burdened with a couple of children, and who, if sheyou very little except her luxurious tastes But I expected this I thought she would try to catch you with those languishi+ng black eyes of hers You are not the first; I know her of old”

”If,” said his brother, rising in dudgeon, ”you are going to abuse Madeline to ht, for we shall quarrel--which I would not do for anything”

Sir Eustace shrugged his shoulders ”Those whom the Gods wish to destroy they first make mad,” he muttered, as he lit his hand candle ”This is what comes of a course of South Africa”

But Sir Eustace was an amenable iven the thy process of shaving hi, he cah it must be owned, that it was evident that his brotherto be done was to fall in with his views and trust to the chapter of accidents to bring the thing to naught Sir Eustace, for all his apparent worldliness and cynicisood fellow at heart, and cherished a warm affection for his aard, taciturn brother He also cherished a great dislike for Lady Croston, whose character he thoroughly understood He saw a good deal of her, it is true, because he happened to be one of the executors of her husband's will; and since he had come into the baronetcy it had struck him that she had developed a considerable partiality for his society

The idea of a e between his brother and his brother's old flame was in every way distasteful to him In the first place, under her husband's will, Madeline would bring, co, relatively little with her should she ain That was one objection Another, and still more forcible one from Sir Eustace's point of vieas that at her time of life she was not likely to present the house of Peritt with an heir Now, Sir Eustace had not the slightest intention ofMatrimony was, he considered, an excellent institution, and necessary to the carrying on of the world in a respectable manner, but it was not one hich he was anxious to identify himself Therefore, if his brother married at all, it was his earnest desire that the union should bring children to inherit the title and estates Prominent above both these excellent reasons, stood his intense distrust and dislike of the lady

Needs must, however, when the devil (by who to quarrel with his only brother and presumptive heir because he chose to ed his shoulders--having finished his shaving and his reflections together--and determined to put the best possible face on his disappointe,” he said to his brother at breakfast, ”so you are going to marry Lady Croston?”