Part 54 (1/2)

but he pull one way, old house pull other way, and 'tween 'eht ”You not enter it any o o, and little Harry so high Old Sewis not the e He no turncoat, squire God bless you, et, old Sewis no turncoat You hate turncoat

You taught old Sewis, and God bless you, and Mr Harry, and British Constitution, all Amen!'

With that he bounded to bed He was dead next acy It amounted to about seventeen hundred pounds invested in Government Stock, and he asked me what I meant to do with it; proposed a Charity to be established on behalf of decayed half-castes, insisting that servants' entle, 'Turncoat! eh? turncoat?'--proof that the word had struck where it was ai on it, I had a superstitious respect for the legacy, so I deterhter over 'Sixty pounds per annum!' to let it rest in ht not have rowingfreely on my property, I had not much fear of that However, I said discreetly, 'I don'twhen I see ard than a chuckfist

Only, there 's ood at accounts One 'll do for theh at home yet?'

Feere the occasions when our conversation did not diverge to this sort of interrogation Temple and Heriot, hom I took counsel, advised me to wait until the idea of the princess had worn its way into his understanding, and leave the work to Janet 'Though,' said Heriot to hter' He believed that Janet felt keenly But then, she adrandfather's confidence in practical h for me to be a man of business, he affirmed; he wanted me to have soeneral election? He offered ht fit to decline a contest This was to speak as htily as a German prince Virtually, in wealth and power, he was a prince; but of how queer a kind! He was i to look out for h London, and remarked, that I had not seen him for some time, he supposed To which I said, no, I had not, He advisedthat he held it likely I contributed to 'the fellow's' support: he said generously, 'Keep clear of him, Hal: I add you a thousand a year to your allowance,' and dahtful over it I found er from him Could he not with a word dashI had taken fro like a hypocrite, and I dare say I gave the squire to understand, that I had not seenof his recent doings

'Been infernally quiet these last two or three years,' the squire muttered of the object of his aversion 'I heard of a Citylast, sick as a Dover packet-boat 'bout the fellow! Well, the women are ninnies, but you're a er, eh?'

I replied that I knew my father better now, and was asked how the deuce I knew him better; it was the world I knew better after h to say, 'Very well, the world, sir'

'Flirted with one of their princesses?' He winked

'On that subject I will talk to you some other time,' said I

'Got to pay an indemnity? or what?' He professed alarm, and pushed for explanations, with the air of a man of business ready to help me if need were 'Make a clean breast of it, Harry You 're not the son of To, I'll swear All the sarandson and heir, and I'll stand by you Out with 't! She's a princess, is she?'

The necessity for correcting his iht ed to her, sir'

He returned promptly: 'Then you'll break it off'

I shook irl at home!' said he

'Do you find a princess objectionable, sir?'

'Objectionable? She's a foreigner I don't know her I never saw her

Here's ht up for you, under my own eyes, out of the way of every dalass, and you fight shy of her, and go and engage yourself to a foreigner I don't know and never saw! By George, Harry, I'll call in a parson to settle you soon as ever we sight Riversley I'll couple you, by George, I will! 'fore either of you knohether you're on your legs or your backs'

We were in the streets of London, so he was obliged to moderate his vehemence

'Have you consulted Janet?' said I

'Consulted her? ever since she was a chick with half a feather on'

'A chick with half a feather on,' I remarked, 'is not always of the sa your sneering and your talk of a fine girl, likerooster! You toss your head up like a cock too conceited to crow I 'll swear the girl 's in love with you She does you the honour to be fond of you She 's one in a ht-backed, honest, just a dash, and not too ain, sir,' I broke in 'You will discover she is not of your way of thinking'

'Do you iven you a left-hander, Harry?'

'I have only to say that I have not given her the option'

He groaned going up the steps of his hotel, faced , 'When we're boys, the old ones worry us; e're old ones, the boys begin to tug!' He rarely spoke so humanely,--rarely, at least, to me