afraid to venture in his waterproof
boots; and Wilmot and I are going to beat you all. I declare, we old
'uns are the keenest sportsmen of the lot!'

'I'll show you what I can do to-day, however,' said my companion. 'I'll
murder your birds by wholesale, just for keeping me away from better
company than either you or them.'

And so saying he departed; and I saw no more of him till dinner. It
seemed a weary time; I wonder what I shall do without him.

It is very true that the three elder gentlemen have proved themselves
much keener sportsmen than the two younger ones; for both Lord Lowborough
and Arthur Huntingdon have of late almost daily neglected the shooting
excursions to accompany us in our various rides and rambles. But these
merry times are fast drawing to a close. In less than a fortnight the
party break up, much to my sorrow, for every day I enjoy it more and
more--now that Messrs. Boarham and Wilmot have ceased to tease me, and my
aunt has ceased to lecture me, and I have ceased to be jealous of
Annabella--and even to dislike her--and now that Mr. Huntingdon is become
my Arthur, and I may enjoy his society without restraint. What shall I
do without him, I repeat?

CHAPTER XXII

October 5th.--My cup of sweets is not unmingled: it is dashed with a
bitterness that I cannot hide from myself, disguise it as I will. I may
try to persuade myself that the sweetness overpowers it; I may call it a
pleasant aromatic flavour; but say what I will, it is still there, and I
cannot but taste it. I cannot shut my eyes to Arthur's faults; and the
more I love him the more they trouble me. His very heart, that I trusted
so, is, I fear, less warm and generous than I thought it. At least, he
gave me a specimen of his character to-day that seemed to merit a harder
name than thoughtlessness. He and Lord Lowborough were accompanying
Annabella and me in a long, delightful ride; he was riding by my side, as
usual, and Annabella and Lord Lowborough were a little before us, the
latter bending towards his companion as if in tender and confidential
discourse.

'Those two will get the start of us, Helen, if we don't look sharp,'
observed Huntingdon. 'They'll make a match of it, as sure as can be.
That Lowborough's fairly besotted. But he'll find himself in a fix when
he's got her, I doubt.'

'And she'll find herself in a fix when she's got him,' said I, 'if what
I've heard of him is true.'

'Not a bit of it. Sh