er is small, manners are reserved, and morals severe."

He was in a carriage with two unmistakably county squires, and their
conversation--certain references to a meet of the hounds and a local
bazaar--left no doubt that they were his neighbours. Indeed, Lady
Seeley was once alluded to, and Mike was agitated with violent
desires to introduce himself as the owner of Belthorpe Park. Several
times he opened his lips, but their talk suddenly turned into matters
so foreign that he abandoned the notion of revealing his identity,
and five minutes after he congratulated himself he had not done so.

The next station was Wantage Street; and as he looked to see that the
guard had put out his portmanteau, a smart footman approached, and
touching his cockaded hat said, "Mr. Fletcher." Mike thrilled with
pride. His servant--his first servant.

"I've brought the dog-cart, sir; I thought it would be the quickest;
it will take us a good hour, the roads are very heavy, sir."

Mike noticed the coronet worked in red upon the yellow horse-cloth,
for the lamps cast a bright glow over the mare's quarters; and
wishing to exhibit himself in all his new fortune before his
fellow-passengers, who were getting into a humbler conveyance, he
took the reins from the groom; and when he turned into the wrong
street, he cursed under his breath, fancying all had noticed his
misadventure. When they were clear of the town, touching the mare
with the whip he said--

"Not a bad animal, this."

"Beautiful trotter, sir. Her ladyship bought her only last spring;
gave seventy guineas for her."

After a slight pause, Mike said, "Very sad, her ladyship's death, and
quite unexpected, I suppose. She wasn't ill above a couple of days."

"Not what you might call ill, sir; but her ladyship had been ailing
for a long time past. The doctors ordered her abroad last winter,
sir, but I don't think it did her much good. She came back looking
very poorly."

"Now tell me which is the way? do I turn to the right or left?"

"To the right, sir."

"How far are we from Belthorpe Park now?"

"About three miles, sir."

"You were saying that her ladyship looked very poorly for some time
before she died. Tell me how she looked. What do you think was the
matter?"

"Well, sir, her ladyship seemed very much depressed. I heard Miss
Fairfield, her ladyship's maid, say that she used to find her
ladyship constantly in tears; her nerves seemed to have given way."

"I suppose