r his arm, to drag her shivering before the fierce-looking sharer
of his joys.

"Can't you see, my dear, that it's all right? Now then, tell the poor
little girl that you're ashamed of what you said."

Lady Lisle drew herself up, and seemed to be swallowing something that
forced its way into her throat. Then, coldly--

"Yes," she said, "I retract everything that I said--to--Syd's--Oh, the
horror of it!" she gasped. "Syd's wife. But as for you, sir--yes, I
wronged you, too, by those terrible thoughts; but all is at an end
between us."

"Eh?" ejaculated Sir Hilton.

"All is at an end between us. Never can I take the hand of man again
who could stoop to playing the part of a common jockey."

"But it was for the best, my dear."

"Yes, Lady Lisle," cried Lady Tilborough, "and to save two very old
friends from ruin and despair."

"Yes, Lady Lisle; that is a fact," cried Granton.

"Possibly," said Lady Lisle, coldly.

"And I'll never do so any more, Laura."

"Perhaps not," said the lady, half-hysterically, for something was
dragging her hard in her heaving bosom; "but I cannot trust the word of
a man who has degraded himself as you did with drink."

"Haw, haw, haw!" cried Dandy Dinny, in his most raucous tones.

"You hold your row," said Mark, giving his prisoner a shake.

"Shee--ahn't!" growled the man.

"Ah, Mr Trimmer, you are there," cried Lady Lisle, as the door opened
and the agent, looking pale, but particularly neat in his dark Oxford
mixture suit and white, much-starched cravat, entered, to look
wonderingly round at the strange scene, and wince as he caught the
trainer's eyes; but Lady Lisle's look fascinated him, and he could not
retreat.

"Yes, my lady," he said in his blandest tones. "I heard the noise of
breaking glass, and I hurriedly dressed and came down."

"Come here. I want your assistance badly. I am glad to have someone in
whom I can place trust."

She took a step towards the agent, and raised her hand as if to place it
upon Trimmer's arm, and her lips parted to ask him to lead her from the
room, when Dandy Dinny shouted coarsely to Trimmer--

"What, my lovely Methody P.! How much did you lose on the race?"

"Lose--race?" cried Lady Lisle, shrinking away, with white circles
seeming to form round her dark, dilating eyes. "Surely, Mr Trimmer,
_you_ were not there?"

"Why, of course he was, auntie," cried Syd. "I saw the old humbug
twice."

"What!" half shrieked Lady Lis