okes about the woman I had selected. Oh, the world
is a nice charitable world! I was so enraged that I thought of going to
Castlewood and living alone there,--for our mother finds the place dull,
and the greatest consolation in precious Mr. Stack's ministry,--when
the news arrived of your female perplexity, and I think we were all glad
that I should have a pretext for coming to Europe."

"I should like to see any of the infernal scoundrels who said word
against you, and break their rascally bones," roars out Harry, striding
up and down the room.

"I had to do something like it for Bob Clubber."

"What! that little sneaking, backbiting, toad-eating wretch, who is
always hanging about my lord at Greenway Court, and spunging on every
gentleman in the country? If you whipped him, I hope you whipped him
well, George?"

"We were bound over to keep the peace; and I offered to go into Maryland
with him and settle our difference there, and of course the good folk
said, that having made free with the seventh commandment I was inclined
to break the sixth. So, by this and by that--and being as innocent of
the crime imputed to me as you are--I left home, my dear Harry, with as
awful a reputation as ever a young gentleman earned."

Ah, what an opportunity is there here to moralise! If the esteemed
reader and his humble servant could but know--could but write down in
a book--could but publish, with illustrations, a collection of the
lies which have been told regarding each of us since we came to man's
estate,--what a harrowing and thrilling work of fiction that romance
would be! Not only is the world informed of everything about you, but
of a great deal more. Not long since the kind postman brought a paper
containing a valuable piece of criticism, which stated--"This author
states he was born in such and such a year. It is a lie. He was born in
the year so and so." The critic knew better: of course he did. Another
(and both came from the country which gave MULLIGAN birth) warned some
friend, saying, "Don't speak of New South Wales to him. He has a brother
there, and the family never mention his name." But this subject is too
vast and noble for a mere paragraph. I shall prepare a memoir, or let
us have rather, par une societe de gens de lettres, a series of
biographies, of lives of gentlemen, as told by their dear friends whom
they don't know.

George having related his exploits as champion and martyr, of course
Harry had to unb