d Talgarth.

"Good-night, my lord," said the butler.

There was a good deal of discussion that night in the men's wing as to
the meaning of all this, and it was conducted with complete frankness.
Mr. Merton, the butler, had retired to his own house in the stable-yard,
and Mr. Clarkson, the valet, was in his lordship's dressing-room; so the
men talked freely. It was agreed that only two explanations were
possible for the unusual sweetness of temper: either Mr. Frank was to be
reinstated, or his father was beginning to break up. Frank was extremely
popular with servants always; and it was generally hoped that the former
explanation was the true one. Possibly, however, both were required.

* * * * *

Mr. Clarkson too was greatly _intrigue_ that night. He yawned about the
dressing-room till an unusually late hour, for Lord Talgarth generally
retired to rest between ten and half-past. To-night, however, it was
twenty minutes to twelve before the man stood up suddenly from the sofa
at the sound of a vibration in the passage outside. The old man came in
briskly, bearing a bundle of papers in one hand and a bed-candle in the
other, with the same twinkle of good temper in his eyes that he had
carried all the evening.

"Give me the dispatch-box under the sofa," he said; "the one in the
leather case."

This was done and the papers were laid in it, carefully, on the top.
Mr. Clarkson noticed that they had a legal appearance, were long-shaped
and inscribed in stiff lettering. Then the dispatch-box was reclosed and
set on the writing-table which my lord used sometimes when he was
unwell.

"Remind me to send for Mr. Manners to-morrow," he said. (This was the
solicitor.)

* * * * *

Getting ready for bed that evening was almost of a sensational nature,
and Mr. Clarkson had to keep all his wits about him to respond with
sufficient agility to the sallies of his master. Usually it was all a
very somber ceremony, with a good deal of groaning and snarling in
asides. But to-night it was as cheerful as possible.

The mysteries of it all are too great for me to attempt to pierce them;
but it is really incredible what a number of processes are necessary
before an oldish man, who is something of a buck and something of an
invalid, and altogether self-centered, is able to lay him down to rest.
There are strange doses to be prepared and drunk, strange manipulations
to be pe