he had not told Emma about the change in his fortunes.

"Because I thought it best," said Mrs Willders, "to leave you to tell
her yourself, Frank."

"Well, mother, I depute you to tell her now, and pray do it without
delay. I offered to give her up a short time ago, but she refused to
listen to me."

"I'm glad to hear it," replied the widow with a smile. "I always
thought her a good, sensible girl."

"Hm! so did I," said Frank, "and something more."

Once again he became silent, and, as an inevitable consequence, fell
fast asleep. In which satisfactory state we will leave him while we run
briefly over the events of his subsequent history.

In direct opposition to the opinion of all his doctors, Frank not only
recovered the use of all his limbs, but became as well and strong as
ever--and the great fire in Tooley Street left no worse marks upon him
than a few honourable scars.

His recovery, however, was tedious. The state of his health, coupled
with the state of his fortune, rendered it advisable that he should seek
the benefit of country air, so he resigned his situation in the London
Fire Brigade--resigned it, we may add, with deep regret, for some of his
happiest days had been spent in connection with that gallant corps.

Rambling and fishing among the glorious mountains of Wales with his
brother Willie, he speedily regained health and strength. While
wandering with delight through one of the most picturesque scenes of
that wild and beautiful region, he came suddenly one day on a large
white umbrella, under which sat a romantic-looking man, something
between an Italian bandit and an English sportsman, who was deeply
engrossed with a sheet of paper on which he was depicting one of the
grandest views in the splendid pass of Llanberis. At this man Willie
rushed with a shout of surprise, and found that he answered at once to
the name of Fred Auberly! Fred was thrown into such a state of delight
at the sight of his old friends that he capsized the white umbrella,
packed up his paints, and accompanied them to their inn. Here, on being
questioned, he related how that, while in Rome he had been seized with a
fever which laid him prostrate for many weeks; that, on his recovery, he
wrote to Loo and his father, but received no reply from either of them;
that he afterwards spent some months in Switzerland, making more than
enough of money with his brush to "keep the pot boiling," and that,
finally, he returned ho