y on his feet. All debts would be paid
at once, and he would never exceed his allowance again; and as to his
mother's difficulty, in meeting a bill for six hundred pounds, it was
not in Loftus Bertram's nature to trouble himself on this score six
months ahead.

That bill, however was the proverbial last straw to Mrs. Bertram. It
haunted her by day and night; she dreamt of it, sleeping, she pondered
over it, waking. Six short months would speedily disappear, and then she
would be ruined; she could not meet the bill, exposure and disaster must
follow.

Even very honorable people when they get themselves into corners often
seek for means of escape which certainly would not occur to them as the
most dignified exits if they were, for instance, not in the corner, but
in the middle of the room.

Mrs. Bertram was a woman of resources, and she made up her mind what to
do. She made it up absolutely, and no doubts or difficulties daunted her
for an instant. Loftus should marry Beatrice Meadowsweet long before the
six months were out.

Having ascertained positively not only from her mother's lips, but also
from those of Mr. Ingram, that the young girl could claim as her portion
twenty thousand pounds on her wedding day, Mrs. Bertram felt there was
no longer need to hesitate. Beatrice was quite presentable in herself;
she was handsome, she was well-bred, she had a gracious and even
careless repose of manner which would pass muster anywhere for the
highest breeding. It would be quite possible to crush that fat and
hopelessly vulgar mother, and it would be easy, more than easy, to talk
of the wealthy merchant's office instead of the obnoxious draper's shop.

Bertram, who had just moved with the _depot_ of his regiment to
Chatham, on returning to his quarters one evening from mess saw lying on
his table a thick letter in his mother's handwriting. He took it up
carelessly, and, as he opened it, he yawned. Mother's letters are not
particularly sacred things to idolized sons of Bertram's type.

"I wonder what the old lady has got to say for herself," he murmured.
"Can she have seen Nina? And has Nina said anything. Not that she can
seriously injure me in the mater's eyes. No one would be more lenient to
a little harmless flirtation which was never meant to lead anywhere than
my good mother. Still it was a great bore for Josephine to turn up when
she did. Obliged me to shorten my leave abruptly, and see less of Miss
Beatrice. What a