ld steel, and then I shall serve him as I
served General Griscelli; and 'pon my soul I believe Griscelli was the
least rascally of the two! I would as lief be hunted by blood-hounds as be
stabbed in the back by anonymous slanderers!"

And then he wanted me to take a challenge to the enterprising editor, and
arrange for a meeting, which rendered it necessary to remind him that we
were not in the England of fifty years ago, and that duelling was
abolished, and that his traducer would not only refuse to fight, but
denounce his challenger to the police and gibbet him in his paper. I
pointed out, on the other hand, that the article was clearly libellous,
and recommended Mr. Fortescue either to obtain a criminal information
against the proprietor of the paper, or sue him for damages.

"No, sir!" he answered, with a gesture of indignation and disdain--"no,
sir, I shall neither obtain a criminal information nor sue for damages.
The man who goes to law surrenders his liberty of action and becomes the
sport of chicaning lawyers and hair-splitting judges. I would rather lose
a hundred thousand pounds!"

Mr. Fortescue passed the remainder of the day at his desk, writing and
arranging his papers. The next morning I heard, without surprise, that he
and Ramon were going abroad.

"I don't know when I shall return," said Mr. Fortescue, as we shook hands
at the hall door, "but act as you always do when I am from home, and in
the course of a few days you will hear from me."

I did hear from him, and what I heard was of a nature so surprising as
nearly to take my breath away.

"You will never see me at Kingscote again," he wrote; "I am going to a
country where I shall be safe, as well from the attacks of Corsican
assassins as from the cowardly outrages of rascally newspapers." And then
he gave instructions as to the disposal of his property at Kingscote.
Certain things, which he enumerated, were to be packed up in cases and
forwarded to Amsterdam. The furniture and effects in and about the house
were to be sold, and the proceeds placed at the disposal of the county
authorities for the benefit of local charities. Every outdoor servant was
to receive six months' pay, every in-door servant twelve months' pay, in
lieu of notice. Geirt was to join Mr. Fortescue in a month's time at
Damascus; and to me, in lieu of notice, and as evidence of his regard, he
gave all his horses, carriages, saddlery, harness, and stable equipments
(not being f