t this is all explained. To think that you
are the father of that ministering angel, too!"

The captain, in a spirit of subdued cheerfulness, travelled up that
afternoon to town. The weather was superb. The country, rich with
harvest, looked beautiful. The carriage was unusually comfortable, and
the cigars magnificent. Altogether this good man felt that he had much
to be thankful for, and quietly wondered within himself whether, on his
arrival at the "Langham" Hotel, he should find a telegram from Maxfield
already awaiting him.

Instead, he found what pleased him decidedly less, a telegram from
Southampton.

"Business keeps me here for a week--arrive London Friday evening.

"Ratman."

The captain expressed himself to himself as greatly annoyed by this
simple message, and for the rest of that evening quite lost his natural
gaiety.

Next morning, however, not being a man to waste the precious hours, he
decided, like a dutiful son of his _alma mater_, to take a little run to
Oxford.

He had still in his pocket a certain memorandum, made long ago, of the
name of a certain college at that seat of learning, at which, at a
certain date, of which he had also a note, a person in whom he felt
interested had been a student. Why not improve the occasion by a few
inquiries on the spot as to the academical career of that interesting
person? It was a brilliant idea, no sooner conceived than executed.

That afternoon, among a crowd of returning undergraduates at ---
College, might have been seen the well-dressed military form of a
certain gentleman, who politely inquired for the senior tutor.

"I have called sir, on behalf of a friend of mine in India, to inquire
respecting a Mr Frank Armstrong, who is, or was a year or two since, an
undergraduate here."

"Armstrong, Armstrong?--no man of that name here at present. Ah, I
fancy we had a man here of that name some years since."

"Could you conveniently inform me how long it is since he left?"

The tutor referred to his lists.

"He left three years ago. I remember him now--well."

"My friend would be extremely grateful for any information. He has lost
sight of him since he was at Oxford."

"Well, the fact is Armstrong was not a particular success here. He was
a fairly good scholar, and athlete too, I believe, but his course here
ended abruptly."

"Dear, dear! Do you mean to say he was expelled?"

"Hardly so. But he left the place heavily in debt. At