McAravey, as he had done so long ago. The horror
of that last vision awoke him. It was late, and he had only time to
get his letter posted and to hurry to his office.

But Jim could not rest, till in the course of a few days a letter
arrived with the Leeds post-mark. He trembled as he took it in his
hand, and then as he read a flush mantled up his face, and he burst
into a laugh as he saluted himself in the cheap mirror that adorned the
mantelpiece--

"Aw, mi lord! Glad to make your lordship's acquaintance!"

The note ran thus:--

"WATCH AND CLOCK FACTORY, LEEDS,

"August 19, 187--.

"SIR,--In reply to your favour of the 16th inst. we beg to say that we
always keep a register of all watches made or sold by us.

"No. 7002, an English lever made by ourselves, appears to have been
purchased by Lady Waterham, of Burnham Park, in this neighbourhood, on
the 21st of October, 185--.

"We should advise you to communicate at once with her ladyship, who is
now at home.

"We remain, Sir, your obedient Servants,
"J. TURNWELL & Co.

"Mr. J. McARAVEY,
"Market Street, Ballymena, Ireland."

It was enough to turn the head of an ambitious boy. Poor Jim, though
generally cautious and reticent, could not contain himself, and, in
strict confidence, revealed his coming splendour to one or two of his
companions. It was soon reported that Jim McAravey had come in for a
fortune of 50,000 pounds, and was the son of a lord. Even his
employers seemed to treat him with new consideration, and, though
annoyed that the affair had got so soon bruited about, he could not
feel angry when he saw himself pointed at in the street, and half
jokingly spoken of as "my lord" by his fellow-clerks.

[Illustration: Jim building castles-in-the-air.]

Jim's first step was to write a somewhat haughty letter to the Rev.
Cooper Smith, and an excessively gushing and almost affectionate one to
Elsie. Both letters were shown to George Hendrick, the consequence
being that one afternoon on returning home Jim found the
Scripture-reader awaiting him. "The young lord" (as they called him)
was about to offer a gracious but distant welcome, when Hendrick, who
had heard the town talk, anticipated him by exclaiming--

"Well, Jim, my boy, I'm afraid you have been making a rare fool of
yourself!"

"I would thank you to explain your language," said the young man with
great hauteur.

"There, don't be offended, lad," replied the reader, kindly; "