s horse, and the two
street boys and the crossing-sweeper, who had been attracted to the
scene, were about to separate, when the latter pounced upon something
white and held it up to Pratt.

"Did yer drop this 'ere, sir?"

"No," said Pratt, looking at the muddy note; "but here is sixpence--it
is for one of my friends."

Directly after, to the disgust of the two exquisites, Trevor, soiled
from head to foot, was laughing heartily at the rueful aspect of Frank
Pratt as he entered the hall.

"Look here," he said, dolefully, as he held out his muddy gloves.
"Two-and-three; and brand-new to-day. Van," he added, with a peculiar
cock of one eye, "have you a clean pair in your pocket?"

"No," said Vanleigh, coldly. "You can get good gloves in the Arcade;
but not," he added, with a sneer, "at two-and-three."

"Thanks," said Pratt; "but I am not a simple Arcadian in my ideas. Oh,
by the way, Van, here's a note for you which somebody seems to have
dropped."

Vanleigh almost snatched the muddy note, which was directed in a fine,
lady's hand; and there was a curious pinched expression about his lips
as he took in the address.

"Ah, yes; thanks, much," he drawled. "Very kind of you, I'm shaw. By
the way, Trevor, dear boy," he continued, turning to his friend, "hadn't
you better send one of the fellows for some things, and then we might
walk on to the Corner if you had nothing better to do? Try a suit of
mine; those don't fit you well."

"No, I'll keep to my own style," said Trevor, laughing. "I don't think
I could quite manage your cut."

Then nodding merrily in answer to the other's rather disgusted look, he
sent a messenger to his hotel, and strolled off to one of the
dormitories, while Frank Pratt went into the reading-room, where the
others had walked to the window, took up a newspaper, furtively watching
Captain Vanleigh and his friend, in the expectation that they would go;
but, to his great annoyance, they stayed on till Trevor reappeared, when
Vanleigh, with his slow dawdle, crossed to him.

"What are you going to do this afternoon, dear boy?"

"Well, I was thinking of what you said--running down to the Corner to
look at a horse or two. Things I don't much understand."

"I'll go with you," said Vanleigh. "You'll come, won't you, Flick?"

"Delighted, quite!" was the reply, very much to Pratt's disgust--the
feeling of disgust being equally shared by Vanleigh, when he saw "that
gloveless little humbug"