o do something frantic; and it was a minute before he came to
himself, and could see that the tears were running down Fin's cheeks.

"Thank you," he said at last. "Finetta--Fin--may I call you Fin?--
dearest Fin, say I may."

"No, no, no," jerked out Fin, hysterically--"you mustn't do anything of
the kind. Pa wouldn't approve, and Aunt Matty hates you, and--and--and
I'm nearly sure I do."

"Go on hating me like this, then," cried Pratt, rapturously. "Oh,
darling, you've made me so happy!"

"I haven't," protested Fin, "and I can't, and I won't. How can I, when
poor darling Tiny has been so treated by that odious wretch?"

"What--Vanleigh?"

"No, you know what I mean; but he's an odious wretch, too. It's
abominable. Mr Trevor ought to be hung."

"Why?" said Pratt.

"Why?" echoed Fin. "Hasn't he jilted my poor darling, and behaved
cruelly to her, after winning her heart, just as all men do?"

"No," said Pratt, stoutly.

"What!" cried Fin, "didn't I see him out with her himself, and hasn't
somebody been at our house dropping hints about it--unwillingly, of
course--and made pa delighted, and Aunt Matty malicious? while poor
mamma has done nothing but cry, because she liked and believed in your
nice friend. As to poor Tiny, she was dangerously ill for a time."

"I don't care," said Pratt, vehemently; and he arranged an imaginary
wig, and waved some non-existent papers in the air. "Matters may be
against my client--I mean Dick; but I'll stake my life on his honour. I
say Richard Trevor--Lloyd, as he calls himself now--is a true man of
honour. Look how he gave up the estate! See how he yielded his
pretensions to Miss Rea's hand! And do you dare to tell me that this is
a man who would stoop to a flirtation, or worse, when he owns to being
cut up by the loss he has sustained? I say it's impossible, and that
the person who would dare to charge my cli--friend, Richard Trevor,
alias Lloyd, with such duplicity is--"

"What?" said Fin, sharply. That one little word went through Frank
Pratt. He cooled on the instant, the flush of excitement passed away,
and, in a crestfallen manner, he groaned--

"That's just like me. What a fool I am! Now you'll be cross with me."

"No, I shan't," said Fin, demurely. "I like it. It's nice of you to
stand up for your friend. I like a man to be a trump."

Fin's face was like scarlet as soon as she made this admission; and to
qualify it, she hurriedly exclaimed--