o
purchase. Well, in recognition of his 'gallantry' (as the old gentleman
was good enough to term it) Sir John, who possessed a good deal of
influence, had him gazetted within six weeks, and to the 2-th Regiment--
'for which,' so ran the gracious letter bringing the news, 'you have
performed the first of what I hope will be a long list of distinguished
services.'

"Pretty, was it not? Yes, but there's prettier to come. Felicia, who
was an only child and quite an heiress in a small way, kept up from the
first a steady correspondence with her 'preserver': childish letters, to
begin with, but Dick kept them all. In Bombay, in Abyssinia, for a few
weeks in England (when he saw her for the first time since the wreck),
then back in India again, he has told me since that the world held but
one woman for him, and that was the little girl growing up to womanhood
in her Bedfordshire home.

"Well it all happened as you are guessing. Dick, who had inherited a
little money by this time, and was expecting his majority, returned to
England in '72 on a long furlough. Needless to say he paid a visit to
Cressingham, where Felicia lived under the wing of a widowed aunt:
equally needless to say what happened there. The engagement was a short
one--six weeks: and Dick flattered me immensely with an invitation to
come up and perform the ceremony."

The Vicar paused, refilled his glass, and leaning back gazed up at the
now silent nests. "All this," thought I, "may be mighty interesting in
its way, but what--"

"But what, you'll be asking, has all this to do with John Emmet?
I'm coming to that. On the evening of my arrival at Cressingham, Dick,
who was lodging at the village inn where I too had a room, took me over
to pay my respects to the ladies. We had taken our leave and were
passing down the pretty avenue of limes to the entrance gates, when he
paused and hailed a man stooping over a fountain in the Italian garden
on our left, and apparently clearing it of dead leaves.

"'Hi! John Emmet!'

"The man straightened his back, faced round, and came towards us,
touching his hat.

"'This is the gentleman, John, who has come expressly to tie the knot
next Wednesday. You must know,' said Dick, turning to me, 'that Miss
Felicia and John Emmet are sworn friends, and he owes me a mighty grudge
for taking her away. He's been gardener here for fifteen--sixteen--how
many years is it, John?'

"'Then,' said I, 'I suppose you were here