d remained untouched for the
last twenty minutes. His companion, however, had twice in that time
replenished his beaker, and was now puffing out the smoke of his pipe
with the fury of a steamer's funnel when she has not yet burned the
black off her last instalment of fresh coals. This man was Burgo
Fitzgerald. He was as handsome as ever;--a man whom neither man nor
woman could help regarding as a thing beautiful to behold;--but
not the less was there in his eyes and cheeks a look of haggard
dissipation,--of riotous living, which had become wearisome, by its
continuance, even to himself,--that told to all who saw him much of
the history of his life. Most men who drink at nights, and are out
till cockcrow doing deeds of darkness, become red in their faces,
have pimpled cheeks and watery eyes, and are bloated and not
comfortable to be seen. It is a kind dispensation of Providence who
thus affords to such sinners a visible sign, to be seen day by day,
of the injury which is being done. The first approach of a carbuncle
on the nose, about the age of thirty, has stopped many a man from
drinking. No one likes to have carbuncles on his nose, or to appear
before his female friends with eyes which look as though they were
swimming in grog. But to Burgo Fitzgerald Providence in her anger had
not afforded this protection. He became at times pale, sallow, worn,
and haggard. He grew thin, and still thinner. At times he had been
ill to death's door. Among his intimate friends there were those who
heard him declare frequently that his liver had become useless to
him; and that, as for gastric juices, he had none left to him. But
still his beauty remained. The perfect form of his almost god-like
face was the same as ever, and the brightness of his bright blue eye
was never quenched.

On the present occasion he had come to Vavasor's room with the object
of asking from him certain assistance, and perhaps also some amount
of advice. But as regarded the latter article he was, I think, in the
state of most men when they seek for counsellors who shall counsel
them to do evil. Advice administered in accordance with his own views
would give him comfortable encouragement, but advice on the other
side he was prepared to disregard altogether. These two men had known
each other long, and a close intimacy had existed between them in the
days past, previous to Lady Glencora's engagement with Mr Palliser.
When Lady Glencora endeavoured, vainly as we k