Doctor's out, Mrs Morley?"

"No; but he's got somebody with him;" and the speaker glanced at her
niece, who turned away and looked conscious. "I am not surprised,"
continued the Doctor's wife, and she looked fixedly now at her visitor.

"What at?" replied the lad wonderingly.

"How innocent!--What do you say, Minnie? Look at him!"

The girl turned sharply, fixed her eyes upon the young officer's face,
and laughed merrily.

"What are you laughing at?" he cried, hurriedly taking out a
handkerchief. "Have I made my face dirty?"

"No, sir.--We were quite right, auntie. I can't think how young men can
be so stupid."

"'Tis their nature to," said Archie, laughing, as he replaced his
handkerchief. "But what have I been doing stupid now, Minnie?"

"Sitting in a hot room and drinking what doesn't agree with you, sir."

"I couldn't help the room being hot," replied the lad, rather
indignantly.

"No, sir; but you could have helped giving yourself a headache and
coming here this morning to ask uncle for a cooling draught."

"Oh, that's it, is it, Miss Clever? Well, you are all wrong."

"I am glad to hear it, Archie," said Mrs Morley. "I thought you had
come to see the Doctor."

"That's right," said the lad, screwing up his face again and nodding
rather defiantly, boy and girl fashion, at the young lady gardener.
"Somebody ill?"

"No, my dear boy. It's only Sir Charles Dallas;" and as she spoke she
glanced at her niece again, who had suddenly become busy over a fresh
loose strand. "He's come to ask about the men who were wounded in that
wretched quarrel last night."

"Why, that's what I came for.--Do you hear, Minnie?"

Just then a door somewhere in the interior was opened, and men's voices
reached their ears, one being the Doctor's.

"No, nothing to worry about, sir; do them good."

"Ah, you keep to your old belief in the lancet, then, Doctor," came in
the Resident's pleasant, firm tones.

"In a case like this, certainly, sir. All the better for losing a
little of their hot, fiery blood. Set of quarrelsome, jealous fools.
Here _we_ are, thousands of miles from home and Ould Ireland, amongst
these tribes, all of them spoiling for a fight."

"Yes, Doctor," said the Resident, slowly approaching as he crossed the
room; "but I hope to get them tamed down in time."

"Ha, ha!" laughed the Doctor, as the two gentlemen came in sight.--"Hear
him, Minnie! What's the quotation--`Hope springs eternal in t