aid--"exquisitely rendered.
Praise from Mr. De Blacquaire is worth having, let me tell you, Fuller.
Mr. De Blacquaire is himself a distinguished musician. Ah! my old friend
Eld! How do you do? how do you do?"

This greeting was addressed to Sennacherib, who had arisen on the
earl's arrival, had deliberately turned his back, and was now engaged in
turning over the leaves of music which lay on the table before him.

"Sennacherib," said Isaiah, mildly, "his lordship's a-talking to thee."

"I can hear," responded Sennacherib, "as he's a-talking to one on us. As
for me, I'm none the better for being axed."

"And none the worse, I hope," said his lordship, as cheerily as he
could.

"Nayther wuss nor better, so far as I can see," replied Sennacherib.

"Come, come, Mr. Eld," said Fuller. "Harmony! harmony!"

"I was a-tekin' my walks abroad this mornin'," said Sennacherib, still
bending over his music, "when I see that petted hound of the vicar's mek
a fly at a mongrel dog as had a bone. The mongrel run for it and took
the bone along with him. It comes into my mind now as if the hound had
known a month or two aforehand as he'd want that bone, he'd ha' made
friends wi' the mongrel."

This parable was so obviously directed at his lordship and his young
_protege_ that Sennacherib's companions looked and felt ill at ease.
Fuller was heard to murmur "Harmony!" but a disconcerted silence fell
on all, and his lordship took snuff while he searched for a speech which
should turn the current of conversation into a pleasanter channel.
The Earl of Barfield was particularly keen in his desire to run Mr.
Ferdinand de Blacquaire for the county, and to run him into Parliament.
Ferdinand himself was much less keen about the business, and regarded
it all as a mingled joke and bore. This being the case, he felt free to
avoid the ordinary allures of the parliamentary candidate, and, apart
from that, he had, with himself at least, a reputation to sustain as a
man of wit.

"Has this mongrel a bone?" he asked, in a silky tone. "Let him keep it."

His lordship shot a glance of surprised wrath at him, almost of horror,
but Sennacherib began to chuckle.

"Pup's got a bite in him," said Sennacherib--"got a bite in him."

His lordship felt a little easier, and looking about him discovered that
everybody was smiling more or less, though on one or two faces the smile
sat uneasily.

"Come, come, Mr. Eld," said Fuller, "harmony!"

"Ah!" cried