erve her."

"I don't think she can be compared to her sister," said Crofts
slowly.

"What; not Lily?" said Eames, as though the proposition made by the
doctor were one that could not hold water for a minute.

"I have always thought that Bell was the more admired of the two,"
said Crofts.

"I'll tell you what," said Eames. "I have never yet set my eyes on
any human creature whom I thought so beautiful as Lily Dale. And now
that beast is going to marry her! I'll tell you what, Crofts; I'll
manage to pick a quarrel with him yet." Whereupon the doctor, seeing
the nature of the complaint from which his companion was suffering,
said nothing more, either about Lily or about Bell.

Soon after this Eames was at his own door, and was received there by
his mother and sister with all the enthusiasm due to a hero. "He has
saved the earl's life!" Mrs Eames had exclaimed to her daughter on
reading Lord De Guest's note. "Oh, goodness!" and she threw herself
back upon the sofa almost in a fainting condition.

"Saved Lord De Guest's life!" said Mary.

"Yes--under Providence," said Mrs Eames, as though that latter fact
added much to her son's good deed.

"But how did he do it?"

"By cool courage and good feeling;--so his lordship says. But I
wonder how he really did do it?"

"Whatever way it was, he's torn all his clothes and lost his hat,"
said Mary.

"I don't care a bit about that," said Mrs Eames. "I wonder whether
the earl has any interest at the Income-tax. What a thing it would
be if he could get Johnny a step. It would be seventy pounds a year
at once. He was quite right to stay and dine when his lordship asked
him. And so Dr Crofts is there. It couldn't have been anything in the
doctoring way, I suppose."

"No, I should say not; because of what he says of his trousers." And
so the two ladies were obliged to wait for John's return.

"How did you do it, John?" said his mother, embracing him, as soon as
the door was opened.

"How did you save the earl's life?" said Mary, who was standing
behind her mother.

"Would his lordship really have been killed, if it had not been for
you?" asked Mrs Eames.

"And was he very much hurt?" asked Mary.

"Oh, bother," said Johnny, on whom the results of the day's work,
together with the earl's Falernian, had made some still remaining
impression. On ordinary occasions, Mrs Eames would have felt hurt at
being so answered by her son; but at the present moment she regarded
him a