elighted his mother and little Laura,
who clapped her hands with pleasure.

"And Mrs. Haller?" said Mrs. Pendennis.

"She's a stunner, ma'am," Pen said, laughing, and using the words of his
revered friend, Mr. Foker.

"A what, Arthur?" asked the lady.

"What is a stunner, Arthur?" cried Laura, in the same voice.

So he gave them a queer account of Mr. Foker, and how he used to be
called Vats and Grains, and by other contumelious names at school: and
how he was now exceedingly rich, and a Fellow Commoner at St. Boniface.
But gay and communicative as he was, Mr. Pen did not say one syllable
about his ride to Chatteris that day, or about the new friends whom he
had made there.

When the two ladies retired, Pen, with flashing eyes, filled up two
great bumpers of Madeira, and looking Smirke full in the face said,
"Here's to her!"

"Here's to her," said the curate with a sigh, lifting the glass and
emptying it, so that his face was a little pink when he put it down.

Pen had even less sleep that night than on the night before. In
the morning, and almost before dawn, he went out and saddled that
unfortunate Rebecca himself, and rode her on the Downs like mad. Again
Love had roused him--and said, "Awake, Pendennis, I am here." That
charming fever--that delicious longing--and fire, and uncertainty; he
hugged them to him--he would not have lost them for all the world.

CHAPTER VI. Contains both Love and War

Cicero and Euripides did not occupy Mr. Pen much for some time after
this, and honest Mr. Smirke had a very easy time with his pupil. Rebecca
was the animal who suffered most in the present state of Pen's mind,
for, besides those days when he could publicly announce his intention of
going to Chatteris to take a fencing-lesson, and went thither with the
knowledge of his mother, whenever he saw three hours clear before him,
the young rascal made a rush for the city, and found his way to Prior's
Lane. He was as frantic with vexation when Rebecca went lame, as Richard
at Bosworth, when his horse was killed under him: and got deeply into
the books of the man who kept the hunting-stables at Chatteris for the
doctoring of his own, and the hire of another animal.

Then, and perhaps once in a week, under pretence of going to read a
Greek play with Smirke, this young reprobate set off so as to be in time
for the Competitor down coach, stayed a couple of hours in Chatteris,
and returned on the Rival which left for L