a
deuced sight more from _me_ than _you!_"

"The reproach is just," said Layton, bitterly. "I _have_ neglected my
trust,--grossly neglected it,--and in nothing more than suffering him to
keep _your_ company."

"Oh! is that your tone?" whispered the other, still lower. "Thank your
stars for it, you never met a man more ready to humor your whim."

"What's the 'Member' plotting?" said Aginoourt, coming up between them.
"Do let _me_ into the plan."

"It is something he wishes to speak to _me_ about tomorrow at eleven
o'clock," said Layton, with a significant look at O'Shea, "and which is
a matter strictly between ourselves."

"All right," said Agincourt, turning back to the table again, while
O'Shea, with a nod of assent, left the room.

"We must set to work vigorously to-morrow, Henry," said Layton, laying
his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You have fallen into idle ways, and the
fault is all my own. For both our sakes, then, let us amend it."

"Whatever you like, Alfred," said the boy, turning on him a look of real
affection; "only never blame yourself if you don't make a genius of me.
I was always a stupid dog!"

"You are a true-hearted English boy," muttered Layton, half to himself,
"and well deserved to have fallen into more careful hands than mine.
Promise me, however, all your efforts to repair the past."

"That I will," said he, grasping the other's hand, and shaking it in
token of his pledge. "But I still think," said he, in a slightly broken
voice, "they might have made a sailor of me; they 'll never make a
scholar!"

"We must get away; we must leave this," said Layton, speaking half to
himself.

"I 'm sorry for it," replied the boy. "I like the old villa, and I like
Sir William and Charley, and the girls too. Ay, and I like that trout
stream under the alders, and that jolly bit of grass land where we
have just put up the hurdles. I say, Layton," added he, with a sigh, "I
wonder when shall we be as happy as we have been here?"

"Who knows?" said Layton, sorrowfully.

"I'm sure _I_ never had such a pleasant time of it in my life. Have
you?"

"_I_--I don't know,--that is, I believe not. I mean--never," stammered
out Layton, in confusion.

"Ha! I fancied as much. I thought you didn't like it as well as _I_
did."

"Why so?" asked Layton, eagerly.

"It was May put it into my head the other morning. She said it was
downright cruelty to make you come out and stop here; that you could
n't, with all