lf had said that he intended to look out for another curate.
He probably did not remember that at the moment. "I wish the Bishop would
confine himself to asserting things that he knows," said the Doctor,
angrily.

"I am sure the Bishop intends to do so," said Mr. Puddicombe, very
gravely. "But I apologise. I had not intended to touch a subject on
which there may perhaps be some reserve. I was only going to tell you of
an excellent young man of whom I have heard. But, good morning." Then Mr.
Puddicombe withdrew.

CHAPTER VI.

LORD CARSTAIRS.

DURING the last six months Mr. Peacocke's most intimate friend at Bowick,
excepting of course his wife, had been one of the pupils at the school.
The lad was one of the pupils, but could not be said to be one of the
boys. He was the young Lord Carstairs, eldest son of Earl Bracy. He had
been sent to Bowick now six years ago, with the usual purpose of
progressing from Bowick to Eton. And from Bowick to Eton he had gone in
due course. But there, things had not gone well with the young lord.
Some school disturbance had taken place when he had been there about a
year and a half, in which he was, or was supposed to have been, a
ringleader. It was thought necessary, for the preservation of the
discipline of the school, that a victim should be made;--and it was
perhaps thought well, in order that the impartiality of the school might
be made manifest, that the victim should be a lord. Earl Bracy was
therefore asked to withdraw his son; and young Lord Carstairs, at the age
of seventeen, was left to seek his education where he could. It had been,
and still was, the Earl's purpose to send his son to Oxford, but there was
now an interval of two years before that could be accomplished. During
one year he was sent abroad to travel with a tutor, and was then reported
to have been all that a well-conducted lad ought to be. He was declared
to be quite worthy of all that Oxford would do for him. It was even
suggested that Eton had done badly for herself in throwing off from her
such a young nobleman. But though Lord Carstairs had done well with his
French and German on the Continent, it would certainly be necessary that
he should rub up his Greek and Latin before he went to Christ Church.
Then a request was made to the Doctor to take him in at Bowick in some
sort as a private pupil. After some demurring the Doctor consented. It
was not his wont to run counter to earls who t