which was perhaps her crowning charm

She stood in terrible need of hers, I would look far better without their aid), poor woman; nor can words convey the really wonderful golden-brown hair, any idea of her relief when at the last moment, after she had almost abandoned hope and the train was about to start, Sir Thomas was thrust into the carriage by the impatient guard.

"It's all right," the breathless emissary announced; "I've got my stuff, thank goodness! and I've seen your maids, and here's a bottle apiece for you two ladies."

Each of them promptly clutched her property, and each proceeded to stow the same away in her travelling-bag with great celerity. To judge by the relaxation of their respective features, both of them felt that all was well that ended well, and both were more disposed to be amiable to their neighbors than they had been a few minutes earlier.

This, to be sure, does not mean that they were at all more disposed to be friendly to one another; but then they were only neighbors in a large and metaphorical sense of the term. Strictly speaking, young Fulton was Mrs. Naylor's neighbor, while Sir Thomas Clutterbuck had, as a matter of course, seated himself opposite to Mrs. Alston, and between the two couples arose a barricade of rugs, wraps, and umbrellas. Sir Thomas, for his part, would have been just as well pleased if the intervening barrier had been a higher and denser one. He had conceived an immense admiration for his charming vis-à-vis, and, had he been spared the presence of third persons, there is no telling what he might not have been imprudent enough to say to her between London and the Midlands. As it was, he had to content himself with subdued whisperings and ardent glances.

What provoked him a little was that, although he was so close to the object of his elderly affections, she had taken such precautions against catching cold as to be almost invisible. Her sparkling blue eyes, her lovely complexion (untouched, he was prepared to swear, by any of the appliances which are too frequently made use of by women who

all these were enveloped in a voluminous white gauze veil, and when he made some complaining remark upon the subject she said:

'Oh, I know they are hideous things, and nobody wears them nowadays, but I really can't help it. As sure as ever I venture upon a railway journey without wrapping my head up, I get such a cold that I have to go to bed for a week."

Sir Thomas gallantly declared that he would submit to any temporary deprivation rather than be the means of bringing about such a catastrophe as that; but after a time he felt impelled to put forward a further mild remonstrance. Mrs. Alston was certainly not herself that afternoon; her customary vivacity seemed to have deserted her; more than once he suspected that she was not even listening to him; so at length he bent forward and said:

"What is the matter I am sure something is troubling you." "Troubling me?" she repeated "oh dear no; nothing in the world! Except, of course "" Here she jerked up one of her shoulders slightly and threw a significant glance over it in the direction of Lord Arthur, whose attentions to Mrs. Naylor were of a somewhat needlessly demonstrative order. "I hate that sort of thing; it's so silly and vulgar!" she said.

If she had told the truth (but that was quite out of the question) she would have had to own that she was much more seriously uncomfortable than the spectacle of any flirtation, legitimate or otherwise, could have rendered her. For while Sir Thomas was gently insinuating that his life of late had been a complete blank without her, she had been furtively feeling in her bag, and had arrived at the truly appalling conviction that she had got hold of the wrong bottle. There could be no doubt about it; shape and size were alike unfamiliar, and it was as certain as anything could be that her hair-dye that inimitable, unapproachable prep

"Oh, ten dances-twenty dances, if you like! Good gracious, here she comes! Do be quick!"

aration of which she had already been | nized. What should you say they were bereft longer than was safe, and with- worth, Mrs. Alston? A couple of out having recourse to which she dared dances at the ball, for instance ?” not exhibit herself in a strong light. was even now in the possession of an unscrupulous foe. She might, no doubt, boldly tell Mrs. Naylor that she believed there had been a mistake and effect the requisite exchange; but this would be a dreadfully hazardous meas

ure.

"She would smell a rat at once, and tear off the paper before I could stop her," the unhappy lady reflected. "No; I must get hold of that bag of hers somehow or other, if I have to kick her legs from under her, as she is leaving the carriage, to do it."

The Fates were not cruel enough to drive Mrs. Alston to the employment of such desperate methods. When the train stopped at Northampton, Sir Thomas jumped out, and, to her great joy, he was at once followed by Mrs. Naylor, who remarked that she wanted to speak to her maid. An opportunity like that was not to be thrown away out of pique or mere reluctance to address a young man who merited snubbing. Mrs. Alston immediately bent over towards the remaining occupant of the compartment, thrust the bottle which was not hers into his hand, and said: "Lord Arthur, put this into Mrs. Naylor's bag, and fish out the one which Sir Thomas was stupid enough to give her; it belongs to me."

Alas! it was not in the nature of that leisurely Lifeguardsman to do things quickly. He did, indeed, just contrive to slip the bottle that Mrs. Alston had given him into Mrs. Naylor's bag, and to withdraw the other; but there was not time. or else he pretended that there was not-to restore the latter to its owner. He popped it behind his back, as Mrs. Naylor stepped in, and immediately afterwards the train resumed its northward course. At the expiration of five minutes or so, Mrs. Alston saw him drop a newspaper over her property, and transfer both articles to his own bag. While carrying out this manoeuvre, he gave her a slight, reassuring nod, by which she was but partially reassured.

"If only I had had the sense to keep upon good terms with him!" she reflected with tardy remorse. "It could have been done so easily too!"

Well, at all events, he was not a woman; so that the hair-dye was surely safer in his possession than it would have been in that of Mrs. Naylor. If he did not find an opportunity of delivering it up honorably when the travellers quitted the train-and unNow, Lord Arthur had a grudge fortunately he did not he would against Mrs. Alston, and her agitation doubtless manage to do so as they dewas evident. "Oh, well, I don't know scended from the omnibus which had about opening other people's travel-been sent to meet them at the station. ling-bags," said he, with provoking But the luckless lady was doomed to deliberation. "Hadn't we better wait a prolongation of suspense, for when until she comes back?"

"Certainly not! It's-it's medicine, and she is quite sufficiently ill-bred to examine it before she hands it over. One doesn't want everybody to know what medicine one takes. Please make haste !"

she reached her destination those officious, over-hospitable Longworths must needs come tearing down the steps to welcome their guests. There they all were - tall, ruddy Mr. Longworth, with two huge hands outstretched, his comely, middle-aged spouse, who was "H'm! I'm not sure that I am jus- far too fond of alluding to the circumtified in doing this," the young man stance that she had been at school with observed slowly; "still, to oblige you, Mrs. Alston, and their yellow-haired I might perhaps stretch a point. Only slip of a daughter Annie, and goodness I shall expect my services to be recog-only knows how many grinning chil

dren and hobbledehoys in the background!

"You're just in time," Mrs. Longworth announced cheerfully. "We are having tea in the hall; so that you can refresh yourselves while your things are being unpacked."

"Yes; fetch it immediately. Or, rather, no; don't bring it here; it isn't a cordial to be handed round for everybody to taste. I'll tell you what you must do, if you really want me to give you those two dances that you spoke of only I thought you had The servants, of course, had seized quite given up caring to dance with the handbags, and had made off with me. You must slip up-stairs as soon them; the only thing to be done was as you can and join me presently in to practise the patience recommended the library, bringing the bottle with by Panurge, and be thankful that tea you. You know the geography of the may be partaken of without the re- house, I suppose ?" moval of a gauze veil. Mrs. Alston pushed hers up, so as to conceal her fringe, took possession of an armchair close to the blazing wood fire, by which the great entrance hall was barely warmed, and kept an anxious eye upon Lord Arthur, who did not appear to think that any apology or explanation was due to her in respect of his remiss-vaded by any member of the household.

ness.

Some measure of consolation was, in the mean time, to be derived from watching the assiduity with which he placed himself at the orders of Annie Longworth, who was pouring out the tea. Annie was a mere child, aud in the character of a rival would have been beneath contempt; but Mrs. Alston had ceased to be a competitor for Lord Arthur's affections, and it was amusing to note the displeasure of Mrs. Naylor, a jealous and exacting woman, whose flirtations were always conducted upon the crudest and most inartistic principles. It was, however, a matter of comparatively trifling consequence whether that lady was pleased or displeased. Mrs. Alston had much more important things to think about, and when Lord Arthur approached her, with a cup of tea in one hand and a plate of small cakes in the other, she took occasion to whisper to him, under cover of the loud conversation which was going on all around her:

"What have you done with my bottle? I want it at once, please."

"Your bottle?" he returned composedly. "By George! I forgot all about it. It's in my bag, unless my fellow has taken it out by this time. Shall I go and get it ?”

Lord Arthur signified that he did, and in a few minutes she had the satisfaction of seeing him make his way up the broad, shallow staircase. She herself contrived to edge adroitly away from her hostess, and was soon in the library, a vast, dimly lighted chamber which, as she knew, was seldom in

She was kept waiting a long time so long that she had worked herself up into a fever of alarm and apprehension before at last the door was opened and the other party to the assignation advanced towards her with leisurely steps.

"Where's the bottle?" was her first question; for indeed that was the first thing to be ascertained, and the rebuke which he had earned could wait.

Instead of producing her property or replying to her query, that exasperating young man raised his forefinger and shook it at her with arch reprobation. "Oh, Mrs. Alston," said he, "this is too bad of you! You shouldn't go in for that sort of thingyou shouldn't really, you know!"

"You wretch!" cried the justly incensed lady; "how dared you examine what doesn't belong to you? No gentleman would have behaved in that way, and the very least you can do now is to keep what you have found out to yourself.'

"Oh, I'll keep it to myself," auswered Lord Arthur coolly; “in fact, I may say that I have kept it to myself, and of course I shan't split. As for examining the bottle, that I couldn't help, because my man had taken it out of the paper, and there it was upon my

dressing-table, as plain as a pikestaff. lunatic, do you know that you have 'But I didn't think it would be right to swallowed a whole bottle of Wyllie's hand the stuff over to you. You may Matchless Hair Renewer! Send for a take my word for it, Mrs. Alston, that doctor-send for a stomach-pump all those expedients are a snare and a take mustard and hot water, and then delusion." get somebody to hang you up by your heels! I don't want to be a constructive murderess, or an accessory before the fact, or whatever they call it. Be off this instant; you have no time to lose ! "

Mrs. Alston was too infuriated to argue with him. "Go and get that bottle instantly!" said she. "When I want to be favored with your advice, I will not fail to let you know."

He remained calm and immovable. He made some remarks, which seemed to her irrelevant, about "Dutch courage " and the folly of imagining that anything save a clear head can enable man or woman to ride straight to hounds; but she was not concerned to dispute with him. When commands and entreaties alike failed, she had recourse to tears.

Lord Arthur waited for no second bidding, but took to his heels, while Mrs. Alston dropped into her chair once more, and covered her face with her hands.

"Was there ever such luck as mine?" she groaned. "Never before, since the world began, can any woman have met with a man capable of pouring her hair-dye down his "Dear Lord Arthur," she sobbed, throat! I suppose, if he recovers, he "I know I haven't treated you very won't dare to tell; but what is the use well, but you can't wish to punish me of that? It's simply impossible for so cruelly as this. Only give me my me to face Sir Thomas with my hair all bottle, and I will do anything-any-grey at the roots and rusty half an inch thing for you that you like to ask of me | "

Lord Arthur shook his head solemnly. "I foresaw this," he remarked, "and being a very soft-hearted fellow, I was afraid I should yield. So I determined to put temptation out of your way and my own. I can give you your bottle, Mrs. Alston, but I can't give you the liquor, because I've drunk every drop of it."

"Good Lord!" gasped Mrs. Alston, sinking back into a chair, "you never did that!"

"I did, though; and I'm bound to say that it was excellent a little sweet, perhaps." "But it's deadly poison! - at least I should think it was. What in the world did you imagine that you were drinking?"

higher up. Oh, I must be ill and take to my bed, and telegraph for another bottle at once; there's absolutely no alternative !"

Meanwhile Lord Arthur had rushed off to the stables to consult the studgroom, in whose veterinary skill he had the utmost confidence, and who, he hoped, might be able to provide him with some rough-and-ready remedy, in the absence of a duly qualified medical man.

"Jenkinson," he gasped, "have you got such a thing as a powerful emetic that you could give me? I believe I've taken poison by mistake."

The portly little spindle - shanked man whistled. "Come along with me, my lord," he answered promptly. "I'll give you a dose that I keep for the lads when I want to give 'em a lesson they won't forget. That'll do the trick for you, you may depend. It's that searching that in about five minutes from now your lordship 'll be able to feel the jints in your backbone by on'y 66 Mercy upon tasted like merely pressing your 'and upon your curaçoa!" shrieked Mrs. Alston, start-watch-chain."

"It-it tasted like curaçoa," the young man answered, looking a little staggered. "I supposed that you had taken to nipping on the sly to keep your courage up." us ! ??

ing to her feet. "Why, you raving Lord Arthur was conducted into

the saddle-room, whence he presently | joke. "Man alive!" he exclaimed, emerged, walking unsteadily and roll-"it isn't possible to swallow red lotion ! ing his eyes, while Mr. Jenkinson re- Why, half a mouthful of it would set turned to the stable-yard with a bland him on fire! Where is he ?-what smile upon his rubicund countenance. have you done with him?” At the same moment Sir Thomas Clutterbuck hurried towards him from the direction of the house, and said : "How are you, Jenkinson? are you? That fool of a groom of mine has made some idiotic mistake and brought me a bottle of filthy scent, or something of that kind, instead of the red lotion that I wanted for the mare's back. Unless I can get hold of some, I'm bound to gall her to-morrow. I dare say you know, Jenkinson, that there are horses whom the very best of riders can't help galling, in the absence of special precautions." Certainly, Sir Thomas," answered the stud-groom; 66 we can let you have as much red lotion as you like.”

Lord Arthur staggered into the yard to answer the question in person. He seated himself upon an inverted bucket,. how dropped his head on his hands and moaned out feebly: "Jenkinson, you have more thau half killed me !" "And serve you jolly well right, too!" cried the irate baronet. "Teach you to go taking surreptitious nips out of ladies' flasks at odd hours! Be thankful that you're not quite killed. Meanwhile, I'll trouble you for the remainder of my red lotion ! "

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66 Ah, but is it the right kind? I wish you would just allow me to look at it."

"Your what?" asked the other, lifting a pallid face. "It wasn't red lotion, it was hair- at least I don't know what it was. Anyhow, I drained it to the dregs."

"The devil you did!" ejaculated Sir Thomas, aghast. "This only shows what the young men of the present day have brought themselves to by their perpetual swilling. Drained a bottle of red lotion to the dregs, and never imagined that there was anything amiss until it was all down! Why, what an inside you must have ! "

A bottle was produced for Sir Thomas's inspection. He examined it, shook his head, and grumbled under his breath, but said he supposed it would have to do. "How such a stupid blunder can have been made is more than I can understand," he remarked. 66 My man swears he gave me the lotion all right; but I travelled down with a couple of ladies, and it so happened that I had to deliver a bottle to each of them from their respective maids. I wonder if I could possibly have mis- lotion." dealt ! "

"I have no inside," Lord Arthur replied, in a lamentable voice; "Jenkinson has deprived me of every vestige of it. I'm not at all sure that I shouldn't have done better to take my chance with the red lotion- -if it was red

Oh, you're all right, my lord," said Jenkinson reassuringly. 66 A bit squeamish you must expect to feel just at first, but you'll have a fine happetite for dinner, you'll find."

Jenkinson slapped his leg, and burst into a roar of laughter. "That's what you've done, Sir Thomas, you may be sure," he chuckled. "Lord Harthur Fulton came out here, not ten minutes Sir Thomas was perplexed, and beago, in a pretty stew. Said he believed gan to ask questions; but he obtained he'd swallowed pison by haccident, and arst me to give him an emetic-which | I done. Now, I'd lay odds one o' them ladies has been offering him a pull at your red lotion, sir, thinking it was her own private supply o' cherry brandy. Dear, dear! what a most extryordinary start!"

no intelligible answers, the young man feeling that, whatever the truth might be, his first duty was to shield Mrs. Alston. After a time, therefore, they went their several ways, Sir Thomas remarking, by way of moral: Well, this will be a lesson to me not to meddle with women's perfumery again, and Sir Thomas was too angry to see the I hope it will be a lesson to you to be a

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