ble every morning for hours, and with | step out of the way. I turned round to little regard for future seasons, killing see a well-appointed tandem driven by a anything up shamelessly. But the long tall fellow in a mackintosh, and before I days in the open air and the simple living had time to wonder what brought him did me a world of good, together with the there he had pulled up, and his groom nursing and petting Considine's old house- was at the leader's head. keeper lavished upon me. She ordered us both about as if we had been lads of twelve or fourteen, and used to appear at all hours of the day and night that we spent indoors, with dry socks, comforters, strengthening jelly, or some concoction of the kind. "With renewed health and plenty of good sport the days were still long and dull, and I should not have been sorry to get back to town at the end of a week, but for Considine. He was terribly down at times, and I had determined to stand by him as long as he wanted me. It was worst in the evening when, after dinner, we had drawn our chairs to the fire over wine and walnuts, he would not talk or smoke or play écarté. 666 Hallo, Considine,' he called out, "I was just coming to call upon you. Heard yesterday you were down here. How do?' "St. Just, by Jove!' "It struck me that Considine's exclamation betrayed more surprise than pleasure. However, he returned the greeting cordially enough, and introduced me. had heard of this Colonel St. Just before, and knew a little about him: enough, in fact, to make me rather curious to see him. Yes, one of the St. Justs of La Fontaine; he was a younger son, but very well off. He was in the Crimea, and wounded at Sebastopol. A man about middle age, I should say, tall and very slight, with a delicate, high-bred face, fair "The Grange was fully half a mile and smooth as a woman's, and with a from the village, and the clergyman, an woman's sweetness of expression. The old bachelor with a gouty foot, the only smile with which he raised his hat to me inhabitant with whom Considine was on was, I think, the most winning I ever saw. visiting terms. More than one evening I made these observations while Consiat that time, he sat until he had emptied dine was talking to him, or more corthe decanter and - but you will under-rectly, answering questions. An invitastand; I need only touch upon the subject. I said nothing at first, but the third time it happened I thought I ought to interfere, and I got up and put the wine away. He half rose, with an angry word. I went round to him and laid my hand on his shoulder. 'Excuse me, old fellow, but I can't see you do that. It won't help you, you know. The man who thinks to drown trouble so, is ' 666 "A fool you're right about that, Jack,' he put in. Thank you for reminding me; but the temptation's strong, when there's nothing left worth living for, to make as short work of it as possible.' "I believe I lectured him about duty and so forth, and he took it all in good part: spite of his faults, he was a goodhearted fellow was Considine, and he never transgressed again while we were alone. For the rest, the sin, I am persuaded, will not be at his door. Of course it was a great mistake, his leaving the army, and I told him so, over and over again. It was no use; he sent in his pers and the thing was done. pa "One day we were tramping homewards from an outlying farm, after a hard morning's work and not much sport, the birds were getting wild-when a rattle of wheels and a sudden shout warned us to 'Come tion to dinner was given then. "I accepted. With a good deal of shouting at the horses, and Good-nights' exchanged, they dashed off into the gathering mist. "I didn't know St. Just was a friend of yours, George,' I said, as we shouldered our guns and plodded on again. "Oh, I have met him two or three times; I don't know him very well,' he answered, with some reserve, remarking presently that he wished he had not accepted the invitation; he supposed all the other fellows knew about it. "Dare say they do; but you must face that.' "Suppose so, unless I break my neck first,' he answered, with a bitter laugh. "Walford, St. Just's place, was some three miles from Marston; a comparatively new house, and furnished in that high-art style which was just beginning to come into fashion among a few enthu- | home. I was more grieved and annoyed siasts in the aesthetic world. The dinner about it than I can tell you, and none the and wines were superb, and the other less so that I knew whose doing it was. guests pleasant and gentlemanly enough: a few young officers - not one of whom, however, Considine or I knew; one or two Oxford men, Colonel Dixon of the 61st, a barrister, and old Squire Harwood, of Wixhope. "The conversation savored rather of the stable at first, but there was not much harm in it. It was St. Just himself who gave to it a tone I did not altogether like ―a covert sneer now and then at things no gentleman should sneer at an imputation of wrong motive where none should have been imputed a joke which a man would hardly have cared to repeat to his sister. More than once, I must confess, I felt a little annoyed; still, I could not help watching my host with more interest and admiration than is usually excited by a total stranger on the mind of a man with an amazingly good opinion of himself. The fair, handsome face, with its winning smile; the rich, deep voice, never raised above a certain pitch-he set the whole table in a roar and turned to swear at the servants in precisely the same low, grave tones - yet so clear that no word could escape you; and the graceful, polished manner, fascinated me in spite of myself. I couldn't keep my eyes off him, and yet I was glad when dinner was over, and we went to the billiard and smoking rooms. "After a good deal of persuasion, Considine sat down at the card-table with Colonel Dixon. I did not care to play, and, pleading a slight headache as an excuse, took my cigar to a window-seat, with a view of making further observations. St. Just himself would not play, but walked about from one room to another, marking for billiards or looking over the hands of the half-dozen who were at cards. He seemed to me to exercise the same singular fascination over all his guests, the young fellows especially. More than one lad I saw color and start like a girl when the white hand rested on his shoulder, and the handsome head bent down over him. "I got Considine away tolerably early, but not before he had pledged himself to dine there the following night; and hearing this, I, too, accepted the invitation, which of course was extended to me. "The evening passed off in much the same way as the previous one had done, but there was some high play. More than enough wine had been drunk before we left, and well, I had to drive Considine | St. Just played his part of tempter carefully and with infinite tact; but it was he, I knew, who had filled Considine's glass again and again, and proposed the higher stakes; and when George grew. excited and angry through the quiet rebuke his host gave him, I had seen a gleam of something like satisfaction -a look in the gray eyes that startled me for a moment, and the recollection of which cost my friend a lecture next morning. He listened in moody silence to what I had to say until I concluded. "If you are wise, old fellow, you will break with St. Just and his set. You know as well as I do that they are no good. We saw enough last night to give us a fair idea of what goes on there. Why not go abroad and stay with your mother a few weeks? I believe it would do you good.' "He faced round on me at that. "Thanks, Jack; but I believe I am old enough to choose my own friends and place of residence. I'm sorry if they don't suit you; but the remedy lies in your own hands.' "I would not have borne the insult from any other man, Charlie; but I could not quarrel with Considine. I looked at him steadily for a moment, waiting for an apology; and when his eyes met mine, he came to me, holding out his hand. "I beg pardon, Jack. I didn't mean that; but you must let me go to the deuce my own way.' There is no necessity for your going there at all, that I know of,' I answered, laughing. And you will send an excuse instead of going over to Walford to-day, eh?' 666 'Hang it, a fellow must have something to do, and there is capital covershooting in the park,' he said shortly, and with a slight frown. "Never mind the shooting, old fellow; do what you know to be right.' "I don't know it to be right; and, 'pon my word, I will not be preached at, Jack. If you don't care to go, I'll take your excuses.' "He rang the bell, and ordered the dog-cart; and seeing that he was bent on having his own way, I said no more, and I went with him too, after a tough battle with my confounded pride. Leave him to himself just then I could not, and call myself his friend. "I have since understood better the a little flattering. He came up to me in the course of the evening, confound him, and complimented me on my long distances and one or two lucky double shots; and, spite of my indignation and disgust at the part he was playing, I couldn't help feeling his half-dozen well-bred, polished sentences were worth a whole chapter of praise from any other man. Well, he was a brave soldier, and served his country. nobly. God forgive him the ill he wrought to my friend. object St. Just had in view in asking us to Walford. It was said, on very good authority, I believe, that more than one large estate in the county belonged to him, and had he chosen to lay claim to them the nominal owners would have inevitably come to grief. Scarcely one of his friends was not over head and ears in debt to him, and Considine's little place of fifteen hundred acres at Marston was perhaps more of a Naboth's vineyard to his neighbor than he was at all aware of. Moreover, the fellow had such an "Considine seems to be playing rather extraordinary love of and desire for pow-recklessly to-night; perhaps it might be er that he would spare no thought or trouble to bring a young man under his influence whether he had money or not. And not alone those of his own station. This extreme courtesy of manner, and this pleasant word and smile, that achieved to some extent his end with his inferiors, he never seemed to forget; and, though hard and stern in his dealings with his tenants, no man was more popular among the village people. His very grooms and stablemen watched for a look from him, and worshipped, if they feared him. "I was not altogether pleased to find, when he came in to dinner that night, that St. Just had sent for our things, and we were booked to spend a week there. He came up to me in the gun-room with a courteous word or two. He had induced Considine to spend a few days with him, just for the pheasant-shooting would I give him the pleasure of my com. pany? Considine's friends were his — I must stay,' and so forth. -- "I should like to have knocked him down, Charlie; but all I could do was to accept the invitation rather awkwardly, and resolve to get George away as soon as possible. He was standing by the window, and I went up to him. "You are going to stay, of course,' he said to me, rather shortly. "I answered him with a touch of coolness, and, seeing he was in no mood to be reasoned with, left him alone. I wish now I had not done so. There were some wild things said and done that night, and I know Considine lost a lot of money more than he could afford to do, by a long shot. I had to look on, fret and fume inwardly, and curse the winning smile and voice that were luring him on to destruction. "My dear fellow, I tell you until you experienced it you could not understand how strong a fascination there was in St. Just's manner to a man younger than himself, and to whom his notice waswell, as well to give him a hint to-morrow,' he said to me, glancing over his shoulder at George's flushed face. My blood was up, and I answered him hotly. "I should think the hint would come best from yourself, sir.' "He turned away with a courteous. Perhaps so,' that was in itself the most cutting rebuke I ever had; but, assuming that I was right, he took very good care that I should have no opportunity of giv ing the hint next day, and I made one for myself by following George to his room, when he went to dress for dinner. I was admitted, not with very good grace, however, and I plunged into the subject straight away. "Look here, old fellow, if you mean to stay here, I don't.' "He sat down on the bed and stared at me. 666 "Very well. Sorry this place doesn't suit you. Shall you go up to town?' "No; I don't mean that, George. You know what I want to say. Let us cut the concern; we have neither of us any business here.' "I don't know what right you have to dictate to me in the matter, Kenyon.' He spoke haughtily, and I answered him in the same tone. "I have a right; you are my friend. I have never proved myself otherwise, have I?' "'No.' "You must know. how disagreeable it is to me to have to speak on this subject; but 'pon my honor, Considine, I can't help it. I can't see you go to the deuce without "He interrupted me with a sneer. 'I am much obliged; I didn't know I was so far on the road to destruction that my friends could tell me to my face that I was going to the deuce.' "I saw the mistake I had made, and did what I could to repair it. I beg your pardon, George. I shouldn't have said that, but what is the use mincing the place in the world for a forty minutes' matter? You know this is not a good run; and yet the South Meadshire hounds house for a young fellow to be in. I know always came out first at the end of a seano reason why you and I should stay.' son, and St. Just declared he would not "I have remarked before, I believe, change his quarters for anything. He Kenyon, that there is no reason why you himself rode well; a bit recklessly, pershould not go if you don't like it. I sup-haps, but I never want to see a better pose I can take care of myself under any circumstances, and I mean to avail myself of St. Just's invitation.' I "He got up and rang for hot water. knew, blundering fool that I was, that I had overshot my mark. One more effort I made. "I think you owe me an apology for that speech, Considine; but I don't want to quarrel. I have only spoken because we are friends, and I'm sorry you can't take my warning as I meant it.' 66 "Don't say any more: we shall understand each other better in future, I hope.' "I hope so,' I said, and took my de parture. My wounded feelings would have induced me to act upon his suggestion and go straight back to town, but for the memory of that voyage home, and the almost womanly tenderness with which he had nursed a confoundedly irritable invalid. After that evening, I began to have a suspicion that he had gone too far to retreat, and that he couldn't have broken with St. Just if he would; but why it was that he refused me his confidence, I do not know. I'm afraid I was too calmly superior and self-righteous in my well-meant warnings. Ah! among the sins and follies of youth a man has to repent of, the memory of his beggarly little virtues is sometimes the bitterest. "Our little difference seemed to have been forgotten next day, and Considine spoke to me in his usual manner. I did not see much of him though, and it went on for several days. But I will not trouble you with the details. I don't know if Considine lost much more money. I fancy not; but he never went to bed sober; and of all the wild, reckless set gathered in the smoking-room at Walford every night, he was the wildest and most reckless. "The hunting season began. St. Just offered to mount us both, and we stayed on. I was more determined than ever not to go without Considine, and though very well aware that my host had had enough of my company, I ignored the fact, and received his cool courtesies with the best grace I could. "You know the sort of hunting country it is down in Meadshire-small fields, high hedges, very little grassland, and covers all close together not the best man across country. His stud was, taking it altogether, the best lot of horses I ever saw in any meeting stables; and Considine and I were well mounted. "A good, bold horseman George always was, but his wild daring of those days made some of the hardest riders in the field hold their breath, and shout a warning that was lost in the gallant rush of the little Irish hunter he rode to his fence. Two horses he completely knocked up in as many days, and even St. Just remonstrated. Considine pulled in a little, and I began to hope that after all we might escape without further mischief worked; but he so persistently avoided having anything to say to me in private, I could not again introduce the subject of our leaving, save in the presence of others and that I did not choose to do. "I think we must have been there something like ten days before the end came. Considine had a letter that morning; I don't know from whom, or anything of the contents; I never did know, for he burnt it almost at once; but the writing was a lady's, and I saw his whole face darken as he read it, saw him hand it to St. Just with a little laugh and sneer, and realized, perhaps, for the first time, that I had already lost the George Considine who was once my friend. "I took a heavy heart with me to cover-side that morning, Charlie. The hounds met at Walford, and found at Deepdene; the fox broke cover, and went away for Weston- -a good run? Ay, I think it was the best I ever had, and longer by twenty minutes than the one to-day. A burning scent, breast high, and not a check all along. The pace the first two or three miles left all the stragglers behind, and the rest of us settled down into our saddles, and hardened our hearts. It was worth a man's while to live for such a morning as that. A soft, south wind and cloudy sky, a good horse under you, answering gallantly to voice and hand, the hounds on well ahead, close together as they could run, and far in the distance, widening in the long, steady stride of a race for life, the dark speck you knew to be the best old dog-fox of the season. "Considine kept on my left hand as we went up Longbrook Valley. He was rid ing a clever little mare of St. Just's, a chestnut with a vile temper, which she displayed at her fences pretty frequently. Considine lost his temper once or twice; but he managed to get his own way with the little brute, and was in the first flight when the fox was headed and turned west again over the Wixhope common. 66 My horse was getting a little winded then, and I knew I must ride carefully if I wished to see anything of the finish. Considine passed me. His mare had cooled down, and was going splendidly with a free yet steady gallop that left many a veteran in the rear. The pace increased as we neared the edge of the common and caught sight of Wixhope village, lying in the hollow, and the blue smoke-wreaths curling up into the misty sunlight that had struggled through the bank of gray cloud above it. Down at the brook we left more than one good horse and rider over a grass-field or two, through old Dobbs's farmyard, we held on like grim death, till a stiffer fence than any we had yet left behind made the best of us look to our girths and harden our hearts. I was no light weight at that time, and had some doubts as to whether my horse would do it; but a closer view showed me the ground was sound and there was nothing much of a drop, and I gave him his head. A warning shout rang in my ears: Hold hard, sir! not there a bit higher up.' But my horse cleared it, fell, and recovered himself before I turned round in my saddle to glance behind. "Some fifty yards lower down there was a tremendous drop, a wide, deep ditch, and bit of boggy ground, altogether the nastiest place you can imagine, and there Considine had jumped. He must have been mad to attempt it with a horse a bit tired. I suppose the mare cleared it, though, for she lay on the bank beyond the ditch. I saw his fair head down on the wet, red clay, a flashing out of white heels, as the mare struggled and got up, and I knew there was something awfully wrong. "I believe I was the first to reach him; but, ere I could speak, half-a-dozen flasks were thrust into my hand, and half-adozen dismayed faces bending over the still, slight figure. St. Just's voice stilled the momentary confusion. Is that you, Forbes? come here. Stand back, please, gentlemen. It is fortunate that we have a doctor at hand.' A big, rough-looking fellow he was, with the voice and touch of a woman. I knelt, with George's head on my arm, while he went to work. He looked up at me in a minute or two, and shook his head. Can't do anything; he is dying. No, don't try to move him; it will not last long.' เ Something else he said; but I neither heard nor heeded more. They moved still farther away, the other fellows, and stood staring at each other in silence and dismay. I think St. Just was beside me; I heard him speak to the doctor once or twice, but I hadn't a thought to give him. I saw nothing but the white face upturned to the dull, gray sky, and the crushed, motionless figure that blast of horn or ring of horse-hoofs would never wake to life and vigor again. "I have always been thankful, Charlie, that there was a momentary interval of consciousness before the end came. I felt a slight pressure from the hand in mine. Considine opened his eyes. I had to bend down very low to catch the broken words, and St. Just, with instinctive courtesy, moved away, a look on his face I had never seen before. If his remorse and sorrow were but a passing feeling then, I know that when his own time came to die, George Considine's name was the last on his lips. "I'm done for, Jack,' he muttered brokenly. I had always hoped to die in battle; this is almost as good - eh? Tell tell her is that her little hand in mine? No, no, I tell you, St. Just!' He tried to raise himself. 'Gone away! is it? What does he say? Ware wheat, gentlemen, ware wheat! Out of the way there — steady, lad — steady - "It was a death no man need fear to die, Charlie, out under the quiet sky, the green fields round, your head on mother earth; husbed, friendly voices you will never hear again floating in on your dulled senses, and some strong, faithful hand holding yours till the last. Considine died peacefully, as a brave man should, a smile on his lips, and his eyes still seeking mine even in the little struggle which, thank God, did not last long. "Yes, yes, they ran to earth at Austey Wood, and found again there. This wine is rather muddy, eh, old fellow?" Was it? or were the keen, dark eyes, that a few weeks back had faced death so calmly, measuring distances so well, in "Some of them moved away, and the hand-to-hand encounter with a dozen Forbes, the Wixhope surgeon, strode up. | desperate foes, and Major Kenyon, fight |