mussooxs.' That's a droll name for
champagne."

"It's a shame," said the young man,
indignantly. "You are our guest, and to
ask you to the house——"

"Oh! Leave me out of it. Peter can
bide his time. You'll recal the Hickey
transaction. I wasn't slow there. No,"
said the Doctor, his lips curling with a
slow scorn. "But it's mean, unworthy
hounding on; yes, hounding on, against a
tender, gentle, gerrul!"— (the Doctor
thus enriched single syllables when under
any excitement)—"a poor gerrul that
cannot raise an arm to defend herself. Oh,
it's mean, unworthy, sir, stabbing her
through me."

"But they shall not," said the other,
excited. "I'll stand by her, as I always
said I would. I don't care what they do.
She can't touch me. Who is she that she
attempts to interfere with me?"

"Exactly, my dear boy. It shouldn't
come from her; keeping a soldier, with
fifty men under him that he can do what
he likes with, an under-her-thumb, as if he
was a schoolboy. Now he's to be sent
away with a tutor, I suppose, to keep him
out of harm's way. That's the plan she's
settled for you, my dear boy. Did you
ever hear the like? An old forager comes
down here with a cock and a bull story,
and——. No, it's beneath the lowest
depths, I say. Where's Katey—where's
my daughter, I say?"

"I know," said the young man,
excitedly. " I'll take care of her."

"I know you will, my dear boy," the
Doctor said, wringing his hand ostentatiously.
"You won't let her be trampled
on, or insulted in any way. You'll stand
by her, come weal, come woe. For you
are a generous, good, and gallant fellow!"

Glowing with these encomiums, which
were delivered in a loud encouraging voice,
the young man went straight to Katey,
enlisted himself under her banner, and,
never quitting her side a moment, seemed
to take pride in taking her about in the
most conspicuous fashion. There were oats
enough for the gossips, as the Doctor said,
and for such gossips as were those of
Tilston. They stared, and whispered, and
smiled, and stretched over each other's
heads to see. "He's dancing with her
now. He's been doing that the whole
night. She looks quite secure about it!"
was said aloud. And Katey herself,
bewildered, dazzled, now sad, now excited,
now uneasy—for she had dim suspicions,
from what her lover said and from her
father, that something was wrong—took
her part in the dramatic incidents of the
night.

CHAPTER VIII. BROUGHT TO A FOCUS.

MRS. LEADER was beside herself with
anger and vexation. "Before Lady Seaman,
too," who was ironically condolent,
and who said simply, "I wouldn't have it;
you might just as well marry a barmaid into
the family." She was presently accosted
by General Fountain in a brusque way, not
common to that officer.

"I hear this from all sides, everywhere
in the room, and I protest I don't follow
it."

"My dear general, leave it to me."

"No, no, we mustn't interfere with
arrangements made previously. Not for
the world, neither Mysie nor me. I really
wasn't aware things had gone so far. It's
another question about the Doctor, that
scoundrel. But I see we have been
trespassing on engaged ground. And I must
tell you I don't think it was fair to poor
little Mysikins, as you call her. Now, I'll
go and ask Lady Seaman to come in and
have some supper."

Mrs. Leader was completely taken back
by this speech. Down toppled her darling
plan in ruins. The general was a plain-
spoken man, and, as the Doctor would say,
"had a deal of finality in him." Mysikins,
her pet, looked hurt and mortified. That
young lady felt herself in an awkward and
even painful predicament, for she had been
brought down there, virtually consigned to
the care of Mr. Leader, junior, as much, as
the Doctor would describe, as if she had a
"card tacked on her back," with the
inscription, "Bride of Cecil Leader, Esq."
Poor Mrs. Leader knew not what to do,
was overcome with shame and mortification,
until looking round saw her brother Randall
coming to her. Then that strange face
became softened.

It was, indeed, wonderful what a feeling
towards that brother was in this worldly
woman's heart. He was her sole surviving
relative; her eyes always turned to him,
and she thought him the cleverest, most
brilliant, and rising man of the day. It was
not so much the affection, as it would be in
another woman's heart, but he was one of
her own, something to lean on. The truth
was, she had actually begun, when a young
girl, with much sentiment and affection,
which might have expended itself in a wholesome
way had it been permitted. She had