imaginable discredit on its authenticity, but
without success. The upshot is, I have lost my
place as 'own correspondent,' and you are in a
very bad way. The whole will appear in print
to-morrow, and be read from Hudson's Bay to
the Himalaya. I have done my best to get
the other papers to disparage the statement, and
have written all the usual bosh about condemning
a man in his absence, and entreating the
public to withhold its judgment, &c. &c.; but
they all seem to feel that the tide of popular
sentiment is too strong to resist, and you
must be pilloried; prepare yourself, then, for
a pitiless pelting, which, as parliament is not
sitting, will probably have a run of three or four
weeks.

"In any other sort of scrape, the fellows at the
club here would have stood by you, but they
shrink from the danger of this business, which I
now see was worse than you told me. Many,
too, are more angry with you for deserting
B. than for shooting the other fellow; and
though B. was an arrant snob, now that he
is no more you wouldn't believe what shoals
of good qualities they have discovered he
possessed, and he is 'poor Bob ' in the mouths
of twenty fellows who would not have been
seen in his company a month ago. There is,
however, worse than all this: a certain Reppingham,
or Reppengham, the father of B.'s wife,
has either already instituted, or is about to
institute, proceedings against you criminally. He
uses ugly words, calls it a murder, and has
demanded a warrant for your extradition and
arrest at once. There is a story of some note
you are said to have written to B., but which
arrived when he was insensible, and was read
by the people about him, who were shocked by
its heartless levity. What is the truth as to this?
At all events, Rep has got a vendetta fit on
him, and raves like a Corsican for vengeance.
Your present place of concealment, safe enough
for duns, will offer no security against detectives.
The bland blackguards with black whiskers
know the geography of Europe as well as they
know the blind alleys about Houndsditch. You
must decamp, therefore; get across the Adriatic
into Dalmatia, or into Greece. Don't delay,
whatever you do, for I see plainly, that in the present
state of public opinion, the fellow who captures
you will come back here with a fame like that
of Gérard the lion-killer. Be sure of one thing,
if you were just as clean-handed in this business
as I know you are not, there is no time now
for a vindication. You must get out of the way,
and wait. The clubs, the press, the swells at the
Horse Guards, and the snobs at the War-office,
are all against you, and there's no squaring
your book against such long odds. I am well
aware that no one gets either into or out of
a scrape more easily than yourself; but don't
treat this as a light one; don't fancy, above all,
that I am giving you the darkest side of it, for,
with all our frankness and free speech together,
I couldn't tell you the language people hold
here about it. There's not a man you ever
bullied at mess, or beat at billiards, that is not
paying off his scores to you now! And though
you may take all this easily, don't undervalue its
importance.

"I haven't got—and I don't suppose
you care much now to get—any information
about Loyd, beyond his being appointed
something, Attorney-General's 'devil,' I believe, at
Calcutta. I'd not have heard even so much, but
that he was trying to get a loan, to make out
his outfit, from Joel, and old Isaac told me who
he was, and what he wanted. Joel thinks, from
the state of the fellow's health, that no one will
like to advance the cash, and if so, he'll be
obliged to relinquish the place. You have not
told me whether you wish this, or the opposite.

"I wish I could book up to you at such a
moment as this, but I haven't got it. I send you
all that I can scrape together, seventy odd; it is
a post bill, and easily cashed anywhere. In
case I hear of anything that may be imminently
needed for your guidance, I'll telegraph to you
the morrow after your receipt of this, addressing
the message to the name Grainger, to prevent
accidents. You must try and keep your friends
from seeing the London papers so long as you
stay with them. I suppose, when you leave,
you'll not fret about the reputation that follows
you. For the last time, let me warn you to
get away to some place of safety, for if they can
push matters to an arrest, things may take an
ugly turn.

"They are getting really frightened here
about India at last. Harris has brought some
awful news home with him, and they'd give
their right hands to have those regiments they
sent off to China to despatch now to Calcutta.
I know this will be all 'nuts' to you, and it is
the only bit of pleasant tidings I have for you.
Your old prediction about England being a third-
rate power, like Holland, may not be so far
from fulfilment as I used to think it. I wonder
shall we ever have a fireside gossip over all
these things again? At present, all looks too
dark to get a peep into the future. Write to
me at once, say what you mean to do, and
believe me as ever, yours,

                                        "A. DRATTON.

"I have just heard that the lawyers are in
doubt as to the legality of extradition, and
Braddon declares dead against it. In the case
they relied on, the man had come to England
after being tried in France, thinking himself
safe, as 'autrefois acquit;' but they found him
guilty at the Old Bailey, and—him. There's
delicacy for you, after your own heart."

Calvert smiled grimly at his friend's pleasantry.
"Here is enough trouble for any man to
deal with. Duns, outlawry, and a criminal
prosecution!" said he, as he replaced his
letter in its envelope, and lighted his cigar. He
had not been many minutes in the enjoyment of
his weed, when he saw Miss Grainger coming
hastily towards him. "I wish that old woman
would let me alone, just now!" muttered he.
"I have need of all my brains for my own
misfortunes."